Cbeyond Launches IP Peering Initiative

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Cbeyond and a number of leading IP telephony vendors, including Avaya, BroadSoft, Centrepoint Technologies, Cisco Systems, and Mitel, have developed a draft best practices document to guide interoperability between IP PBXs and VoIP service provider networks. The newly released, publicly available SIPconnect Interface Specification leverages the existing family of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and other Voice over IP protocols published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

The rapid deployment of IP PBXs in business customers and the transition to VoIP by service providers has created an opportunity for direct IP peering between IP PBXs and VoIP-enabled service providers. Direct IP peering between business customers and service providers allows for greater network and cost efficiencies, and provides a higher quality of service and increased features and functionality. Specifically, direct IP peering serves to lower costs for business customers, reduce voice latency, and provide for end-to-end SIP signaling for PSTN termination. End-to-end SIP signaling and a pure IP bearer path lay the foundation for richer communication services than offered by the PSTN today, which are essential to the future of packet-based communications.

Driven by Cbeyond’s service requirements, SIPconnect fosters direct IP interoperability among businesses with IP PBXs and service providers by providing a consistent, industry standards-based approach to interconnection using SIP and other standard VoIP protocols. Cbeyond is making the document public in order to gain industry-wide approval of the interface and service.

Cbeyond Communications and vendors Avaya, BroadSoft, Centrepoint Technologies, Cisco Systems, and Mitel have all indicated their intention to develop products and services that comply with the new draft specification. “Cisco Systems is excited by Cbeyond’s plans to deliver a service interconnecting IP-based businesses and VoIP Service Providers via an end-to-end IP infrastructure.” stated Vikas Butaney, Director of Product Marketing for Cisco Systems. “This offers future opportunity to extend the VoIP and rich-media services enabled by IP-PBXs within a single enterprise out across the Service Provider network and between enterprises." Cisco Systems has indicated that Cisco Call Manager Express and Cisco AS5000 Gateway products already comply with the requirements of the SIPconnect Interface Specification.

Jim Davies, Chief Technology Officer of Mitel, also contributed to the development of SIPconnect. "This initiative is an important step toward clarifying among PBX developers how to build a VoIP interface that will be supported with the same consistency and ubiquity as traditional PSTN services," said Davies. "I believe that the industry as a whole will move rapidly toward the support of SIPconnect on its IP PBX products."

---In a separate release---

ATLANTA -– Cbeyond Communications, a Managed Services Provider and a leader in Voice over IP (VoIP), announces the enhancement of its BeyondVoice integrated voice and broadband Internet service packages to support direct IP peering with IP PBXs using the SIPconnect Interface Specification. BeyondVoice with SIPconnect allows Cbeyond’s small business customers to connect an IP-based key system or PBX directly to Cbeyond’s VoIP network via industry-standard SIP protocol without investment in VoIP gateways or the recurring expense of traditional TDM voice services such as analog lines or PRI circuits. Customers can now enjoy the ability to place and receive traditional PSTN calls, and a broad range cost savings, service benefits and enhanced features made possible by a pure VoIP interface.

BeyondVoice with SIPconnect starts at $495 per month and supports 1.5 Mbps to 4.5 Mbps of symmetric, high quality Internet access and anywhere from 5 to 48 active calls. Breaking the traditional mold of ‘telephone lines”, using SIPconnect a customer can now purchase their service based on the number of active or simultaneous calls they anticipate making at a given time. In addition, small businesses can now take advantage of Direct Inward Dial (DID); a “big business” feature that gives each employee their own phone number. Direct IP peering between the customer’s IP PBX and Cbeyond’s VoIP network eliminates the need for the customer to purchase and maintain a VoIP gateway; resulting in an initial and on-going cost savings for the customer.

“Cbeyond is proud to offer this first of its kind product specifically designed for interconnecting IP PBXs with a service providers VoIP network,” stated Brooks Robinson, Chief Marketing Officer of Cbeyond Communications. “In late 2004 we began seeing more IP PBXs being sold than traditional TDM PBXs. We have developed an integrated package of voice, broadband Internet and enhanced applications tailored specifically to meet the demands of this large and growing market,” Robinson said.

Cbeyond Communications