POTS lines-Outbound caller ID-workaround idea

[MrBostn]

To get this out there-I don't sell/support voip/piaf to anyone. I use it for my consulting business/home use only.

Back to my questions....

A client of mine recently downgraded from a converged T1 to FiOS and 4 POTS lines. (they're only a 4 person office, and the changed saved them $300/month)

Their current phone system is a Nortel system. The 4 POTS lines are in a hunt group.

The issue is that my client would like OUTBOUND caller ID to show just 1 number regardless of what number the outbound calls goes out on. I know this isn't a Nortel issue, but a CLEC issue. (OneCommunications) According to their OneCommunications rep, it cannot be done. The caller ID is based on the line it goes out on.

I'm trying to help them out, and as a workaround I was thinking of installing a piaf box, connecting that piaf to the Nortel via PRI- (the Nortel as the T1 card still installed)

For outgoing calls have my client sign up with Vitelity, or voip.ms or whomever allows caller ID to be modified. Then route all outgoing calls over the Nortel to PIAF PRI then out the SIP Trunk with the modified Caller ID.

Incoming calls come in as usual via the POTS lines connected to the Nortel.

Is this doable? Logical? A reasonable workaround?

Thank you
Scott

 

[TheShniz]

Can it be done? Yes
Should it be done? Well, not if I was the customer... not the way you're describing anyways.

That's an awfully expensive route to go (in terms of initial investment); especially considering the hardware required for the PRI you're looking to connect the two. This is only 4x analog lines we're talking about here, and while they may have $$$ to throw around from not having to spend $300/month for their old tspan... that's still wasteful, even though they may not think so at this point. If you were doing something special or using PiaF's abilities, then the PRI would pass you DNIS information for sure... but you're just using it as a simple gateway.

There are a couple different ways you could go: you could put go completely Analog w/ PiaF, and set it in between your POTS and the Nortel (easiest); or you could again go completely Analog w/ PiaF and make it just another path out (not seperating the carrier)... but alas, if all you're doing is packetizing an analog signal, the best way is prob to just slap on an actual gateway or a couple ATA's and call it done.

Me thinx you're over-complicating (and over-expensing) the issue here (or we're not getting the whole story).

 

[MrBostn]

Yup that's the whole story.

Yes, I agree, it's over complicating things-adding another point of failure.

I haven't proposed this or anything else for that matter. Just trying to think of ways to help them out...

Thanks for the input.

 

[kenn10]

Their current phone system is a Nortel system. The 4 POTS lines are in a hunt group.

The issue is that my client would like OUTBOUND caller ID to show just 1 number regardless of what number the outbound calls goes out on. I know this isn't a Nortel issue, but a CLEC issue. (OneCommunications) According to their OneCommunications rep, it cannot be done. The caller ID is based on the line it goes out on.

If the CLEC is telling the customer that 4 lines in a hunt group cannot display a single outbound caller-id, then the CLEC does not know what they are doing. The Lucent 5ESS and NORTEL DMS central office switches have this ability even the lowest form of licensed software on those switches. I would have the customer push a little harder with the CLEC to get to their switch provisioning team to fix the issue. This customer is a "small business" customer and the feature to which I refer is usually used for large customers. I suspect the CLEC service representative does not know how to request the feature and should consult with the switch technicians.

A true central office based hunt group will have a single outbound number with separate members within it. It can be done. This is a different form of provisioning from 4-lines with "busy forward." It is also possible to set each line to show the "billing number" versus the actual number of each line.

In any case, the CLEC should be pushed to solve the issue.

 

[MrBostn]

Got it...I'll call clec on behalf of client to push them.

Thanks guys.

 

[ronw]

Tariff

OneCommunications will have a tariff filed in all states that they operate. I just happen to pull this one for Michigan, but each state will most likely be the same.

SECTION 10 – ONE COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES, RATES AND CHARGES

.
.
Multi-Line Hunting:
All local telephone lines that are part of the same account can be set up to hunt.
Hunting allows calls to a line to rollover to the next available line in the group
when the first line is busy. Customers can have more than one hunt group.
Customers can also choose to leave individual lines out of a hunt group.
Customers will have the ability to present Outbound Caller ID from either the lead​

line of the hunt group or an individual calling line.

 

[MrBostn]

Good info...Thanks

I'll call the Monday.