Bringing together the Ascendancy

Sacramento-based ISPtel announced last week that it has formed a consortium of Internet service providers that includes more than 1 million users in 10 countries all using Ascend Communications' MultiVoice technology, which allows voice-over-IP service.

ISPtel, which calls itself an "Internet telecommunications company," is a source for ISP billing and settlement services. By standardizing its consortium, however, the company can help its partners deploy additional services such as Internet faxing, unified messaging and videoconferencing, in addition to voice, said Paul McGovern, international marketing director for ISPtel.

"We're looking to not just do billing and settlement, but also network monitoring so we can ensure our partners are offering good quality," he said. "The key is having the right partners with significant bandwidth to ensure that quality."

It makes sense to use the same platform for voice-over-IP and data services, said Gigi Wang, global product marketing manager for Ascend.

"Say you drive your car to school all the time. Now you need to drive to work. You're going to want to drive the same car to work, right? The last thing you want to do is switch to a motorcycle," she said.

ISPtel's standardization of MultiVoice also will benefit users, Wang added. "The more people use it, the more it increases interoperability."

By the end of the first quarter, ISPtel plans to have partners in 25 to 30 countries with more than 100 points of presence globally.