April 2000

BY KEVIN MAYER

Go Right To:
Next-Gen Network News
Intel To Acquire VTG
Cabletron Survey Forecasts Dramatic Growth In Inter-Site VoIP

Something of the sort also happens when the press covers communications networks. We're tempted to dwell on visions of next-gen networks that scarcely acknowledge the role of legacy infrastructure elements. Drunk on the heady promise of "end-to-end IP," we're slow to recognize what may be the most common sentiment in the enterprise -- the desire to accomplish as much "next-gen" functionality as possible while maximizing legacy investments.

The sentiment is overlooked because it implies incremental change, not a dramatic makeover. It suggests continuity, not headline-grabbing discontinuity. The problem? Such selective attention creates a gap between press coverage and reader interests, a gap that grows only wider when vendor representatives attempt to satisfy journalistic demand for novelty. Vendors may find themselves in a double-bind obliged to emphasize the unprecedented just to get attention, but attracting coverage that only alienates readers who wish to embrace continuity.

A dismal picture. But there are exceptions. For example, in this month's Next-Gen Networks section, we have the opportunity to review a couple of announcements that emphasize augmentation as opposed to replacement as a means of achieving new networking capabilities. We'll take a look at a recent study by Cabletron, which found that 80 percent of its survey's participants who expressed an interest in voice over IP hoped to link existing PBXs located at different sites. Also, we'll look at the acquisition by Intel's Dialogic subsidiary of Voice Technologies Group, a move that suggests incremental change in two senses: (1) the acquisition expands upon Dialogic's existing PBX integration expertise; (2) the ultimate goal is to enable a wide range of PBXs to work with Dialogic's CT servers and IP gateways.

Other elements in this month's section will, for the most part, emphasize inter-office IP telephony options that leverage existing infrastructure, including remote office solutions that rely on PBX extender techniques; convergence solutions that carry voice over existing data networks, including frame relay and ATM networks; and offerings that may enhance packet voice service options from carriers.
--Kevin Mayer

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Next-Gen Network News

• Nuera Enhances The ORCA GX-21 VoIP Gateway
• AudioCodes, VTG Bring IP Networking To Proprietary PBXs
• Inter-Tel Announces IP Telephony Voice And Data Router
• DEFINITY IP Solutions Brings VoIP To The Desktop
• StarVox Allies With HP
• Infonetics Charts Unification Of Communications Infrastructures

Nuera Enhances The ORCA GX-21 VoIP Gateway
Nuera Communications announced that its enhanced GX-21 carrier-class gateway enables carriers to build high-performance, scalable IP telephony networks that can accelerate the convergence of voice and data onto a single network. Originally designed in response to the need for high-quality voice transport and interoperability of IP telephony equipment, the ORCA is a packet-voice gateway that integrates voice over frame relay and voice over IP. Nuera also announced that ORCA is designed to comply with two of the industry's emergent VoIP telephony interoperability protocols: Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). ORCA's support for MGCP allows for call setup and tear down through a softswitch, adding interoperability functions to the GX-21. Carriers deploying ORCA are not only able to integrate IP telephony, but can now also offer a suite of enhanced services and interface to MGCP- and SIP-based servers, which add clearinghouse, billing, and unified messaging capabilities.
No. 543, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo

AudioCodes, VTG Bring IP Networking To Proprietary PBXs
AudioCodes, a provider of voice over packet technologies, and Voice Technologies Group (VTG), a provider of digital PBX integration technology, have joined forces to bring to the market a best-of-breed voice over IP solution, with the fusion of both companies' technologies. The resulting product, dubbed iPOD, bridges the gap between the proprietary world of the digital PBX and the standards-based world of voice over packet, enabling developers to integrate IP-based solutions with the resident digital PBX, while maintaining access to all the features and information within the PBX. Multiple PBXs are supported, allowing for the development of applications for the general market, including Nortel Networks Meridian, Lucent DEFINITY G3, Mitel, and Siemens Rolm PBXs. The iPOD is an external gateway supporting up to eight digital station ports connected to the PBX, and an integrated Ethernet port connecting to the LAN. Voice and information features are delivered to the LAN as IP packets and can be processed in a remote application server or relayed to a remote site to extend the phone over wide area networks.
No. 544, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo

Inter-Tel Announces IP Telephony Voice And Data Router
Inter-Tel announced that its Inter-Tel InterPrise IP3200N voice and data router has entered full production and is available immediately. The InterPrise IP3200N allows companies to network multiple telephone systems and combine their separate voice and data networks into one cost-saving voice and data network, such as a virtual private network (VPN). The router, connected to Inter-Tel's AXXESS PBX, lets one switchboard use a voice and data VPN to handle telephone calls to and from offices in distant locations as if all offices were in one place. The router converts voice calls into data packets and sends the calls over a data network, such as an IP or frame relay VPN, eliminating the need for expensive, point-to-point, high-bandwidth T1 voice lines, while maximizing network capacity. Calls routed through the InterPrise IP3200N on a VPN require less than 15 percent of the bandwidth required by a regular voice call.
No. 545, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo

