The 2019 INCOMPAS Show, Day 1

« 1 4 » THE INCOMPAS SHOW I NOVEMBER 4 – 6, 2019 www.bekapublishing.com A s the digital economy continues to transform and diversify, one thing remains true: authentic, clear communication is at the heart of a successful business strategy. At Somos Inc., a leading registry management and data solutions company, we work tirelessly to develop new features and services that promote and enhance toll-free numbers as a powerful communications tool for businesses. Today, toll-free numbers do more than facilitate communications; they are multi-functional sales and marketing tools built to do everything from improving customer satisfaction to increasing revenue. Toll-free numbers continue to be a premier platform for customers and busi- nesses to connect, innovate and grow with confidence. The data speaks for itself: as of May 2019, more than 42 million toll-free numbers have been reserved in Somos’ registry for use throughout the United States, Canada and parts of the Caribbean. With a 40 percent increase in toll- free number reservations in the past decade alone, companies and organizations of all sizes and from all industries continue to recognize the wide range of benefits that having a toll-free number provides. At Somos, we continue to innovate around toll-free to empower busi- nesses. One of our latest developments is Toll-Free Number (TFN) Identity. To strengthen trust between consumers, brands and voice communications, Somos has developed the first centralized reposi- tory for toll-free caller ID information. TFN Identity allows Responsible Organizations (Resp Orgs) to store caller name information (also known as CNAM) in a single, authoritative database that can be accessed to display a brand’s name when a consumer receives a call from a participating company’s toll-free number. Now available to beta test, TFN Identity is a powerful solution positioned to build trust and drive customer engagement. Another significant evolution in toll-free will take place December 17, 2019, when the first-ever auction of toll-free numbers occurs. The auction experiment is the result of an effort by the Federal Communica- tions Commission to assign future toll-free numbers equitably and effi- ciently. The 833 Toll Free Number Auction will provide a bold, innovative way for the FCC to use a market-based approach to modernize a legacy system. Learn more about the auction at auction.somos.com. The ability to exchange text messages with a toll-free number continues to be one of the most significant developments in toll-fee communications. Unlike short codes, text-enabled toll-free numbers allow companies to turn a monologue into a dialogue – a two-way conversation that can help better serve customer needs. With so many capabilities available – such as providing payment notifications, sending appointment reminders and making a direct connection with support agents – business texting clearly benefits both consumers and compa- nies. In fact, up to 85 percent of consumers say they prefer to text a customer support agent over calling or emailing. This is likely due to the fact that a total 75 percent of consumers say they think texting can help prevent miscommunications. From texting to TFN Identity to the first-ever toll-free auction, 2019 has no doubt proven to be a very busy year for the industry – and 2020 is poised to see a similar rush of innovation and change. Join us on our 2020 roadmap as we continue to develop future-proof products and solutions that empower business communications and ensure the lasting vitality of toll-free. p The Evolving State of the Toll-Free Industry Submitted by Somos G TT Communications Inc., a leading global cloud networking provider to multi- national clients, has completed the upgrade of its fiber network across several of its European routes. The network upgrades took place to enhance the capacity and perfor- mance capability of GTT’s tier 1 global IP network footprint for its enterprise and carrier clients. GTT has upgraded routes that connect network points of presence in London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris, including the subsea link between the United Kingdom and The Netherlands, along with an additional route in southern Europe that connects Madrid and Marseille. GTT also has deployed more fiber capacity on its metro networks in Paris and Marseille, with the upgrade to the Marseille metro network extending to multiple subsea cable landing stations. Additionally, GTT has expanded its European network footprint by deploying a new point of presence in Belgrade, Serbia GTT utilized Infinera’s FlexILS line system and high-performance ICE4 optical engine with instant bandwidth to complete the upgrades. These technol- ogies work together to double network capacity, enhance the network’s soft- ware-defined capabilities and provide clients with faster service delivery, explained the company. “Europe is a major market for GTT, and we are continuing to invest in our advanced network infrastructure to support clients’ ever-increasing bandwidth requirements,” stated Rick Calder, GTT president and CEO. “This is a further demonstration of GTT’s commitment to deliver on its purpose to connect people across organiza- tions, around the world and to every application in the cloud.” p Visit GTT Communications in the Olmsted 5 meeting room. Z ayo Group Holdings has signed a deal for the largest amount of capacity sold on any route in a single deal in the company’s history. The deal will provide the customer with approximately 5 terabits (Tb) of capacity to connect key data centers. “Our customers are no longer talking gigabits – they’re talking tera- bits on multiple diverse routes,” said Julia Robin, senior vice president of transport at Zayo. “Zayo’s owned infrastructure, scalable capacity on unique routes and ability to turn up services quickly positions us to be the provider of choice for high- capacity infrastructure.” With the world’s data consumption expected to grow to 175 zettabytes by 2025, according to IDC, demand for infrastructure capacity continues to accelerate. This trend is especially apparent among webscale, content and cloud providers that need diverse, high-capacity, highly reliable connec- tivity between their data centers. As a result, more are turning to dedicated, high-capacity wavelength solutions, said Zayo executives. In addition to Zayo’s long-haul network, the company leverages its dense fiber assets in almost all North American and Western European metro markets to deliver a premier metro wavelength offering. Increas- ingly, enterprises across multiple sectors, including finance, retail, pharma and others, are leveraging this network for dedicated connectivity as they seek ways to have more control over their growing bandwidth needs. Zayo continues to invest in the network, adding new routes and optronics to eliminate local stops, reduce the distance between essential markets and minimize regeneration points. Options include express, ultra- low and low-latency routes and private dedicated networks. p Visit Zayo Group at Networking Table 4 in the Expo Hall. GTT Upgrades Key European Network Routes Zayo Signs Its Largest Ever Capacity Wavelength Deal