February 1999

Internet Call Waiting:
A Killer App Whose Time Has Come

BY EVAN KOBLENTZ

The time has come to add Internet call waiting to the CTI and Internet telephony killer apps list.

Most people know that modems don't work with call waiting, but some creative thinking is providing the long-sought answer. Rather than developing unified messaging, cut-rate long-distance, or PC-PBXs, several companies are providing call handling alternatives and simultaneous voice/data connections for analog lines that are eternally busy.

True call waiting is still an impossibility because modems follow the "0" or "1" programmer's mindset - they can be on or off, but never in flux. Most dial-up users prevent losing their data connection by temporarily disabling call waiting with a region-specific dialing prefix such as *70. However, until now, users who want to accept the inbound call and gracefully shut down their data connection (or at least let the caller know that they're home) have been out of options.

Some client-side solutions "solve" the call-waiting problem by preventing the unexpected dropping of your data connection and providing for a handling mechanism. Solutions come from companies like Computer Peripheral Systems, Fireball 7 and Command Communications, all of which make small client-side boxes that sit between a telephone line and multiple analog devices, like a telephone, modem, or fax machine.

When the modem or fax machine is in use, the devices intercept inbound calls and activate an LED or an audio alarm. Now aware that someone is calling, the user can close the Internet connection and answer the call or simply ignore the call without the fear of being taken off-line. Placing a caller ID device earlier in the circuit allows for a better determination of whether or not to take the call.

FOUR SOHO SOLUTIONS
The very first product we examined was the Caller ID-Call Waiting Switch from Computer Peripheral Systems. The ICWM is the most complete device in its class, because it offers audio, visual, and screen-based call alerts and data. Its caller ID features include distinctive rings and selective aborting for any caller, plus a 200-caller database. The unit is about the size of a VHS cassette, it weighs less than 2 pounds and it costs $169. CPS also has a Call Waiting Switch, which uses only the LED alert, doesn't have a CTI link and is smaller, but that model is more affordable at $79 or $99 with a flash-hook option.

Command Communications' HotCall is similar to the basic CPS product mentioned above, but it uses just one LED instead of four and is slightly larger. It costs $135, it has better documentation, and from what we could gather by taking the units apart, HotCall seems to have a stronger case but less stable interior components. Like the CPS offering, HotCall works well with its cousins from the same manufacturer. Also included is a document that explains how to adjust your modem's S10 initialization setting to allow for a greater call pick-up time.

Fireball 7 offers WEBS, a $50 solution that accomplishes the same tasks as the CPS Call Waiting Switch and HotCall. WEBS has an on/off switch, which is a nice feature, but it doesn't have a dedicated RJ-11 port to attach a telephone - you need to use a wall jack with two ports or put a Y-connector earlier in the circuit between the unit and the jack.

EASE OF INSTALLATION
One thing that these devices have in common is installation. Users attach four wires - one from the wall jack, one from a modem or fax machine, one from a telephone, and one for an A/C power adapter. That's it! There is no messing with settings and no software, except in the case of the ICWM. Our advice for Internet call waiting device owners is to add the extra measure of double-sided tape or adhesive Velcro when determining where to place the unit. They all have rubber feet to prevent slipping, but with three or four attached wires and the busy SOHO environment, they're likely to be abused.

An addition that we'd like to see for these devices is a ringer adjustment or notification method control - users should be able to choose if they want the call notification to be an LED or an audio alarm. We also think that HotCall's one-lamp solution makes more sense than the four-lamp solution from CPS.

A similar software solution, albeit a hybrid client-server solution, comes from InfoInteractive. Users subscribe to InfoInteractive's Internet Call Manager service. As part of the service, InfoInteractive (which has partnered with many regional Bells) subscribes to your Baby Bell's busy-call forwarding service on your behalf. Each time you go online, the busy-call forwarding is activated and all inbound calls are routed to an ICM server, which sends the caller ID data to you over IP in the form of a screen pop. Users can choose to ignore the call, send the caller to voice mail (currently available only in Canada), or play an "I'll call you back…" or "You call me back…" message to the caller. ICM actually offers four levels of service, but the American versions (ICM Direct and ICM Classic) are both $5 monthly and $25 for six months.

ANOTHER WAY
A different approach uses Internet telephony to eliminate any need for call waiting. Most of these server-side solutions follow an identical process. Some examples include products from the following vendors:

• Nortel Networks
• eFusion (This solution is sold to ISPs as part of a larger IP gateway solution.)
• Ericsson
• Lucent

Using the busy-call forwarding service, software captures incoming calls - not just the caller ID data - and the call is routed to a server. There, it is converted to IP form and sent back to your computer through the existing data connection, allowing a phone-to-PC (or in some cases, phone-to-phone) Internet telephony call, complete with screen pops and desktop call control limited only by the developer's imagination. These products are targeted for ISPs and other telephony providers, who in turn resell call waiting as an enhanced service.

But there are still several drawbacks to using simultaneous voice/data - the user generally needs a powerful multimedia computer and a Java-enabled browser; very few ISPs offer such services today; and most people's last-mile Internet connections are still limited to 56K or less. The audio quality of the call is good because the circuit is usually a relatively straight path between the service provider and the end user, but without adequate bandwidth, the standard drawbacks of latency, jitter, echo and packet loss may still apply.

CONCLUSION
With the range of solutions available today, there seems to be a better way to handle inbound calls when your line is busy, whether you're a home user or the biggest of ISPs. Caller ID has been prominent since the mid-1980s, and it's just now becoming user friendly. With cable modems, DSL, wireless, and even fiber Internet connections becoming more common, the opportunities to develop, resell, or use an analog call notification device or an IP-based virtual second line may be limited. Meanwhile, whether your responsibility is an enterprise, an ISP with hundreds of POPs, or a simple home telephone, there is an appropriate modem call waiting solution for everyone.

Evan Koblentz is a technology editor with TMC Labs. Catch Evan's twice-monthly column - CTI@Home - on TMCnet, your online resource for CTI, Internet Telephony, and Call Center Solutions at www.tmcnet.com. Comments? Questions? Evan can be reached ekoblentz@tmcnet.com.