We all know that, by working together, we can accomplish more than we can by working in isolation. And, when you have the chance to work with some of the strongest players in a space, the resulting teamwork can only serve to make your offerings better.

That seems to be the theory behind the alliance between TEOCO, a provider of assurance and analytics solutions for services providers, and two other companies: NetNumber and Alcatel-Lucent (News - Alert). NetNumber is a next-gen addressing and routing specialist, and Alcatel-Lucent is a company known for its innovations in telecommunications including networking technology, services and products. This alliance will serve to create a smoother, more efficient method of least cost routing.

Under this new solution, TEOCO (News - Alert) would bypass the switch updating process by dipping a centralized routing database on a dedicated server, creating a policy that can be applied on a per-call basis and then forward the routing instructions instantly.

In a press release, John Devolites, TEOCO general manager, commented on this new, more efficient system. “By centralizing the routing policy and deploying on a world-class switching platform, communication service providers are provided a cost-effective means to scale their networks, derive new revenue, and increase their service offerings, while decreasing the day-to-day operational workload,” he said.

This new least cost routing solution is made possible via interoperability with Alcatel-Lucent’s 5060 Media Gateway Controller-8 and by using NetNumber’s (News - Alert) netx-gen TITAN server. NetNumber Founder Douglas Ranalli touted the alliance with TEOCO, saying, “A centralized routing architecture that integrates portability-correction, dynamic route-list generation, real-time policy updates, and customer specific service-logic provides carriers/operators with unlimited routing flexibility. The integrated solution from TEOCO, Alcatel-Lucent and NetNumber (News - Alert) delivers on the promise of faster routing updates, more accurate routing results and reduced operating costs.”

Another least cost routing specialist, TransNexus (News - Alert), recently celebrated 15 years of VoIP innovation. In 1997, the newly formed company partnered with Cisco (News - Alert) and 3Com to create Open Settlement Protocol with the European Telecommunications Standards Institute. That protocol is still in use today and TransNexus has continued to adapt to changing market needs over the last decade and a half, now focusing on providing new features for the IP communications market.