AT&T might lock rates to win BellSouth OK

AT&T Inc. thinks it should be able to buy BellSouth Corp. with no conditions, but it’s willing to compromise if necessary.

In meetings with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the company has discussed not raising rates charged to other carriers to use its facilities, as well as locking in prices for business leased lines, according to a Friday letter from AT&T to the agency.

The FCC is the last body that has to sign off on the US$67 billion acquisition, which was approved by the U.S. Department of Justice and state and foreign agencies without conditions. The deal would fold the incumbent carrier for most of the Southeastern U.S. into the nation’s largest service provider.

Consumer groups and competitive carriers have voiced alarm over the deal in the wake of recent consolidation in the industry, saying it will reduce choice for businesses and consumers. On Friday, a divided FCC delayed a decision on the deal and opened a public comment period. It is now set to vote on Nov. 3.

Among other proposed conditions, the merged carrier would agree to keep offering competitors access to its network and not seek higher state-approved rates for that access. It also would not raise rates for DS-1 and DS-3 leased lines in its territory, nor would it increase its interstate tariffs. AT&T/BellSouth also would do business in line with the principles of an FCC policy statement on network neutrality issued last September. Most of the conditions would stay in effect for 30 months from the close of the deal.

Other steps that have been discussed give a glimpse into AT&T’s possible plans. One proposal would have AT&T provide broadband — though defined only as Internet access over 200K bps (bits per second) — to all residences in the BellSouth territory by the end of 2007. Only 85 percent of that would be wired broadband, while the remainder would use alternatives including satellite and WiMax. Another point discusses AT&T initiating 10 new trials of wireless broadband, including at least five in BellSouth’s territory, by the end of 2007.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association dismissed the proposed conditions, saying AT&T is already bound by such rules from its merger last year with SBC Communications Inc.

“It’s kind of a restatement and a slight extension of those,” said Catherine Sloan, vice president of government relations for the group.

The group, made up of companies including Google Inc., Microsoft Corp., Red Hat Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., has called the proposed acquisition a step backward. It wants strong network neutrality rules, consumer privacy protection, divestiture of wireless spectrum and other conditions imposed on the company.

For consumers, worries about reduced competition among telecommunications carriers are backward-looking, because the next great showdown will be between phone companies and cable operators, said telecom industry analyst Jeff Kagan. However, he acknowledged that coming battle doesn’t yet benefit enterprises because cable companies are largely ignoring businesses for now.

Source: http://fastcreators.com/article

Back to Back User Agents for Telecommunications

Today’s telecommunications networks are a delicate blend of clients and servers that together offer virtually endless possibilities when it comes to services and applications. For every new client developed, there seems to be a score more on the way — from mobile handsets, PDAs, terminals, telephones, video phones, IP set-top-boxes, and so on.

There are essentially two types of servers that connect between clients on large networks: Proxy servers and Back-to-Back User Agent (B2BUA) servers. The more prevalent Proxy servers feature predictable behavior — simply connecting between clients. Effectively, B2BUA servers are much stronger and intelligent entities that perform actions which Proxy servers cannot. Moreover, B2BUA servers provide a flexible solution for a wide range of applications and services and are becoming the primary engine for more and more SIP servers in NGN and IMS networks.

The difference between Proxy servers and B2BUA servers is sometimes not fully understood. In this article, we will explore what makes B2BUA servers such an appealing alternative to standard Proxy servers. Better understanding of B2BUA servers can help managers understand the value, and the tradeoffs, of choosing a B2BUA server, as well as the frameworks needed to develop a wide range of SIP applications and SIP services using it.

Figure 1 - Architectural difference between Proxy servers and B2BUA servers

B2BUA Server Defined
B2BUA servers are used to provide value added features for point-to-point calls and manage multi-point calls. The power behind a B2BUA server is derived mostly from the fact that it has a very generic definition, which gives it almost unlimited power. However, this same characteristic is the root of the controversy surrounding it.

