Bell Canada Launches Global VoIP

Bell Canada today announced the launch of its Global Voice over Internet Protocol (G VoIP) solution that is designed to cut telecommunications costs and improve productivity for Canadian multinational businesses, according to a press release.

Bell Canada’s G VoIP, the release states, will enable the telco to “manage customers’ voice and data traffic over a single, integrated IP network anywhere in the world.”

“Canada-based enterprises operating on an international scale can now take full advantage of an IP world, no matter where their businesses are located,” said Isabelle Courville, President Bell Canada Enterprise Group.

In place of the traditional international long distance service billing model, Canada Bell’s G VoIP offers unlimited international, intra-company services for a flat rate.

According to the release, companies that subscribe to the G VoIP solution will also benefit from reduced costs for off-net international voice communications.

Courville said that Bell Canada’s G VoIP service will complement a hosted version that Bell Canada offers through Nortel Networks. The customer premises equipment is provided by Cisco pursuant to a January 2004 agreement.

“The launch of Global VoIP is another example showing that our IP strategy is gaining more and more traction in the marketplace,” said Courville. “Global VOIP is the latest application in Bell Canada’s Global IP suite and is an important component of our strategy as a world leading IP-based communications company.  By leading the way to IP, Bell Canada is providing Canadian companies with a competitive business advantage.”

According to the release, “[t]he initial rollout of Bell Canada’s G VoIP solution will be trialed by a number of leading Canadian multinational corporations, including Apotex, Canada’s largest pharmaceutical company.”

Bell Canada’s goal, according to Courville, is to have all of its customers on IP by the end of 2006.