The GSM Association (GSMA), the global trade association for the mobile industry, and NeuStar have completed a pilot of their Carrier ENUM service. The service, recently branded “PathFinder”, is now generally available to mobile and fixed network operators, carriers and related service providers. 
Supported by Bharti, Lleida.net, mobilkom austria, SMART, Telekom Austria, Telecom Italia and Telenor, the PathFinder service pilot successfully exchanged international packet voice and MMS traffic enabled via a global, fully-interoperable deployment of Carrier ENUM, validating ENUM as an effective solution to IP-based routing and interconnection. The service automatically translates a phone number into an IP-based address, making it simple and transparent for users to initiate a wide range of IP-based communications via their existing phone numbers and handset address books.
Formerly called the GSMA’s Number Resolution Service, PathFinder is a so-called “Private” or “Carrier” ENUM solution and will include a global master root directory. “Private” or “Carrier” ENUM solutions are an enabler used by operators to associate the phone numbers of subscribers with the IP addressing information of the subscriber’s IP based services. This information is populated by the operator on behalf of the subscriber and is not made available to 3rd parties except for the purposes of routing. The system enables IP-based calls and messages addressed to a subscriber’s phone number to be delivered. The system affords subscribers the same levels of control and privacy that they currently enjoy with existing telephone services.
The GSMA said PathFinder will enable operators to exchange ENUM data via a common commercial and technical framework, facilitating the rollout and interconnection of IP-services across network boundaries. PathFinder is designed to co-exist with public ENUM systems.http://www.gsmworld.com
