Carriers using NextPoint Networks’ voice over IP peering solutions now can get access to an application for calculating fees to telephony providers they service.
Williamstown, Mass.,-based VoIP Logic has created a Wholesale Billing module for NextPoint RSM and MSX subscribers to its Cortex provisioning portal, allowing them to create more accurate bills to providers.
Cortex is a software-as-a-service offering which links a number of systems VoIP providers might use. While VoIP Logic has modules for a number of them, the Wholesale Billing module will be the only one that will work on Gaithersburg, Md.,-based NextPoint’s voice-peering applications. The applications let operators resell VoIP service to businesses.
“We’ve been a big reseller of NextPoint since 2004,” explained Micah Singer, VoIP Logic’s CEO. Since NextPoint decided to use technology partners more for sales than its direct sales force, VoIP Logic has picked up a number of NextPoint customers. Singer says it has some 180 NextPoint customers, including about seven in Canada.
Of all the voice-peering software application makers, NextPoint has “a large market share,” he added, and “we’re committed to their technology.”
The Wholesale Billing module lets owners of NextPoint RSM (Real-time Session Manager) and MSX (Multi-Protocol Session Exchange) solutions download call detail records and generate invoices.
It maintains customer balances, monitors the profitability of routes and gateways and permits flexible role assignment. Rate plans and destinations can be added and searched. Wizards help create reports and graphs.
They can also use Cortex business logic to create new products and services based on the data.
Rafi Hazan, CEO of Montreal long distance dial-around provider Buzz Telecom, said in an interview that Cortex’s new billing capability could be of interest to his company, which already uses NextPoint’s session border controller. Buzz Telecom is looking into becoming a VoIP services provider in the next 12 months, he said. Singer said pricing of Cortex’s Wholesale Billing modue is based on number of NextPoint user software licences.
