International Carriers Missing Revenue Opportunities due to New Voice Network Usage.
i3Forum Market Data Workgroup Targets Expanding Use Cases and New KPIs
International voice carriers are encountering a growing challenge: a significant portion of their traffic is no longer conversational, yet it continues to consume network resources without delivering meaningful revenue.
This shift is being driven by a rising volume of calls related to call centers, marketing outreach, and authentication services—use cases where calls are typically short or have no connected duration. Under traditional minutes-based KPIs, this traffic goes largely unmeasured and unmonetized.
Without new ways to track and understand these patterns, carriers risk missing out on an increasingly important part of the voice business, with the risk that intensive and unpaid use of the resources can end up compromising the sustainability of the networks and service. Some carriers estimate that up to 85% of the call attempts received are not monetized.
To address this, the i3Forum Market Data Workgroup has launched a proof of concept (PoC) to explore new voice KPIs that go beyond traditional metrics. The initiative is designed to give carriers better tools for identifying, benchmarking, and ultimately monetizing these emerging traffic types.
“There’s a significant opportunity for international carriers to generate value from traffic that currently produces little or no revenue,” said Christian Michaud, Vice Chair of the i3Forum and Chair of the Market Data Workgroup. “Our goal is to provide meaningful insights and new metrics that help carriers make better business decisions and unlock new revenue opportunities.”
A key component of the initiative also focuses on Origination-Based Rates (OBR), which continue to impact the economics of international voice. The Workgroup is developing methods to improve visibility into OBR-surcharged traffic, helping carriers manage costs and optimize routing decisions.
The PoC is already underway, with participating carriers working collaboratively to define actionable KPIs and enhance market transparency.
Why This Matters for International Carriers:
- Identify revenue leakage from unmonetized traffic
- Improve traffic visibility and network analytics
- Identify trends in voice network usage
- Benchmark new voice use cases across the industry
- Strengthen positioning in an evolving wholesale voice landscape
The i3Forum invites carriers and stakeholders to join this industry effort. With greater collaboration and improved reporting, the voice ecosystem can adapt to new usage trends and reclaim value from overlooked traffic.
Interested in participating?
Join the i3Forum and help shape the future of voice traffic monetization.