Current IP-PBX Systems: Alcatel

The IP-PBXs that are on the world's enterprise marketplace come from a variety of backgrounds and include at least one model in each of the three classes that are defined here. We include reviews of IP-PBXs from eight suppliers, which sell their systems in many countries. Since it is too early in the development of these products to decide which are winners or losers, we have focused on the different approaches taken by the manufacturers, while not attempting to describe each system in great detail. These reviews are listed by alphabetical order of the manufacturer's name.

Alcatel
Alcatel introduced its OmniPCX 4400 in 1996, as a call server that handles TDM and IP user terminals, with the same services, set of features, and standards of reliability of other digital PBXs. The 4400 is available in four cabinet sizes, as follows:

- Media Gateway (rack-mounted) for up to 64 users;

- WM1 (wall-mounted) for up to 150 users;

- M2 (floor-standing) for 100 to 400 users;

- M3 (three cabinets) for up to 1,000 users.

One hundred OmniPCX nodes can be connected into a network, supporting up to 50,000 stations. The network may be based on TDM trunks or packet (ATM, frame relay or IP) transmission technologies. The architecture of this system is illustrated in Figure 1.


Figure 1: Architecture of Alcatel's OmniPCX 4400.

The PWT 4073 handset uses Alcatel's Private Wireless Telecommunications cellular technology, which is designed for higher user density environments, with up to 10,000 Erlangs per square kilometer. One PCX 4400 server can be linked to 256 base stations and 1,000 wireless users.

Alcatel sells four proprietary telephones (under the trade name Reflexes) which are all digital sets with a display. The Advantage 4035 and Premium 4020 models have an integrated alphabetic keyboard and can include a built-in IP enabler. The more recent version of this module has a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet interface and a mini-LAN switch function, for an adjunct desktop PC connection (so that a desktop PC may be connected into this module, enabling a telephone and the PC to share one LAN outlet). The integrated IP enabler can be fed with DC power remotely, from an OmniPower Patch Panel that operates to the IEEE 802.3AF standard. These two phones show the design influence of the Minitel terminals that were extensively used on France's information network prior to the Internet, but are likely to be relatively expensive when equipped for IP operation. For the two lower-cost phones to be used in the IP mode an external IP enabler is needed.

Alcatel also has a suite of contact center applications, known as OmniTouch, which is integrated with the 4400 system. The agents' stations may be based on the model 4004 or 4035 phones, or may use the Alcatel4980 telephony application that runs on a PC, providing groupware and call management functions.

With this hybrid voice communications system, Alcatel has returned to the crowded North American market, where one of its predecessor companies, IT&T, once had a presence. Alcatel has gained some good PBX accounts in the United States with the OmniPCX 4400, displacing Centrex service in a few cases, and it is obtaining significant dealer support in Canada. In some Latin American countries Alcatel has achieved a major share of the PBX and CO systems markets, displacing Ericsson over the past decade. The company also has a strong presence in the data switch, network management, and VPN businesses through its acquisition of Newbridge Networks.

At the time of this writing, no news of contracts to use the OmniPCX 4400 for managed IP-PBX or IP-Centrex services has been released. Even though this is now a well-established product, it might not be the most attractive vehicle to outsourcing service providers

IP-Centrex Systems : Alcatel

Five major telecommunications equipment manufacturers, namely Alcatel, Ericsson, Lucent, Nortel, and Siemens have been able to supply Centrex solutions, based on their respective digital CO systems, for the last decade. Three other significant public exchange manufacturers—Fujitsu, Marconi, and NEC—have not supplied Centrex software in the past and do not appear to be interested in delivering IP-Centrex systems (although NEC was one of the early suppliers of IP-PBXs).

The product descriptions that follow are not intended to be exhaustive but should give a good indication of what systems are available to deliver hybrid and full IP-Centrex from a number of vendors. The hybrid, evolutionary approach extends the life and depreciation time of legacy class 5 switches, but retains proprietary technology in the network and limits the integration of new applications. The softswitch-based, full IP-Centrex, approach can be disruptive for the service provider and its customers. This approach may also be risky if the softswitch comes from a smaller company that has had time only to develop a limited set of the popular Centrex features.

Alcatel includes a Centrex offering on its model 1000 central office, but at the time of this writing had not made any announcement regarding IP-Centrex. Alcatel is not a major vendor of Centrex systems; it has implemented a limited form of Centrex in a few countries and planned for Centrex service with several South American telcos.

The company has developed the powerful 5000 series of softswitch platforms, of which the 5020 is a signaling server and the 5424 is designed for off-loading switched data traffic from the voice network to the Internet. The model 5000 is a class 5 switch server, with a typical network topology as shown in Figure 1.


Figure 1: Network topology with Alcatel 5000 softswitch.

This 5000 softswitch can process 5 million busy hour call attempts (BHCA) and grow to 1 million virtual ports, delivering voice over IP or ATM and interfaces to the SS7 network. The softswitch in Figure 3.1 is shown with integrated access devices (IAD) on the customers' premises, providing 16 voice channels over one digital subscriber line (DSL).