Why are many telcos using Oracle MX hosts for their email delivery?

Telcos use Oracle MX hosts primarily for their robust, scalable cloud infrastructure and specialized telecommunications solutions. Outsourcing email delivery to Oracle allows them to leverage advanced technology, ensure high uptime, and offload the complexities of managing their own email servers, enabling them to focus on core telecom services.

What is Synacor's role in the email policies of these telcos?

Synacor is a major provider of email and web solutions for ISPs and telcos. While Oracle provides the underlying infrastructure (the MX hosts), Synacor often manages the user-facing email services, including spam filtering, security protocols, and setting the specific email policies that govern mail flow and content for these telco domains. They are key in defining how email is actually handled.

Does Synacor participate in feedback loop programs?

Yes, Synacor is known to participate in industry feedback loop (FBL) programs, such as the Validity FBL feed . This participation is crucial for senders, as it provides valuable data on recipient complaints and helps them maintain a healthy sending reputation with Synacor-powered domains.

What are the key implications for email deliverability?

For email senders, it means you need to understand both layers. Oracle's infrastructure ensures robust delivery, but Synacor's policies dictate deliverability. Focus on strong email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining a clean sender reputation, and adhering to best practices to avoid being blocklisted or blacklisted by these networks.

Why are telcos using Oracle MX hosts and how does Synacor relate to their email policies? - Technical - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

When examining feedback loops and network configurations, I've observed a recurring pattern: numerous telecommunications companies use Oracle MX hosts for their email traffic. This immediately raised questions about the underlying reasons for this convergence and how another key player, Synacor, fits into their email policy ecosystem. It's a fascinating intersection of cloud infrastructure, specialized telecom solutions, and email deliverability.

For email deliverability professionals, understanding this relationship is crucial. It impacts how emails are routed, filtered, and ultimately delivered, or not delivered. If a significant portion of a major industry like telecommunications relies on a particular infrastructure, it inevitably shapes the best practices for senders targeting these domains.

Understanding Oracle's role in telco email

MX (Mail Exchanger) records are critical DNS entries that direct incoming email to the correct mail servers. For large organizations like telcos, managing their own email infrastructure can be a massive undertaking, requiring significant investment in hardware, software, security, and specialized personnel. This is where cloud providers like Oracle step in.

Oracle offers comprehensive cloud services, including solutions tailored for the telecommunications industry. Their Email Delivery service provides a robust and scalable platform for sending high-volume emails. By using Oracle as their MX host, telcos can offload the complexities of email infrastructure management, benefiting from Oracle's global network, security measures, and uptime guarantees.

This outsourcing allows telcos to focus on their core business, while leveraging a specialized provider for their email needs. It's a strategic move to enhance reliability and efficiency, particularly for services that rely heavily on email communication, such as customer notifications, billing, and marketing campaigns. Understanding how to identify the SMTP provider from an MX record is a crucial skill in this context.

Telco Domain	Oracle MX Host Example
atmc.net (FOCUS Broadband)	mx.oraclecloud.com
comporium.net (Comporium, Inc.)	mx.oraclecloud.com
windstream.net (Windstream Communications)	mx.oraclecloud.com
hughes.net (Hughes Network Systems)	mx.oraclecloud.com
rcn.com (RCN - Astound Broadband)	mx.oraclecloud.com

The Synacor connection: managing email policies

While Oracle provides the underlying infrastructure (the MX hosts), the actual management of email services and the formulation of email policies for many of these telcos falls to companies like Synacor. Synacor is a prominent provider of white-label email, web, and advertising solutions for internet service providers (ISPs) and telcos globally.

Synacor's relationship with these telcos often means they are responsible for key aspects of email delivery, including spam filtering, security protocols, and managing feedback loops. This distinction is crucial: Oracle provides the pipes, while Synacor dictates the rules for email flow and content. This also extends to their participation in industry-standard programs like the

Validity FBL feed, which is a key signal for senders.

This layered approach means that while you might see an Oracle MX record, the specific email policies and filtering mechanisms are often governed by Synacor. This highlights the complexity of the email ecosystem, where various providers specialize in different layers of the infrastructure, all contributing to the final deliverability outcome. It's a common reason why email deliverability differs across mailbox providers.

Oracle's role

Infrastructure Provisioner: Offers robust cloud email delivery services via MX hosts.
Scalability & Reliability: Handles high-volume email traffic and ensures uptime.
Physical Delivery: Manages the servers and network paths for email transmission.

