Comcast PRI Install

[tap364]

Hi guys,

500V2 R9.0.4. Customer signed contract to convert 16 analog lines to DID's on a full 23 channel PRI. BUT...they only want to buy the minimal equipment needed and pay for an 8 channel license, only buying more if needed. Anyone foresee any issues with only having 8 channels licensed on a full 23 channel PRI? Will Comcast be constantly reporting down channels? This is all uncharted waters for me Thanks for the insight.

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Enable all 23 channels. Put channels 9-16 in a different outgoing line group. ARS will use the group that 1-8 are in, and if an incoming call comes to 9-23 ICR will still catch the call and route it. Keep track in SSA of how many times they attempted to use more than 8 channels so that you can sell them more licenses.

 

[tap364]

Thanks TTT for the quick response. Did you mean channels 9-23 in a different group? Haven't done PRI in IP office, only SIP, and know configured channels can be greater than channel licenses. If this is the same for PRI, then this makes sense now.

 

[pmcook]

PRI is a piece of cake on an IPO. Way easier than SIP.

 

[janni78]

The PRI card will give you 8 channels so an 8 channel licenses would make that 16.

The difference with PRI is that it will consume the licenses for the number of channels it is programmed for even when idle so I would recommend you to license the full amount.

"Trying is the first step to failure..." - Homer

 

[Telecomboy]

I usually have the provider, this time Comcast, take the non-used lines out of service. If they ever get a busy signal then you know they need extra PRI channels and should look at adding another license.

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Sounds stupid, but Comcast charges less for a 23 channel PRI than for a fractional one. When the calculate the cost of the channels ala carte, they discount not having to do any changes on their side.

 

[tap364]

Thanks for all the great insight. My only experience w/PRI has been Definity, Legend/Magix, and never fractional or w/ concerns about licenses. Digging deeper I was considering putting unused channels either in "maintenance" or OOS, but I'll run this past CC before install. Them doing it might make more sense long term. Licensing all 23 would be the ideal, however the price difference is the constraining factor here. I'll post an update after install in case anyone else runs into this same situation. Thanks again.

 

[gknight1]

we deal with this all the time, yes with Comcast its cheaper. We just keep channels 9-23 out of service and change the incoming and outgoing group ids to 99. then change channels 1-8 to in service and groups 0. The biggest thing, which Comcast should be doing by default, is to make sure that they are sending the calls inbound starting on channel 1, NOT 23.