An Internet telephony service provider (ITSP) provides Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and digital telecommunications services to either residential or commercial enterprises. Digital telecom services eliminate the costs associated with traditional phone services and allow individuals or companies to make substantial cost savings with no loss of quality. With a general knowledge of ICT, it is a relatively straightforward manner to set up in business as an ITSP. At each stage of the process, other services exist to enable the correct management of your telecommunications business. A common benefit cited by ITSPs for the selection of this business model is the scalable nature of the service and how it allows an enterprise to build their business free from the traditional high capital expenditure costs of ownership that other telephony solutions would entail.

Stages to Consider when setting up as an ITSP

There are three stages to consider when setting up as an ITSP. These are the choices over which VoIP platform or switch to using, which VoIP carrier to chose, and the selection of end-user equipment. These decisions are all explained in more detail below. Furthermore, information is given on a number of suppliers at each stage to enable the potential ITSP to make an informed decision.

1. 1. What does VoIP Platform or Switch do?

Firstly, you will require a VoIP platform or switch. This platform provides the class five features for your service. Class five includes features such as voicemail, hunt groups, and call-forwarding. A number of companies who offer VoIP platforms are reviewed below to assist in the selection of this first stage in becoming an Internet telephony service provider.

1. 1. Why is VoIP Carrier important?

The next requirement to establish as an ITSP is to engage a VoIP carrier. This is known as a class four service. Considerations to make when selecting a VoIP carrier are coverage and origination. For this reason, it is important to check the footprint of a particular carrier in your target market before engaging their services. Factors such as quality and the availability of support should also be given careful thought before any decision is taken. Many companies will offer automated support as part of a free package and some companies even offer free support from human operators. With a large number of VoIP carriers in the market, it is worth spending some time comparing the features and support packages that come as standard.

1. 1. Selecting End User Equipment

The final requirement is the choice of end-user equipment or software. Some ITSPs may prefer to allow the client to use their own equipment whereas others provide this directly. Using an analog telephone adapter (ATA) allows existing equipment to be used in the ITSP system within substantial additional costs. Alternatively, an IP phone is a popular choice that gives access to the class five features directly from the phone unit.

Companies who can help you become an ITSP

Below, the details of a number of companies who provide the services required to become an ITSP are given alongside the factors that might affect your decision to engage these services.

1. 1. ITSP's Products from ICT Vision

       

ICT Vision offers a variety of ITSP's software-based solutions from the school management system to the complete contact center system. Following is a list of products offered by ICT Vision for internet service providers

ICTContact Service Provider, start offering hosted / cloud inbound/outbound contact center, CRM communication integration and business process automation, inbound IVR, and progressive dialing services to your customers
ICTBroadcast Service Provider, start offering hosted telemarketing and unified mass communications services, ICTBroadcast offer inbound, outbound and dynamic modes of communications and best product to automate business communications of any organization
ICTSchool Service Provider, start offering communication integration and feature-rich advanced school management system to school owners as SaaS
ICTUstad, start offering on-demand home services like provisioning of skilled labour like offering electrical, plumbing work, carpenter work, and other routine on-demand home services
ICTRoshni , start offering paid consultancy and information services to your customers like offering legal services, medical information services, and education consultancy services to your customers
ICTHospital Service Provider, start offering communication integrated hospital management software to hospital business executives as SaaS
ICTCRM Service Provider, start offering communication enabled CRM software as SaaS to your customers
ICTFax Service Provider, start offering hosted / cloud fax services to your customers like offering email to fax, fax to email, ATA faxing and web to fax services to your business customers

1. 1. ICTCore from ICT Innovations

       

ICTCore is CTI based communications framework and if you are interested to enter into VoIP business to offer twillio / plivo like services by offering VoIP API's rather than offering only wholesale and residential VoIP then ICTCore is the best choice, It enables you not only to offer API to your customers to integrate their application but it also provides you the opportunity to bundle communications services and offers these services customers in an attractive way never happened before.

ICTCore core is an open-source unified communications framework for developers and integrators to rapidly develop ICT-based applications using their existing development skills. By using ICTCore, developers can create communication-based applications such as Auto attendant, Fax to Email, Click to Call, etc.. they can program custom business logic that can control incoming and outgoing communication instances.

ICTCore having a primary focus on integrated and automated communications. ICTCore goal is to be a common server-side software/back-end for CTI (computer telephony integration) related projects. Further, as a framework, it can be extended to develop new communication solutions and services using user’s existing development skills and infrastructure.

1. 1. Multi-tenant PBX from Thirdlane

       

Thirdlane offers supported solutions for their multi-tenant PBX. The company has become a popular choice for ITSP because of its powerful end-user features which include features that go beyond the basic VoIP package. The company also sells telephony equipment and other devices suitable for the ITSP to offer to their clients. Their built-in support function aims to reduce the amount of reliance upon operators. Furthermore, the company offers pre-programmed support in multiple languages to allow an ITSP to expand their business on a global basis.

1. 1. QueueMetrics from Loway

       

For an ITSP data and user metrics are very important. The same is true for your clients. Those managing call centers use a range of metrics to assess the efficiency of campaigns and to ensure their employees are operating according to company protocol. QueueMetrics from Loway offers a range of services designed for the requirements of operations managers call center team leaders, call agents, and IT managers. The same software allows these distinct groups to see the metrics that are important for their role. For example, agents can see the inbound call traffic volume and data on the calls they are handling. Team leaders are given access to data on agent availability; real-time reporting and remote monitoring for call quality purposes.

Summary

In summary, becoming an ITSP and generating a sustainable revenue stream from business or residential customers is now an option open to any individual who wishes to spend a little time researching the market. The proliferation of companies that offer support for Asterisk-based business solutions and the use of Opensource software means that customized features are possible for each client of the ITSP without substantially increasing expenditure. An ITSP can be created on a global basis to meet the telephony needs of clients in a wide range of situations and choosing a reliable provider of VoIP platform and carrier seamless integration into existing networks is a simple matter.