Do We Use CLI or Non-CLI Termination?
We’re often asked whether Voyced uses CLI or non-CLI routes for call termination. The answer is simple:
We only use Premium Plus (CLI) routes, also known as Business Quality routes.
What does that mean?
CLI (Calling Line Identification) routes ensure that the person receiving your call sees your caller ID correctly. These routes are legally operated, stable, and deeply integrated into the telecommunications infrastructure of each destination country.
This is also why CLI routes are sometimes called "white routes", they are:
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Fully legal and compliant with international telecom regulations
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More stable and better connected to local phone networks
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Offering the best possible audio quality and call reliability
What about non-CLI routes?
Non-CLI routes (sometimes known as "grey routes") are quite different:
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Caller ID may not display correctly or may show a generic number
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These routes are often less reliable, lower in quality, and technically operate in legal grey areas
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They may use unstable methods such as GSM gateways that can drop calls, degrade audio, or disappear without warning
In short: CLI routes deliver business-grade quality, grey routes do not.
This is why we at Voyced only use CLI/Premium Plus routes, ensuring top quality, consistent reliability, and full compliance across our entire network and that of our global termination partners.
⚠️ We do not and will not support non-CLI traffic on our systems.
Because our solutions are built around Premium Plus routing, every call you make is delivered with the highest standards of performance and reliability, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
Can we elaborate on the difference between the two sorts?
Sure, we found a very good, concise and clear answer for you.
(This is not our answer but an answer we came across quite a while back.
I'm afraid we don't have the source address anymore so if you wrote it, let us know, we'll credit you, of course).
On the surface, the answer is:
If your call goes out on a CLI route the received party will likely see your callerID information, if your route goes out on a non-CLI route they will see either a blocked call or some generic number.
Having CLI or not having CLI in and of itself doesn't have to affect call quality.
A little deeper into the looking glass, however:
CLI routes are typically "white" whereas non-CLI routes are often "grey" or even "black".
A white route is a route where the termination is legal on the remote end.
As a result, it is often well connected with the country's telco infrastructure and stable.
White routes typically offer the best possible audio quality and the most reliability
This is opposed to a grey route that has questionable legality at the remote end or perhaps is violating some providers AUP on the remote end.
These tend to be more ad-hoc setups often using the GSM or cellular gateways to hand the traffic over to the destination phone network via RF.
An example of this is often seen in telecom routes from the USA to a certain foreign country.
In this country, a telecom monopoly is run essentially by the government.
Hence, all legal ("white") telecom traffic to the country from the US is subject to the rates imposed by this monopoly and is very expensive.
This adds significant revenue to the monopoly telco.
To overcome this restriction many people set up VoIP routers in homes and offices around the country.
Telecom traffic from the USA is sent to these VoIP routers via IP and terminated to the local PSTN at the local rates that are significantly lower than the international termination rates charged by the monopoly carrier.
This process is illegal on the foreign end ("black"), but likely lawful on the USA end ("white").
A route like this, white on one end and black on the other is said to be "grey".
Grey routes might disappear without notice, display all sorts of odd audio behaviours and/or might terminate calls unexpectedly.
That's my $0.02
(answer created by someone called Sam)
Last updated: 01/04/2025
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Given the fast evolution of the telecom sector, Voyced does not offer any guarantee about the accuracy and completeness of the information offered.
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