IETF standard (RFC 3261) defines a back-to-back user agent as “a logical entity that receives a request and processes it as a user agent server (UAS). In order to determine how the request should be answered, it acts as a user agent client (UAC) and generates requests. Unlike a Proxy server, it maintains a dialogue state and must participate in all requests sent on the dialogues it has established.”

B2BUA servers have capabilities that far exceed those of other types of SIP servers, and answer the need for developing sophisticated value added SIP applications that cannot be implemented as Proxy applications.

Some of these capabilities, which are unique to B2BUA servers, are outlined below:

3rd Party Call Control (3PCC) Features
3rd Party Call Control (3PCC) is the ability of an entity (usually a controller) to set up and manage communication between two or more parties. 3PCC is often used for operator services and conferencing.

3PCC actions are important capabilities, exclusive to B2BUA servers since “passive” non call-stateful elements, such as Proxy servers, cannot initiate these types of activities. Some examples of 3PCC services are online billing, QoS, resource prioritization, call transfer, click-to-dial, mid-call announcement and more.

3PCC actions can be initiated automatically by B2BUA server applications, like disconnecting a call following credit expiration in an online-billing system. Or they can be initiated by remote administrative control (OSS), e.g. invite parties to a multi-point conferencing session.

Figure 2 - Schematic outline of B2BUA server offering 3PCC functionality

Inter-working Function (IWF) for Interoperability

SIP was designed as a highly flexible and extendible protocol. The very strength of this flexibility is also an inherent weakness, since the vast array of client types in the market still need to connect.

B2BUA Inter-working Functions (IWF) defines a wide range of powerful SIP servers that connect SIP clients that “speak” in different protocol dialects, or support different capabilities. This Inter-working function is very important in enabling connectivity between clients with different capabilities and/or protocol dialects. Or even between clients and networks – where the B2BUA server actually acts as an access device.

Examples of what IWF can do include:

• Connecting SIP clients to IMS networks by adding and removing IMS SIP protocol extensions (AKA P-Headers) that are essential for connecting to the IMS network
• Connecting clients with different Session Timers settings
• Connecting clients with different media capabilities and with distinct Session Description Protocol (SDP) messages by relaying between the two types of control sessions
• Connecting to different types of networks (e.g. IPv4, IPv6) and support for different transport types, such as TCP/UDP/SCTP/TLS

Figure 3 - Schematic outline of a B2BUA Inter-Working Function

Multi-point Call Management

B2BUA servers an also implement multi-point call scenarios where multiple CPE devices connect to the B2BUA, and the B2BUA provides services to all CPE.

Due to these unique capabilities, B2BUA servers are widely used in the communications industry. A few examples are listed below:

• Online-billing/prepaid functions
• Servers supporting Resource Prioritization (RP) and/or Quality of Service (QoS) features
• Multi Point Conferencing servers
• IVR servers
• PBX Applications and Softswitches
• Application Layer Gateways (ALG)
• FW/NAT Traversal applications
• Privacy servers
• 3rd-Party Call Control Applications (3PCC)
• Service Creation Environment (SCE) runtime engines
• Session Boarder Controller (SBC)
• IMS S-CSCF, P-CSCF, I-CSCF
• SIP Inter-work Function (IWF) Gateway
• Security Gateway (SEG)
• Voice Call Continuity (VCC) servers

In addition, B2BUA servers play an important role in emerging IMS networks. Recent releases of 3GPP IMS specifications (3GPP TS 24.229 V8.0.0) indicate that an increasing number of IMS network element servers, such as P-CSCF, IBCF,SBC etc., are B2BUA servers. The reason for this is that value added services are usually session stateful, and feature capabilities that go beyond basic call proxying. Applications written on top of B2BUA Application servers fulfill several roles, such as SIP User Agents, SIP Proxy servers and SIP Registrars.

B2BUA Server Challenges

B2BUA application developers face many challenges, such as achieving rapid time-to-market, conformance and interoperability, offering customization for proprietary services and support for High Availability (HA) and redundancy. A comprehensive B2BUA framework can help developers overcome these challenges.

