Zoom Phone India Overview

Zoom Phone India Overview

This section discusses the Zoom Phone India service, including design and networking considerations, feature availability, and service functionality. This model largely resembles a traditional Zoom Phone deployment, but, due to country-specific regulations, contains notable distinctions from the FHPBX service model, outlined in the following sections.

Zoom Phone India uses Zoom’s Unified License to offer telephony services through an interconnection with local service providers

With the grant of Zoom’s pan-India Unified License, Zoom is authorized to operate as a Tier-1 internet telephony service provider within India and offers this service through Zoom-owned data centers located within the country through an interconnection with local PSTN service providers. This service model allows Zoom to provide PSTN connectivity natively within the country, negating the need for MPLS connections or foreign-hosted data center routing.

Zoom Phone India Services

Zoom Phone India supports three services: Native, BYOC, and Provider Exchange

Zoom Phone India offers three service models: Native Service, Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC), and Provider Exchange.

• Native Service: Zoom provides a locally hosted cloud PBX with Zoom-issued India mobile numbers. Calls are routed through Zoom Phone India’s licensed PSTN infrastructure. No customer SBC or MPLS is required—clients connect over the public internet (MPLS is optional).

• BYOC Service: Customers use their own licensed telecom carrier and on-premises SBC to interconnect with Zoom’s India-based PBX for call routing. Calls traverse from Zoom’s India data centers over a customer-provided MPLS (or public internet) link to the customer SBC and then out over the customer-provided carrier’s PSTN. (MPLS required for use of Fixed-Line Numbers.)

  Note: Zoom partners with Tata Communications Inc. to provide a Cloud Connect option in India via Tata Communications’ IZO Multi Cloud Connect. With this option, customers must still provision MPLS connectivity, but the MPLS connection terminates with Tata Communications rather than directly with Zoom’s India data centers. Tata Communications leverages its pre-established private connectivity to Zoom, reducing the need for customers to build a direct MPLS interconnect to Zoom. Additional service charges may apply.

• Provider Exchange: Customers use telecom services delivered by a Zoom-approved provider that maintains interconnects with Zoom’s India-based PBX. This method supports both mobile, toll-free, and fixed-line numbers. Fixed-line numbers require an MPLS connection; however, this connectivity is provisioned and managed by the approved provider, so no customer-managed SBC is required. When using mobile numbers, MPLS is not required and service can be delivered over the public internet through the provider’s licensed infrastructure.

  Note: Zoom is currently exclusively partnered with Tata Communications Inc.

Licensed service area connectivity currently varies depending on the service model

Licensed service area connectivity varies by service model, as each option is supported through different underlying telecom partnerships and infrastructure arrangements that determine where services are currently available.

Bring Your Own Carrier and Provider Exchange services are available nationwide across India

Bring Your Own Carrier and Provider Exchange services are available across all licensed service areas in India. These deployment models allow customers to connect through their own telecom carrier or a partnered provider from any location nationwide, offering geographic flexibility for Zoom Phone implementations.

Zoom Phone India’s Native service currently supports six licensed services areas

Zoom Phone India’s Native service (non-BYOC) is currently operating within 6 of the 22 licensed service areas, and may continue to expand into other service areas over time. The list of currently-supported licensed service areas includes:

• Mumbai: Local area of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Kalyan.

• Andhra Pradesh: State of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, including Hyderabad.

• Maharashtra: State of Maharashtra and Goa, including Pune.

• Karnataka: State of Karnataka, including Bangalore.

• Tamil Nadu: State of Tamil Nadu and union territory of Pondicherry, including Chennai.

• Delhi: Local area of Delhi, New Delhi, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida, and Gurgaon.

Zoom Phone India’s data centers are located within Hyderabad and Mumbai

Zoom Phone India’s data centers are located in Hyderabad and Mumbai, and can offer better latency times through local internet traversal, bypassing the complicated network routing of the FHPBX service model.

Phone numbers provided by Zoom Phone India’s native service are classified as mobile numbers, and are available through the Zoom Workplace desktop and mobile apps

Because Zoom is registered as a Tier-1 Telco service provider offering Internet telephony within India, phone numbers available through the Zoom Phone India service are classified as mobile numbers. With the mobile number designation, users are granted additional flexibility in regard to service access, which includes mobile device support, access, and calling, in addition to domestic and international roaming. Additionally, although short messaging services (SMS) are not currently available with Zoom Phone India, these numbers are expected to be SMS-eligible if the service becomes available.

Note

This mobile number designation does not apply to phone numbers associated with an underlying carrier (BYOC).

