Choosing a wholesale voice termination provider comes down to six questions: how good the routes are, whether they cover the destinations you need, how fraud is stopped, what records you get for every call, whether the provider is properly registered with the regulators for the traffic it carries, and what happens when a route fails. Price per minute matters, but a cheap route that fails calls, lets fraud through or leaves you without records costs more in the end.
1. Route quality: how are routes graded?
Termination providers usually offer more than one route to the same destination. Premium routes are chosen for call quality and completion; least-cost routes are chosen mainly on price. Ask how routes are graded, how quality is monitored, and whether you can choose the trade-off per destination rather than accepting a single blended route.
2. Coverage: does it reach where you call?
Check the destination list against your traffic, including mobile networks in each country. If you also need inbound numbers, ask about DID origination: geographic, non-geographic and international numbers delivered to your network.
3. Fraud: what stops toll fraud?
Toll fraud and international revenue share fraud (IRSF) can generate large bills in hours. Ask whether the provider monitors traffic in real time, what automated controls it applies, and whether you can set thresholds and alerts that match your expected traffic.
4. Records: what do you get for every call?
A call detail record (CDR) for every call is the basis for billing reconciliation, margin management and resolving disputes. Ask what fields each CDR contains, how quickly records are available, and how long they are kept.
5. Regulatory standing: is the provider registered for the traffic it carries?
- UK traffic: Ofcom's CLI guidance under General Condition C6 requires caller ID to carry a valid, dialable number that uniquely identifies the caller. Ask how the provider checks and handles invalid caller ID.
- US traffic: the FCC requires voice service providers and intermediate providers, including gateway providers, to file in its Robocall Mitigation Database, and most providers must authenticate caller ID using STIR/SHAKEN. Ask for the provider's FCC registration details, check its database entry, and ask how it responds to traceback requests.
6. Resilience: what happens when a route fails?
Ask how many carrier paths sit behind each destination, whether failover is automatic, and how capacity is sized for your peak traffic. A single upstream carrier is a single point of failure.
Questions to ask, at a glance
| Area | What to ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Route quality | How are routes graded? Can I choose premium or least-cost per destination? | Call completion and quality vary by route |
| Coverage | Which destinations and mobile networks? Can you supply DIDs? | Gaps mean failed calls or a second supplier |
| Fraud | Is monitoring real-time? Can I set thresholds and alerts? | Toll fraud and IRSF build up charges quickly |
| Records | What is in each CDR, how fast is it available, how long is it kept? | Reconciliation, margin and disputes depend on it |
| Regulation | Which FCC registrations? Robocall Mitigation Database entry? STIR/SHAKEN? | Required to carry US traffic |
| Resilience | How many carrier paths? Automatic failover? | One upstream carrier is a single point of failure |
How DigiTalker approaches this
DigiTalker's wholesale VoIP service routes traffic over quality-graded A-Z routes with least-cost and premium options, supplies DID origination numbers, applies real-time fraud monitoring with configurable thresholds, provides detailed CDRs and rating data, and uses multiple carrier paths with automatic failover. Its US entity, DigiTalker LLC, sets out its FCC registrations, STIR/SHAKEN status and robocall mitigation programme on the compliance page.
Frequently asked questions
What is wholesale voice termination?
Voice termination is routing an outbound call from one network to its destination network so it can be completed. A wholesale termination provider connects to many carriers and routes each call over a suitable path, balancing cost and quality; coverage of every destination is often called A-Z termination.
What is the difference between premium and least-cost routes?
Premium routes are chosen for call quality and completion, and cost more per minute. Least-cost routes are chosen mainly on price. A good provider grades its routes and lets you choose per destination which matters more.
Which regulatory registrations should a provider carrying US traffic have?
The FCC requires voice service providers and intermediate providers, including gateway providers, to file in its Robocall Mitigation Database, and most must authenticate caller ID with STIR/SHAKEN. Ask for the provider's FCC registration details and check its Robocall Mitigation Database entry.