A solid B2BUA framework should have modular application building block architecture for increased flexibility, abstraction and short delivery time. Traditional architecture, which features a single configurable state machine, is not flexible enough. Also, a B2BUA framework should facilitate developing B2BUA applications by flexibly linking “pluggable” high-level Modular Application Building Blocks (MABB). Developers should have the ability to combine these MABBs and they should be designed in a way that allows developers to further customize their behavior if needed. This type of architecture complies with contemporary Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) concepts, and is suitable for powering flexible business communication platforms. This modular architecture can save months of work. With a set of MABBs in hand, developing the application is a matter of combining existing MABBs to produce the required business logic. In addition, this architecture enhances efficiency; development of new MABBs can be done concurrently.

A B2BUA framework should facilitate developing applications that fully conform to standards and are interoperable; without restricting developers from customizing protocol behavior for special cases. Moreover, it should conform for non-standard implementations, as well as to mediate between two versions of the same standard. This type of framework allows developers to focus on their proprietary application with the confidence that their final application will be fully interoperable.

And finally, a B2BUA framework should provide the ability to configure, amend and replace application building blocks to create proprietary features. With this ability, developers can maximize existing code – significantly reducing development time, shortening testing cycles, and reducing overall time-to-market.

Figure 4 - Traditional architecture of a B2BUA framework

RADVISION’s B2BUA Application Framework http://www.radvision.com/Products/Developer/SIPServer delivers these capabilities and more. The B2BUA Application Framework module is a part of the RADVISION SIP server Platform, a software framework that offers the essential building blocks for the development of a wide variety of high performance SIP and IMS servers. The rich set of components and modules can be flexibly combined to match customers’ requirements for developing SIP servers that offer both standard and advanced SIP services.

Applications written on top of RADVISION’s B2BUA framework are developed by combining customizable modular application building blocks. This is effectively large chunks of functionality that can be strung together to form ad-hoc applications, enabling developers to focus on the high-level business logic and use building blocks that hide low-level details.

As one of the most popular IM applications, Yahoo! Messenger was the first large consumer player that adopted B2B UA. Yahoo! Messenger combined its backend scalable platform with RADVISION’s B2B UA to serve millions of monthly unique messaging users around the world. Yahoo selected RADVISION’s B2BUA due to its robust performance and scalability features.

Figure 5 - The architecture of RADVISION B2BUA Application Framework

RADVISION also offers automatic High Availability (HA) and Redundancy support. The B2BUA framework automatically replicates the run-time state of the different Services and B2BUA framework core. In the event of a server outage, a redundant server takes over seamlessly and provides uninterrupted service continuity.

B2BUA framework benefits in a nutshell

• Significantly reduces time to market developing proprietary B2B applications and services.
• Allows adding advanced services easily to retain competitive advantage and evolve to meet growing customer demands.
• Focuses on the business logic and hides low level operator communication intricacies.
• Delivers off-the-shelf conformance and interoperability.
• Enables rapid development of applications that can interoperate with different vendors.
• Enables adding high-availability features easily.

Click here http://www.radvision.com/Resources/WhitePapers/b2bua.htm for more extensive information on B2BUA Servers.

By Danny Loeb, RADVISION http://www.radvision.com Product Manager

About The Author
Danny Loeb is a seasoned Product Manager at RADVISION, leading RADVISION’s SIP Server Platform and Server Solutions product family. With over ten years of experience Danny has vast multidisciplinary knowledge in product management, system architecture, integration and development of servers for data communication and voice communication networks. Prior to joining RADVISION, he served as System Integration Manager and System Architect at Charlotte’s Web Networks, a developer of core-IP Terabit Routers, where he lead the foundation of the company’s Remote Presence Solutions Division. Previously, Mr. Loeb served in several positions at Microsoft as part of the Internet Security and Acceleration Development Team.

Broadband Bullfight Heats Up

Competition is (slowly) bringing down bandwidth costs in South Africa
Recently South African cyberspace was given an area code (O87), the country's first report on wireless broadband offerings was released and the cheapest asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) connection was announced.

