Intelligence comes to IP voice

Digital Equipment Corp. is expanding its intelligent network program by teaming up with companies in the Internet protocol telephony market.

Among the first partners are MG2 Technologies, VocalTec Communications and Northern Telecom, which is integrating its Internet throughway package with DEC's central office equipment. As part of the program, DEC also has established a lab where it will conduct interoperability and quality testing on its platforms. The next step will be integrating intelligent network elements with IP telephony equipment, said Peg Donovan, Internet telephony program manager for DEC.

A second unit within the company will work with carriers and Internet service providers on system integration.

"One of the obstacles we saw besides laboratory tests was actually providing the service and integrating it with existing systems," said Tom Mercer of DEC's communications industry solution practice.

"There's a bit of a misconception that IP telephony equals gateways," added Elon Ganor, CEO and chairman of VocalTec, which will lend its IP voice software and applications expertise. "You need to do the billing, the quality of service management, and it's pretty complex."

As part of the agreements, DEC will be responsible for marketing and sales.

"Until now, the companies that could start playing with the technology were really in the Western world," said Ganor. "If anyone in more remote areas or even some places in Europe wanted to get hands-on experience, they would face a problem."

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