AireSpring Data/SIP Review

AireSpring offers a broad range of telecommunications services for customers ranging from small businesses with just a few lines all the way up to full enterprise coverage.  Product offerings extend to not just local and long distance voice calls, but also include high-volume data applications: 

High-volume local and long distanceVoIP / SIP (local and long-distance)High-bandwidth data (up to 10 Mbps)Conference CallingMultiple-location and enterprise networks 

If you have a standard PBX requiring a TDM handoff, AireSpring’s offers Dynamic X,  a T-1 line which brings together voice and data over the same line.  Instead of being forced to allocate fixed percentages of your bandwidth to either voice or data,  Dynamic X, as it name suggests, dynamically allocates your bandwidth to voice or data (across up to 16 IP addresses), giving voice calls priority when needed. 

If your PBX is IP-enabled, AireSpring offers traditional SIP trunking.  Get rid of your copper phone lines and PRI (T-1 service) completely and go exclusively over the Internet for your phone service.  Because calls go out over the Internet, AireSpring can use least-cost routing to cut your phone bills.  Trunks start at just $8 each per month.   

As with all SIP-based systems, available bandwidth will be the primary factor determining how many simultaneous calls your phone system will be able to handle.  Make sure you have enough to handle your calls plus your anticipated data needs.  

AireSpring also offers virtual DIDs (local phone numbers) as a way to reduce your use of expensive 800 numbers.  Let’s say you are based in New York, but you get a lot of 800 number calls from Chicago.  Drop the 800 number and replace it with a virtual DID in Chicago for 50¢ per month (including usage).  It works like a local number for your customers but costs you much less. 

SIP trunking is entirely Internet based, so all the features available in your headquarters are available to your entire network. You will no longer be location-dependent for your phone service. Callers won’t see a difference between an extension in your office and an at-home worker or someone calling from on the road.  And all calls between and among network users will be free. 

If you have an existing data or voice network running across multiple carriers, AireSpring’s offers a Virtual Private Network (VPN) offering Multiple Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) a technology which enables packets to be switched between carriers regardless of the transmission protocols involved.  Run all your  traffic -voice, video and data – over a single network. 

Pricing for the company’s varying product offerings is based on a number of factors, including: 

The number of concurrent calls you want your system to be able to handleThe combination you want of local, long distance, data and teleconferencingThe types of equipment you have and its locations. 

 AireSpring has negotiated deals with Tier-1 carriers and currently covers 95% of the United States.

According to the company website, the network is designed to accommodate large-volume and high-capacity users.  Partner companies include such well-known names as Verizon, Global Crossing and Qwest. 

AireSpring, is a privately-held company located in Van Nuys, California, and can be reached at 1-800-825-1055.  For support, call 888-389-2899 or visit www.airespring.com.

VoicePulse SIP Overview

VoicePulse is a supplier of VoIP Telephony services aimed mostly at the residential (SOHO) and small business market, with the ability to serve larger customers and resellers as needed.  VoicePulse services use SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) technology that routes calls over the Internet instead of traditional phone company copper lines.

VoicePulse is primarily a supplier of services.  Although it does provide routers for certain service plans, VoicePulse customers generally supply their own PBX hardware and phones.  VoicePulse’s phone service includes a comprehensive range of features, included three-way calling, caller-ID with name, call waiting with caller-ID name, call return (*69) and call transfer. 

Other features enable you to block selected calls (such as telemarketers or calls without caller-ID) and to filter which calls get through and which ones won’t.  Also included are additional features such as speed-dialing and distinctive rings.

There are five basic service plans listed on the company’s website: 

Outgoing Long Distance (50 US States) call minutesAs low as 1.5¢ / Minute (Lower 48 states only)Outgoing Local and Regional US Calls*Cost/Min. Varies (see website)Cost/Min. Varies (see website)

*See website for breakdown of what comprises local and regional calls 

** Customer is responsible for providing SIP-compliant equipment.  SIP trunking typically comes with enough bandwidth for four simultaneous calls.  Additional simultaneous call c\apacity costs $20 per call.

As with most suppliers of VoIP, there is an entire laundry list of services and features available at an extra cost.  With VoicePulse, that list of extras includes phone numbers, activations, conference-calling capabilities (free with Business Unlimited only), virtual numbers (local numbers in another area code) and more.  Check the website carefully to be sure what will cost extra and what is included.

