AUSTIN, Texas -- General Bandwidth, a leading Voice over IP equipment manufacturer enabling rapid deployment and new service revenue generation over broadband networks, announces its IP PBX Network Trunking solution for service providers seeking to offer a differentiated PBX trunking service to their enterprise customers. This unique solution eliminates equipment costs for enterprise customers with IP PBX systems while enabling a single, converged voice and data connection back into the service provider network.

Enterprise customers are accelerating their purchases of IP PBX systems to deliver enhanced VoIP services and to reduce their overall telephony costs, but they have been forced to accept the higher equipment and network costs of connecting to the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) for calls outside their enterprise network. These costs are driven by their need to support two different network connections from their local service provider: circuit-based connections to the PSTN and packet-based broadband lines for their high-speed data access.

With General Bandwidth's IP PBX Network Trunking solution, which is available today, service providers can eliminate voice and data facility duplication, including the expense associated with T-1/E-1 and PRI facilities, SONET infrastructure, and other access equipment commonly used to provide voice services to enterprises. Switch ports can be dramatically reduced, and premises-based gateways and integrated access devices (IADs) are eliminated. The service provider simply offers a data facility and telephone numbers or voice trunks. In addition, the solution can easily be bundled into a network service and equipment sale by service providers or their agents.

"As more enterprise end users migrate to IP PBX solutions, service providers need to adapt their service offerings to leverage the cost benefits of VoIP," said Charles Vogt, General Bandwidth's president and chief executive officer. "Our IP PBX Network Trunking solution is a new and innovative application many of our service provider partners plan to offer their SME customers"

General Bandwidth Inc.