Global Crossing puts VoIP services on fast track

BOSTON—Global Crossing today made a series of announcements in conjunction with the Voice on the Net show here aimed at greatly expanding its portfolio of wholesale VoIP services.

The company, which recently started trading again on the full NASDAQ, launched an inbound service portfolio along with a new series of global connectivity options. The new services include a DID service as well as a toll-free transport service that gives carriers local origination for nationwide local numbers through a single IP point of interconnection. Additionally, the company said it has started offering interconnections between different carriers’ MPLS networks.

On the DID offering, the service is designed to eliminate the multiple options retail carriers previously had for interconnection.

“It’s kind of messy for a VoIP provider to deploy across the country,” said Anthony Christie, chief marketing officer of Global Crossing. “We take all that mess away and allow a wholesale customer to meet us in one place.”

The VoIP Toll Free Transport gives carriers interconnection, transport and termination of 800 packet-based voice traffic for calls that originate as TDM traffic. The service is aimed at the quickly growing market of broadband voice carriers that have a soft switch but simply can’t afford to convert calls to TDM. The company also has on its product roadmap the ability to offer “VoIP in a box” service that will include the switching elements, Christie said.

Both the DID and 800 services are generally available in all major U.S. markets.