3Com Corp. this week announced new IP telephony gear that could speed the delivery of IP-based Centrex services for small and midsize businesses.
3Com's session initiation protocol (SIP) phones provide standard phone functions, such as speed dialing, hold, call transfer, and come with an infrared port which can receive data from a Palm PDA. Using PDA phone control software that comes with the phones, users can beam phone numbers to the SIP phones from a Palm contact list that the phone can automatically dial. A PDA can also send information over the phone, such as an electronic business card, which could be read on the SIP phones LCD screen by a recipient.
The phones can be used with 3Com's NBX LAN telephony product and connect to a network via a 10BaseT connection, or in a service provider system using the SIP Signaling Server. SIP is an application layer, signaling protocol for creating, modifying and terminating IP sessions with one or more participants. These sessions may include Internet multimedia conferences or Internet telephone calls. 3Com's plan is to create a fully featured IP telephony system.
"Until now, most corporate phone systems have been in the dark ages in terms of [IP features]," says Anand Varadachari, senior business development manager for 3Com's Internet communication division. "You had basic dialing, transfer and hold functions, and that's about it."
The company also rolled out the SIP signaling server, a Sun Solaris-based box running custom call control software from 3Com, as well as management software and a database for end-user billing data. The box sits in a service providers' central office and connects to customers' networks via the Internet. Customers gain access to the public phone network through the server, which is hooked into the phone network by a gateway device. The server also comes with application programming interfaces, which can be used by service providers to develop custom unified messaging applications.
"The benefit of this [system] is that end users don't have to buy a whole new piece of phone equipment when their businesses get to a certain size," says Joe Gagan, senior analyst with The Yankee Group in Boston. "It also allows for the easy addition of features and seats which can just be ordered from a service provider."
The 3Com SIP phone is available for US$395. The SIP signaling server.....to come from philThe two new products were demonstrated at NetWorld+Interop 2000 in Atlanta.