Zoom Phone India is sold by Zoom’s India-specific business entity, and will be listed as the service provider on all paperwork

Customers that purchase Zoom Phone India will conduct business with Zoom’s India-specific business entity, ZVC India Private Limited. This business entity is separate and unique from Zoom’s international business entity commonly used for other services, and will be listed on all relevant contracts and billing materials associated with the Zoom Phone India service.

Zoom Phone India Requirements, Caveats, and Conditions

Due to the unique telephony infrastructure and regulatory requirements in India, Zoom Phone India includes several notable requirements, caveats, and conditions worth mentioning. These are broken down categorically in the following sections by Customers, Licenses, Privacy, and Service Limitations.

Business Requirements

Zoom Phone India customers must be an India-registered business entity, have an authorized signatory, and be assigned a Goods and Services Tax ID Number

Customers interested in purchasing Zoom Phone India must be a business entity registered with the Government of India, have an authorized signatory, and be assigned a Good and Services Tax Identification Number (GSTIN). And although international businesses cannot purchase the Zoom Phone India service, an India-specific entity of an international corporation likely can.

Example

“Global-Corporation International” is a US-based company, and is not eligible to purchase Zoom Phone India. However, if Global-Corporation International owns a subsidiary company named “Global-Corporation International India” that is registered with the Government of India — in addition to meeting all other requirements — the subsidiary company is potentially eligible to purchase and utilize the service.

Customers that do not meet these requirements are not eligible for this service and must use the FHPBX service model.

Zoom Phone India customers must pay in Indian Rupees

Customers must pay for Zoom Phone India in Indian Rupees (INR). Zoom cannot accept other global currencies like the US Dollar or Euro as payment for Zoom Phone India services.

Zoom Phone India is available to both OSP and non-OSP-registered businesses

Zoom Phone India is available to OSP and non-OSP businesses, so long as all additional requirements are met. This differs from the FHPBX service model, which is exclusively available to OSP businesses.

Zoom Phone India supports traffic aggregation exclusively for OSP customers

Due to regulatory requirements, non-OSP businesses may not utilize traffic aggregation for multiple sites’ SBCs. However, due to a provision from the Department of Telecommunications in India, OSP customers are permitted to aggregate telephony data to a single site’s SBC.

Know Your Customer (KYC) Requirements

Zoom Phone India customers must meet Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements before service can be activated. These requirements vary by service and are described in the following sections.

Native Service

Businesses interested in Zoom Phone India’s Native service must meet the following business and end-user requirements.

Native Business KYC Requirements

Requirement	Description
Business Addresses	A business address is required to validate the location (i.e., city) from which the account will use Zoom Phone services. The address must be supported by valid documentation.
Compliance Address	A compliance address is required to verify the physical business location associated with the purchase and use of Zoom-issued mobile numbers. A compliance address may also serve as a business address.
Documentation	Includes: Proof of identity for the authorized signatory (Aadhaar, PAN, or government-issued ID) Passport-sized photo and authorization letter Authorized signatory contact details (name, email, phone) Company incorporation certificate or charter documents Proof of business address (utility bill, lease, or similar) GST, company PAN, and TAN registration details Billing address matching compliance address
Authorized Representative KYC	Authorized signatories are now subject to end user–level eKYC during CAF signing — ID card validation, live photo and video capture, and real-time facial match verification.
CAF and Signature	Zoom compiles the documentation into a customer application form (CAF). The authorized signatory must digitally sign the CAF with an approved digital signature certificate (DSC) after successful eKYC verification.
Physical Verification	DoT mandates physical verification every six months, performed by Zoom’s vendors (Hello Verify or On-Grid) using GPS tagging and timestamped evidence.
Retention and Audit	Signed CAFs and verification records are stored by Zoom for DoT auditing and may be subject to additional revalidation during regulatory review.

Native End User KYC Requirements

Requirement	Description
Applicability	All end users assigned Zoom India mobile numbers must complete KYC before activation.
Verification Partner	KYC is completed via Zoom’s partner (Equal SDK), with real-time verification through government databases.
Accepted Proofs	Aadhaar (via DigiLocker) or driver’s license.
Verification Process	Users must provide live photo and video capture in addition to ID type, number, name, and address. ZVC India validates the ID against the live photo for match verification.
Location Validation	IP-based location is verified before starting KYC; if the IP is outside India, KYC cannot proceed.
Re-KYC Triggers	Required when: ID and live photo do not match. DoT initiates audit.
Address Requirement	Users must enter an Indian address but do not need to upload proof-of-address documents.
Outcome	Once approved, users gain full PSTN capability; without KYC, only extension-to-extension calling is permitted.
Validity	KYC validity is continuous but subject to re-KYC events as defined by DoT circulars.
Regulatory Reporting	Zoom shares user-number mappings with the DoT, including both active and inactive numbers.

