MAP (Managed Access Provider) Overview

Version: 1.1 (protocol v1.1) Date: 2026-10-06 Status: Complete Specification

Executive Summary

A Managed Access Provider (MAP) enables smaller Communication Providers (CPs) to participate in PSTN2 without requiring deep technical expertise or significant infrastructure investment. MAPs act as intermediaries, handling complex PSTN2 operations on behalf of multiple downstream CPs.

Two Types of MAPs

1. Pure PSTN2 MAP

Purpose: Provide PSTN2-only services to downstream CPs

Services Provided:

PSTN2 caller authentication (direct query)
Number Discovery for tenants: Range Holder answers for their blocks and discovery client for their calls
Emergency services location handling
Direct routing coordination
Porting answers: redirects for tenants' ported-out numbers, held for ported-in numbers
Cryptographic key management
Protocol compliance and certification

Target Customers:

Small VoIP providers wanting PSTN2 features
New market entrants
OTT providers adding telephony
International carriers expanding to new markets

Infrastructure Requirements:

PSTN2 protocol implementation
Multi-tenant architecture
API endpoints for downstream CPs
Monitoring and billing systems

2. Full Service MAP

Purpose: Bridge both PSTN and PSTN2 for downstream CPs

Services Provided:

All Pure PSTN2 MAP services, plus:
Legacy PSTN connectivity (wholesale termination/origination)
Automatic call routing between PSTN and PSTN2
SIP trunking services
Number provisioning and management
Traditional carrier-grade switching
Billing for both PSTN and PSTN2 calls
24/7 operations and support

Target Customers:

Existing PSTN wholesalers adding PSTN2
Traditional carriers modernizing services
Resellers wanting complete voice solutions
CPs needing seamless legacy/modern transition

Infrastructure Requirements:

PSTN2 + legacy PSTN infrastructure
SIP switching platform
Interconnection to legacy carriers
Complete billing and provisioning systems
Regulatory compliance (E.164 numbers, emergency services)

Business Models

Pure PSTN2 MAP

Revenue: Per-call fees, monthly subscription, or hybrid
Costs: Infrastructure, bandwidth, support
Margins: Higher (no PSTN transit costs)
Complexity: Lower operational overhead
Time to Market: Faster (PSTN2 only)

Full Service MAP

Revenue: Per-minute rates (PSTN), per-call fees (PSTN2), monthly commitments
Costs: PSTN transit, infrastructure, regulatory compliance, 24/7 NOC
Margins: Lower on PSTN (competitive), higher on PSTN2
Complexity: Higher (dual-network operations)
Time to Market: Longer (requires PSTN interconnects)

Key Differentiators

Feature	Pure PSTN2 MAP	Full Service MAP
PSTN2 Support	✓ Complete	✓ Complete
Legacy PSTN	✗ None	✓ Complete
Number Provisioning	Via downstream CP	✓ Direct provisioning
Emergency Services	PSTN2 only (GPS)	Both PSTN & PSTN2
Call Routing	PSTN2 only	Automatic PSTN/PSTN2
Infrastructure Cost	Lower	Higher
Regulatory Burden	Minimal	Full compliance required
Customer Type	Tech-savvy VoIP	Traditional carriers

Value Proposition for Downstream CPs

Why Use a MAP?

For Small CPs:

Lower Barrier to Entry - No need for deep PSTN2 expertise
Reduced Infrastructure - No need to operate PSTN2 servers
Faster Time to Market - Days instead of months
Lower Costs - Shared infrastructure costs
Support & Expertise - 24/7 technical support included
Compliance - MAP handles protocol certification

For Full Service MAP Customers: 7. Single Vendor - One partner for PSTN + PSTN2 8. Seamless Transition - Gradual PSTN2 adoption 9. Complete Solution - Number management, billing, support

How a MAP Takes Part in Number Discovery

PSTN2 v1.1 has no central database and no central lookup service (SPECIFICATION.md §9). Every CP answers "who holds this number?" only for its own numbers, and the regulator's numbering list says which CP to ask first. A MAP does both jobs on behalf of its downstream CPs:

As Range Holder responder. Each tenant's allocated blocks appear in the regulator's numbering list (Ofcom S1–S9) against the tenant, with a Range Holder URL that points at the MAP, one base URL per tenant:

Number Block    Communications Provider   Range Holder URL
0161 496 0xxx   Tenant One Ltd            https://pstn2.map.example/t/cp1-uk-0123
0113 496 1xxx   Tenant Two Ltd            https://pstn2.map.example/t/cp1-uk-0456

The MAP serves GET {tenantUrl}/pstn2/v1/numbers/{digits} from that tenant's number database (held, redirect for numbers it ported out, not_held + cache.invalidate for numbers that left, 404 otherwise) and GET {tenantUrl}/pstn2/v1/keys with the tenant's signing keys. Answers are signed with the tenant's key and reveal nothing about other tenants.

