BYO mode explained: what you own when you bring provider accounts
Understand direct provider billing, credential ownership, supported combinations and the operational responsibilities of BYO voice AI.
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Bring-your-own, or BYO, means using your own account for a supported component of the voice service. You might supply a model-provider account, a speech-provider account or a telephone carrier. Those are separate choices; bringing one does not automatically make every part of the call BYO.
Follow both the credentials and the bill
In managed usage, the platform supplies an eligible provider connection and accounts for that usage through its pricing. With a direct provider account, the provider may charge you separately while the platform still charges for its own service.
That means a platform call record can show only part of your complete expense. Unknown external provider costs should remain explicitly unknown until reconciled, not be treated as zero.
| Component | BYO responsibility to confirm |
|---|---|
| Language model | Model access, token limits, credentials and direct invoice |
| Speech service | Voice/model permissions, language support and usage units |
| Carrier | Number ownership, routing, caller ID and telephone charges |
| Storage, where supported | Access policy, retention and deletion responsibilities |
BYO is not arbitrary compatibility
A valid API key does not establish that a selected model supports the runtime's tools, streaming behavior or language settings. A SIP account does not establish that a telephone route has been configured and accepted.
Burki checks the selected assistant configuration before call admission. Treat any unsupported combination or missing rate/readiness requirement as something to resolve; do not assume a provider's full catalog is available merely because the provider appears in a menu.
Connect accounts deliberately
Use the organization's provider settings and supported connection flow. Keep secrets out of prompts, shared documents, browser code and support messages. Scope and rotate credentials using the provider's controls where available, and document who owns each account.
Before changing a working assistant, preserve its configuration and test a draft. Verify a short conversation, a permitted tool action, interruption and settlement. For carrier changes, also test the telephone route; browser success does not exercise it.
When direct accounts are worthwhile
BYO can fit an existing provider contract, a required deployment arrangement or a team that already monitors provider usage. It adds work: quota monitoring, access failures, key rotation and multiple invoices.
At low volume, a small usage saving may not justify that operational burden. At larger volume, use actual call receipts and negotiated terms to calculate the difference. Do not assume direct billing is always cheaper or that managed billing always includes a markup.
Keep a complete cost record
Record the platform charge, direct provider charge and direct carrier charge without double counting. Separate estimates and reservations from settled amounts. If a provider is unavailable, confirm the documented fallback behavior instead of assuming a replacement will silently work.
Read BYO versus managed for a decision framework, SIP prerequisites for telephone accounts, and current Burki pricing for applicable platform terms.
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