Verizon Business to Help Businesses Leverage VoIP
Organizations of all sizes
will get even more from their IP networks by adding new IP Trunking
capabilities unveiled recently by Verizon Business.
As more companies make the move to voice over Internet protocol (VoIP),
Verizon Business is providing its IP Trunking customers with on-demand
sharing of unused trunk capacity, more platforms for IP PBX (private branch
exchange), a new path to VoIP through its Ethernet to Private IP access
option, and automated rerouting of calls to maintain business continuity.
Trunks are communications lines that connect switching systems. Verizon
VoIP Trunking services use Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling to
interoperate with either an IP or time division multiplex (TDM) PBX or key
system. This versatility gives a customer an easy way to replace
traditional TDM trunk lines provided through the public switched telephone
network.
In other recent news, Verizon Business also announced
expansion of its already extensive portfolio of managed network services,
with the addition of Managed IP PBX on the Nortel IP telephony platform.
The IP Trunking enhancements announced today are:
• On-Demand Networking Via Burstable Enterprise Shared Trunks: With the
introduction of Burstable Enterprise Shared Trunks (BEST), customers
will be able to use idle trunk capacity in one location to accommodate
an increase in traffic from another location. This offering will be
available to U.S.-based customers on a select IP Trunking plan
beginning in mid-January 2008, with global expansion to follow. This
new capability can help customers better manage utilization of their
local and long-distance traffic by sharing capacity on demand.
• Additional IP PBX Platform Choices: Verizon Business continues to help
customers adopt IP in their own manner and at their own pace by
providing a wide range of VoIP solutions, including customer premises
equipment (CPE) options from industry leaders. Nortel Communication
Server 1000 5.0 is the latest IP PBX platform certified to interoperate
with Verizon IP Trunking. This widely used enterprise CPE solution, a
cornerstone of Nortel's Unified Communications platform, joins a
prestigious and extensive line-up of Verizon Business CPE that has been
rigorously tested and certified for successful implementation of
Verizon VoIP. In addition, certification of Avaya 4.0 Communication
Manager has expanded the list of Avaya CPE included in Verizon
Business' portfolio. Avaya Communication Manager IP Telephony software
helps companies connect employees and customers wherever they are, over
whatever device they have available. Both of these new IP PBX
platforms are available to customers in the United States and many
countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
• Ethernet as a Path to VoIP: As companies worldwide look to extend
Ethernet for wide area networking, Ethernet access to an MPLS corporate
network can now help pave the way for VoIP. That's why Verizon
Business is introducing Ethernet access to Private IP, its fastest-
growing service, as yet another fast lane to VoIP in a converged
network environment. Now companies across the United States -- and in
many countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific
region -- can now take advantage of flexible Ethernet network design
options and realize potential cost-savings associated with this simple,
effective migration path for VoIP.
• Automatic Call Rerouting Helps Maintain Business Continuity: Verizon
IP Trunking customers can now benefit from Inbound Failover, a new
feature that automatically forwards calls to another IP address in the
event of unforeseen circumstances. Unlike calls in the public switched
telephone network that require costly and manual remote call-
forwarding, IP Trunking enables IP calls to route to an alternate
endpoint for completion. Customers can also leverage load-balancing
capabilities that enable them to distribute traffic between IP
terminations, enhancing utilization of failover resources. Together,
Inbound Failover and load balancing can provide a more cost-effective
business continuity solution when compared with traditional TDM
services.
"Verizon Business' Burstable Enterprise Shared Trunks capability is
unique in the marketplace and adds to an already robust VoIP portfolio,"
commented William Stofega, research manager with IDC. "Expanded
capabilities such as these represent another compelling reason for
companies to transition to an IP environment."
Verizon Business' comprehensive portfolio of VoIP services comprises
five offerings that can be employed as stand-alone or in combination to
create individual customer solutions. The services are: IP Flexible T1
(available only in the United States), IP Integrated Access, IP Trunking,
Hosted IP Centrex and Managed IP PBX.
Verizon VoIP solutions enable high-quality voice communications in a
converged network environment, leveraging Verizon Business' vast national
and international footprint and a wide range of innovative features.
Verizon Business is a leader in developing and delivering IP solutions
helping large businesses and government agencies transition to VoIP on
their own path and pace. The VoIP services also allow customers to use
their existing infrastructure, enabling them to mix and match services,
whether network or premises-based.