The suffix 087 was allocated for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) numbers by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), effectively allowing calls routed through the Internet to connect with the traditional tele-coms infrastructure.

It would allow users to dial a 087 number much like a cellphone number and connect to someone who also uses a VoIP system instead of Telkom or a cellular network. The call would be routed through a data system, but be answered using a normal telephone or computer, depending on how it is set up by the service provider.

However, like most other telecoms issues, it is already contentious, with one service provider, Storm, saying Telkom believes it is illegal for Storm to provide voice services and to interconnect with it. Telkom spokesperson Lulu Let-lape explains, "According to Section 14 of the Telecommunications Act, value-added network services (Vans) providers are not permitted to carry voice until the communications minister gazettes a change. According to Telkom, that hasn't changed, that Act still stands".

Ironically, the 087 number range was used for the notorious value-added lines 11 years ago which featured mostly sex chatlines. It is common knowledge that Telkom suffered huge losses when subscribers refused to pay or operators defrauded them by skipping payment.

"Telkom lost a lot of money in the past; could lose a lot of money in the future," says Storm's business development director David Gale. He went on to say that Internet service providers (ISP) and other telecoms providers could form their own interconnect arrangement, and added that the upcoming Convergence Bill would make a challenge to Telkom unnecessary.

There is an effort to lessen the cost of bringing bandwidth into the country even as more complaints emerge about the price of telecoms in South Africa.
Globally, the much-publicised purchase of Internet calling service Skype by eBay for about $4-billion was concluded; while BSkyB, the United Kingdom's largest pay-television group was revealed to be interested in entering the broadband market by acquiring ISP Easynet and offering so-called triple-play services, combining voice calls, broadband Internet access and paid-for television.

Meanwhile, M-Web, which is the largest consumer ISP, announced the lowest monthly ADSL package, but one has to use Telkom's entry level 192kps connection and M-Web's monthly fee, which is the same cost as a normal dial-up.

Broadband access and cost has grown into arguably the most contentious issue after Telkom's call prices and the need to allow access to the "local loop". This is the so-called 'last mile" that connects subscribers to the exchange. The largest portion of the monthly cost is a second rental fee Telkom charges for the ADSL line. Icasa slammed these fees as "exorbitant" after hearings earlier this year into the cost of Telkom's broadband access; following a complaint by the MyADSL.co.za website. The website has emerged as one of Telkom's greatest critics as it is a forum for broadband users, many of whom are disgruntled about the service that Telkom is offering.

While most criticism has been about the cost of doing business and how it retards the country's economic growth the NGO, Sangonet pointed out that it hindered development goals too.

"The high cost of access limits the use of the Internet as a civil society tool and stunts the growth of a culture to use technology as an information tool," Sangonet deputy director Fazila Farouk told ITWeb. She told the information technology website that the 'about' 100 000 civil-society organisations in South Africa - most of which are community based - could use the Internet as a tool for fund-raising, advocacy and working with other constituencies to share information and coordinate development priorities, but cannot do so effectively on dial-up.

Meanwhile, the first wireless broadband report, released by Johannesburg University's department of business information technology and the MyADSL website, found that Sentech's MyWireless was the best on offer. Comparing price, speed, reliability, and support through lab and user testing, the report was a comparative analysis of the wireless alternatives to Telkom's ADSL. MyWireless scored 87%; Vodacom's 3G came second with 81%; WBS's iBurst third with 80%; and MTN's 3G was last with 78%. Ironically, MyWireless has received the worst publicity and there have been complaints of bad service and poor speeds.

By: Bronwen Roberts

Author Bio
You've probably already heard that VoIP could cut a substantial chunk off your company's monthly telecoms bill, and that there is more than one provider that offers the service. Both these facts are true. Storm makes it so easy for you to implement VoIP that you'll barely realise it's happened until your vastly reduced phone bill arrives.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com

Cell Phone Insurance - Look Before You Buy

Our cell phones are a life line, a work tool, and in some cases, the tie that binds families. To be without a cell phone is unimaginable for many but it is a reality that they are faced with at some time as record numbers of handsets are lost, stolen, or rendered useless each year. However, in a nation that attempts to insure every possession, cell phone insurance is available.

