|
VoIP Applications
The number of Voice-over-IP (VoIP) products and
applications available has exploded over the past few years,
not only providing an excellent opportunity for consumers
seeking an alternative and cheap way to make long-distance
phone calls, but also for service providers looking to add
value to their business offerings. After all, isn't a
converged voice and data solution for enhanced services more
appealing than expensive, piecemeal offerings?
We received a number of submissions in our call for
applications for this roundup, and really had to narrow down
the material to offer a good representation of the VoIP
applications available today. The solutions below range from
click-to buttons for enabling voice chat on a Web site, to
complete PC calling interfaces. Other platforms included
make it easy for service providers to offer these types of
enhanced services by integrating them with existing
offerings. Whether you're interested in offering VoIP to
your enterprise customers, or just curious about the types
of applications available, the roundup below should serve as
a great starting point for learning about the options that
exist for converged voice and data applications.
LongBoard Multi-media Applications
Platform (LMAP)
LongBoard, Inc.
3103 North First St.
San Jose, CA 95134
408-571-3300
www.longboardinc.com
Scalability: Support for 500,000 busy call
hour attempts
Features: This platform comes bundled with
enhanced VoIP services which allow subscribers to view,
access, and manage calls. Subscriber profiles may also be
self maintained, so that preferences will follow subscribers
regardless of their locations or the equipment they are
using to access the services.
Supported Protocols: SIP
Strata CS 4.0
Toshiba America, Inc.
1251 Sixth Ave., 41st Fl.
New York, NY 10020
212-596-0600
www.telecom.toshiba.com
Scalability: Offers support for 96 trunks and
264 phone stations
Features: This updated communications system
features a VoIP card that works with the Strata Dk424 and
DK40i business telephone systems, enabling integrated VoIP
and fax-over-IP transmissions. The solution offers
high-quality voice, auto attendant, four-channel support,
and network connectivity. It works with traditional and IP
phones, which may be connected through a LAN, the Internet,
or a private data connection. IP phones must be H.323v2
compatible. Other features include support for fixed and
programmable buttons, message screening, and off-hook call
announcements.
Supported Protocols: H.323v2
Sphericall
Sphere Communications, Inc.
Two Energy Dr.
Lake Bluff, IL 60044
888-SPHEREC
www.spherecom.com
Scalability: Can scale up to 15,000 phones
Features: This IP-PBX offers flexible dialing
plans, support for remote office connectivity, multi-party
conferencing, intelligent call routing, and fail-over
protection. Also offers unified messaging for a single point
of access to and control of voice, e-mail, and fax messages.
Offers text-to-speech, fax forwarding, and message routing
to co-workers as well.
Push to Talk
ITXC Corporation
600 College Road East
Princeton, NJ 08540
609-750-3333
www.itxc.com
Scalability: Large global VoIP network, with
493 IP points of presence (PoPs) in over 283 cities, in more
than 103 countries
Features: Offers users a number of ways to
contact customer service agents at a Web site, including via
telephone or directly through a computer. Users have the
option of submitting their phone numbers through the Web
site, so the agent can call them immediately. They may also
make a VoIP call directly through the Web site using a
headset and a multimedia-enabled computer.
Supported Protocols: H.323
Various Services
Dialpad Communications, Inc.
PO Box 5445
Santa Clara, CA 95056-5445
408-588-4688
www.dialpad.com
Scalability: Can manage millions of minutes of
phone calls per day on a single server
Features: The dialpadbasic PC-to-phone service
enables free long-distance calling to anywhere in the U.S.,
from the U.S. or Canada. The dialpadaccess IP phone platform
works with existing telephones and connects VoIP calls
through users' existing Internet connections. Dialpad
EnterpriseAccess allows business customers to manage their
voice and data services over a converged network, and
enables enhanced voice-related applications via existing
analog or IP-based phone systems. Other services include the
dialpadprepaid phonecard, and the international PC-to-phone
calling service, dialpadworld.
