Current IP-PBX Systems: Verizon ; C & W ; Mitel Networks

Verizon
Verizon, in the United States, will help customers avoid implementation difficulties by providing up-front network and physical site assessments that will identify potential migration pitfalls and pinpoint data network equipment that requires upgrading to handle voice traffic. Verizon will also do comprehensive planning to develop the processes and procedures necessary for successful convergence of their customers' multiple networks.

Cisco and Verizon also joined forces to market high-speed, secure, and reliable work-at-home services, over an IP-enabled network, for advanced teleworker programs. This offering certainly sounds as though it involves IP-Centrex.

C & W
C&W, with its Convergence PBX solution, can deliver IP-PBX, IP-LAN, and IP-VPN services to medium and large-sized businesses on a global basis.

The first major customer for C&W's Cisco-powered network was the well-known Marks & Spencer retailer, with over 300 stores in the United Kingdom. C & W has a private MPLS-IP network, which will be dedicated to voice, video, and data traffic from its Convergence PBX customers, and can deliver customized QoS parameters to national or international users.

Mitel Networks
Mitel Networks, now a private company owned by one of its original founders, uniquely concentrates on the enterprise voice communications system market. Since it was started in the mid-l970s, Mitel has been sold several times, but has managed to survive and attract the appropriate talent to move confidently into the IP telephony era.

Mitel has always manufactured several models of PBX and for many years had an especially good reputation with reliable telephone systems for small businesses. The company claims that it will continue to develop its SX-200 and SX-2000 TDM-based PBXs, while putting a lot of effort into two IP-oriented systems.

Mitel introduced its 3100 Integrated Communications Platform (ICP), which was designed and is manufactured in Britain, in late 2001. This small, rack-mounting system combines a complete set of voice features, including integrated voice mail and autoattendant, a 10/100Mbps Ethernet LAN switch, and a router. The voice switch may be configured as a PBX, a key telephone system (KTS), or a hybrid, supporting up to 24 IP phones and 10 analog stations (with an extension module). Up to 100 IP addresses are available with the 3100 ICP, so some 75 data devices, such as PCs, printers, or servers, could be attached. The 3100 ICP is intended for stand-alone offices or similar locations, but cannot be used as a satellite system in a tightly coupled corporate network based on Mitel's more powerful call servers.

Mitel's 3300 ICP is intended for medium-to-large organizations, while inheriting all of the telephony features and networking capabilities of the SX-2000 digital PBX (which was first launched 20 years ago), for up to 700 users from one call server. The rack-mounting call controller is complemented by an analog services unit (for lines and trunks) and a network services unit (for up to 16 T1/E1 or ISDN/PRI links). A Mitel 3300 configuration is shown in Figure 4.4, with a model 3340 ICP serving a remote location and IP stations in a small remote office connected directly to the network.


Figure 1: Converged communications in the enterprise by Mitel.

Although Figure 1 shows only IP phones, the 3300 ICP does include a TDM switching bus, so that it can support Mitel's preexisting digital phones through direct single-pair wiring. This Mitel system works with any of the commonly available data switches in the networking market, although the initial versions of Mitel's IP phones used a proprietary protocol.

The 3300 ICP has embedded voice mail, with just a nominal charge for user licenses with the first 20 DSP ports, and this system has full autoattendant features. Mitel sells the model 6500 speech-enabled attendant, which includes toll fraud prevention and mobility features, for forwarding calls to variety of numbers, based on a preset schedule. The 6500 package also provides natural speech navigation of its unified messaging function that may be integrated with Microsoft Outlook.

An easy-to-use system management subsystem, with different sets of tools for system configuration, administration, and simple moves and changes, is also supplied as part of Mitel's 3300.