Offer AI voice agents as a telecom service
Launch AI receptionists, sales agents, and support assistants for your customers and turn every AI conversation into billable telecom traffic.
Businesses are rapidly adopting AI voice agents to handle sales, support, and customer inquiries.
Each conversation can last several minutes. AI platforms charge $0.15–$0.20 per minute for these interactions.
Telecom operators carry the calls but often earn only a few cents per minute.
Operators now have an opportunity to bring that value back into their own service portfolio.
Launch AI agents as a telecom service
With PortaOne + Apifonica
operators can offer AI agents to their customers as another telecom service.
Sell AI agents to business customers
Offer AI receptionists and support bots as services for SMB and enterprise clients.
Bundle AI with existing telecom services
Combine AI agents with CloudPBX or SIP trunking to expand your service portfolio.
Charge for every minute of AI conversation
Monetize every AI interaction with usage-based pricing.
Automate billing with PortaBilling
Track AI usage and bill AI and telecom services together on one invoice.
Deploy AI agents for customers or your own operations
Operators can use AI agents in two ways:
Offer AI services to customers
Business customers can deploy AI agents for:
- Virtual receptionists
- Customer support automation
- Appointment scheduling
- Sales outreach
Every AI conversation generates billable telecom usage.
Use AI agents internally
Operators can also deploy AI agents within their own organization for:
- Sales outreach
- Lead qualification
- Customer support automation
This reduces operational costs and helps operators develop the expertise needed to deploy AI solutions for customers quickly.
How the platform works
- Calls are routed through PortaSwitch, where PortaSIP handles switching and call routing.
- The Voice AI Gateway connects calls to the Apifonica AI engine, which powers the conversation logic and integrates with external LLM models.
- PortaBilling tracks every AI interaction, enables AI bots only for subscribed customers, and charges based on actual call usage.
- Operators launch the integration through the Add-on Mart, enabling AI voice services with a simple setup and no complex development.
- Customers configure AI agents in the Apifonica interface and assign them to numbers or extensions inside the CloudPBX platform.
Where businesses use AI voice agents today
Businesses use AI voice agents to automate customer interactions, qualify leads, and handle routine calls. Telecom operators can offer these capabilities as managed services built on their voice infrastructure.
AI receptionist
Automatically answer incoming calls, greet customers, route inquiries, and capture key information before transferring the call to the right person or department.
Customer support automation
Handle common support requests such as service status, troubleshooting steps, order information, or account questions without requiring a human agent.
Appointment scheduling
Book, confirm, or reschedule appointments through natural voice conversations, integrated with the customer’s scheduling system.
Lead qualification
AI agents can answer product inquiries, ask qualifying questions, and capture contact details before routing high-value prospects to a sales representative.
Estimate the revenue from AI voice traffic
Even a small number of customers using AI agents can generate significant monthly telecom traffic.
Use the calculator below to explore a simple scenario. Adjust the number of customers, daily AI calls, call duration, and your margin to estimate how AI voice services could translate into monthly revenue for your network.
SMB customers
100
AI calls per day per customer
10
Average call duration (min)
3
AI price per minute
$0.20
Operator margin
30%
Estimated monthly profit from AI voice traffic
$5,400
AI minutes / month
90,000
Total traffic value / mo
$18,000
Daily margin
$180
Business FAQ
Monetization and operator value
Why should telecom operators offer AI voice agents?
AI voice agents generate long conversational calls that can last several minutes. Operators can charge customers per AI conversation minute and add their own margin on top of the AI platform’s wholesale price. This turns AI interactions into a new billable telecom service.
What types of businesses use AI voice agents?
AI voice agents are widely used by SMB and enterprise customers for inbound reception, customer support automation, appointment booking, product consulting, and outbound sales campaigns.
How do AI voice agents increase telecom revenue?
Operators sell AI agents as an add-on to existing VoIP services such as CloudPBX or SIP trunking. AI usage appears on the customer’s invoice as another telecom service or as part of a subscription bundle.
Can operators use AI agents inside their own business?
Yes. Operators can deploy AI agents internally for outbound sales calls, lead qualification, or automated responses to customer inquiries. This reduces operational costs and helps the operator gain practical experience configuring AI workflows before offering the service to customers.
Why are AI voice agents “sticky” services?
Once a business integrates an AI agent into its PBX workflows and business systems, replacing that system requires significant reconfiguration. This makes AI services harder to switch than basic VoIP connectivity and helps reduce customer churn.
Technical FAQ
Deployment, architecture, and configuration
How are AI agents created and configured?
Customers configure their AI agents in the Apifonica interface. The setup usually takes from a few hours to a few days depending on the complexity of the AI workflow and integrations with external systems.
How are AI agents deployed?
Operators can deploy AI agents through the CloudPBX portal. Customers access the Apifonica configuration interface through a secure single sign-on connection.
How are AI calls billed?
During every call, PortaBilling tracks the AI session and applies usage-based charging. AI interactions are billed similarly to other telecom services and appear on the customer’s invoice at the end of the billing cycle.
How do customers access the AI configuration interface?
Customers log in to the PortaOne CloudPBX portal and access the Apifonica configuration interface through a single sign-on link. This allows them to manage AI agents without leaving the telecom service environment.
How is the AI agent connected to telecom services?
Once configured, the AI agent can be assigned to a phone number, extension, or auto-attendant within the CloudPBX configuration. The AI agent then handles inbound calls or initiates outbound conversations.
Can AI agents integrate with business systems?
Yes. Through the Add-on Mart and API integrations, AI agents can access external systems such as CRM platforms, databases, or helpdesk tools. They can retrieve customer data, create tickets, or trigger automated workflows.
Do operators need AI expertise to launch the service?
No. Operators can start by deploying AI agents internally or with selected customers. This allows them to develop operational experience before scaling the service.
What technology powers the AI conversations?
The solution integrates with Apifonica’s conversational AI platform, which combines proprietary intent recognition with external LLM models.
How are AI calls authorized and controlled?
Each call is authorized for both the voice service and the AI agent service. The customer must have the AI service enabled and sufficient balance or quota to use it, preventing misuse or billing overruns.
Want to learn more about monetizing AI agents for your telecom?
Reach out to our team and let’s talk!
About PortaOne
Since 2001, PortaOne has been developing billing, business support systems, and cloud telephony software, helping telcos connect people.
Our journey has seen the rise of over 500 forward-thinking telcos in more than 100 countries, aiding them in becoming market leaders while keeping the total cost of ownership for their business support systems under control.
Our customers speak to our commitment, citing our support as the best in the industry. We offer a lifetime license without limits and an open-architecture platform, enabling swift in-house development of new services. Access to source code is granted, ensuring transparency and security validation.
