How it works
From the first number to day-to-day operation
What XETEL sets up, what you provide, and where the legal boundary sits — in the order it actually happens.
Five steps
A standard setup is operational within a few working days. The time-critical part is not the technology; it is number assignment and, where wanted, porting existing numbers.
Choose your regions
You name the area codes you want to be reachable in. We check availability in each local network and report back what can be assigned.
Assign the numbers
Every number is permanently assigned to your account and works in both directions. Callbacks reach you rather than nothing.
Connect
Connect by SIP trunk to your existing PBX, through our cloud PBX, or via the API. Credentials are issued in the customer portal.
Set up agents and teams
You create extensions, teams and team leads yourself in the supervisor portal. Number routing, queues and forwarding are part of the setup.
Measure and adjust
Answer rates, call duration and reachability per region are in the portal. Numbers that start slipping are swapped before they drag the rate down.
What you provide
Four things have to come from you. Without them an assignment can neither be made nor hold up.
Evidence of local presence
A geographic number requires a connection to that local network — a site or a serviceable business address, for example. We document that evidence per area code.
Consent from your contacts
Advertising calls require prior express consent (§ 7 UWG). Obtaining and evidencing that consent is your responsibility and stays that way — XETEL does not assume it.
A technical contact
Someone who knows your PBX or CRM. The connection itself rarely takes long; questions about existing systems do.
Reachability for callbacks
Assigned numbers have to be answerable. Calling out while letting callbacks go nowhere destroys the effect — and invites regulatory attention.
Where the boundary sits
XETEL does not rotate numbers to simulate local presence. You get real geographic numbers, permanently assigned to you, that can be called back. That is the difference between local presence and a number that will not survive scrutiny.
In 2024 the Bundesnetzagentur disconnected roughly 6,500 numbers for misuse and imposed billing bans on 1,100. Simulated local presence is among the patterns picked up in the process. A disconnected number costs more than it ever earned.
So we check the local-network connection before assignment rather than after a complaint arrives. If an area code is not defensible for you, we say so — and propose what will hold instead.
Sources
Every market figure on this page comes from the publications below. XETEL's own platform figures are labelled as such.
- Bundesnetzagentur, 2024 annual figures on number misuse
- § 7 UWG (German Act Against Unfair Competition)
- § 59 TKG (German Telecommunications Act 2021)
- XETEL platform figure
Questions about the process
How long does setup take?
A standard setup without porting is usually usable within a few working days. Where porting is involved, the date depends on the losing provider.
Can we keep our existing PBX?
Yes. Connection is by SIP trunk. The cloud PBX is an option, not a prerequisite.
Do we need an office in every region?
No, but a defensible connection to the local network is required. What suffices in a given case is settled before assignment.
What happens if a number gets flagged as spam?
We track the answer rate per number and swap affected numbers out. In parallel we look for the cause, because swapping alone does not change the pattern.
Does XETEL handle consent for our contacts?
No. Obtaining, documenting and evidencing consent under § 7 UWG sits with you. We say so explicitly, because it is the point where providers tend to stay vague.