The VoIP business market is vast, which is made of different types of VoIP and telephony solutions. Out of all available solutions, some solutions have been the pillar of the VoIP industry. The VoIP Softswitch solutions have been one of the stepping stones in this industry that has completed the VoIP network and contributed to the growth of this industry. Along with these popular telephony solutions, open source VoIP solutions have also played an important role in the expansion of the VoIP industry. An open source class 4 Softswitch is a perfect blend of open source and VoIP technologies that have empowered several businesses across the globe.
In this article, we will cover detailed information about this open source wholesale Softswitch and other related points:
- What is an open source VoIP solution?
- What is a class 4 VoIP Softswitch solution?
- What is an open source class 4 Softswitch system?
- Key features of open source class 4 Softswitch software
- Major advantages of using an open source wholesale Softswitch solution
- Concluding notes
Let’s take a deep dive and explore more about this interesting topic, so you can make the maximum advantage of open source VoIP and class 4 Softswitch solution.
1. What is an open source VoIP solution?
The fundamental of an open source platform is that everyone can access and read the code. Moreover, the software will be available for free. Anyone can download the source code and install it on the server. A technical expert can also make modifications to the code to customize the software as per the business need.
The open source VoIP solutions follow the same fundamentals and provide access to free and open source code. Usually, these solutions are available with GPL (General Public License) and it gives free access to the platform. The VoIP developers can also modify the code to tailor the software to meet their expectations. They can further make it a white label solution and use it to run their own business. A VoIP development company can even develop value added features and add-ons to add missing features to the open source VoIP software. There are several more advantages of this system.
2. What is a class 4 VoIP Softswitch solution?
It is also known as a wholesale VoIP Softswitch solution because it handles thousands of concurrent calls and routes them from the source carrier to the destination carrier. The wholesale VoIP termination business is huge and it is completely dependent on this VoIP Softswitch. Along with call distribution, the modern wholesale VoIP Softswitch can also perform different other jobs as well such as transcoding, protocol conversion, real time billing, and many more. Depending on the advancement of the software, this switch can vary in price and ratings.
3. What is an open source class 4 Softswitch system?
An open source class 4 switch is a class 4 Softswitch software that is available with a GLP license model. You will get access to the complete software, its features, and source code for free. Also can use and modify the software to meet your business needs. You can also run your business using this open source VoIP platform.
4. Key features of open source class 4 Softswitch software
The major functionality of the class 4 VoIP Softswitch software is related to routing massive, also known as, wholesale call volume to the termination. Thus, a majority of must have features of this software even when you are exploring open source VoIP solutions are related to call distribution. A majority of wholesale VoIP service providers also define their VoIP businesses depending on the call routing strategies and call termination routes to make ROI. The modern open source class 4 Softswitch solutions offer multiple other features to empower wholesale service providers.
Here are the top must have features explained for your better understanding of what you must look for in your software.
Robust CC support
CC stands for concurrent calls. The wholesale VoIP business solution has to support massive call traffic to route to its destination, which is often an international destination. The system must be sturdy to handle high traffic without breaking down or failing the system.
Call routing
As mentioned earlier, the whole VoIP business is dependent on call routing strategies. Thus, your open source class 4 Softswitch must support multiple call routing rules. LCR is one of the top and conventional call distribution strategies of this switch. It is also quite popular among VoIP termination providers and ends users as it makes international calling cheaper for users.
Some other popular call routing rules that you can look for or get added into your software are Lossless routing, Non-CLI and CLI routing, Priority based routing, Prefix based routing, Cost based routing, Hybrid routing, etc.
Protocol conversion
The open source class 4 Softswitch solutions usually support different protocols to ensure that during the traversal of the calls between different switches, the operations can go swiftly. It is possible that two different software solutions used to traverse wholesale traffic use different protocols. In this case, the software must support the conversion of the protocol to help you achieve compatibility between the two systems.
Transcoding
The codec can also be different in two different VoIP solutions and in that case, transcoding becomes a vital feature that you will need for seamless operations. It also increases the bandwidth and capacity to carry more massive call traffic.
VoIP billing
As the whole business is quite complicated, it needs a more comprehensive billing. The best open source class 4 Softswitch system will have an integrated VoIP billing solution. The advanced wholesale switch also offers real time billing and lossless billing options to the users of this software. If your system does not have a billing system, then you may need to get integration of open source VoIP billing software. This can increase the flexibility and ease of running a business.
Depending on the software, the number of features can vary. These five are crucial features that your software must have.
5. Major advantages of using an open source wholesale Softswitch solution
There are several advantages of using a class 4 VoIP Softswitch software solution and when you are using an open source switch, the advantages increases. Here are the top benefits of using this software.
Low capital investment
An open source system is available for free. Thus, there is no investment needed in getting and installing this software. However, the provider will need to have servers or cloud space to install, set up, and configure the class 4 Softswitch solution for your business. Moreover, if the provider does not have the technical expertise to install and configure the software, then he or she will need to invest in the same. For infrastructure and setup, he or she will need to invest in tech talent. However, this would be much lower than the licensed software.
Easy customization of the software
Usually, when a provider uses the software, they usually prefer to use the white label solution. The providers may also need to make some customization to meet the needs of the provider. This can be changing the skin of the software, adding missing features, integrating VoIP billing software, or something else. As the open source system gives access to the code of the software, the developers can easily customize it.
Regular update access
This type of VoIP Softswitch solutions usually gets releases of the software from the open source community. This keeps adding value added features and add-ons available for the software users. The open source version can be upgraded every time a new version is released. This also helps in keeping your business more competitive.
Pool of technical talent available
The open source platforms are often available for years and as mentioned earlier the access to the source code. Thus, there will be tech talent available across the globe at competitive rates. If a wholesale VoIP service provider needs any changes in the software or requires any customization, you can get plenty of options from developers and development companies that offer this service. This eliminates vendor dependability completely. Even if the wholesale provider does not have technical expertise related to this wholesale VoIP business solution, there are plenty of developers available to make the required customization or technical enhancement, you can hire any developer. Even if a contract is assigned to a specific company, the wholesale provider can switch to another option whenever needed.
Concluding notes
In conclusion, this open source VoIP software has several advantages to offer to wholesale VoIP businesses. There are also some challenges associated with open source software. It is necessary to have a methodical approach to running a business with an open source system.
We, ASTPP, have been offering the best open source class 4 Softswitch and open source VoIP billing software to thousands of businesses worldwide. More than 12,000 businesses use this software to run their businesses. To download your open source ASTPP, click here.
