No Caller ID on outbound calls

[stevech]

Ditto on the outbound ID problem. Seeing on almost all calls.

If this is because VoIPo is using a new service provider, or a new offering from an incumbent, can't VoIPo do quality assurance tests for that provider before going live with it? In general, the VoIP market has far, far too many avoidable self-inflected problems.

[burris]

If this is because VoIPo is using a new service provider, or a new offering from an incumbent, can't VoIPo do quality assurance tests for that provider before going live with it? In general, the VoIP market has far, far too many avoidable self-inflected problems.

I'm not answering for Tim, but having come from the POTS world, I think I'm qualified to comment.
Every provider has a network operating center(NOC) and is constantly checking the carriers for connectivity. This is not an absolute science, since those carriers are also checking down the line for the same things.
Assuming all is well at the moment, all providers are looking at the rates those carriers are charging.
Because of the nature of telephony, the companies are looking for the best prices consistent with the quality...AT THE MOMENT.
A good route today goes down because a tractor somewhere cut a fibre line...or a tech at a POP somewhere in the world fell asleep.
To sum up...there is no absolute. They stay on top and when a route goes bad, hope that another route is immediately available to switch to.
Couple this entire adventure with the fact that this is VOIP and is also at the mercy of those companies transporting your packets to them to send on and it reveals a very complex situation.

That Tim does and has provided the quality and consistancy and price of his service we experience, this is a tribute.

[stevech]

Thanks for the comment, but it doesn't speak to the issue I raised, that being:
"can't VoIPo do quality assurance tests for that provider before going live with it?"
We are customers, not guinea pigs.

The point is using a carrier that takes the call, creates the connection and flow, but doesn't pass ANI (CID). For many VoIPo customers. The cut-fiber analogy is N/A.

[burris]

Thanks for the comment, but it doesn't speak to the issue I raised, that being:
"can't VoIPo do quality assurance tests for that provider before going live with it?"
We are customers, not guinea pigs.

The point is using a carrier that takes the call, creates the connection and flow, but doesn't pass ANI (CID). For many VoIPo customers. The cut-fiber analogy is N/A.

The issues you raised all related. If you take an in-depth analysis of what transpires from the time you get a dial tone to the time the call connects...in or out, I think you would be amazed at the sheer complexity of the stream.
Stuff does happen. We, many years ago, contracted a number of circuits with ATT because they owned virtually all the pipes at the time...they charged whatever they wanted...they also went down on occasion..so no one is immune.

This may be hard to believe, but most of the network monitoring is done by the customers. They will report immediately when something isn't working and then the process begins to get it fixed.

[stevech]

The issues you raised all related. If you take an in-depth analysis of what transpires from the time you get a dial tone to the time the call connects...in or out, I think you would be amazed at the sheer complexity of the stream.
Stuff does happen. We, many years ago, contracted a number of circuits with ATT because they owned virtually all the pipes at the time...they charged whatever they wanted...they also went down on occasion..so no one is immune.

This may be hard to believe, but most of the network monitoring is done by the customers. They will report immediately when something isn't working and then the process begins to get it fixed.

with all due respect - all I need is a phone that works to 3 nines for call completion. Due to telemarketers, we all must have CID now. I can pay more for 5 nines from ma bell. I pay less, expect less, in terms of QoS. But try to explain to family members why they can't get through on calls to friends and family with anonymous call block -which many/most of us have now. Believe me, my family does not want to mess with far-too-often VoIP trouble reports. So your assertion that VoIP customers are the QA department is so flawed as to be absurd.