VoicePulse also offers custom “solutions” for such applications as large offices (20+ users), call centers, colleges and universities, and a wide variety of wholesalers / resellers of VoIP services.

VoicePulse is a privately-held company headquartered in North Brunswick, New Jersey.  They can be reached at 732-339-5100.  Customer service can be reached at the same number on weekdays between 9 am and 5 pm EST.

BroadVox SIP Overview

Broadvox is a supplier of low-cost SIP telephone service, which saves you money by routing calls over the Internet instead of over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), also known as the phone company. By using its own, proprietary network instead of the phone company’s twisted-copper wires, you get much higher quality calls at a lower price.

You can gradually migrate your phone service from old-style Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) technology to the newer digital Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) used in Broadvox’s Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems. In this new method, your phone call gets converted into data packets, and it travels the Internet the same way as a YouTube video or a spreadsheet.

Broadvox’s basic product is called Go!Anywhere, and it allows unlimited local and long distance

calling, with what the company says will be a roughly 70% savings over the traditional telephone company. You can use your existing equipment or get an Internet-Enabled PBX system. The basic service costs $35 per concurrent call session, with a minimum of 3 sessions required. Prices drop for all services if you contract for more than 1 year of service. Incoming phone service is available for an additional fee, in increments of 5,000 minutes, starting at a little over 3 cents per minute. Or for 3.5 cents per minute a la carte.

The company also offers two variations of the program, one called Go!Local, which features unlimited local calling with the option of adding long-distance. Go!Domestic is a plan for call or contact centers that use T-1 lines. It eliminates the local component of incoming calls, reducing the cost per minute.

To all three of the above programs, the program offers the ability to add extras, such as enhanced local numbers, with which you can customize the outgoing caller ID information, virtual numbers, directory listings and local number portability.

Finally, Broadvox offers wholesale call origination and termination services for resellers.

The company has an extensive group of partner companies with which it works to provide the best possible level of service. Hardware partners include such well-known names as Alcatel / Lucent and Cisco. It also works with more than 35 vendors of IP phones, PBXs and other equipment, to be sure that their equipment is compatible with its networks.

Broadvox is a privately-held company headquartered in Dallas, Texas with it Network Operations Center in Cleveland, Ohio. It can be reached in Dallas at 213-646-8000 and in Cleveland at 216-373-4600.

Shoretel PBX Phone Systems

Shoretel offers VoIP hardware and systems designed for companies with multiple locations.  With built-in “N+1 redundancy”, Shoretel systems are designed to keep working even if you experience a failure in your network.   

The company offers three main system components – switches, phones and software – designed to work together to create a phone system oriented toward companies with geographically-dispersed operations – sales offices or manufacturing plants, for example – that need seamless phone communications. 

The Switch Is The Thing 

At the heart of Shoretel systems are its voice switches.  Available in capacities from 30 to 120 phones (analog trunking), 30-90 phones (BRI trunking) and 220 phones (digital – PRI – trunking) the switches are scalable, enabling systems as large as 10,000 users.  The overall architecture, according to the company, incorporates n+1 redundancy (every connection has at least one alternate) to keep your phone system up and running, even in the event of a network failure.   

Each switch operates as an independent call processor, even when separated from its servers.  As you mix and match switches, all functions remain integrated, including voicemail and auto-attendants.  Shoretel call this a “distributed architecture”. 

The Phones Are Another Thing 

Shoretel offers phones ranging from basic to full featured. 

At the high end is the model IP 565g, which feature eight buttons, six lines, a color display, full-duplex speakerphone and bluetooth for use with a wireless headset.  The IP 565g also includes integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet and full VPN connectivity, enabling it to be used outside of company firewalls with a high degree of security.   

Shoretel offers additional phones with fewer features at lower prices.  At the low end of its offerings the IP 110 is a single-line phone suitable for a waiting room or lobby. 

The Software is The Third Thing 

Shoretel also offers a number of software programs to enhance the usefulness of the phone systems it sells.  ShoreWare Call Manager, for example, is a computer-based program which enables users to switch and move seamlessly among video, voice and IM. Other programs include:

Contact center is a program for call centers than manages call routing, enabling you to run a contact center from multiple locations as easily as ou could a centralized call center. Converged Conferencing simplifies the use of audio conferencing, desktop and application sharing, instant messaging, virtual meeting rooms, on-line presentations, and multi-media recording by providing a unified interface.Other available programs include time tracking and billing, SalesForce Integration and more.

