Routing groups and route testing

When you've bought more than one route to a destination, a routing group chooses between them for each call. You dial one tech prefix and the group's policy does the rest.

Before you start#

• Buy at least one route. A group can only use routes you have purchased.
• Log in as the main user or a default-role web user. Finance-role web users don't see Routing Groups.

What is a routing group?#

A routing group puts several of your purchased routes behind one tech prefix. Group prefixes are 444, three random digits and #, for example 444101#. Dial 444101#447700900123 and the group decides which route carries the call.

The list shows each group's Group Name, Tech Prefix, Sellers (hover to see their names), Entries, Rules, Policy and Type (Voice or SMS). A group without routes shows 0 — no routes under Entries.

How do I create a routing group?#

1. Go to Routing → Routing Groups and click Add New Routing Group.
2. Under Protocol, choose Voice (SIP) or SMS (SMPP). You can't change this later.
3. Enter a Name.
4. Choose a Routing Policy (see the list below). Least Cost Routing is preselected; AI Smart Routing (IDR) is shown as coming soon and can't be chosen yet.
5. Click Add Routing Group.

The new group appears in the list with its own 444…# tech prefix and 0 entries. Add routes before you use it.

These are the routing policies:

• Least Cost Routing (LCR): tries the cheapest route first, then fails over to the next lowest cost.
• Failover Order: calls always start at route #1 and move down your order.
• Load Balancing: splits traffic by weight. Weights 1 and 3 send about 25% and 75% of calls.

How do I add routes to a group?#

1. In Routing → Routing Groups, click the cogwheel in the group's Action column. The group page shows its tech prefix at the top with a copy button.
2. Under Your Purchased Routes, click a route, or drag it into the group. Use the search box to find a route or seller.
3. Arrange the routes for the policy:
   • Failover Order: use the up and down arrows. The first route is Primary, the next are Failover 1, Failover 2 and so on. A new route is added at the end.
   • Load Balancing: type a weight from 1 to 100 and click Set. You'll see "Weight updated successfully" and each route's share of traffic.
   • Least Cost Routing: no order needed. Each route shows auto.

You'll see the message "Route added to this group", and the route is listed under Active in Routing Group. To take a route out, click its remove icon and confirm; you'll see "Route removed from this group".

To change the name, policy or hunt stop codes, edit them under Settings and click Save Changes or Save & Close. Switching to Failover Order numbers the routes 1 to N; switching to Load Balancing resets every weight to 1.

Hunt stop codes (voice groups and voice rules) are SIP codes from 400 to 699 that stop failover to the next route. They sit in a collapsed Hunt stop codes row under the policy; open it to type codes separated by commas or click the chips 486 Busy, 404 Not Found, 603 Decline and 604 No Such User. New voice groups start with 486,404,604. Codes outside 400 to 699 are dropped when you save.

How do I route specific dial codes differently?#

Routing rules override the group's default routing for particular dial codes (CLD prefixes), callers (CLI prefixes) or both. Each rule has its own routes, policy and hunt stop codes. One group can, for example, send most traffic by LCR, send UK mobiles (447) by Failover Order across two premium routes, and send calls without caller ID somewhere else. Rules are available in voice groups.

The group page is split into two parts, with jump links at the top: Default routing, which applies to every call sent with the group's tech prefix that doesn't match a rule, and Routing rules · overrides.

How is a call matched to a rule?#

• CLD is the dialled number after the group's tech prefix, in E.164 without + or 00. A call to 444101#447700900123 is matched on 447700900123, so the CLD prefix 447 matches it, and so do 44 and 4477.
• CLI is the caller ID as your switch sends it. EMPTY matches calls that arrive without caller ID. Send caller IDs in E.164 without +, or a digit prefix won't match.
• A rule with both prefixes matches only calls where both match. A rule with only one prefix ignores the other.
• Rules are checked in Priority order, from 1 down, and the first match wins. It is not the longest match, so put specific prefixes above broader ones: 447 above 44, or the UK mobile rule never sees a call.
• A call that matches a rule uses only that rule's routes, policy and hunt stop codes. It never falls back to the group's default routing, so give every rule its routes before you send traffic.

How do I add a rule?#

1. Open the group from Routing → Routing Groups and click Routing rules at the top, or scroll to it.
2. Click Add Rule. The Add a routing rule window opens.
3. Enter a CLD (Destination) Prefix, a CLI (Caller) Prefix, or both: digits only, up to 15. For the CLI you can also enter EMPTY.
4. Click Add Rule in the window, or Cancel to close it.

The rule is added at the bottom of the list (lowest priority), and the portal opens it straight away so you can give it routes.

How do I set up a rule's routes and policy?#

A rule's page says which calls it handles: Routing rule in the group, Calls matching CLD 447. It has the same parts as a group: Rule settings with the two prefixes, the Routing Policy and the Hunt stop codes, then the routes.

1. Add routes from Your Purchased Routes, as for a group.
2. Choose the policy. New rules start with Least Cost Routing; pick Failover Order or Load Balancing if the rule needs it.
3. Change the prefixes or the hunt stop codes if needed, then click Save Changes, or Save & Close to go back to the group.

Click Back to Routing Group to return to the group.

How do I manage rules?#

The Routing rules table on the group page lists each rule's Priority, CLI, CLD, Policy and Sellers. A dash means that prefix isn't used.

• Sellers shows how many sellers the rule's routes use; hover to see their names and the route count. No routes yet — add means matching calls have nowhere to go: click it to add routes.
• Edit rule opens the rule.
• The up and down arrows change its priority ("Routing Rule moved up" / "Routing Rule moved down").
• The bin deletes it after you confirm ("Routing Rule deleted"). The rules below it move up.
• With many rules, type a CLD or CLI prefix in Filter rules by prefix (CLD or CLI) to show only the matching rules.

Two rules in a group can't have the same CLD and CLI pair. 44 and 447 are fine, but a second 44 rule isn't.

How do I use a routing group for SMS?#

An SMS (SMPP) group works like a voice group: send messages with its 444…# tech prefix. To use the group without a prefix:

1. Click Accounts in the sidebar, open the SMPP account's Actions menu and choose Edit Account.
2. Under Default Routing Group, choose the group. The default is NOT SET (Use direct route from purchased routes).
3. Click Update Account.

Messages sent from that account without a tech prefix now go through the group. Choosing a group clears any Default Route set in the account's purchased routes list, and clicking Make Default on a purchased route there resets Default Routing Group to NOT SET. See send SMS for the SMPP side.

How do I test a route?#

Routing → Route Test opens the Web Callback Service. TelecomsXchange calls your phone first, then connects you to the destination, each leg through a route you choose.

1. Go to Routing → Route Test.
2. Under First Call Leg, enter Your Phone Number, the CLI (Caller ID) to show, and choose Seller Route 1.
3. Under Second Call Leg, enter the Destination Number, its CLI (Caller ID), and choose Seller Route 2.
4. Choose the Billing Account. The list shows each account's balance. It must have purchased both routes.
5. Click Initiate Callback. Clear Form empties the fields.

You'll see "Test call has been initiated". Your phone rings within a few seconds, for up to 120 seconds, from "TelecomsXchange" with the CLI you entered; when you answer, the destination is called, and you can judge audio quality and caller ID delivery. Each test is listed under Recent Callback Requests with its Account, Your Number / CLI, Route 1, Destination / CLI, Route 2, Callback Time and Status (initiated, or failed if the first leg could not be placed).

HLR Lookup checks whether a mobile number is valid and which network it belongs to. This helps when you investigate failed calls.

What if something goes wrong?#