RingCentral Selects and Deploys BladeWare
It is a given that it's less expensive to manage packet media data than
TDM. And the industry is learning that it costs less to process those bits
using host MIPS than embedded MIPS as long as system-density
requirements are met. So when RingCentral (San Mateo, CA) wanted to
add fax to their virtual-office service, RingCentral Online, an IP-based
service network was the selected design, and BladeWare was the
selected fax media server.
RingCentral Online is a comprehensive and affordable (starting at $9.99
per month) integrated telephony and fax communications service for
small businesses and mobile workers. RingCentral Online is a
second-line solution and operates with the subscribers' existing phones,
including mobile. No separate fax line is required. The user's customers
dial a RingCentral-provided phone number; the system then selects the
endpoint number to call. Naturally, there is a comprehensive easy-to-use
Web-based user interface.
RingCentral already had a system in place for call handling and voice
messaging, so they utilized the "multi-vendor" integration feature of
BladeWare Fax Media Server. This means when the application determines
that a fax is to be sent or received, a SIP Reinvite is issued to the gateway,
which sends the media stream to a stand-alone BladeWare FMS system.
According to Vlad Vendrow, RingCentral CTO, "We worked with
Commetrex over a number of months to make sure that we had a solid
system. This effort resulted in a low-cost, IP-based fax service that
significantly improved the fax quality for our customers. We are
distributing RingCentral Online subscriptions directly to customers
through our Web site and a network of affiliates."
You can find more information on all RingCentral's products and
services at http://www.ringcentral.com/. Read about BladeWare here.
Are We Devolving?
In the last Outlook we talked about framework software and the role
it's playing in the industry. Telecom is devolving from a monolithic
"Ma' Bell" ("Bill, how about inventing the transistor?") into an industry
structure similar to the PC industry. Vertical integration is out;
value-adding industry structures is in. IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem)
delineates various network components that interoperate through
SIP-based protocols. But since no one company can do it
all, equipment developers are increasingly sourcing major
system elements from value-adding suppliers to develop
those network elements.
In 1984 we saw the separation between the application and
the underlying digital-media resources for systems that
process the call stream. In the last 12 years the CompactPCI
standard has fostered the COTS board-and-chassis industry.
And the "algorithm shop" has supplied the media technologies for
all those TI DSPs.
Now, Commetrex is defining the system-level framework (digital-media
Middleware) product category. While Open Telecommunications
Framework(r) (OTF) Kernel has no rivals, would it do the job for
your project? What are the attributes of telephony middleware
required to meet your specific needs?
- Distributed, client-server?
- Resource sharing?
- Skill-set separation?
- Vendor/resource independence?
To find out, how these features affect your time-to-market and
ROI, contact Alex Adams at aadams@commetrex.com or
770-449-7775 X320 for a copy of our new white paper, "The Role of
Framework Software in Digital-Media Equipment Architectures."
|
|
IP Carriers Can Lower Your CapEx
For some time now we've been hyping the disruptive economics of
IP-based service platforms and networks to support the offering of voice
or fax services with a national or global reach without investing in
network infrastructure. But, until quite recently, the IP carriers weren't
ready to support T.38 fax. It's only been in the last few months that
you've had a significant choice of carriers offering T.38. Now, there are
several to choose from: Gafachi, Global Crossing, iBasis, and
Net2Phone. XO Communications is saying Q3, and Level (3)
may be working on it.
So, what's the big deal?
Suppose you wanted to offer a virtual office product with voice and fax
messaging to North American subscribers. Using an IP carrier
that supports T.38 means you don't' need to invest in and maintain
several-million-dollars worth of POPs to be competitive. Use
the carrier's infrastructure and Commetrex' BladeWare media servers.
That gets you
- Near-immediate market entry,
- Minimal infrastructure/low capital requirements, and
- Simplified operations/low operations expense.
Of course, your carrier partner needs to be paid. Count on
per-month payments for your DIDs if your service supports inbound.
And you'll pay for the number of simultaneous calls you
require (call paths). But with a big enough commitment
you can get your per-minute fees well below $0.01 per
minute for tier-one cities.
You'll have to jump through some hoops to get a service
agreement in place, but it sure beats coming up with several
million for your infrastructure. Oh, and don't forget BladeWare
as your service platform.
Developing T.38 Test Equipment
In mid-2001, Commetrex shipped the industry's first terminating
T.38 product, and in January 2002 announced the hugely successful
Commetrex-sponsored T.38 Interoperability Test Lab. So it should
come as no surprise that Commetrex continues to play a key role in
T.38 testing by licensing its technology to the industry's leading
test-equipment vendors. As reported in previous issues of the
Outlook, both Empirix and Spirent Communications are shipping
test equipment based on licensed Mutli-Modal Terminating Fax (MMTF).
Now, NetHawk has done the same.
To learn more about how these fine companies use MMTF to build products
that can stimulate and load T.38 and G.711 pass-through faxes for media
servers and gateways, contact Alex Adams at aadams@commetrex.com
or 770-449-7775 X320 for a copy the white paper,
"Testing T.38 and G.711 Pass-Through Fax in IP Media Servers and Gateways."
|
