Cli versus non-CLi

Do we use CLi or non-CLi termination?

This is something we get asked regularly.

The answer to that is simple, we only use Premium Plus i.e. CLi routes, often referred to as Business Quality.

So, what is the difference between the two sorts?

This is often a follow-up question as that first question may have only been posed because of something they heard.
And 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 shouldn't affect call quality.

A little deeper into the looking glass, however:

CLI routes are typically "white" whereas non-CLI routes are often "grey".

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: 01/01/2024

 

 


© Voyced
All information provided is copyrighted and purely informative in nature. It is maintained by Voyced with the greatest of care using reliable sources only.
Given the fast evolution of the telecom sector, Voyced does not offer any guarantee about the accuracy and completeness of the information offered. 
We explicitly do not give anyone permission to use this information in any other way than to inform themselves about what (legal) requirements there may be and they need to comply with when registering Services and/or DIDs with Voyced.

  • 16 Users Found This Useful
Was this answer helpful?

Related Articles

What is a TopUp?

A TopUp is the process of adding call credit to your account so that you can make calls.You can...

What is (TopUp) Call credit

As Voyced is a prepay system, you'll need to have credit to make a call.Once you get near to the...

What do ASR and ACD stand for and why are those values important?

What is Average Call Duration (ACD)? The average call duration (ACD), sometimes also called ALOC...

How do I TopUp / add call credit?

You can buy a TopUp online, in our Client area, and an invoice for that TopUp will automatically...

My call credit is running out what should I do?

Once you get near to the end of your credit, you will be notified when you make your next call...