DEFINITY IP Solutions Brings VoIP To The Desktop
Lucent announced the availability of Phase Two of DEFINITY IP Solutions, bringing voice over IP to the desktop via Lucent's DEFINITY business communication servers. DEFINITY IP Solutions joins several Lucent products to help businesses take advantage of IP applications, including IP Exchange Systems, Intuity Voice Messaging, Cajun Campus LAN Solutions, CentreVu Internet Solutions, and CentreVu IP Agent. This addition to the DEFINITY portfolio reinforces the company's commitment to communication choices, providing enterprises with the flexibility of moving voice, video, and data traffic over the Internet, intranets, extranets, public-switched networks, and ATM. DEFINITY IP Solutions is available as an upgrade for existing systems and is available for all new DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server (ECS) and DEFINITY ProLogix Solutions servers.
No. 546, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo

StarVox Allies With HP
StarVox, a provider of enhanced telephony application software, announced an alliance with Hewlett-Packard. As part of the agreement, HP will offer its customers turnkey VoIP solutions based on StarVox's IP telephony business application software and HP's computer telephony servers. These solutions will be delivered via HP's global integration, distribution, and support services. StarVox will also resell the integrated HP and StarVox solution. As part of this alliance, StarVox will certify its software to run on HP platforms such as the HP NetServer and Business Communications Servers (BCS). Through the use of StarVox application software, customers can extend the functionality of their HP platform to integrate advanced VoIP capabilities, including private dial plan support and caller name display.
No. 547, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo

Infonetics Charts Unification Of Communications Infrastructures
Infonetics Research announced the release of a market research study, Corporate Access In The U.S. 2000: The Big Picture. The study reviews corporate access market trends as well as the buying patterns of small, medium, and large organizations for access products and services (remote access, WANs, extranets, VPNs, managed network services, voice/data convergence, and Internet connectivity). While citing the importance of VPN and extranet deployments, the study emphasized that voice/data convergence showed the most significant growth across the board: 56 percent of large organizations plan to use voice over ATM, voice over frame relay, or voice over IP to converge voice and data on the WAN by 2002, up from 21 percent in 2000.
No. 548, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo

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Intel Corporation announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Voice Technologies Group (VTG). The acquisition provides Intel and its Dialogic subsidiary with capabilities and features to enable most leading PBX systems sold worldwide to work with Dialogic's computer telephony server systems and IP gateways. In addition, VTG will help expand Dialogic's current portfolio of PBX products.

Ultimately, the acquisition will further Dialogic's objective of helping to enable the integration of sophisticated applications -- such as IP telephony, unified messaging, speech-based auto-attendant, and call center applications -- with PBX systems. Intel and Dialogic will gain access to VTG product lines, intellectual property, technology, expert engineers, and facilities to enable new products that accelerate the convergence of PBX and Internet technologies.

"The acquisition helps Dialogic and Intel significantly add to the computer telephony and Internet building blocks we're able to provide to our customers," said Howard Bubb, president of Dialogic Corporation and vice president of Intel's Communication Products group. When asked whether there was significant overlap between Dialogic's PBX integration expertise and that provided by VTG, Bubb emphasized how the VTG contribution would broaden Dialogic's existing knowledge base. Bubb also indicated that the acquisition insulated Dialogic from possible licensing complications, of the sort that could derive from Cisco's recent acquisition of Calista.

In a more general vein, Bubb explained that the PBX is far from dead, the much publicized transformation to IP notwithstanding. Resorting to what appeared to be a favorite analogy, Bubb described how a dinosaur could keep lumbering on, despite taking a gunshot to the brain. Afterwards, we wondered if Bubb had been informed of recent speculation that some dinosaurs may have had a second brain, however small and rudimentary. The speculation would have only reinforced the point, however. The PBX is still on its feet, and is likely to keep moving, partly through sheer inertia, but also through continued upgrades and creative integration schemes.

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In a customer survey sponsored by Cabletron Systems, existing PBX extension, rather than PBX replacement, was found to be a fundamental element in plans for voice over IP implementation and deployment within the next 12 months. The Web-based survey, which included over 100 network professionals from medium to large enterprises, was cited by Cabletron as confirmation of its Inherent Internetworking strategy.

Results indicated that 59 percent of respondents were against replacing their current PBX system, whereas 80 percent showed a strong interest in using VoIP to link existing PBXs located at different sites. Many users expect to complete these initial VoIP plans by the end of 2000. In addition, respondents cited the reasons they were motivated to implement convergence solutions. These included cost savings (73 percent), bandwidth efficiency (57 percent), and additional services (86 percent).

When we questioned Cabletron about reliability concerns -- the most common objection to voice over data initiatives -- Ray Wright, Cabletron's senior director, voice and convergence solutions, had this to say: "In the last two years we have seen the e-economy explode, and data networks have had to become as reliable as phone systems. I think, quite rightly, that voice professionals would been alarmed to be told that their service was being transferred to the data network up until very recently. I think it is these people who are now driving voice onto data networks, rather than 'data-network' professionals willing it onto themselves."

Cabletron also cited the importance of core features such as QoS, prioritization, bandwidth management, embedded management, and accounting capabilities, features that are built into Cabletron's SmartSwitches and SmartSwitch Routers (SSRs). Looking forward to potential applications, Wright noted, "Voice professionals are starting to see the benefits of converging services, and business managers and data professionals now understand the benefits working applications can bring -- these could include call centers, long-distance learning, unified messaging, and collaborative media presentations.

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