Numerous insurers have popped up in recent years promising to end the turmoil caused by the unexpected absence of these handy devices. These companies reassure us that we won't go more than a matter of hours when a cell phone is stolen as they strive to quickly resolve claims and replace our valuable goods. But is this insurance really cost effective? Does it provide the service that consumers anticipate? Potential buyers need to take the time to seek out the details of a policy before deciding that such insurance is a solution to the issue of a cell phone gone missing or bad.

When reviewing a cell phone insurance policy, buyers should consider a few things:

Consider the cost of the coverage.

This includes the monthly payments times the number of months the owner anticipates having the phone. For instance, a $5/month policy held on a phone that is owned for 3 years would total $180. That is $5 x 36 months = $180. Now the potential buyer must also factor in any deductible. For our example lets say there is a $50 deductible. The new total of $230 represents what the buyer would actually be paying if indeed their phone had to be replaced. Consumers need to compare the cost of a new, equivalent cell phone compared to the cost of the coverage. If they can obtain a new phone on their own for nearly the same amount as the cost of the policy, they are better off forgoing the insurance.

How are cell phones replaced?

Is there a guarantee that the phone will be replaced with a model of equivalent or better value? A guarantee that the phone will be new rather than refurbished? Is there language assuring the time frame in which the phone will be replaced? These types of questions will help determine whether or not the service will meet the needs for immediacy in obtaining a replacement and if the replacement will be inferior or equivalent to the original equipment.

What does the cell phone insurance policy cover?

Does the policy apply to cell phone theft, cell phone loss, and significant damage? It is important to know which situations are covered and which are most likely to occur. If the policy does not cover the situations that a particular buyer is most concerned with, then the policy is useless to them. Many policies will differentiate between loss and theft; sometimes requiring a police report for thefts.

Know what the cellular provider can do in these instances

Some cellular providers are willing to help replace a damaged or missing cell phone that a user has had for more than a year. In some cases, a replacement will be provided or discounted, minimizing the need for the additional protection of cell phone insurance.

Like any type of insurance coverage, cell phone insurance could provide significant assistance in quickly replacing a vital device that an owner can not afford to replace in some circumstances. However, in many instances it is merely an added expense. Consumers need to carefully review the policy to determine whether or not it offers the type of protection they need for their cell phone.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Telecommunications Future

Telecommunications has become one of the most important infrastructures that are very essential to the socio-economic well-being of any nation. The globalization of world economy has further amplified the importance of telecommunications to the economy. The telecommunication sector is one of the fastest-growing. Telecommunications is at a crossroads, local telephone companies threatened by wireless communication. Voice over IP challenges established structures of pricing and taxation.

The future success of telecommunication services will be determined by a carrier’s ability to better understand the opposed needs of various types of consumer and business customers, providing substitute services modified to the needs of each market. Those networks that offer user-integrated applications and whose providers aggressively market their network services will thrive in the years ahead. Furthermore, it is not inevitably the technology linked with the network design that will guarantee its business success, but rather the application solutions and marketing strategies of the industry participants. The accomplishment or collapse of a carrier will be determined by the effective promotion of networks as incorporated business system solutions. The different types of network architectures used in communications networks, including existing networks and newer technology still being deployed. Insight examines the capabilities of each network, their investment costs, subscribers, future directions, and convergence migration, providing a thorough analysis of network architecture evolution.

In our assessment of which networks will dominate the future of telecom, we have excavated it from current developments. We believe the market forces accelerating the pace of change and investment in telecommunications will be inhibited by the industry’s ability to attract deep-seated ideas. The likely result of current market will be enlarging segmentation of the market, with diverse structure helping different segments of the user and business markets.

source:http://www.alphatalk.com/future_telecommunication.asp

VoIP Phone System - Do You Want These 5 Advantages For Your Business?

