Voice over IP
IP Telephony
It’s here
From the very smallest customer to the multi national giant.
And now
SJG is now implementing VoIP throughout the UK and throughout the world.
As analogue voice and digital data transmissions merge, IP telephony represents a global revolution in the way communications are made.
With the inclusion of the Internet in the equation, multiple solution paths now exist for local & global communications.
one
of the deciding factors in choosing a
VoIP solution
is, by sending voice traffic over a data network, costs for a long distance
call may be reduced by a massive 90%
Other significant costs can be saved such as in infrastructure: Instead of 2 separate networks - voice and data - VoIP merges the two into a single IP network reducing cabling and its associated costs [eg maintenance]
Solutions
IP capable switches offer in-built VoIP facilities. However, gateway solutions offer immediate cost effective solution paths for all environments:
There are, obviously, unlimited variants in solutions and applications. However, it is possible to visualize three main scenarios:
- Site to site to multi site
2. Main Site to remote site
3. Main Site to mobile worker / SoHo worker
The three scenarios [above] are simplified working examples of ‘typical’ applications. In the real world there can be combinations of the above and multiple sites.
Additionally, there are applications working outside of the intra company environment such as supplier to customer where an outside party would be given a protected route into his customer’s network.
In short, there are many applications which have not even been thought of yet.
Implementation
The IP routing
equipment required to provide these solutions is available now from
.
Tried & tested, the solutions are not expensive and can offer return of
investment in weeks or months not years.
The IP route needed can be any IP route even ADSL and even dial up!
Voice over Broadband: Voice over Broadband (VoBB) offers the ideal route for VoIP traffic when looking to replace expensive, local, inter-site traffic that, traditionally, has been catered for by expensive private wires [circuits]. Carrying VoIP on a VPN [ virtual private network] using broadband is becoming common, which also allows savings on the cost of inter-site 'internal' calls.
When considering VoBB, factors such as network stability and capacity, plus quality of service, must be analysed.
Remember, DSL network downtime doesn't mean that you just lose your EMail or Browser for a while: you've now lost your inter-site voice comms - a case which never happens with private wires. Equally, a local power cut can silence your network. Some integrated voice backup, therefore, must be enabled to provide assured service
Because voice traffic must be 'live' it is a far more critical application than data. Companies need SDSL [as opposed to the, common, ADSL] for a reliable service. Although flexible bandwidth from the ISP may be offered in the future to allow allocation of capacity to voice, it needs to be stressed that a plug n play solution does not exist and the achievement of the required Quality of Service may have to be through a combination of measures
-
Some applications use managed services, such as IP centrex, for VOBB. IP centrex over broadband works as a managed VPN using mutli protocol label switching (MPLS) to provide quality of service
Home users may call pals PC-to-PC over the Internet but calls outside the VPN are over the PSTN network. Calls using broadband are using the internet as their carrier! As the available bandwidth is variable, congestion can remove the voice link. The route of data traffic may even be transcontinental causing unacceptable delay.
-
To call outside a VPN using broadband a VoIP gateway is needed to convert a call from the PSTN network into an IP call, and an IP call to a PSTN call.
For a massive glossary of terminology & definitions go to: www.sjgl.co.uk/glossary-of-terms.htm
is the only UK company offering the entire implementation service. As is
known,
will tailor any application to
the particular requirements working, where necessary with all concerned
parties [IT department, Maintainers etc].
1. Services
is totally independent:
does not sell LCR, ADSL, ISDN or any network services. The customer’s
LCR routes are tailored to
the customer's needs free from unnecessary routing.
will arrange for all required services and deals with all UK service
providers.
In short,
is the one stop shop.
2. PBXs
These solutions work on
any PBX and
’s
expertise allows implementation on any switch with creation / preservation
of full ARS.
’s
range of fully supported switches is unparalleled: see
here
Customers requiring
upgrades [eg additional hardware] to switches to accommodate the new
solutions can be processed by
entirely: provision of hardware, installation and on-going maintenance.
3. LAN WAN
can fully implement the solution onto the existing IP infrastructure or
create an IP network from scratch. This includes the necessary security and
firewall applications.
4. Geography
provides implementation throughout the
UK and, where required, internationally.
5. Customer Sales
provides regular seminars for end users so they can see scenarios in action
and full sales support – including site visits.
6. Support
provides full maintenance services on all IP products and, where required,
remote maintenance & management.
has multiple solutions for IP
telephony, from IP capable switches to IP
gateway
products [see
innovaphone & boscom]
