[asterisk-biz] Obtaining DIDs

[alex at pilosoft.com]

On Tue, 7 Feb 2006, James Ching wrote:

> How can I obtain my own DIDs?  What is the cheapest way?  How do
> companies like IPComms and Level3 do it?  Ultimately, I'm looking to
> co-locate an asterisk switch in the NY Region, run some t1s to it and
> get a bunch of DIDs.  Simply want to know the cheapest way of doing
> this.  Which telco hotels?  Which carriers/clecs?
Step 1: post to asterisk-biz
Step 2: ???
Step 3: profit!

Seriously though - it is the questions like above, when poster did not 
bother to google or to read voip-info that annoy the most.

Basically, if you want to have your *own* DID blocks (blocks of 1k, like,
um, Level3 or XO), you need to be a CLEC in each of the states where you
want to provide service, and you need to have an ICA with ILECs in those 
areas. Then you can go to NANPA for your blocks. 

Whole process, if you are starting from zero will run you 6 months to a
year. It'll cost you ~5k$ per state. The process is far more legal than it
is technical.

IPComms to my knowledge is a (3) reseller, and they don't have their own 
NANPA-assigned numbers.

-alex