BYOC Service

Businesses interested in Zoom Phone India’s Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) service must meet the following requirements.

BYOC Business KYC Requirements

Requirement	Description
Business Addresses	A business address is required to validate the location (i.e., city) from which the account will use Zoom Phone services. The address must be supported by valid documentation.
Documentation	Must submit proof of business registration (e.g., certificate of incorporation, GST, PAN, TAN), authorized signatory ID, authorization letter, and address proof.
Regulatory Obligations	Customers must self-maintain compliance with India’s DoT regulations, including MPLS connectivity and location sharing.

Zoom must verify physical address locations

Before numbering resources can be provisioned, Zoom is required by India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to verify each customer’s Compliance address. Verification is conducted by a licensed third-party vendor and must be repeated every six months.

During verification, the vendor confirms the customer’s physical presence at the address and submits a verification report to Zoom with supporting artifacts such as signage photos, latitude-longitude coordinates, and timestamps.

Licensing Requirements, Caveats, and Conditions

Zoom Phone India licenses can only be applied to users within India

Zoom Phone India licenses are distinct from standard Zoom Phone licenses. While a standard Zoom Phone license can be transmitted between users across various countries or regions, Zoom Phone India licenses must be assigned to users within India, and cannot be applied to users in external regions.

Zoom Phone India licensing varies by service type

Zoom Phone India remains subject to India’s telecommunications licensing requirements, which define how licensing is configured for an account. Zoom Phone India offerings fall into three service categories, each with different licensing and regulatory requirements based on licensed service areas.

1. Zoom Phone India Native Services: Customers must purchase licenses for each licensed service area where their users will consume regulated telephony services. Licenses cannot be assigned to users whose Zoom Phone sites are located outside the licensed service area in which the licenses were purchased. These licenses are available only to sold-to addresses located within the in-scope licensed service areas.

2. Zoom Phone BYOC Services: Customers may use BYOC licenses in any licensed service area, regardless of where they were purchased, and they are available to any sold-to address in India. BYOC licenses do not include native numbering or calling plans and therefore do not require licensed service area–specific purchasing.

3. Non-Regulated Services: These licenses provide software functionality with no India-specific telephony or PSTN capabilities and therefore carry no licensed-service-area restrictions. These licenses can be purchased and assigned nationwide to any sold-to address but cannot be billed in conjunction with other services (i.e., must be billed separately).

Native service regional licenses must be billed separately

Customers who purchase Zoom Phone India Native service licenses for multiple service areas must pay for their region’s licenses separately, and will receive a separate invoice for each region they operate in.

Example

A business purchased 20 licenses for Mumbai and an additional 100 licenses for Delhi. Because the company purchased licenses for two different service areas, the account will receive two separate invoices, which must be paid separately.

Users must be provisioned to one local service area at a time, and cannot be dynamically updated

Users provisioned for Zoom Phone India must be anchored to one licensed service area that corresponds with their residence at a time, and cannot be dynamically changed on an as-needed basis.

Example

On Monday, a business provisioned a user from the Delhi office with Zoom Phone India. If the user is working in Mumbai on Tuesday for a trip without a formal, permanent relocation, they should continue to be provisioned to the Delhi office.

Zoom Phone India’s Supported Licenses, Add-ons, and Services

Zoom Phone India offers the following licenses, add-ons, and services:

Zoom Phone India Licenses and Add-ons

• Zoom Phone India Metered

• Zoom Phone India Unlimited

• Zoom Phone India Phone Number

• Zoom Phone India International Add-on

• Zoom Phone India Prepay Monthly

• Zoom Phone India Common Area Phone

• Zoom Phone India Power Pack

Zoom Phone India Support Services

• Zoom Phone India Professional Services

• Zoom Phone India Managed Services

• Zoom Phone India Premier Support

Privacy Requirements, Caveats, and Conditions

Zoom must make a record of user and device metadata when making or receiving a call

In accordance with the laws and regulations of India, Zoom must make a record of user and device metadata when a user makes or receives a call with the Zoom Phone India service. This information is associated with the call detail records (CDRs) for each call. Recorded data includes:

• Source MAC address

• Destination MAC address

• Device’s Public IP

• Device’s IMEI number (if on mobile)

Phone calls, including most extension-to-extension dialing, are subject to lawful intercept

India-based phone numbers connect through the public PSTN and are subject to lawful interception as required by Indian laws and regulations. Since these calls travel over a regulated PSTN network, they are not eligible for end-to-end encryption or peer-to-peer (P2P) call flows.

