ATIS and NECA Join Forces to Help Address Call Completion Issues
WASHINGTON — ATIS and NECA today announced the launch of a voluntary Joint National Call Testing Project (JNCTP). The project, to be co-administered by both ATIS and NECA, will offer interexchange carriers, wireless carriers and VoIP providers the opportunity to identify call completion issues on calls destined to areas served by volunteer local exchange carriers. It also will allow these providers to capture network and routing data relative to call failures and to enhance internal network performance and/or underlying carrier performance as needed. Finally, where appropriate, it will facilitate cooperative trouble resolution efforts with originating, intermediate and terminating carriers.
“ATIS sees the testing initiative as an essential element in the evolution of a voluntary, industry-generated solution to improve call completion rates,” said ATIS President and CEO Susan Miller. “We expect that it will provide much-needed data to help resolve call termination issues — with the goal of helping to prevent them moving forward.”
“This joint call testing project continues the efforts of the rural telecom associations to solve the call completion issue, and is an important step in addressing a serious problem affecting consumers and businesses in rural areas that has gone on far too long. We hope this effort, along with further actions by the FCC, will begin to turn the corner on bringing resolution to this issue,” said NECA Vice President Government Relations Jeff Dupree.
Information gathered during the JNCTP may be used by ATIS and NECA to assist the industry with identification and resolution of call completion issues. Such efforts include the enhancement of member training and future revisions of the ATIS Next Generation Interconnection Interoperability Forum (NGIIF) Intercarrier Call Completion/Call Termination Handbook, an ATIS resource on new and existing industry standards to help ensure call completion. The Handbook also offers best practices for addressing call termination problems, especially related to management of intermediate or underlying carriers. Learn more about ATIS’ work to address rural call completion issues.
All telecommunications service providers in the U.S. are encouraged to participate. For additional details and registration information, please visit the Joint National Call Testing Home Page.
About ATIS As a leading technology and solutions development organization, ATIS brings together the top global ICT companies to advance the industry’s most-pressing business priorities. Through ATIS committees and forums, nearly 200 companies address cloud services, device solutions, emergency services, M2M communications, cyber security, ehealth, network evolution, quality of service, billing support, operations, and more. These priorities follow a fast-track development lifecycle — from design and innovation through solutions that include standards, specifications, requirements, business use cases, software toolkits, and interoperability testing.
ATIS is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ATIS is the North American Organizational Partner for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a founding Partner of oneM2M, a member and major U.S. contributor to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio and Telecommunications sectors, and a member of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL). For more information, visit www.atis.org.
About NECA The National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA) is a membership association of U.S. local telecommunications companies, dedicated to keeping customers connected on state-of-the-art communications networks. Our services help more than 1,000 members across rural America deliver high-speed multi-use broadband services. Visit us at www.neca.org.
