Convergence Conversation

ENUM launches 11th March 2009

As you might have seen, on 5th March 2009, Nominet is sponsoring the convergence conversation on universal messaging. One part of this subject area that I am particularly interested in is ENUM.

ENUM is a new registry service that combines telephone numbers and the Domain Name System to simplify the way VoIP calls work. It removes the need for a connection to the telephone network and enables more calls to be made for free.

Ahead of the event I thought I’d post a brief introduction to ENUM and the ways in which it could be of benefit to UK business.

What is ENUM and how does it work?

The core principle of ENUM is to translate a telephone number into a domain name. This allows users to continue to use the existing phone number formats they know, whilst allowing the device to route the call using a DNS lookup. Using DNS makes ENUM a quick, stable and cheap link between telecommunications systems and the Internet.

ENUM makes it possible to link different VoIP networks so that callers within businesses that use VoIP technology can connect via the Internet to other businesses that use other VoIP providers. As a result, telephone calls between businesses using this technology will be cheaper or even free, because there will be no need to route via the traditional telephone system for the call.

What are the main benefits?

• Cheaper business calls for you and your callers
• The possibility to control what incoming calls to accept
• Greater control over how you route your calls

Who would use ENUM?

• Large companies with significant supply chains
• Distributed companies (multi-site)
• Customer service organisations
• Small businesses
• Internet telephony users.

UK ENUM goes live on 11th March. The convergence conversation is the perfect opportunity for us to hear the views of industry experts about UK ENUM adoption. I look forward to exploring this subject further on the night.

Hope to see you there!