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  • Sprint inches closer to voice-over-LTE, selecting Broadsoft for VoIP

    In addition to the VoIP service that Sprint provides, Broadsoft’s server will enable them to add layers on messaging, video and other IP communications which is a move in the right direction and commendable.

    MetroPCS have failed to deliver on their service with the strike they had with voice-over-LTE where the long awaited migration of mobile voice calls to 4G data networks has not yet happened which is very disappointing but things are looking better for the VoLTE service especially with the coming in of Sprint.

    Sprint is keen on upgrading their VoIP services and has strategically made the important move of partnering with BroadSoft as a service provider. According to BroadSoft on Wednesday, its server for BroadWorks IP applications will be used to run VoLTE services coming in the foreseeable future.

    Sprint have a very well established 2G network that is well spread and optimal for voice calls but since their interest is not only in voice, investing and upgrading to VoLTE is a decision that was long anticipated. BroadWorks will enable Sprint to combine web interfaces and enterprise PBX systems with the VoLTE to be implemented on top of layering on the video, presence and messaging that already exists with them.

    We are still waiting on word on the official VoLTE commercial launch date but judging from the time consuming LTE rollout by Sprint, we could assume that the CDMA – LTE voice transition will not be happening in the near future. But still, getting together with Broadsoft looks like a light at the end of the tunnel because of the high quality features it provides. Sprint’s communications platform could be made more effective when unified through efforts and innovations brought by broadsoft to serve its enterprise customers some time soon.

  • Survey Reveals Mobile Users Prefer Voice Over IP

    A study conducted by BroadSoft revealed greater than 2/3 of mobile device users showed a preference for voice over IP or UC services and regarded it the most worthwhile application. BroadSoft surveyed 700 people who work in assorted industries located in Sweden, Spain, and in the United States.

    The primary issue users had with communication was lack of speed at 78%. The next two issues were finding and contacting a person (68%) and email problems (58%). Other issues users experienced included travel interruptions, internal meetings, and telecom problems.

    The survey found that users of voice over IP preferred internet collaboration, instant messaging, and mobile incorporation. Leslie Ferry, vice president of marketing for BroadSoft concluded operators of mobile devices are in a better position to make their investments earn them the most profit quicker in LTE networks and they can furnish users with excellent service business users need regardless of location and device. This is because of the greater revenue produced by each user through UC services.

    A white paper issued by BroadSoft indicated there are still professional employees who communicate with smartphones and laptops more than desktop computers. Other professional employees still communicate with desktops and standard telephones perhaps because of limited finances. Desktop computers are among the most used deice for communication proceeding laptops and office telephones. Desk tops and office phones tied as a commonly used communication device for the health industry.

    Other studies and BroadSoft agreed with other studies that observed the developing enterprise adaptation of UC services. The study also concluded that a lack of UC applications may cause a 'production gap' amid employees onsite and mobile device users of nearly 2.5 hours weekly. The trend of voice over IP and other UC services will proceed to expand as employees continue to take their mobile devices to work and more services for mobile communications are provided by UC vendors. Vendors will need to stay ahead of trends.

  • Telesphere’s VideoConnect Makes HD Business Videoconferencing a Reality

    Telesphere recently announced the launch of VideoConnect, a cloud-based videoconferencing service for businesses of every size. Today the company announced that VideoConnect is the first worldwide commercial deployment of Broadsoft’s BroadCloud Video, an enterprise-grade videoconferencing and telepresence service that incorporates Polycom’s standards-based HDX systems and VVX 1500 business media phones, along with CounterPath’s Bria softclients.

    In packaging together the combined capabilities of BroadCloud Video, CounterPath and Polycom, Telesphere now offers businesses of any size enterprise-grade videoconferencing that employees can connect to ranging from room telepresence environments, desktops and the rapidly expanding user base of video-ready smartphones and tablet devices.

    By using the BroadCloud Video call-bridging technology that is powered by the Polycom UC Intelligent Core software platform, Telesphere’s VideoConnect offers support for up to 12 simultaneous meeting participants across various videoconferencing platforms, endpoints and protocols during a single HD videoconference. According to the company, this protocol- and vendor-agnostic approach allows participants using a wide variety of room-based videoconferencing systems, videophones and softphones to all see, talk with and hear one another immediately.