Supported Protocols: H.323, SIP
VoizAssist Pro
MediaRing.com, Inc.
99 West Tasman Dr., Ste. 280
San Jose, CA 95134
408-383-9222
www.mediaring.com
Features: Ideal for offering voice contact on
a Web site, VoizAssist Pro enables PC-to-PC calling, as well
as PC-to-phone calling, and provides voice mail and a
callback request feature for users. The solution integrates
easily with a Web site, and businesses only have to supply a
contact phone number and e-mail address to begin using the
service.
Supported Protocols: H.323
GasToGo Voice Portal
ViaVis Mobile Solutions, Inc.
Suite 600, Box 11590
650 West Georgia St.
Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 4N8
604 633-4270
www.viavis.com
Scalability: The engine is fully scalable and
reliable, enabling business customers to switch on more
lines for more users at a moment's notice, without missing a
call
Features: Offers a toll-free number so users
can find the cheapest gas prices in their area. Ten-second
advertisements played before the prices are listed offer
other relevant-location-based services to users. Categorized
as a voice portal, the technology has been built as an
interface to ViaVis' Location-based Services Engine, for
rendering location based on mapping. It also offers
GeoSpatial Referencing, a voice-to-location determination
technology.
netTelephony
Networld Communications
3221 20th St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
800-248-9519
www.ndw.com
Scalability: Can scale from one to 100,000
users or from one to 1,000 remote offices
Features: This hosted solution is delivered
remotely from a fully-redundant data center, and covers all
elements of a business communications infrastructure. A
single data connection carries IP voice packets directly to
users' IP-based phones, which feature voice mail, call
waiting, call hold, transfer, and forwarding, and three-way
calling. The company also offers unified communications and
call center solutions.
Anyuser Cybertelco
Anyuser.com, Inc.
18000 Studebaker Rd., Ste. 295
Cerritos, CA 90703
562-865-2666
www.anyuser.com
Scalability: Users can place and receive IP
phone calls from anywhere, to anywhere in the world
Features: The Anyuser Gatekeeper technology
allows subscribers to use their PSTN phone numbers over the
Internet through this service. PC-to-PC, phone-to-phone,
PC-to-phone, and IP phone-to-PC are some of the connections
supported. The Gatekeeper enables users to identify each
other by their PSTN phone numbers, enabling roaming, call
forwarding, and call transfer around the world without
country and area code restrictions.
Supported Protocols: H.323
Instant IP Conferencing
Voyant Technologies, Inc.
1499 West 121st Ave.
Westminster, CO 80234
888-447-1087
www.voyanttech.com
Scalability: Service providers may easily
integrate and scale existing conferencing resources to
develop innovative service offerings
Features: Offers on-demand collaboration
capabilities for subscriberless conferencing. Users can
conduct conference calls over PSTN, IP, or wireless devices
using Voyant's enhanced voice applications. The platform
enables always-available conferencing using existing
softswitches, application servers, and speech recognition
systems.
Supported Protocols: SIP
Alcatel 4980
Alcatel eBusiness Networking Division
26801 West Agoura Rd
Calabasas, CA 91301
800-995-2612
www.alcatel.com
Features: Allows easy integration of telephony
into the PC workflow process, using the Reflexes telephony
features to offer dial by name, mobility services, set
management, corporate directories, and unified messaging. It
may be used with analog phones, cellular, or VoIP solutions.
Running on Windows NT, the application offers seamless
integration with Outlook, NetMeeting, and Lotus Notes.
I'm InTouch Service Provider Edition
01 Communique Laboratory, Inc.
1450 Meyerside Dr., Ste. 500
Mississauga, ON Canada L5T 2N5
800-668-2185
www.01com.com
Features: Enables service providers, telcos,
and ASPs to offer a decentralized unified communications
solution to their customers. Personal PCs become a
communications gateway using the solution, enabling users to
access, control, and manage their communications. Users can
access their messages locally or remotely via a Web browser
or wireless Internet device.
