[Asterisk-biz] DID Mexico

[Karim Delgado]

Currently the corporation I work for Capstone
Communications, has a joint venture (with VoIP permit
holders) in Mexico where we are building out 
termination POP's (on ON/OFF NET and Satellite rural
connectivity). We currently have 33 OFFNET locations
and one ON NET location up and running.    

I can tell you from my personal experience that VoIP
along with anything you need to operate a
Telecommunications service (such as Internet and PSTN
trunk lines)  in Mexico is highly regulated. 

Getting DID's for legal POP's is not a big issue if
you have the VoIP permits and you are working with the
carriers on projects where COFETEL can keep a tight
regulatory grip on you. 

Even then, it is not a cake walk, we have been at this
for over a year now and have faced many regulator
challenges, but where there is a will there is always
a way.  

Earlier this year there was a drawn out COFETEL
investigation/witch hunt, because a carriers was
caught selling large numbers of DID's to Vonage and
Vonage is not a registered Mexican company nor has
telecommunications permits from which to legally
operate a VoIP service, and I don't think they intent
to get any since their market nitche is offering the
Mexican DID service to drop down the communications
cost of Mexican families calling into the US.    

So by selling DID's (that will be used outside of
Mexico, where the government makes no money) carriers
place themselves at risk (of being fined by COFETEL)
and submitting themselves to the head aches of a
Cofetel witch hunt.

Even thought the carrier in question got busted,
Vonage found another carrier to sell them the DID's,
so I guess these fines are not so bad after all.

Humm, maybe you should try a Tijuana local carrier?  

Kind regards,

Karim Jose Delgado
Capstone Communications
1-(678)-884-9126        (USA)
1-(519)-488-0309        (Canada)
011-52-555-351-3651     (Mexico)