January 2025 Summaries

In the face of crisis, having a reliable emergency services provider is crucial for one's safety. Not all 911 providers are created equal, and it's essential to be proactive in evaluating their capabilities. A key guide outlines seven pivotal questions that must be asked to determine a 911 service provider's robustness and reliability. These questions cover topics such as hybrid interconnected network functionality, compliance with Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Outage Alerts and Notifications, Next Generation 911 (NG911) readiness, phone number requirements, and support for Dynamic Location Routing. By asking these questions and carefully evaluating the answers, individuals can gain peace of mind knowing that their provider has the necessary resources to handle critical calls effectively.

The transition from E911 to NG911 aims to enhance emergency communications in North America by implementing a faster and more dependable system. The FCC's Report and Order 24-78 provides guidelines for OSPs to deploy NG911 capabilities, with two phases of implementation required. Phase 1 involves delivering 911 traffic in IP-based Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) format, while Phase 2 requires compliance with NG911 commonly accepted standards. The deadline for both phases is six months from the date of a valid request from a 911 Authority. NG911 promises to enhance emergency calling services with a faster and more resilient system that can transmit voice, photos, videos, and text messages. Bandwidth plays a significant role in facilitating the transition by providing an extensive IP-based infrastructure and ensuring seamless connectivity between legacy E911 networks and evolving NG911 systems.

Apple's iOS 18 rollout has enabled the use of RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging across its platform, allowing users to share messages without being left out due to platform differences. This development opens up opportunities for businesses to build trust and brand recognition through verified sending on RCS, which provides an extra layer of validation that is designed to prevent fraud. With RCS, businesses can embed multimedia options, access robust analytics, utilize artificial intelligence tools, and link to other apps, making it easier to boost brand recognition and stand out in a crowded market. By adopting RCS messaging strategies, businesses can engage with customers more effectively, build trust, and ultimately drive sales growth.

Microsoft Teams offers seamless video chats, quick DMs, and phone calls within its suite, but setting up new phone numbers or expanding locations can be complicated. Operator Connect is a cloud-based service that connects Teams to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) via a Microsoft-certified telecom provider, providing full telephony features like voice calling, messaging, and emergency services. It's a pure-cloud model that can be partially managed through the Teams admin center interface for easier day-to-day operations. Operator Connect is compared to other PSTN connectivity options like Calling Plans and Direct Routing, with each offering different levels of complexity, control, and cost. Leveraging Operator Connect enhances the employee experience by allowing employees to make and receive calls within Teams without toggling between apps or devices, while IT teams can benefit from accelerated cloud adoption, simplified day-to-day operations, reduced CapEx costs, improved reliability, combined white-glove support, and more. To enable Operator Connect, users need a Teams Phone Standard license, set users to TeamsOnly mode, add an operator, and grant consent to connect the Teams tenant.

Genesys BYOC (Bring Your Own Carrier) is a solution that allows contact centers to gain control over their telephony infrastructure by selecting a preferred telecom carrier. This approach enables businesses to migrate from traditional on-prem or cloud-based systems to a more flexible and scalable setup, reducing telecom costs and improving call quality. With Genesys BYOC, customers can enjoy higher-quality calling, customizations, and automation of service management, while also having access to advanced features such as real-time analytics and integrations with conversational AI tools. The solution is designed for hybrid deployments, allowing businesses to combine cloud and on-premises equipment, and can be integrated with Bandwidth's Maestro platform for enhanced customer interactions and call flow management.