Lucent links with GRIC

Lucent Technologies will announce this week that it is including Global Reach Internet Connection Communications' GRICphone application programming interface in its PacketStar Internet telephony system.

GRICphone, a global Internet protocol (IP) voice network that becomes the first API added to PacketStar, will be made available to telcos and Internet telephony service providers through the agreement. The alliance provides IP carriers with settlement services. The API going into the intelligent transportation system (ITS) will support intercarrier authentication, call routing, billing and settlement services.

Previously, ITS supported standard call detail record formats, which then were handed off to a billing software package.

"That's all self-contained within one company. They originate and terminate on their own boxes," said Tony Scarfo, director of IP service provider applications for Lucent. "What GRIC allows you to do is get worldwide support, and they do the billing and the settlement."

The agreement significantly expands Lucent's customer base by adding the more than 300 telcos and Internet service providers that are part of the GRIC alliance. GRIC's goal is to have interconnections in the top 25 countries where IP voice is legal by the end of the year, said Bob Powell, product manager for GRIC. "This represents a ready-made market for us to market GRICphone into," he said.

For alliance members, the deal locks them into using Lucent equipment, said Scarfo.

However, the agreement is not exclusive to GRIC. Lucent is conducting interoperability tests with VocalTec though ITXC, which also provides settlement services.

Lucent and GRIC will begin tests with GRIC alliance customers within 60 days.