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Telecom Cloud

APIs

December 2013
Daitan
White
Paper
INTEGRATING WEB/CLOUD SOLUTIONS
WITH REAL-TIME COMMUNICATIONS

Highly Reliable Software Development Services
http://www.DaitanGroup.com
Telecom Cloud APIs
1 ABSTRACT
Until recently, integrating an application to the telecom infrastructure (so that, for
example, a website or mobile app could offer click-to-call or video conferencing
capabilities without the installation of an additional native application) required
developers to understand and use telecom or VoIP protocols (SS7, SIP, etc.). It comes as
no surprise that the web/cloud applications and the telephony spaces have remained
separate fields.

However things are changing fast. From its early start in the mid-1990s, VoIP
technologies grew to represent a market of about $70B in 2013 (Infonetics). Amazon
launched AWS cloud computing services in 2006 and is now joined by other giants like
Google and Microsoft. The age of IP-based communications and cloud computing is
here.
As VoIP technologies reached maturity, several new companies launched the
Telecommunications API industry allowing web/cloud software to interface with
telephony and SMS networks using standard web APIs. Examples of such companies
include 2600Hz, 46elks, Bandwidth.com, Callfire, MediaBurst, Nexmo, Plivo, Tropo, Twilio,
and Voxeo.
This paper explains Telecom APIs, lists their most common use cases, features available
from most vendors, and helps choosing the best vendor for a particular application.
2 OVERVIEW OF TELECOM CLOUD APIS
In simple terms, a Telecom API is a set of calls that allow a software application to
initiate and receive calls and SMS text messages without requiring the application
developer to know details about telecommunication technologies and protocols. The
API provider interfaces between your software application and the telecommunication
provider.

The application, in the context of Telecom API, defines how inbound calls and
messages will be handled and when outbound calls and messages are created.
An application can be as simple as sending wake-up call SMS messages to cell phones
every morning or a call me button in your email signature. They can be as complex as
a call center solution routing thousands of calls from customers worldwide to technical
support engineers at multiple locations or a video conferencing service for business.
The API provides a simple interface that web developers can easily understand and
use, hiding the signaling and protocol complexities of the telecom infrastructure. More
than just the technical impact of such change, Telecom APIs dramatically increase the
population of developers who can create applications that interact with telephony
systems. The effect of that should be the emergence of new, innovative solutions
integrating software and telephony in the next years.
Before looking into the applications for this technology, lets examine an expanded
diagram that shows all major components and communication paths for solutions that
use Telecom APIs.
Web
Application
Telecom
Infrastructure

Users interact with your application via browser over the web and may login to send an
SMS, read SMS they have received, initiate calls via the Telecom API. Mobile apps can
do the same from tablets and smartphones. It is possible for mobile apps to also
communicate directly with your Telecom API Provider. Lastly, traditional phones can
also send and receive calls and SMS messages to and from your API provider.
A more recent development is the introduction of WebRTC technology (currently
supported by Chrome, Mozilla and Opera browsers). WebRTC embeds a real-time
communication engine within the browser or mobile operating environment so that end
devices (computers or smartphones) are capable of handling voice/video/data
streams natively, without the installation of other applications.
The combination of Telecom APIs and WebRTC technologies promise to revolutionize
how we use voice and video communication.

3 COMMON TELECOM APIS FEATURES
The table below lists and describes a few of the most common features you can expect
from a Telecom API vendor. Each vendors offers unique capabilities, but examining the
set below will prepare you to understand the basic functionality and enable you to
analyze which vendors can satisfy your specific application requirements.

Feature Description
Receive Incoming
Calls
Telecom API provider will receive calls and notify your
application, which can decide how to handle them. For
example: play message, enter IVR menu, or bridge to another
phone number.
Outbound Calling
Telecom API platform will call a particular number based on
instructions from your application. If call is answered, platform
will ask your application for instructions on how to connect it.
Create IVR Menu
Telecom API platform will notify your communication
application when caller presses digits on his phone
Bridge Calls
Telecom API platform will bridge two calls. This let you set up
calls between two end points under the control of your
application.
Play Media Let media files (e.g. MP3, WAV files) be played to a caller
Convert Speech
to Text or Text to
Speech
Enables programmatic interpretation of voice, which can be
used for personalization of messages or automation of voice
dialog scripts.
Record Audio Let you record audio from phone calls.
Send SMS
Application can request the Telecom API platform to send SMS
messages to any phone number.
Receive SMS
Upon receiving SMS messages, the platform will notify the
application and deliver the content of the message.