Supported Protocols/Languages: HTML, WML, HDML
PVAExchange
Conita Technologies
1200 Main St., Ste. 900
Columbia, SC 29201
888-515-6200
www.conita.com
Scalability: Multiple server systems may be
clustered together to support higher system workloads and
fail-safe operation. Deployment may be scaled to accommodate
thousands of users.
Features: Part of Conita's PVAServer platform,
PVAExchange offers voice access to messages, contacts,
tasks, and calendaring, as well as personalized notification
and alerting. It features inbound and outbound calling,
conference calling, and call filtering. The application may
also be easily integrated with CRM products for contact and
schedule management.
Chocophone
AbbeyNet Srl
Via G. Galilei 15/a
Sestu (CA) Italy 09028
39 070 21090
www.abbeynet.it
Features: Enables users to make free PC-to-PC
calls using their existing Internet connections, as well as
free PC-to-phone calls throughout Italy. Callers can
exchange written messages during a call via chat or SMS, and
can make calls and send messages from contact lists in
Eudora and Microsoft Outlook. The service is
advertisement-driven, and ads appear on the user interface
throughout a call.
MessageFusion
NISSI MEDIA
21515 Hawthorne Blvd., 2nd Floor
Torrance, CA 90503
310-792-2000
www.nissi.net
Scalability: Offers a distributed, scalable
architecture
Features: This carrier-grade unified messaging
solution was designed on NISSI's Internet Telecommunication
Operating System (iTOS) for integration with VoIP, FoIP, and
fax messaging systems. Messaging supports voice mail,
e-mail, and fax, and is accessible through a GUI, TUI, or
WAP user interface. Other features include e-mail, phone,
and fax notifications.
Supported Protocols: H.323
C-Business
Sylantro Systems Corp.
910 East Hamilton Ave.
Campbell, CA 95008
408-626-2300
www.sylantro.com
Features: This base application is part of an
entire suite of hosted voice applications, offering office
phone functionality and combining business and mobile phone
features. Enables service providers to offer network-hosted
services that replace legacy PBXs, key systems, and Centrex,
offering features like call forwarding, hold and transfer,
conferencing, and hunt groups. Other features include call
logs for missed, inbound, and outbound calls, click-to-call
functionality from browsers and phone LCDs, and company
directories.
Supported Protocols: Supports SIP and MGCP
phones
StarVox VoIP Business Trunking with
VPN
StarVox Corp.
2125 Zanker Rd.
San Jose, CA, 95131
408-452-6700
www.starvox.com
Scalability: Built on an open, scalable IP
platform using UNIX-based servers
Features: Enables broadband service providers
to become licensed IP telephony carriers without a Class 5
switch investment. Providers may offer bundled voice and
data services to businesses, with a VPN component for fusing
TDM-based and IP-based PBX systems into a VPN. The
application handles incoming and outgoing calls, and can
connect remote offices and telecommuters.
Supported Protocols: H.323v2
Cisco IP Contact Center
Cisco Systems
170 West Tasman Dr.
San Jose, CA 95134
800-553-6387
www.cisco.com
Features: Offers products that enable agents
using Cisco IP phones to receive VoIP, as well as TDM phone
calls. Part of the Cisco AVVID architecture, it provides a
migration path to IP-based customer contact, while also
integrating with existing call-center platforms and
networks. Features include ACD functionality, intelligent
call routing, IVR, CTI, call queuing, and consolidated
reporting. Also supports Web-based customer contact, e-mail
response management, text chat, and collaborative browsing.
[ Return
To The July/August 2001 Table Of Contents ]
|
Internet Telephony Magazine
Click here to read latest issue
CUSTOMER 
Cloud Computing Magazine
Click here to read latest issue
IoT EVOLUTION MAGAZINE
