Of all the promising new technologies this industry keeps churning out,
Voice over DSL (VoDSL) is showing tremendous potential, based not only on
technological merit, but on the business case it provides for service
providers, most notably for Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs).
Originally conceived as a data-only transport mechanism, DSL (Digital
Subscriber Line) technology has been proven equally adept at transporting
digitized voice, especially when coupled with ATM (Asynchronous Transfer
Mode). ATM provides many of the quality of service (QoS) features that
service providers are keen on -- and that's extremely important when the
carrier is offering customers service level agreements (SLAs) that must be
honored.
The key benefits of DSL are plain to see: "Always-on"
connections to the Internet, blazing download speeds (especially when
compared to the current state of 33.6 or 56k dial-up), and the fact that
DSL uses existing infrastructure, namely the 800 million or so copper wire
pairs deployed today. And VoDSL is poised to take full advantage of these
benefits. Here is a short list of players to watch in this rapidly
expanding field.
THE PLAYERS
Accelerated Networks
Accelerated Networks
offers elements that can be found in all three key areas of a complete
VoDSL solution, namely an IAD (Integrated Access Device) at the customer
premises, a multiservice access platform or concentrator for placement in
the local central office (can also be deployed as a regional PoP voice
services gateway - for location in the CLEC's regional switching center),
and a network element management system that is designed to scale for use
in a carrier's network.
Recently, Cooperative Communications, a Belleville, NJ-based full service
telecommunications provider, announced that they are deploying VoDSL
service based on Accelerated Networks' technology. Having completed
initial testing, Cooperative plans to expand the offering to thousands of
subscribers in the coming months.
Accelerated Networks has also joined Lucent's
Wired for DSL Program, having successfully passed the interoperability
testing needed to qualify for that program. Accelerated's IADs (AN-20;
AN-24/28; AN-30) and voice services gateway (AN-3200) passed muster in
testing with Lucent's Stinger DSL concentrator. Lucent and Accelerated
solutions both make use of ATM thus ensuring QoS across the breadth of the
network from the customer premises all the way across to the backbone
voice/data networks.
CopperCom
CopperCom's CopperComplete
DSL architecture is geared toward small business and SOHO users.
CopperComplete, much like Accelerated Networks' offering, encompasses the
three major elements of a complete DSL solution: The CopperCom MXR, which
sits at the customer premises, the CopperCom Gateway, which resides in the
Central Office or regional switching center, and the CopperCommander,
which is the company's Service Management Platform. The system enables up
to 16 channels of voice, fax, key systems, PBX, etc to connect to the
MXR, which then packetizes all the voice and data traffic over a single
DSL line.
Last September, CopperCom signed a deal with Picus Communications to
deploy up to six million DSL voice lines, at that time, the largest such
arrangement. Picus, which is headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland, has
their US headquarters in Hampton Roads, VA. The initial deployment calls
for 126,000 lines in the eastern part of the U.S., encompassing Hampton
Roads, Richmond, and parts of Northern Virginia, as well as the
Washington, D.C. area. Subsequent deployment plans call for an additional
160 East Coast cities, including Baltimore, Raleigh, and Charlotte.
According to Thomas Flake, executive vice president of business
development for Picus, "The CopperComplete DSL products are the only
ones that meet our stringent requirements for reliability and toll-quality
voice." CopperCom is also a member of Lucent's Wired for DSL
initiative.
Jetstream
Jetstream is another leader in the
expanding VoDSL field. They too offer service providers all the necessary
elements for a complete VoDSL solution. Comprising their solution are the
IAD-801 (8-port) and IAD Flex (up to 24 ports) customer premises
equipment, the flagship CPX-1000 carrier-class voice gateway, and the
JET-EMS element management system. Squarely targeting the growing CLEC
market, Jetstream has some considerable customer deployment - 21 customer
trials as we go to print. Another important note is that the major telecom
equipment vendors have all signed on to Jetstream's technology. Lucent,
Nortel Networks, and Alcatel have all signed agreements to OEM elements of
Jetstream's solution package.
One of the companies that has gone beyond testing into actual
deployment is Network Plus an ICP
(integrated communications provider) operating out of Quincy, MA.