    “VideoConnect makes video conferencing easy for every employee to use and extremely cost effective for every size business to deploy,” said Telesphere CEO Clark Peterson. “By working with BroadSoft, CounterPath and Polycom, Telesphere can now deliver enterprise-grade, cloud-based video communications to every conference room, office, business desktop and laptop in the world.”

    In November 2010, Polycom extended its relationship with BroadSoft with the announcement of BroadSoft's BroadCloud Video service. This cloud service is a hosted infrastructure that integrates with Polycom’s UC Intelligent Core software platform to enable leading service providers like Telesphere to lower the cost and complexity of delivering videoconferencing and unified communications services.

    Leslie Ferry, vice president of marketing, BroadSoft, said: “Telesphere VideoConnect is exactly the type of service-provider offering BroadCloud Video was designed to enable – HD videconferencing that supports multiple devices and integrates seamlessly with key unified communications services, and can be offered with a pricing structure compelling to cost-sensitive and underserved mid-market enterprises. We applaud Telesphere’s innovation in bringing a CapEx-free videoconferencing solution to market that we believe can accelerate adoption of video.”

    VideoConnect features an intuitive user interface with a nearly flat learning curve for employees, as its producer claims. For example, when employees place a call from a videophone or a webcam-equipped personal computer using a softphone such as CounterPath’s Bria, Bria for BroadWorks, Telesphere’s infrastructure detects whether the called party also is video-enabled and, if so, automatically sets up a one-to-one video call. This design eliminates the need for employees to maintain separate videophones, additional numbers or special addresses for colleagues, clients and business partners.

    Direct one-to-one video calls are free, while charges for group videoconference calls using the BroadCloud Video bridge are based on minutes and port usage.

    Additional key VideoConnect features and functionality include:

    ·      BroadCloud Video-enabled support for HD video quality at up to 1080p and connection via SIP, H.264, H.263, H.323 and H.320.
    ·      Employees within the same company can use four-digit dialing for video calls.
    ·      BroadCloud Video-enabled seamless integration of videconferencing with additional or existing enterprise and unified communications services such as web collaboration, IM & Presence and HD voice.
    ·      An intuitive UI that automatically displays the video feeds from the six most recent speakers, with the current one in the center pane.
    ·      For videoconferences with more than two parties, a Telesphere-provided video attendant welcomes each participant to the bridge, requests a passcode and places them in a virtual waiting area if the conference hasn’t begun. This feature enables any size business to provide a highly professional, concierge-level user experience.
    ·      Real-time monitoring that automatically moves participants back to the waiting area if the moderator unexpectedly drops.

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  • Leading Technology Companies Announce HD Voice Initiative in the U.K.

    XConnect, Polycom, BroadSoft and Dialogic announced an initiative to promote the adoption of high-definition voice by service providers in the United Kingdom.

    Through workshops and cooperative communication and marketing, the HD initiative is designed to raise awareness and educate service providers about the benefits of HD voice and help them resolve implementation challenges.

    As part of the initiative, XConnect announced that the XConnect Global HD Voice Federation is now open to HD voice-enabled service providers globally, following its successful launch in the United States.

    First to join from the U.K. are service providers Simwood, SureVoIP and thevoicefactory.

    The federation enables the exchange of HD voice calls among all participants, all interconnecting through XConnect’s carrier hub and routing through phone-number lookups via its carrier ENUM registry.

    The companies joining XConnect in the initiative are market leaders in their sectors of the HD voice ecosystem. Polycom set an early stake in the ground through its SoundStation IP conference phones and SoundPoint desktop phones featuring Polycom HD Voice technology. BroadSoft is the leading global provider of IP-based communications services to the telecommunications industry. Dialogic is a prominent provider of multimedia and signaling technologies and platforms.

    HD voice enables users to experience clearer, higher-quality and more effective voice communication through the use of wideband codecs on IP networks. However, in most cases, to benefit from improved sound quality, callers must be on the same network. XConnect says they have established the HD federation to allow cross-network support for HD voice and potentially for multimedia IP-based services, such as presence and video.

    “The U.K. is ripe for HD voice due to increasing migration to IP and the quest among service providers to differentiate their offerings and deliver greater value to their customers,” said XConnect CEO Eli Katz.