New technologies such as IP Telephony don't just replace previous ones but allow much greater functionality, increased productivity, enhanced customer service and lower costs than prior technologies. Here are just a few ideas for you to ponder.

Your IP Telephone System provides the following advantages:

* Seamless extension dialing between all your locations on your private network, or even over the public Internet, is relatively easy and much less costly than traditional means. All your offices can be "tied together" to act as one large office no matter where in the world they are located. This also provides the advantage of eliminating long distance charges between your locations.

* IP Telephony creates lower cost and greater functionality advantages from carrier services. With IP Telephony you can connect all your offices together on your own private network. Or you can use the "quasi-private" network of a carrier.

This means you use one service provider to provide the voice trunks at each office. Your voice traffic between offices stays on the private network of the carrier. Your voice traffic never has to travel through the public internet.

If done correctly you have the advantage of carrying your voice traffic over the same network that carries your data traffic between offices but through the service provider you have Quality of Service to give voice priority over data. This will also give you a lower cost than the traditional means of a totally private network connecting your offices.

* Easily and economically connecting home based workers. Your home based worker can be easily connected to your office phone system with a high speed connection such as DSL or cable Internet. Your worker takes a phone from your office and connects it to that Internet connection. Or your worker uses a "soft phone" which is software on their computer at home that functions like a telephone.

That physical phone or soft phone, located anywhere in the world, is now a phone on your office phone system with all the individual settings that worker has on their phone at the office. Someone calls your office and the call automatically rings the phone at your worker's home. The caller doesn't know where the person they're calling is located. This arrangement can even work for a small one, two, or three person branch office.

* Easily and economically connecting traveling workers. Imagine you're traveling and staying at a hotel with a high speed Internet connection. You have a "soft phone" on your laptop computer. You can use a headset on your laptop or a handset that plugs into a USB port on your computer. The handset acts just like the handset on your phone at the office. You can now receive and make calls through your soft phone just like you're at your office. Callers will ring through to your soft phone.

You can be located anywhere in the world and the person you call or calls you won't know where you are. If you're going to be away for an extended period of time, you may even want to take a regular office phone and set it up on your Internet connection. This arrangement makes use of IP Telephony for your office combined with VOIP using the Internet. IP Telephony makes all this easily possible at a lower cost than traditional systems.

Home based and traveling workers can also go into your office, in fact any of your office locations, and simply "log in" to your phone system just like they log in to your computer system. Once logged in all their phone settings are automatically provided to the phone in which they log in. This just wasn't easy or feasible to do economically prior to IP Telephony.

* Software upgrades are much easier and can be performed by you instead of paying the telephone equipment vendor to do them.

There are many more benefits to IP Telephony. This brief overview should be enough to peak your interest to continue your investigation. You don't need to make a total swap out of your current phone system. It is possible to gradually introduce an IP Telephone System into your organization and interface it to legacy systems.

Don't just improve the way you currently do business! Explore the strategic business applications and implications of IP Telephony. New technologies such as IP Telephony don't just replace previous ones but allow much greater functionality, increased productivity, enhanced customer service and lower costs than prior technologies.

Expand the possibilities of conducting your business in ways you never thought possible. All major phone system manufacturers are investing their research and development dollars into development of their IP Phone Systems. Thousands of companies have already converted to it. There must be a reason or two or twenty.

Specifically, we consult on IP Telephone System Decisions, Service Provider Decisions for Voice and Data Services, and Services Audits to Inventory All Services and Discover Unused Services. We do all this within a framework of Vendor-Neutral Consulting.

Copyright 2007 Mass Strategic Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you do not edit the article in any way. You must leave all of the links active and include the full author name credit with company profile.


About The Author

Ed Mass, President, Mass Strategic Communications, Inc., a telecommunications consulting firm since 1993. Visit http://www.voip-telephone-system.com and http://www.masscom.com. The firm specializes in Transforming Telecommunications from a Tactical Tool To a Strategic Business Resource.