BandTel Offers Virtual U.S. Phone Numbers to Call Centers Worldwide

VirtualUSA, a new service announced Tuesday by BandTel, extends U.S. telephone and toll-free numbers to other countries, enabling calls to be transported via the Internet and terminated by the long-distance telephone company that serves the destination country. The service is designed for international call centers, the company said.

Nearly 3,000 origination cities in the United States, in addition to nationwide toll-free access, are now available through BandTel’s new service. VirtualUSA prices are specific to the country and region where service is to be delivered, and can be provided on-demand.

BandTel’s ENUM Server and SIP switching infrastructure allows a virtual extension of U.S. telephone and toll-free numbers to be answered at any foreign PSTN termination point. ENUM translates between a traditional telephone number and an IP address for completion via the Internet. U.S. DID or Toll-free calls using VirtualUSA services are received at the international location.

“VirtualUSA delivers that which has eluded international call centers for decades,” said Chris Dunk, president and CEO of BandTel. “Most call centers are very sensitive to the cost of doing business and have hoped that VoIP would provide them with a competitive advantage. BandTel’s VirtualUSA does just that.”

VirtualUSA complements existing telephone networks, and does not require international call centers to be provisioned for VoIP.