SipStorm Chooses Level 3 to Support Wholesale Converged Communication Services

Provider of Converged Wireless and VoIP Services Deploys Level 3’s Wholesale Voice Services to Support Nationwide Demand

Level 3 Communications’ Wholesale Markets Group today announced that SipStorm, a wholesale provider of converged applications and services centered on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), mobility, and enhanced network services, is using Level 3’s voice services to enable nationwide wholesale mobile phone service and fixed mobile convergence(FMC) services. SipStorm’s converged communication service supports wireless and voice service providers who are implementing FMC services to both residential and business customers.

SipStorm’s innovative solution, exclusively supported by Level 3’s wholesale voice services, includes the ability to send and receive local, long distance and international calls. By utilizing a single Level 3 VoIP phone number, a subscriber can send or receive phone calls to and from any mobile device, VoIP terminal adapters, or soft phones. The service can be used as a standalone pre-or post-paid mobile phone service—or in conjunction with residential voice, data, and video—enabling service providers to deliver triple or quadruple play services to their residential and small- to medium-sized business customers.

“Level 3 has been a trusted, long-term provider of network services for SipStorm,” said
Charles McDonough, chief technology officer of SipStorm. “Level 3’s extensive VoIP capabilities and expansive local footprint are enabling us to deliver unique solutions that meet the needs of today’s converged market place. We are pleased to continue to work closely with Level 3 as we market our converged wireless and wireline voice services to residential and business customers.”

Level 3’s local voice footprint allows SipStorm to offer its customers a broad and deep nationwide footprint by making local phone numbers available in areas where they previously could not offer service. In addition, Level 3’s Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) hand-off capabilities enable their customers with flexible call control—allowing SipStorm’s customers to self-manage enhanced services such as voicemail and interactive voice response (IVR) services.

“We are pleased to be working with SipStorm to create a wholesale mobile solution that gives service providers the call control, subscriber ownership and flexibility they need,” said Myrle McNeal, senior vice president of Voice Service Provider markets for Level 3’s Wholesale Markets Group. “We look forward to continue working with SipStorm to drive the development of innovative new applications that converge wireless and wireline capabilities into a seamless user experience.”

One company that has seen the benefits of the SipStorm/Level3 solution is GreatCall, winner of Andrew Seybold’s 2007 Choice Wireless Technology Award for Best New Company. GreatCall, utilizing proprietary phones from a leading handset maker Samsung, is the provider of the Jitterbug cell phone service that caters to consumers who prefer a simpler cellular experience. By leveraging the power of Level3’s nationwide network and SipStorms’s call control and enhanced services, GreatCall was able to rapidly rollout its unique offering to their underserved market niche.

“SipStorm and Level 3 have been of immeasurable help in our launch,” said Arlene Harris, Founder and Chairwoman of GreatCall. “We look forward to growing and working with them to continually improve and expand services to our special customers.”

All of Level 3’s VoIP services are delivered over the Level 3 voice network, which is designed to meet the needs of the world’s largest, most demanding service providers. This solution supported by the Level 3 network is another example of how VoIP is enabling new and emerging applications that are fueling the growth of the wholesale marketplace.