Shoretel products are available through a network of channel partners (dealers), so it is difficult to say what prices will be.  We did find a large purchasing consortium on the Internet, so to give you a sense of costs, here are a few excerpts (your prices may vary):

ShoreGear 90V  Analog Switch with 90 phones & voicemail boxes  $3,140.75 each

IP 565 Phone   Top of the line IP phone (silver)         509.15 each

Operator Call Manager Operator Call Manager Software Program        505.75 each 

Shoretel offers e-mail and telephone support, and makes available to its customers a variety of learning tools through “Shoretel University” including FAQs, training and reference guides and other downloadable materials. 

Shoretel is traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol SHOR.  The company, located in Sunnyvale, California, can be reached at 800-425-9385 or 1-408-331-3300 and is on the web at shoretel.com.  Customer support can be reached at 800-742-2348.

Ingate SIP Firewalls Overview

As much time as we spend worying about data security, how many of us give a lot of thought to the security of our voice communications?  If you are a lawyer, accountant or scientist, for example, you probably talk about private and confidential matters on the phone without really worrying about someone eavesdropping on your conversation. 

But once you switch to the digitally-driven SIP environment of VoIP, the possibility that your conversation can be intercepted and overheard multiplies dramatically.  Hackers using packet sniffers and such well-known tools as VOMIT (we’re not kidding – google it) can intercept and turn your private conversations into .wav files they can listen to on any PC. 

Ingate supplies products that can reduce the chances someone will overhear what you say in conversations on an IP phone.   

First and foremost they make SIP firewalls.  Many personal and corporate firewalls –  especially many of the larger corporate legacy systems don’t recognize SIP (the protocol under which VoIP runs) so those calls don’t get the protection of a firewall.  Ingate makes firewalls in 5 models, ranging in capccity from 10 to 50 users.  All firewalls come complete with all the needed software to replace your existing firewall, including full NAT (network address translation) and PAT (port address translation) and TLS (transport layer security) support for encrypted instant messaging.   

If you have a substantial investment in your firewall and don’t want to replace it, Ingate also makes the aptly-named Siparator that connects to our existing firewall. SIParators offer all the functionality of the Ingate firewall.  The Siparator examines every packet of information coming into or going out of your network and blocks those that don’t belong. 

Employees who routinely work and place calls away from your office have unique security concerns. If you now have, or want to add, employees who will work outside of the system protected by your firewall, Ingate offers a software-based VPN (Virtual Private Network) program. Using strong encryption (AES, 3DES or IDSec encryption algorithms) this module enables you to establish a secure link over the internet and between networks without having to use a dedicated line.  It can communicate with any VPN client using IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) or IKE (Internet Key Exchange).  VPN is included with all firewalls and SIParators. 

Ingate is a great company with tons of great insight and information.  We highly suggest their services. 

Finally, for even more security, Ingate offers its Enhanced Security Module.  This software add-on supports both the IDS (Intrusion Detection System) and IPS (Intusion Protection System) and encrypts all real-time communications.  It supports both TLS (Transport Layer Security) and offers SRTP (Support For Realtime Protocol), and includes encryption, authentication and replay protection. 

Keep in mind that the more layers of security you use, the greater the chance that you will introduce noticable lag into your communications.  The manufacturer can best advise you as to how to protect the security of your voice calls without slowing them down. 

Other Ingate products include a QoS (Quality of Speech) module, which enables you to monitor calls and assess how to improve the quality of transmission, and a Remote SIP Connectivity module, which allopws you to extend SIP features and performance to remote locations, even when they are behind non-SIP-aware firewalls. 

Ingate is owned by Ingate Systems AB of Stockholm, Sweden.  They can be reached at +46-(0)8-600 77 50 or at ingate.com.  In the U.S., the company is located in Hollis, New Hampshire and can be reached at 603-883-6568.  Customer service can be accessed via e-mail at support  (@) ingate.com.  Because they are located in Sweden, the company’s customer support hours are from 2 am to 11 am EST, and they can be reached at +46-13-21 08 52.

SureVoIP become Best Business ITSP (SME) Finalist in The ITSPA 2011 Awards thanks to FreeSWITCH!

