Cincinnati Bell to roll out Internet call waiting: Service uses server installed in a single CO

Cincinnati Bell is expected to announce this week that it will begin offering a call waiting service for Internet users throughout its region. The service, which the carrier has previously offered to target customers, is made possible by the Internet Call Manager server from InfoInterActive, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

The InfoInterActive technology gives Internet users a visual notification of incoming telephone calls-including caller identification-while the phone line is tied up during Internet use. Customers then can transfer the call to voice mail or to another line, choose to ignore the call or send an automatic message back to the caller that they are unavailable and will return the call.

"With the U.S. launch of Internet Call Manager in the hands of such a powerful and credible leader in communications, we expect that other major telephone and Internet companies across North America will follow suit very quickly," said Bill McMullin, InfoInterActive's CEO. "There's a lot of pent up demand for this."

Earlier this month, InfoInterActive also announced that it had signed a letter of intent with a Bell regional holding company to test market the Internet Call Manager. A successful trial will result in full-scale commercial deployment of the service across the RHC's multistate network, InfoInterActive officials said, although they had no projected time frame for the trial completion.

At Cincinnati Bell, the response to the service has been very positive, said Karen Dowling, market manager. The company charges $7.95 a month for residential lines and $8.95 a month for business lines. There is also a one-time $6.50 activation fee.

Cincinnati Bell initially promoted the service via direct mail to high-end customers, said Dowling, adding that current plans include bundling the service as part of a package with the carrier's own Internet access offering. In addition, the carrier expects to sign agreements with other ISPs to offer the service, said Dowling.

Cincinnati Bell has installed the Internet Call Manager in a single central office from which the carrier serves its entire LATA, said Gary Buccheim, Cincinnati Bell network architecture planner.

The application server is rack-mounted and connects to the CO switch via up to eight primary rate ISDN lines. The B channels carry the voice calls, while the D channels handle the messaging functionality. A single Internet Call Manager can handle 15,000 to 20,000 customers, Buccheim estimated.