Synacor's role

Email Service Manager: Provides the actual email platform to the telcos.
Policy & Filtering: Sets spam filters, security policies, and user experience rules.
Feedback Loop Participant: Engages with FBL programs to inform senders.

Implications for email deliverability

For email senders, understanding this dual relationship is paramount for maintaining good deliverability. If you are sending to domains like

Windstream.net or

Cox.net, which might leverage Oracle's infrastructure but have Synacor's policies, your sender reputation and compliance with Synacor's rules become key. Knowing what filtering methods these providers use can significantly improve your inbox placement.

Email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are fundamental here. Proper configuration ensures that your emails are verified as legitimate, reducing the likelihood of them being flagged as spam. Without these, even if the underlying MX host is robust, your emails could face significant delivery challenges, leading to issues like being put on a blocklist or blacklist.

Monitoring your sending reputation and actively responding to feedback loops, especially those from providers like

Yahoo, is also vital. Whether an email is blacklisted or blocklisted, it often signals an underlying issue that needs immediate attention.

Furthermore, being aware of email delivery FAQs from the infrastructure provider can give you insights into their expectations and guidelines. This knowledge, combined with understanding the policy-setting entity, creates a comprehensive approach to ensuring your emails reach their intended recipients.

Best practices for sending to these domains

To ensure optimal deliverability when sending to telco domains that utilize Oracle MX hosts and Synacor's email policies, a multi-faceted approach is necessary. It involves focusing on technical configuration, content quality, and proactive monitoring.

Authenticate Your Mail: Implement and correctly configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. This is foundational for proving your legitimacy as a sender, especially to large, security-conscious providers.
Monitor Feedback Loops: Pay close attention to feedback from programs like the Validity FBL. High complaint rates are a clear signal that your emails are not well-received and can lead to immediate blocking.
Maintain Clean Lists: Regularly clean your email lists to remove inactive users, bounces, and known spam traps. This improves engagement metrics and reduces the risk of hitting a blocklist.
Content Quality: Ensure your email content is relevant, engaging, and free of spammy characteristics. Personalized and value-driven content is less likely to trigger filters.

Important for senders

While Oracle provides the infrastructure, Synacor actively manages the mail policies and participates in feedback loops. This means your reputation with Synacor and adherence to their policies are key to good inbox placement for these telco domains. Always treat the email domain's policy provider as the primary authority for deliverability rules.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Maintain proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for all sending domains.

Actively monitor feedback loop data, especially from providers like Validity.

Segment your lists and personalize content to improve engagement and reduce complaints.

Regularly clean email lists to minimize bounces and reduce spam trap hits.

Understand that infrastructure (Oracle) and policy (Synacor) are distinct layers.

Common pitfalls

Ignoring feedback loop reports and high complaint rates.

Failing to implement or correctly configure email authentication protocols.

Sending to outdated or unengaged lists, leading to spam complaints.

Assuming that all telcos share the same email policies simply because they use similar MX hosts.

Not recognizing Synacor as a key player in email policy for these domains.

Expert tips

Leverage DMARC reports to identify authentication failures and potential spoofing.

Proactively engage with postmaster sites for major telcos to understand specific guidelines.

Utilize a blocklist checking service to monitor your IP and domain reputation.

Consider a phased approach for new campaigns to gauge recipient engagement and adjust sending patterns.

Collaborate with your ESP to understand their handling of FBLs from Synacor-powered domains.

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says they noticed a pattern of telcos using Oracle-hosted MX records, which is useful for troubleshooting mail flow and policy for those networks.

October 22, 2024 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says that while Oracle hosts the MX records, Synacor is the entity responsible for setting the actual email policies for these telcos.

October 22, 2024 - Email Geeks

Navigating the telco email landscape

The convergence of telecommunications companies using Oracle MX hosts and Synacor's role in their email policies illustrates the intricate landscape of modern email deliverability. Oracle provides the robust infrastructure that these telcos rely on for email routing and delivery, offering scalability and reliability on a grand scale. However, it is Synacor that typically dictates the email policies, spam filtering, and engagement with industry feedback loops.

For email senders, this means that while the technical backbone may be Oracle, compliance with the policies set by Synacor is paramount for successful inbox placement. By prioritizing strong authentication, maintaining clean sending lists, and actively monitoring feedback, you can navigate these complex environments and ensure your messages reach their intended audience effectively.