Voice over Broadband Solution

Business Opportunity

Company XYZ wants to capitalize on opportunities in the deregulated telecommunications sector. Its management is currently discussing how to differentiate the company from the competition and carve out a viable market niche. A consultant to the company suggests that XYZ should enter the Voice-over-Broadband business.

Voice-over-Broadband (VoB) is a new service offering based on VoIP technology. VoB is an alternative to the traditional phone service which allows the delivery of communication services to consumers and businesses over broadband connections. The telephony services delivered over broadband offer all traditional PSTN features like Caller ID, Call on Hold, 3-way calling, etc. as well as next generation features, such as voicemail-to-email, fax-to-email, voicemail notifications etc.

The VoB business model is relatively new and offers a lot of opportunities to new entrants. Service providers using that model typically design several service packages targeting different consumer and business groups. Those service packages are delivered over broadband connections, such as DSL, cable, etc. End users access the services through IP phones, softphones or hardware telephone adapters (CPE) attached to regular phones. Providers compete on the basis of quality, service availability and pricing.

The management of XYZ likes the VoD business idea and commissions a research to identify a good VoB solution. The research reveals that a reliable and scalable VoB solution could be critical for the success of the business. Such solution should support all traditional and next generation telecommunications services and be interoperable with the broadest set of VoIP equipment. A good solution should also transparently handle home and corporate Firewalls/NATs and should offer advanced billing functionality to accommodate different business models and rating plans.

Business Solution

Although VoIP technology is much more advanced today than it used to be several years ago, VoIP implementations could still present significant challenges, especially to businesses without prior VoIP experience. VoB providers face specific implementation difficulties as they offer the whole spectrum of VoIP services and rely on call termination services from multiple VoIP carriers. When VoB providers use equipment from different manufacturers, they often face incompatibility issues which lengthen the deployment period, may require costly customization, and result in lost revenues. Additional difficulties arise when partnering VoIP carriers use equipment that supports different voice codecs and VoIP protocols from that of the service provider. In such cases service providers have to invest in additional equipment that converts protocols and voice codecs which additionally increases costs.

SysMaster Corporation, the global leader in providing integrated VoIP solutions, could offer XYZ a complete Voice over Broadband solution that addresses customer specific needs. SysMaster's solution offers easy operation and fast deployment schedule (typically less than a week). A major solution benefit is its integrated nature – all traditional and next generation services are offered through the same equipment. That eliminates the need for equipment integration, speeds up implementation and reduces operating overhead. Another benefit of SysMaster's Voice over Broadband solution is the integrated advanced billing server, which offers unparalleled rating flexibility and supports comprehensive set of billing models.

Solution Requirements and Architecture

A typical SysMaster Voice over Broadband solution has the following requirements:

1. Norfa Broadband Platform
2. Tornado IP Phones or Tornado Adapters with Regular Phones
3. Optional Modules for the Broadband Platform
4. Remote Installation and Technical Support
5. High Speed Internet Access
6. Contracts with VoIP Carriers
7. Contracts with Suppliers of Customer Premises Equipment (CPE)

SysMaster can provide items 1 through 4 while the service provider is responsible for items 5, 6 and 7. Figure 1 below shows the SysMaster Voice Broadband solution architecture.

Solution Features

• PBX/IP Centrex
• Voice Mail
• Conference
• Follow Me
• Call-Back
• Calling Cards
• Virtual Fax
• Web Conference
• SMS Service
• Virtual Office

How Does The Solution Work?

1. Customer picks up his IP phone (or regular phone connected to the CPE adapter) and dials a number connected to the Broadband Platform
2. The Broadband Platform authenticates the caller and verifies subscription permissions
3. Based on the active service subscriptions, the Broadband Platform authorizes and delivers service to the customer
4. Customer uses the service
5. Upon completing the service delivery, the Broadband Platform creates a detailed record which is available for billing, reporting, and monitoring purposes.