Targeting the small- to medium-sized business community in the Northeast
corridor from New Hampshire to New York, Network Plus is among the first
to actually deploy VoDSL services to their customers. Terms of the
agreement, announced in Q3 of last year, call for orders totaling up to
$10 million for deployment into the Northeast corridor with subsequent
deployments of Jetstream technology into Atlanta and Florida.
Most recently, Jetstream announced that together with Promatory
Communications, they have achieved a new benchmark for network reliability
for VoDSL services. The announcement also focused on the ease of
provisioning voice calls.
Promatory
Promatory has also seen its share
of headlines recently. Hot on the heels of what can only be described as a
successful OEM relationship with Nortel
Networks, Promatory has agreed to be acquired by Nortel for up to $778
million. The OEM agreement called for Nortel to market, sell, and promote
Promatory's IMAS (Intelligent Multiservice Access System). The IMAS is a
broadband access system designed to deliver multiple services including
voice, video, Internet, and data over DSL connections. And because IMAS
contains within it a complete ATM switch, QoS is not a problem.
Furthermore, IMAS supports multiple flavors of DSL including G.Lite, ADSL,
SDSL, IDSL, and more line cards are expected in the future.
TollBridge Technologies
TollBridge Technologies
is yet another major player in this burgeoning field. With their TB 50 IAD,
which offers from eight to 24 lines, the TB 200 carrier local exchange
gateway, and the TollView automated service activation and provisioning
system, TollBridge Technologies offers a complete VoDSL solution. In fact,
TollBridge released enhancements to their voice gateway system the day
this article was going to press. Release 1.3 contains a host of powerful
new carrier-class features, including system redundancy, load monitoring,
dynamic load balancing, hot swapping, remote maintenance, and enhanced
GR-303 capabilities.
Among the numerous companies deploying or trialing the TollBridge
solution, Mpower Communications Corp. (formerly MGC
Communications) was one of the first. Mpower is offering service to
their customers in Las Vegas, Atlanta, Chicago, southern Florida, and
selected areas of southern California.
CONCLUSION
One of the remarkable things about this growing segment of the industry is
that the main players are all partnering with third-party equipment
providers, especially vendors of IADs and DSLAMs (DSL Access Multiplexers).
Thus customers are presented with a vast array of choices when selecting
components for their service offerings. CopperCom, for example, runs the
"Many Voices of DSL" partner program. The key goals of this
program are to educate the market on VoDSL technology, provide
participating vendors joint sales and marketing opportunities, and offer
service providers a choice of interoperable solutions. There are currently
20 premiere partners enrolled in the program. Jetstream too has a partner
program designed to accelerate interoperability among vendors. Over 30
partners (IAD vendors, DSLAM vendors, wireless vendors) have joined the
program to date.
DSL technology may have been a bit slow to catch on at first, but this
technology has gathered quite a bit of steam as of late. And, the VoDSL
segment is growing rapidly as well. Between partners and trials and
customer deployments, and a public that's hungry for broadband solutions,
all the analysts come up with the same basic story: VoDSL is just starting
to sprout, and there seems to be no end in sight when it comes to this
promising technology.
Services News
Equant To Launch Global VoIP Service
Equant has announced plans to launch a fully integrated, global
voice and data service over IP technology. Equant's new offering will be
backed by global service level agreements, which means customers will gain
high-quality voice and flexibility. Customers will be able to get
any-to-any global connectivity, which speeds their voice and data traffic
around the world because Equant's service does not require complex
networks with point-to-point connections.
No. 540, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
Nortel Networks, Sun-Netscape Alliance Create Service
Delivery Solution
Nortel Networks and the Sun-Netscape Alliance plan to jointly develop a
new directory-enabled solution that will allow Internet service providers
(ISPs) and
application service providers (ASPs) to create new service bundles,
deliver them more quickly, and manage them more efficiently. This proposed
solution is expected to provide a standards-based framework for the
fully-integrated delivery of next-generation applications and services.
"Nortel Networks and the Sun-Netscape Alliance will use the directory
as the framework for enabling service providers to deliver a whole new
generation of services," said John Morency, executive vice president
of Sage Research.
