{"id":"agent-pstn-telephony","slug":"agent-pstn-telephony","name":"PSTN / phone-number telephony for agents","shortName":"Agent telephony","problemStatement":"Provision numbers, place/receive PSTN calls, and bridge SIP/WebRTC so voice agents can dial real phones — not just in-browser audio.","whenNotTopPick":"Want an all-in-one voice-agent stack (Vapi/Retell) instead of raw telephony, or Telnyx pricing/regions fit better.","categoryIds":["cat-comms"],"depotPickProviderId":"twilio","depotPickRationale":"Distinct from `voice-agent-platform` (orchestration+STT+TTS). Here capability = numbers, regulatory, SIP, global reach. Confidence: high.","runnersUpIds":["telnyx","vapi","retell","plivo"],"weights":{"capabilityFit":0.2,"pricePerformance":0.12,"latencyReliability":0.28,"developerDx":0.14,"privacyPosture":0.08,"lockInRisk":0.08,"maturity":0.1},"methodologyNotes":"Distinct from `voice-agent-platform` (orchestration+STT+TTS). Here capability = numbers, regulatory, SIP, global reach. Confidence: high.","tags":["telephony","pstn","voice","cpaas"],"depth":{"whenNotToUse":{"text":"Want an all-in-one voice-agent stack (Vapi/Retell) instead of raw telephony, or Telnyx pricing/regions fit better.","source":"editorial `whenNotTopPick` (data/jtbds.json)"},"whenNotToUseReason":null,"runnerUp":{"providerId":"telnyx","name":"Telnyx","overallForJob":8.39,"pickOverallForJob":8.4,"beatsPickOn":["pricePerformance","developerDx","privacyPosture","lockInRisk"],"source":"first resolvable entry of the job's editorially ranked `runnersUpIds`; scores are stored job-weighted scores"},"runnerUpReason":null,"lockIn":{"pickLockInRisk":5.5,"runnerUpLockInRisk":3.8,"scale":"0–10 stored curated estimate; higher = more lock-in (worse)","pickExitSignals":[],"runnerUpExitSignals":[],"pickNotes":[],"selfHostFallback":[],"migration":"Runner-up Telnyx has lower stored lock-in risk (3.8 vs 5.5, 0–10, higher = more lock-in).","migrationReason":null,"derivedFrom":"stored lockInRisk scores, provider tags (oss, self-host, openai-compat, open-models), free rows that list this job, and verbatim provider notes. No migration guide was invented."}},"freshness":{"pick":{"score":{"asOf":"2026-10-19","ageDays":8,"stale":false,"staleAfterDays":30,"reason":null},"lastReviewed":{"asOf":"2026-10-19","ageDays":8,"stale":false,"staleAfterDays":30,"reason":null},"sourceCheck":{"checkedAt":"2026-10-27","sourceUrls":1,"sourcesReachable":1,"pricingRows":2,"pricingRowsReconfirmed":0,"note":"A source re-check confirms the page is reachable and, for pricing rows, that the stored amount and SKU name appear on it. It does not re-derive or change the score.","reason":null}}},"depotPick":{"id":"twilio","slug":"twilio","name":"Twilio","tagline":"Default when agents need SMS/voice globally. For email-only, don't drag Twilio in.","overall":8.4},"runnersUp":[{"id":"telnyx","slug":"telnyx","name":"Telnyx","tagline":"SMS/voice peer when $/part and published carrier fees matter. Twilio remains default toolkit gravity; Bird…","overall":8.39},{"id":"vapi","slug":"vapi","name":"Vapi","tagline":"Depot pick for shipping a phone/voice agent without assembling vendors. LiveKit when you want OSS + realtime…","overall":8.1},{"id":"retell","slug":"retell","name":"Retell AI","tagline":"Best Vapi peer for balanced inbound voice agents with clear $/min math. Vapi remains Depot default; Bland for…","overall":8.19},{"id":"plivo","slug":"plivo","name":"Plivo","tagline":"CPaaS peer especially when Voice AI Agents + SIP streaming matter. Depot voice-agent platform pick stays…","overall":8.1}]}