However, extension-to-extension calls between users who do not have active India mobile numbers (for example, users without assigned native numbers) can support end-to-end encryption and peer-to-peer calling.

Zoom Phone India data at rest and call detail records (CDRs) are stored within Zoom’s India-based data centers

In accordance with the laws and regulations of India, data at rest generated through use of the Zoom Phone India service (e.g., voicemails, call recordings, etc.) and call detail records (CDRs) are stored within Zoom’s India-based data centers. This storage location is not configurable or customizable for calls or data specific to the Zoom Phone India service.

Service Availability and Limitations

Some Zoom Phone features are not available with Zoom Phone India, and are outlined in the following sections.

Accounts that are hosted within region-specific clusters are not eligible for Zoom Phone India at this time

Zoom Phone India is not available to customer accounts hosted within region-specific infrastructure, such as those in regions like Australia, Canada, Europe, or the United States. Accounts must be hosted within one of Zoom’s primary clusters to purchase and utilize the service.

Calls must adhere to call handling rules

Zoom Phone India includes several location-based and call-mixing requirements that govern how fixed-line and mobile PSTN numbers may be used. The following rules reflect these requirements.

Location Restrictions

PSTN calls placed or received on India fixed-line BYOC numbers must be handled only by Zoom Phone India users assigned to the customer-defined location associated with those numbers.

• Customers are responsible for defining and maintaining these location assignments.

• Zoom does not enforce or validate customer-managed location restrictions.

• Internal calls (extension-to-extension) have no location restrictions.

Call Mixing Rules

A PSTN call handled by a Zoom Phone India user may be mixed only with internal Zoom Phone users when one of the following conditions is met:

1. Zoom Phone Native: All participating extensions have an activated mobile number (Zoom Phone India native numbers are considered mobile numbers).

2. BYOC: All participating extensions:

   1. Belong to the same SDCA (Short Distance Charging Area), and

   2. Belong to the same corporate network.

If these conditions are not met, the PSTN call cannot be mixed with additional internal parties.

Call Handling Through Auto Receptionists and Call Queues

When routing calls through Auto Receptionists and Call Queues, call handling rules vary based on number type:

• India Mobile Numbers: Calls to India mobile numbers may be handled through an AR/CQ only by ZPI native members.

• Non-India PSTN numbers: Calls to non-India PSTN numbers have no special restrictions and may be handled by any Zoom Phone user in an AR or CQ.

Auto-Forwarding Restrictions

PSTN calls handled by ZPI users or by AR/CQ for India numbers cannot be automatically forwarded to non-India PSTN numbers.

• Manual call handling (e.g., the user explicitly dialing the destination) is allowed where permitted by the user’s calling plan and regulatory requirements.

Zoom Phone India does not support end-to-end encrypted calls

Pursuant to local regulations, Zoom Phone India phone numbers are considered public PSTN endpoints, and are subject to lawful intercept. Consequently, end-to-end encrypted calls are not supported with the Zoom Phone India service model.

Businesses must have a BYOC connection for emergency calling support

Zoom Phone India (Native) is classified as internet telephony and does not support emergency calling on ZPI mobile numbers. Customers that require emergency calling must provide it via BYOC through their licensed carrier.

Fixed-line numbers are exclusively available with a BYOC connection

Because Zoom Phone India exclusively offers mobile numbers through the native service, customers that wish to utilize fixed-line numbers through Zoom Phone India must integrate with a BYOC connection.

Zoom Phone India does not currently support porting in phone numbers

Customers currently cannot port in phone numbers for use with the Zoom Phone India service. Zoom expects to support mobile number porting with the Zoom Phone India native service in the future.

Zoom Phone India users cannot be assigned multiple mobile-classified phone numbers concurrently

Due to a unique identifier associated with each licensed user, Zoom Phone India users can only be assigned one native (non-BYOC) number at a time. However, users can be assigned multiple BYOC numbers concurrently without issue.

Zoom Phone India does not currently support short messaging services (SMS)

At present, Zoom Phone India does not currently support short messaging services (SMS). Additionally, as all native Zoom Phone India numbers are registered as mobile numbers, they are expected to become eligible for SMS if the service becomes available, subject to account preferences and settings.