No. 541, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
Broadmedia Announces freeTone Solution
Broadmedia has announced availability of the freeTone solution for
Hewlett-Packard's Business Communications Server (BCS) platform. The HP
BCS is a converged telephony solution for small- to medium-sized
businesses and remote offices of larger organizations. The freeTone
solution enables business users to apply their PBX systems and the
Internet to reduce the cost of long-distance calling. It includes
Broadmedia's G-Phone gateway, along with services covering installation,
maintenance, Quality of Service (QoS) monitoring, upgrading, and call
detail record reporting.
No. 542, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
Mail.com, Net2Phone To Provide Internet Phone Service
Mail.com has announced a three-year agreement with Net2Phone. The
agreement allows Mail.com members to make both domestic and international
telephone calls over the Internet through their Mail.com e-mail account,
saving up to 95 percent off the cost of traditional long-distance calls.
In an ongoing effort to provide expanded communications tools to its
member base, Mail.com will integrate Net2Phone's "Click2Talk"
technology into the address book of its mailboxes, allowing members to
place Internet phone calls simply by clicking on their address book
entries.
No. 543, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
Convergys Announces Catalys
Convergys announced the availability of Catalys, a new solution created
specifically for ISPs for both the domestic and international markets.
Catalys is a real-time, client-server solution that is available via
licence, or to be fully outsourced and managed by Convergys in its data
centers. Catalys is part of the Convergys Connections Family, a series of
next-generation information and customer relationship management
solutions. The Catalys solution, whether licensed or operated in a
Convergys data center, will support the rollout of new and complex IP
services via its flexible pricing and rating capabilities.
No. 544, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
eGain Adds Two Customer Solutions To Commerce 2000
Platform
eGain Communications announced it has added two customer
communication channels - eGain Voice and eGain Inform - to its
comprehensive line of eCommerce customer communications solutions. Built
on the eGain Commerce 2000 Platform, eGain Voice (Web-based voice
communications) and eGain Inform (Web self-service) are tightly integrated
with eGain's other customer communications solutions -- eGain Mail (e-mail
management), eGain Live (real-time Web collaboration), and eGain Campaign
(outbound digital marketing).
No. 545, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
Spike Technologies Wins Oxford Telecom Contract
Spike Technologies announced that it has been awarded a contract
from Oxford Telecom for its HighPoint 2.5GHz System, to be deployed in
Portland, Maine in the first quarter of 2000. Oxford will use this system
to provide high-speed two-way services such as Internet access, virtual
private networks (VPNs), data vaulting, and a wide array of e-commerce
applications to business and residential customers in the Portland area.
No. 546, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
Linx Partners With Telegea.com
Linx Communications announced a strategic partnership with
TeleGea.com. Under the terms of the agreement, TeleGea will co-brand
Linx's LinxConnect one-number service as subscription-free products that
are provisioned and sold to customers directly via its Web site. TeleGea
will co-brand Linx's unified communications services as part of its
pioneering suite of online offerings which include long distance,
international calling, Internet access, and on-the-road business services.
No. 547, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
Cydoor Technologies Teams With deltathree.com
Cydoor Technologies and deltathree.com are joining forces to
integrate Cydoor's services into deltathree.com's PC-to-phone utility. The
integration will allow PC-to-phone users to shop and interact with special
offers while they are talking over the Internet. The deltathree.com
PC-to-phone product gives users the ability to conduct a call from a
multimedia PC to any regular telephone.
No. 548, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
RangeStar Intros Embeddable "Wireless Cable"
RangeStar Wireless has unveiled a new embeddable Bluetooth antenna
suitable for a host of wireless applciations. About the size and thickness
of a penny, RangeStar's new V-Pol Omni antenna will make it easy and
cost-effective to embed a Bluetooth antenna into any consumer electronics
device, including wireless phones, printers, laptop computers, and
handheld organizers. Bluetooth antennas will enable users to connect these
devices via wireless short-range radio links unimpeded by line-of-sight
restrictions.