As discovery client. For tenants' calls the MAP downloads the numbering list once, keeps it in memory, and runs discovery (cache → list → Range Holder → redirect, max 5 hops) before verifying caller IDs, requesting routing or answering emergency queries. Each tenant still appears as itself: requests carry the tenant's RCPID and signature.

Tenants that are their own Range Holder can point the Range Holder URL at the MAP; tenants that host numbers ported in from other CPs simply have those numbers in their MAP-held number database. Nothing is synchronised between CPs. See MAP-MULTITENANT-DESIGN.md §3 for the data model and endpoints.

Technical Architecture

Multi-Tenant Design

Core Principles:

Isolation - Each CP's data and credentials isolated
Scalability - Add CPs without infrastructure changes
Performance - Sub-500ms authentication targets (p95)
Reliability - 99.99% uptime SLA
Security - End-to-end encryption, audit logs

Shared Resources:

Regulator numbering list (downloaded and refreshed once, used for every tenant)
Emergency services location database
Number Discovery cache (per number; discovery answers are public, so one cache can serve all tenants)
Authentication server infrastructure
Direct routing coordinator

Per-CP Resources:

Unique CP identifier (CPID)
Ed25519 key pair management
API credentials and rate limits
Billing and usage tracking
Configuration and policies

Deployment Models

1. Cloud-Hosted (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Advantages:

Rapid deployment
Global availability
Elastic scaling
Lower capital expenditure
Managed services (databases, monitoring)

Best For:

Pure PSTN2 MAPs
Startups and new entrants
Global operations
Rapid scaling scenarios

2. On-Premises Infrastructure

Advantages:

Full control
Data sovereignty
Lower operational costs at scale
Custom hardware optimization
No cloud vendor lock-in

Best For:

Full Service MAPs
Established carriers
High-volume operations
Regulatory requirements (data residency)

3. Hybrid Model

Advantages:

Best of both worlds
Critical services on-prem, elasticity in cloud
Disaster recovery built-in
Geographic distribution

Best For:

Large-scale operations
Multi-region deployments
Gradual cloud adoption

Revenue & Pricing Models

Pure PSTN2 MAP Pricing

Model 1: Per-Call

Authentication: 0.0001−0.0005 per call
Emergency location: $0.001 per 999 call
Number Discovery query: $0.00001 per query

Model 2: Monthly Subscription

Tier 1: Up to 10,000 calls/month - $100/month
Tier 2: Up to 100,000 calls/month - $500/month
Tier 3: Up to 1M calls/month - $2,000/month
Enterprise: Custom pricing

Model 3: Hybrid

Base fee: $50/month
Overage: $0.0002 per call above included amount

Full Service MAP Pricing

PSTN Minutes:

Inbound: 0.003−0.015 per minute (varies by region)
Outbound: 0.005−0.025 per minute (varies by destination)
Emergency: $0.05 per call (flat rate)

PSTN2 Features:

Authentication: Included in per-minute rate
Direct routing: $0.0001 per call setup
Enhanced features: +10% premium on base rates

Monthly Minimums:

Small CP: $500/month
Medium CP: $2,500/month
Large CP: $10,000/month

Getting Started

For Pure PSTN2 MAP

Review Technical Specifications
- Read SPECIFICATION.md
- Review API-SPECIFICATION.yaml
- Study MAP-MULTITENANT-DESIGN.md
Choose Deployment Model
- Cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP) or On-Premises
- Review MAP-DEPLOYMENT-AWS.md or MAP-DEPLOYMENT-ONPREM.md
Implement Multi-Tenant Architecture
- Review MAP-MULTITENANT-DESIGN.md
- Deploy reference implementation
- Test with sample downstream CP
Obtain PSTN2 Certification
- Run certification test suite
- Submit to PSTN2 consortium
- Receive official CPID
Onboard First Customer
- Provision CP credentials
- Configure API access
- Provide documentation and support

