New Voice over Internet Protocol Networks Exchange Launched By RateXchange
[[Stephen and All, In addition to GRIC, and the other four outfits mentioned by Jeff Pulver the other day, including his own, I received an email from VoIP Advisor today which is partially copied below. I was unable to find it in any of the news release areas - it was tagged, simply, "for immediate release." We may have a situation here where the VoIP minutes commodities brokers are themselves becoming a commodity... what do you think? Maybe becoming a brokers' broker in this space isn't such a bad idea.
Frank Coluccio]]
New Voice over Internet Protocol Networks Exchange Launched By RateXchange
October 12, 1998
A new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) minutes trading exchange was launched today by RateXchange, the wholesale bandwidth exchange at ratexchange.com. VoIP call quality and overall minutes volume in the spot market recently matured to the point of being tradable as a commodity.
RateXchange has facilitated VoIP network capacity trades within the
same category as voice minutes since February. In addition to the new VoIP exchange, a VoIP "spot rates" page now tracks the best international U.S. outbound rates available for this voice termination method.
"We have witnessed a rapid increase in call quality and minutes
volume since RateXchange was launched a year ago," said RateXchange President Sean Whelan. "VoIP networks benefit from more efficient network economics which create the rate arbitrage opportunities that drive the industry today. By distinctly servicing VoIP networks we allow next-gen telcos using IP to price and generate leads for both circuit and packet-based interconnection
agreements."
RateXchange has already transacted over 100 million minutes and over 75 U.S. domestic and international private line transactions at ratexchange.com. Last month it launched the Real-Time Bandwidth eXchange (RTBX), an evolutionary step towards trading bandwidth as a commodity. RTBX is a switch-integrated exchange with international gateway switches in New York and Los Angeles. Under standardized price, quality, capacity and financial terms in a single contract with RateXchange, a carrier interconnects to trade anonymously with a multilateral spot market for international minutes with managed delivery and guaranteed payment.
International facilities-based and non-facilities based carriers, Competitive and Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs, ILECs), Internet Telephony Service Providers (ITSPs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are all eligible for free RateXchange membership to trade VoIP. The rapid growth of new market entrants to an already disparate and fragmented industry underlines the importance of a central trading floor and information provider.
As an independent multilateral exchange, RateXchange decreases transaction costs by facilitating the flow of market information on its web site. Bids and offers are posted anonymously and when a match is made the buyer and seller work towards an interconnection agreement. RateXchange only charges a commission when traffic is exchanged.
Since its founding one year ago in San Francisco, RateXchange has facilitated both international voice minutes and bandwidth trading. Its members include the top ten international carriers and transaction volume is over 100 trades per month. RateXchange also publishes market indexes and spot rate pricing guides at its web site. The exchange is located at www.ratexchange.com. |
