INum Initiative
The iNum (international number) initiative was a project by Voxbone to create a global dial code for Voice over IP communications. Voxbone is a Belgian company specializing in wholesale telephone numbers for VoIP applications. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) allocated a portion of the non-geographic "country code" +883 to this initiative. Specifically, iNums were telephone numbers in the format +883 5100 xxxxxxxx. The system started operating in November 2008. Many providers offered iNum numbers and calls between them at no cost to their customers, but some charged for the service. Due to slow adoption, cost and compatibility issues, and the eventual lack of interest by Voxbone in maintaining the system, it was decommissioned in June 2020. Technical standards The iNum networking was based on SIP standards and supported voice, video and SMS. Transcoding was available between G.711 and G.729. Video codecs supported were H.263+ and H.264, but theoretically any codec, including Skype's SILK and G.722, for high-definition voice, could be supported as long as the originating and terminating networks both supported it and transcoding was not required. Participating organizations and access Voxbone provided free telephone number ranges to IP communications service providers, enterprises, NGOs and universities. Approximately 400 organizations were