    He added, “We are delighted to have facilitated the world’s first cross-network international HD voice calls via a federation – a step that paves the way for global mass-market adoption of HD voice.”

    Explaining why his company has joined the HD federation, thevoicefactory CEO Martin Sims said: “We realise that to compete effectively where broadband is a given, we have to move ahead of the pack. In a business market where many different languages and accents are the norm, high-definition voice will help us add value to our services.”

    Related news
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    XConnect Offers Trial of High-Definition Calling

  • XO Unveils New Enterprise SIP

    BroadSoft and XO Communications announced a new enterprise-class, multi-site SIP trunking solution offered by XO.

    XO Enterprise SIP is an enhanced SIP trunking service offering for large enterprises, that enables them to transform their distributed PBX/PSTN interconnection to a “more centralized and cost-effective” VoIP solution.

    According to the companies, enterprises can deploy a centralized IP-PBX in one or several primary locations and deliver VoIP services to other sites across their network. Businesses can also configure trunk capacity across their network, providing each site with on-demand access to unused call capacity.

    “This will greatly reduce capital expenses and operating costs of managing voice services and equipment at each location,” says BroadSoft.

    Based on the latest release of BroadWorks, XO Enterprise SIP uses Enterprise Trunking feature set of the BroadWorks VoIP application platform to “simplify management of VoIP services” and ensure business continuity across an enterprise’s network.

    It provides support for multiple, redundant SIP trunk groups per PBX/IP PBX, enterprise-level call capacity and "bursting" in support of multi-site enterprise environments, new caller ID screening features for enterprise least-cost-routing and improved interoperability with non-SIPconnect compliant IP PBXs.

    XO Communications currently uses BroadWorks to support its flagship XO IP Flex and XO SIP integrated access service offerings targeted at the small and mid-sized business market.

    The companies say large enterprises with multi-site locations such as banks, international financial institutions, retail stores and professional services firms, have unique requirements when it comes to SIP trunking deployments.

    “It is often the case where a single, large IP PBX provides for an entire 50,000 person organization; therefore, loss of PSTN connectivity can have a major impact on business operations,” they claim.

    "SIP trunking is a strategic decision for large enterprises today. Supporting more than half of the Fortune 500, XO Communications required a solution that could not only meet the stringent reliability and diverse topology requirements of their large enterprise customers, but also provide cost certainty and dynamic, on-demand scalability," said David Bukovsky, vice president of products at BroadSoft

    Vince Margiotta, vice president of product marketing at XO Communications assures that XO Enterprise SIP eliminates the inefficiencies of legacy voice services in a managed IP network environment.

  • NETXUSA Expands Provisioning Capabilities of BroadSoft Service Providers


    NETXUSA    , a VoIP distributor and a BroadSoft partner, releases version 4.0 of their Provisioning & Professional Services (PPS) software.

    The company says this “major release” provides the solutions to manage a greater number of device types and options for deployment.

    Version 4.0 makes this possible by including a new configuration management system, which allows customers to manage an unlimited number of device configurations and device options for all customer-premises equipment (CPE).

    Through this solution, BroadWorks-powered service providers can make more product options available to their customer base, thus lowering cost of installations and reducing turn up times, NETXUSA claims.

    Unlimited network CPE support for configuration has been added with NETXUSA’s in-house proprietary software. Certified-CPE include routers, switches, IADs, gateways, ATAs, wireless and IP phones.

    Through BroadWorks Device Management, BroadSoft is believed to solve one of the most complex and time-consuming phases of delivering VoIP services – provisioning and configuring end devices. BroadWorks Device Management enables service providers to pre-configure end-user access devices at the customer site.

    A simple login process is used to retrieve the appropriate user-specific files directly from BroadWorks, and then providers manage and control all aspects of device configuration centrally in the network.

    According to Rick Boone, president of NETXUSA, this release as a “major milestone simplifying the service delivery for the BroadSoft channel.”

    “As a recognized BroadSoft partner we have kept the BroadWorks–powered service provider in mind with our seamless support for BroadWorks Device Management and our continued development to further integrate our solutions for a plug-n-play experience,” he said.

    David Bukovsky, vice president of products, BroadSoft, stated that the new features and back-office applications make Version 4.0 an attractive reseller recruitment tool for the BroadWorks-powered provider.