4 EXAMPLES OF USE CASES FOR TELECOM APIS
Telecom APIs do not create new telephony functionality; they just make it easier for
developers to access telecom features. The use cases described here are common
solutions that used to be difficult to implement. The innovation for those use cases is
how easily telecom functionalities can be integrated with other systems.
By making telecom features accessible to a large number of developers, we should
expect new use cases and applications of telephony integrated with web/cloud
applications to emerge.
4.1 CALL CENTERS
Setting up a traditional call center involves deploying hardware and software, as well
as knowledgeable technical staff to manage, configure, and maintain all the systems.
With telecom APIs, it becomes possible for application developers to create call center
solutions on the cloud without specific knowledge on the telecom infrastructure. By
leveraging the APIs, developers can create scripts that answer the phone, identify what
the caller needs, and bridge the call to customer service representatives. The focus and
effort shift from the mechanics of connecting phones to the business logic of the
solution.
Because the solution is entirely software-based, call flow logic can be easily integrated
with other systems such as CRM and ERP. Solutions can route calls without requiring
endpoints to be at the same location. As a consequence, we observe a new
generation of cloud-based, virtual Call Center solutions in the market.
4.2 OUTBOUND CALLING
Traditionally, outbound calling agents will go through a list of contacts and call one
number after another until they reach someone who will answer the phone and speak
to them.
More sophisticated systems automatically dial a list of number and only connects one
of a pool of agents when someone answers the phone. It is easy to see how Telecom
APIs would make the implementation of that solution easier than it is today.
Lets say you would like to play a message asking a question or stating the purpose of
the call before connecting to the agent, in such a way that agents are only connected
with interested parties. Telecom APIs create the flexibility to let software developers be
creative without limitation imposed by hardware-based solutions.
4.3 ALTERNATIVE PHONE NUMBERS
A consumer wants to sell something in an online marketplace but does not want to
expose her real phone number in a public forum. There is a need in the market for
temporary/disposable phone numbers. With the use of APIs bridging capabilities it
becomes very easy to develop solutions that solve that problem by receiving calls at
the disposable number and then bridging it to the consumer real number.
After the consumer has sold the item, she can discard the number, which can then go
back to a pool available to other consumers with the same need.
4.4 VOICE OR TEXT MESSAGE BROADCAST
Imagine the following example: A team of volunteers do handy-man work for senior
citizens in a neighborhood. A senior citizen needs a light bulb replaced at home. With a
Telecom API, it becomes very simple to program a system that calls all volunteers and
say Mr. Smith needs a light bulb replaced, if you are available now please press 1 to
be connected to our scheduler and then follow on with an IVR dialog that enables the
scheduling of an appointment.
This is a simple example but the functionality is very powerful and it can be used for any
use case in which you need to call a large number of people and ask them simple
questions.
Text-message broadcasts can also be used to implement public warning services for
disaster situations. The difference is that, with Telecom APIs, creating those solutions
become very simple and customizable, without dependence on expensive hardware-
based systems.

5 CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
If you are planning to develop a communications software solution leveraging telecom
APIs, here is a sequence of recommendations:
Start by taking an overview of the capabilities available to you. This paper meant
as a start, but we recommend that you also look at the API documentation of a
few of the vendors, become familiar with the interfaces offered and note special
features offered by each provider.
Before you get too deep into the details of each API, take a step back and
define the functional requirements of your solution. Do you need any function
beyond the core of common features that most telecom APIs offer? This might
eliminate a few options or point you to a subset of providers.
Check the geographical coverage of the telecom solution. Unlike the Web,
being able to connect to telecom endpoints still require both specific network
and physical access. What countries and states are covered? What are the per-
minute connection fees? Will international incoming or outgoing calls be
allowed? Will the tool allow end-users to request their own phone number? If yes,
what area codes are supported?
Define the interfaces of the application with other systems that will comprise the
solution (a website landing page, for instance). Some Telco API vendors will allow
you to host your application on their servers some do not. Your particular use-
case will dictate the best option.
After requirements and architecture are defined, you should be ready to select
a vendor. Find all the vendors that satisfy your requirements and compare their
cost and reliability. You might need to create and simulate a few profiles of use
for your application and calculate the cost for comparison.





ABOUT DAITAN GROUP
Daitan Group is a software development service provider with focus in Telecom, Unified
Communications and real-time Cloud/Web Solutions. We partner with technology
vendors to help them develop their next software solution.
We accelerate your software development.
Daitan has organizational experience both helping Telecom API providers to develop
their offerings and helping solution developers create their products leveraging
Telecom APIs.
To know more about what Daitan can do for you, please visit http://daitangroup.com

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