(U.S. HQ)
One Executive Drive
Chelmsford, MA 01824
Ph: 978-441-2181
Fx: 978-441-9060
Web site: www.itk.com
A big complaint among SOHO and remote access workers lies in setting up their network
connections -- their lifelines. Plug and play all-inclusive packages, such as ITK
Telecommunications' Columbus World, facilitate connectivity. ITK Columbus World is a
communications package for the PC: Choose Columbus World with Micro for your desktop PC,
or Columbus World with Pico for your laptop. Each version includes software and an ITK
ISDN plug-in card, plus Microsoft's Internet Explorer and NetMeeting.
ITK Micro is the company's smallest ISDN card. It installs in the PC's ISA/EISA slot,
and automatically configures the driver software. The ITK Micro is passive (it doesn't
have a processor), and supports two B-channels with 64 Kbps and one D-channel with 16
Kbps.
ITK Pico is a mobile ISDN adapter for notebooks or laptops, and is a Type II PCMCIA
card. The Pico also handles automatic configuration of the driver software. Both ITK Micro
and ITK Pico are supplied with the CAPI version 2.0 software interface, allowing all kinds
of ISDN applications to be used.
Columbus World is comprehensive. You'll get Internet access at speeds up to 128 Kbps
from the ISDN, fax support, telephony management, voice mail, and Eurofile transfer (ETS
300 075-compliant), in one place at a low price -- just $245 for the Micro package, and
$295 for Pico.
Combine Columbus World with a sound card equipped with full duplex drivers, and your PC
is transformed into a complete telephone system offering all the advantages of ISDN such
as call waiting, call forwarding, and calling line identification. Voice mail is also
included.
To take advantage of the Columbus World software, you'll need a PC with a 486DX
processor or higher running Windows 95. Eight MB of RAM is required, but you'll notice the
difference with ITK's recommended spec of 16 MB. A 30 MB hard disk space, CD-ROM drive,
and ISDN BRI line are also necessary. For telephony management, you'll also need a
full-duplex soundcard, speakers, and a microphone.
ITXC Corporation
600 College Road East
Princeton, NJ 08540
Ph: 609-419-1500
Fx: 609-419-1511 Web site:www.itxc.com E-mail: itxc@itxc.com
You've heard about alternative carriers and the new breed of ISPs, the ITSPs (Internet
telephony service providers) - now prepare yourself for the meta carrier. ITXC Corp.'s
WWeXchange Service made its debut revenue call over the Internet recently from Moscow to
the Bronx, of all exotic places. The ITXC affiliate whose customer originated the first
call from Moscow is IncomTel TG, and affiliates are the foundation of the WWeXchange
Service.
ITXC is a wholesale Internet telephony exchange carrier whose customers (their
affiliates) include telcos, telephony resellers, and Internet telephony service providers
(ITSPs). ITXC's customers, in turn, offer inexpensive international calling to their end
user customers. Basically, customers of ITSPs are able to make cheap calls with high
quality to any phone globally, regardless of where their ITSP owns gateways. ITXC is
creating a truly global network, yet their product is intangible...they don't sell
software, or hardware.
How It Works ITXC WWeXchange Service routes calls between ITSPs, authorizes the customers of
one ITSP for use of the services of other ITSPs, and handles settlements between ITSPs.
ITXC uses settlement technology from iPass , a leading
provider of Internet roaming to ISPs. WWeXchange Service routes each call from the
Internet to a gateway operated by an ITXC-certified ITSP in the city the caller is trying
to reach. The gateway then bridges the call to the local phone network for completion to a
telephone. If there is no ITXC-certified ITSP with compatible equipment in the destination
city, WWeXchange Service completes the call from the U.S. to the destination city using
traditional long-distance. ITXC's buying power and experience allow it to obtain this
international long-distance at much lower rates than most ITSPs would be able to achieve
on their own. The best savings, obviously, are achieved when calls are completed
completely on the Internet.
Take a look at the quality requirements ITXC demands of its
affiliates, and you'll see why they sound so good (Figure 2). ITXC ensures high-quality,
reliable termination and access by holding gateway operators to quality and capacity
standards. The standards only apply to those selling gateway time to WWeXchange, which
will resell that time to other ITSPs.
Category
Requirement
Capacity
At least 24 lines (1 T1 or E1)
per location. Financing and plans in place for another 24 lines within three months.
Internet Access
At least 128 Kbps per 24 lines,
(256 Kbps minimum) of available voice capacity. Adequate proximity or access to top tier
regional Internet backbone.
Redundancy
Spare mission-critical
components on site. Financing and plans in place for at least two gateways per location
within three months.
Maximum Gateway Utilization
Less than 30 percent overall
average utilization.
Interoperability And
Compatibility
Support for currently supported
ITXC gateway and client versions* and ITXC software agents
Voice Quality
Comparable to ITXC Reference
Gateway.
Packet Loss
Less than 7 percent during peak
period from ITXC Reference Gateway.
Initial Burst Latency
Less than 400 ms average round
trip from ITXC Reference Gateway in peak period.
Cellular phones have become ubiquitous on the street and in the car -- but at the
office, many of us remain tied to our desktop phones. It makes sense: If you spend a large
part of your day at your desk, the clunky, stationary phone is sufficient. But if you move
around a lot within your work environment, SpectraLink Corp.'s Pocket Communications
System (PCS) can dramatically alter the way you use the phone at work. Unlike pagers,
voice mail, and overhead paging, Pocket Telephones allows for immediate and direct
communication.
The Spectra-Link system has three components. The Master Control Unit (MCU), Remote
Control Units (RCUs), and the Pocket Telephones (PTs). Install the MCU near your PBX or
key system, or at the Centrex demarcation location. Small radio transceivers, the Remote
Control Units, connect to the MCU with four-conductor twisted pair cable. You can install
the RCUs on the ceiling of your workspace, so cables are hidden; and the units are powered
by the MCU.
The RCUs transmit calls to and from the wireless Pocket Telephones. Calls are handed
off from one RCU to another as a user walks throughout the coverage area -- a single RCU
covers 5,000 to 50,000 square feet (depending on transmission obstructions present in the
building). The Pocket Communications System uses digital spread spectrum radio technology
for high-quality voice and protection from interference. Because they're connected to your
PBX, the PTs have all of your phone system's functionality, including hold, transfer, and
conference. The PT, which weighs just five ounces, replicates your desktop extension, so
you can use the two phones interchangeably. You'll get up to four hours of talk time and
eighty hours of standby time before you need to recharge.
All calls are routed through the existing phone system on FCC-designated unlicensed
frequencies, so there are no air time charges or monthly usage fees. SpectraLink offers a
family of Pocket Communications Systems to accommodate small, medium, and large
facilities: the PCS 50E, the PCS 150E, and the PCS 2000E respectively. SpectraLink's
largest system, the PCS 2000E, supports up to 720 Pocket Telephones and 180 RCUs. The
price per Pocket Telephone --including all infrastructure, training, and installation --
ranges from $1,000 to $1,200.
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