What is a good ASR for a wholesale VoIP termination route?

On Premium CLI routes, 60–80% ASR is the expected benchmark for most destinations. Standard routes typically run 45–65%, and LCR routes can fall below 45% with more volatility. ASR must be compared destination by destination — a naturally lower ASR in a mobile-heavy market is not necessarily a quality problem, but it should match what similar providers achieve on the same destination.

What PDD is acceptable before it affects call abandonment?

Post-Dial Delay under 6 seconds is the general benchmark for Premium CLI routes, with well-run direct interconnects often achieving 2–4 seconds. Once PDD consistently exceeds 8 seconds, callers begin hanging up before the call connects, which shows up as lost revenue even when the underlying ASR looks acceptable.

How is CLI delivery actually verified, rather than just promised?

CLI delivery is verified through STIR/SHAKEN attestation-level reporting per call — A-level confirms the carrier authenticated both customer identity and number authorization. Ask for the attestation pass-rate by destination rather than accepting a general statement that a route "supports CLI," since attestation can degrade at any intermediary hop in the path.

What is the difference between Premium CLI, Standard, and LCR routes?

Premium CLI routes run over direct or near-direct interconnects with the highest ASR and lowest PDD, suited to traffic where the recipient's trust matters. Standard routes trade some quality for lower cost. LCR routes are selected purely on price and can change underlying path — and therefore quality — without notice, making them appropriate mainly for low-value, disposable traffic.

What should I ask for before running a test on a new route?

Request a minimum of 500–1,000 call attempts on your actual top destinations, spanning both peak and off-peak hours, with temporary access to a live dashboard showing ASR, NER, PDD distribution, SIP response codes, and STIR/SHAKEN attestation per call. A provider unable to provide this level of detail during a trial is unlikely to provide it after you commit volume.

Wholesale VoIP Termination Provider Route Quality: How to Read ASR, PDD & CLI Data

A rate card tells you almost nothing about whether a wholesale VoIP termination provider can actually deliver your calls — two providers quoting the identical $0.006/min to the same destination can produce wildly different connect rates. ASR (Answer-Seizure Ratio) is the percentage of call attempts that connect, and it should be read by destination rather than as a blended average: 60 to 80 percent is typical for a healthy premium route, while anything below 50 percent on a major destination signals a routing problem. PDD (Post-Dial Delay) is the gap between dialing and ringback, and thresholds above six to eight seconds cause callers to hang up before the call even connects, a distribution worth requesting rather than a single averaged figure since peak-hour spikes hide in averages. CLI (Calling Line Identification) delivery is a separate axis from ASR and PDD entirely — it determines whether the caller ID actually reaches the destination intact, and STIR/SHAKEN attestation level (A, B, or C) is how that guarantee is verified rather than assumed on a provider's word. Route tiers reflect these tradeoffs directly: Premium/CLI routes carry the strongest guarantees on all three metrics, Standard routes balance cost and quality, and LCR routes optimize for price with the weakest guarantees. Before committing volume, buyers should request a live quality dashboard or a trial window of 500-1,000 call attempts across peak and off-peak hours, broken down by SIP response code. Softtop publishes live ASR/PDD by destination, guarantees CLI on every route with A-level STIR/SHAKEN attestation, and offers trial volume before any long-term commitment.