Aberdeen-based internet telephony service provider SureVoIP has been shortlisted for a prestigious industry award.
The company is one of six finalists in the ‘Best Business ITSP (Internet Telephony Service Provider) for SMEs’ category of the 2011 ITSPA (Internet Telephony Service Providers’ Association) Awards.
The winner of the accolade – presented to the company which the judging panel deems provides the best service for small and medium business users – will be announced at an awards ceremony in the iconic BT Tower in London, on Monday, March 7.
In order to make the shortlist, SureVoIP had to undergo a rigorous assessment process, which involved providing comprehensive details on its service offering, as well as a period of technical testing.
The testing element of the assessment stage entailed over 1000 calls being made via SureVoIP’s internet telephony lines over a 3 month period to measure a number of metrics including voice quality, delays and background noise.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) offers significant improvements to the flexibility, speed and cost of global communication through transmitting voice and multimedia communication through the Internet, as opposed to the fast-disappearing Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
Gavin Henry, Managing Director of SureVoIP – which became the first company in Scotland to achieve ITSPA Quality Mark accreditation in December 2010 – commented on the company making the shortlist:

“We are thrilled to be in the running for such a highly respected industry award.
“Being named as a finalist is a major, exciting achievement for SureVoIP, particularly considering the company has only been operating for a matter of months, having been launched in November 2010, but with all services being quality tested over the previous year before launch.
“Making the shortlist – which involved SureVoIP being assessed by top industry professionals – highlights the exceptional quality of service we already provide customers with and bodes well for the future success of the company”.
“We couldn't have done this without FreeSWITCH and the FreeSWITCH community”

SureVoIP, which is a division of IT and telecoms support specialist, the Suretec Group, was established to harness and utilise the vast technical expertise and experience with VoIP suppliers, which the group had acquired through its initial services relating to VoIP consultancy.
Established in Scotland in 2003, the Suretec Group specialises in open source IT support and consultancy, open source telecoms and training in open source software. SureVoIP is the fourth division within the group, which also includes Suretec Systems, Suretec Telecoms and Suretec Training.

SureVoIP, a UK ITSP based in Scotland and FreeSWITCH

SureVoIP is Scotland's First Dedicated Internet Telephony Service Provider.

Suretec recently got approval from Ofcom, the U.K. communications regulator, to assign U.K. telephone numbers. Therefore, SureVoIP can assign phone numbers across the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. The company is also authorised to supply global numbers for over 60 countries.

This is unique in the Scottish market, because other companies act as "middle-men" between clients and service providers.

SureVoIP is partnering with British Telecom (BT) through a VoIP Interconnect to offer clients added benefits. SureVoIP has also partnered with Xconnect on their Global Alliance program, as well as two other U.K. VoIP carriers.

SureVoIP also provides 24/7 emergency telephone support.

Gavin Henry, managing director of SureVoIP, and founding member of the Suretec Group, said, "Our journey to securing the approval from Ofcom has been long and complex, involving the submission of detailed business plans, demonstrating an in-depth knowledge of the Communications Act 2003, various legal requirements, help from ITSPA (we've worked so hard that we will soon be getting the ITSPA Quality Mark), documentation and a significant investment in equipment throughout the U.K. With out FreeSWITCH and the FreeSWITCH community this would not have been possible."

"Our position as an Ofcom regulated service provider will make us a preferred supplier, as we are ideally placed to offer a holistic and competitive service to clients within the North-east of Scotland and beyond," Henry said. "The applications of VoIP technology are clear and we see it being of particular interest to the oil and gas, shipping, legal and financial industries as they need to make international, reliable and cost effective communications as a basic function."

"FreeSWITCH has been instrumental in passing interoperability testing with all carriers and especially BT. It's scales so well that our hardware usage is kept to the minimum needed to power our reliable and fault tolerant core platform. We also use FreeSWITCH and FusionPBX to power our hosted platforms, oh and let's not forget OpenSIPS and PostgreSQL."

"We're all about Open Source software and it's no secret that millions of customers and consumers worldwide benefit from projects like FreeSWITCH, even if they don't know it. The community behind FreeSWITCH is always so responsive. The IRC channel is brilliant, the mailing list is brilliant as is the commercial support available from the project team, which is also second to none. It's actually quite hard to fault the project at all", says Gavin Henry.

Established in Scotland in 2003, the Suretec Group specializes in open source IT support and consultancy, open source telecoms and training in open source software. SureVoIP is the fourth division within the group, which also includes Suretec Systems, Suretec Telecoms and Suretec Training.