No. 549, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
Phone.com and BuyNow.com Offer Transactions From
IP-Enabled Phones
Phone.com and BuyNow.com, announced an agreement to deliver
e-commerce services to Internet-enabled mobile phones through the
Phone.com MyPhone service. This collaboration is designed to allow network
operators to realize new e-commerce revenue streams by offering their
MyPhone subscribers the opportunity to purchase books, videos, music,
computer hardware, and software products using their Ineternet-enabled
mobile phones.
No. 550, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
Panasonic, Net2Phone Create New Phone
Panasonic announced a cooperative agreement with Net2Phone to
integrate Internet-based phone service in future Panasonic consumer
telephone products. The "One Touch" Voice-over-IP (VoIP) service
allows consumers a choice on the same phone between regular long-distance
phone service or low-cost Internet-based long-distance service, simply by
pressing a button on their phone. Panasonic will provide a telephone that
can transmit both public-switched and IP phone calls. Instead, the
Panasonic phone transmits the voice signals directly over the Internet
utilizing Net2Phone's network and technology.
No. 551, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
Cooperative Communications Delivers VoDSL
Accelerated Networks and Cooperative Communications, a
full-service telecommunications provider, announced that Cooperative has
selected Accelerated Networks for its voice over DSL (VoDSL) service
deployment. Deciding factors in the selection were Accelerated's ability
to support both DSL and T1 access facilities, and the solution's
streamlined architecture. Cooperative has completed initial testing and
first office applications, and is beginning deployment. Over the next 12
months, Cooperative expects to deploy Accelerated's VoDSL solution into a
number of collocations serving up to thousands of subscribers per site.
No. 552, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
RADCOM Announces GPRS Monitoring And Analysis Solution
RADCOM Ltd. announced that its line of protocol analyzers is the
first in the industry to provide full support for GPRS, the
next-generation IP convergence solution for cellular networks. Several
leading GPRS vendors use RADCOM's leading edge decoders to monitor all
GPRS interfaces and links. RADCOM estimates that sales to the convergence
cellular market will exceed $1 million in 1999 and will grow rapidly over
the next two years as GPRS moves into full industry deployment.
No. 553, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
Fiberlink Program Lets Clients Implement Advanced
Network Services
Fiberlink, the leading network-independent Enterprise Services Provider
(ESP), announced the roll out of its Strategic Deployment Services (SDS)
program. Fiberlink's SDS is a cost-effective, multi-phase program that
guides clients through the entire development and deployment process for
their Internet-centric solutions to ensure that their business systems run
smoothly and efficiently. The SDS program enables corporations to leverage
their existing IT infrastructure with a full range of customized remote
access, Internet and security services including Global Remote Access,
managed Internet services, firewall design and deployment, and Virtual
Private Networks (VPNs). By working with Fiberlink instead of multiple
vendors, customers also have the advantage of a single, dedicated
point-of-contact for their entire enterprise.
No. 554, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
Nortel Networks To Acquire Promatory
Nortel Networks announced a definitive agreement to acquire
Promatory Communications, Inc., a leading developer of Digital Subscriber
Line (DSL) platforms for high-speed Internet access, for up to an
estimated $778 million in Nortel Networks common shares, a portion of
which is contingent upon Promatory achieving certain business objectives.
This acquisition will give Nortel Networks first-mover advantage in taking
DSL technology to next-generation intelligence and performance, making
high-speed Internet access deployable wherever a home or business has a
telephone connection.
No. 555, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
iBasis' iTrac Provides Analysis Of VoIP Traffic Quality
iBasis announced iTrac, a Web-based service that provides
customers up-to-date information about the international voice and fax
traffic they send and receive using the iBasis Network. iTrac enables
communications service providers to improve their network planning,
respond more quickly to market opportunities and maximize revenues. iTrac
(Interactive Traffic Analysis Center) provides customers with interactive
analysis tools and critical data about their iBasis Network activity,
including the total minutes of voice and fax traffic, total number of
calls, call completion ratios and average call duration. iTrac data is
organized for analysis by country of origin and termination. By analyzing
their global VoIP traffic with iTrac, iBasis customers can streamline
their network planning processes and optimize their utilization of
voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) and the iBasis Network, the world's
largest international Cisco Powered Network for Internet telephony.
No. 556, www.itmag.com/freeinfo
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