For Full Service MAP

Complete Pure PSTN2 MAP Setup (above)
Establish PSTN Connectivity
- Interconnect with legacy carriers
- Obtain SIP trunking capacity
- Configure SBC (Session Border Controller)
Implement Hybrid Routing
- Deploy intelligent call router
- Configure PSTN/PSTN2 decision logic
- Test failover scenarios
Regulatory Compliance
- Emergency services compliance (911/999)
- Number portability participation
- Lawful intercept capabilities (if required)
- Data retention policies
Billing & Operations
- Implement CDR (Call Detail Record) system
- Configure rating engine
- Set up 24/7 NOC monitoring
- Customer portal and support system

Success Metrics

Pure PSTN2 MAP KPIs

Authentication Success Rate: >99.9%
Response Time: <500ms (p95)
Uptime: >99.99%
Downstream CPs: Growth rate
Revenue per CP: Monthly average
Support Tickets: <1% of total calls

Full Service MAP KPIs

Call Completion Rate: >98%
Audio Quality (MOS): >4.0
PSTN2 Adoption Rate: % of calls using PSTN2
Cost per Minute: Trend (should decrease as PSTN2 grows)
Customer Churn: <5% annually
Net Promoter Score: >50

Risk Mitigation

Technical Risks

Scalability: Use auto-scaling cloud infrastructure
Single Point of Failure: Multi-region deployment
Security Breach: Regular audits, penetration testing
Protocol Changes: Automated testing, version management

Business Risks

Competition: Differentiate with support quality and features
Price Pressure: Efficient operations, automation
Regulatory Changes: Legal counsel, industry participation
Customer Concentration: Diversify customer base

Competitive Advantages

Pure PSTN2 MAP

Specialization - Focus only on PSTN2 excellence
Lower Prices - No PSTN overhead costs
Innovation - Faster feature deployment
Simplicity - Easy onboarding and management

Full Service MAP

One-Stop Shop - Complete voice solution
Gradual Transition - Help CPs migrate at their pace
Existing Relationships - Leverage current customer base
Proven Operations - Established carrier credibility

Customer Success Stories (Projected)

Case Study 1: Pure PSTN2 MAP - "CloudVoice MAP"

Background: Tech startup targeting small VoIP providers Launch: 6 months to production Customers: 50 downstream CPs after 12 months Revenue: $125K MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) Growth: 20% month-over-month

Key Success Factors:

Simple API integration (2-day onboarding)
Transparent pricing (100−500/month tiers)
Excellent documentation and support
99.99% uptime SLA

Case Study 2: Full Service MAP - "TelcoWholesale+"

Background: Existing PSTN wholesaler adding PSTN2 Launch: 12 months to production Customers: 200 existing CPs, 75% adopted PSTN2 Revenue: $2M MRR (mix of PSTN + PSTN2) Cost Savings: 40% reduction in transit costs from PSTN2 direct routing

Key Success Factors:

Seamless integration with existing services
No customer migration required
Automatic PSTN/PSTN2 routing
Reduced rates passed to customers
24/7 white-glove support

Roadmap

Year 1 (MVP)

✓ Pure PSTN2 MAP implementation
✓ Multi-tenant architecture
✓ AWS deployment guide
✓ Basic authentication and routing
✓ Onboard first 10 downstream CPs

Year 2 (Scale)

Full Service MAP implementation
PSTN interconnection
Geographic expansion (3+ regions)
Advanced features (call recording, analytics)
Onboard 100+ CPs

Year 3 (Enterprise)

White-label MAP platform
Advanced API capabilities
ML-powered fraud detection
Numbering lists for more countries (one regulator list per country)
1,000+ downstream CPs

Conclusion

Becoming a MAP represents a significant business opportunity in the PSTN2 ecosystem. Whether as a Pure PSTN2 MAP focusing on modern VoIP providers, or a Full Service MAP bridging legacy and modern networks, MAPs play a crucial role in democratizing access to next-generation telecommunications.

Key Takeaways:

Two distinct MAP types serve different markets
Lower barrier to entry for Pure PSTN2 MAP
Higher revenue potential for Full Service MAP
Multi-tenant architecture is essential for both
Cloud or on-premises deployment options available
Comprehensive documentation and code provided

Next Steps

Read MAP-MULTITENANT-DESIGN.md for the technical deep-dive and architecture patterns
Choose deployment model:
- AWS: Read MAP-DEPLOYMENT-AWS.md
- On-Premises: Read MAP-DEPLOYMENT-ONPREM.md
Review reference implementations at https://pstn2.org/code/
Run certification test suite
Join PSTN2 consortium and obtain CPID

Document Version: 1.1 Last Updated: 2026-10-06 Maintained By: PSTN2 Project License: Public Domain / CC0

For questions or support, contact: nick.holland@8x8.com