Making the most out of Business VOIP | Wisdom Stories

Making the most out of Business VOIP Wisdom Stories: "Making the most out of Business VOIP
Over the past five or so years, most small and mid-sized businesses have caught onto the cust-cutting trend started by large corporate IT departments over a decade ago: a switch to hosted VOIP PBX networks. A PBX network’s benefits are obvious: it allows free extension-to-extension calling within the office, eliminating the phone company’s role in those interactions. But to dial to outside lines, a PBX must be integrated into the conventional PSTN network, which is where a SIP trunk fits into the equation of seamless integration of IT.
I recently spoke with the eminent provider of Los Angeles SIP trunk solutions, who explained to me that the SIP trunk will use internet/IP infrastructure and replace analog circuits and PRIs in the absence of a host. The cost savings is dramatic when you consider that local calling over the IP infrastructure is free and long distance is as little as 2 cents per minute, versus that higher rates incurred by the use of PRIs. In addition, SIP trunks can be purchased in increments of one, rather than in the bulk quantities required to purchase a PRI that make no sense for small businesses to purchase."

Covad Deploys Nationwide MPLS Backbone and Capacity Upgrades to Power Future High-Bandwidth Services

Covad Deploys Nationwide MPLS Backbone and Capacity Upgrades to Power Future High-Bandwidth Services: "Covad Deploys Nationwide MPLS Backbone and Capacity Upgrades to Power Future High-Bandwidth Services
MPLS Backbone Puts Covad Partners on Level Playing Field With Largest Service Providers
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Covad Communications Company, a leading national provider of voice and data communications, today announced it has completed a nationwide MPLS deployment and network capacity upgrades that will enable its partners to deliver advanced video, voice and data services.
The upgrades include metro optical rings with up to OC-192 (10 Gbps) capacity and will allow Covad and its wholesale partners to meet the demanding needs of small businesses and distributed enterprises.
“Businesses are increasingly using broadband to deploy IP-based services to reduce costs and to increase productivity,” said William Ferriauolo, senior vice president and general manager of Covad Wholesale. “Covad’s new MPLS infrastructure will allow our partners to deliver revenue-generating, value-added services on a national broadband network that is competitive with what the very largest carriers can offer.”
MPLS provides a significant improvement over ATM in terms of both network efficiency and management. The MPLS backbone will allow Covad to provide Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities that can be customized for real-time applications such as voice and video. Covad will announce plans for specific new services when they are closer to availability."