Turn telecom compliance into a competitive advantage | Webinar take-aways

Couldn’t make it to our Global Compliance 101 webinar or our ITW 2022 session? We’ve got you covered. 

Navigating communications regulations is one of the top 6 priorities for UCaaS or CCaaS providers looking to scale globally. And yet, it seemingly overwhelms most Electronic Communications Service providers (ECS), especially when dealing with multiple markets on a global scale. 

But it doesn’t have to. Tune into this webinar recording or read through the summary below for its key takeaways on:

• The state of telecom regulations 2022
• Why regulations? And why now? 
• What’s in it for you to comply? 
• The real, measurable impact of telecom regulations on your day-to-day 
• A Checklist – Spot the right VoIP provider for navigating regulations 
• What do you need to act on

The state of telecom regulations 2022

Communications regulations have been in a state of flux lately, and the impact of these regulatory updates are reaching every link of the global cloud communications supply chain – from carriers to business communications platform providers to their enterprise customers. Whether this is an added complexity or a competitive advantage in your scaling plan depends on your approach to handling regulatory compliance. 

Ask yourself – Which part of telecom compliance do you actually find daunting?

The regulations? 
OR 
The lack of support available
AND/OR
Lack of knowledge around the regulations?

We’ve learned from our industry interactions that often, the lack of support amplifies the noise around regulatory compliance and its true purpose – to protect you and your customers against fraud and to ensure a fair and competitive market. 

A clear understanding of how communications regulations may impact you, help you, and help your customers, makes them easier to deal with.

Why regulations? And why now? 

The evolving ‘digital consumers’ are at the heart of the regulatory flux. As they drive the demand for new experiences, telecommunications regulatory authorities are adapting and evolving every day to keep up and are keener on enforcement because:

• Technologies like VoIP are seeing wider adoption as they provide the same or better service quality as traditional channels at a reduced cost, but in some regions, the legislative framework has not been updated to regulate such technologies. 
• Communications regulations are adapting to businesses becoming increasingly global and trading internationally.
• Flexible communications and nomadic use of phone numbers have driven a rise in fraud, hence requiring regulatory oversight. 
• Telecommunications regulatory authorities are looking to ensure that the market remains fair, service quality is maintained, and competition doesn’t cost the high-cost or low-income areas the essential public service of telecom.

So that explains what the regulatory authorities are acting on. But what about you? 

What’s in it for you to comply?

With your participation, communications regulations set up multi-dimensional guardrails for you and your enterprise customers –

The result? You can offer consistently high-quality service to your enterprise customers in multiple markets while chasing your growth priorities in new ones. 

Being compliant at this moment isn’t enough. It needs to become a habit.  This means your business has to be prepared and willing to invest in operationalizing processes that will provide a return on the investment in the long run. Compliance becomes harder if you aren’t proactive. Not only is global telecom regulatory complexity increasing, but the rate of change to existing regulations has also increased, making it difficult to maintain compliance as you launch in new regions. 

The real, measurable impact of regulations on your day-to-day 

Know that communications regulations continue to have a tangible impact on your day-to-day. It’s the things that you are missing that could cost you. For instance –

In Singapore

National routing will be mandatory for any calls using Level 6 call termination into Singapore

In France

Sub-allocation of numbers will no longer be allowed

Ask yourself – how confident are you about facing these telecom regulations and many more? More importantly, have you reviewed them with your cloud communications providers in your countries of operation in the last 12 months?

If you haven’t yet, it’s time to look at your VoIP providers and engage them in your regulatory compliance. 

A Checklist – Spot the right VoIP provider for navigating regulations 

Everyone in the regulatory chain needs to be compliant – not just the “beginning” and the “end”. It’s a common misconception that simply because you are not the ones talking to the telecom regulatory authorities, you aren’t subject to their rules. 

Naturally, your network provider is a key link in this supply chain. So how do you find a provider(s) who can help you navigate regulations better? 

By asking the right questions:

• How many countries are they national operators in?
• In how many countries do they have Notification Status/Licenses?
• What’s their extent of aggregation?
• Can you trace the supply chain to the in-country resource? 
• How many steps are there in this supply chain?
  • Know that N stage sub-allocation requirements exist, rarely are the chains “endless”
• How do they deal with LAR(Local Address Requirements?
• Do they provide national/local routes where regulations require it?

And more. Here’s a comprehensive checklist to spot the right network provider for your growth goals. 

What do you need to act on?

It’s not too late to start actively participating in regulatory workflows with your VoIP provider. With the right provider, you can enable them to help you navigate communications regulations–faster and smarter. 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this post does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information is for general informational purposes only.