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 Frequently Asked Questions About VoIPnet
VoIPnet Capabilities
About Security
Getting Started
What is VoIPnet? The service has an extensive, standard set of Class-5 features, such as voice mail, conferencing, and the Personal Locator (find me/follow me). Additional features include call center functionality, client-billing VoIPnet is a flexible, adaptive new approach to communications; it can connect to an existing dialtone network or replace it with a managed IP network—as an application, not as new infrastructure— VoIPnet is based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), a method by which voice is digitized and transmitted in digital packets rather than using traditional circuit-committed protocols of the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The IP concept is similar to the PSTN, except that instead of telephones, it uses computers, and instead of telephone numbers, every telephone has a unique IP Address. Thus, IP telephones use IP addresses. Probably the most significant difference with VoIP, as compared to PSTN, is that backbone-trunking resources are not assigned in a dedicated, predictable manner to support a voice call. Instead, trunk Advanced IP telephony includes many enhanced features, such as voice mail, conferencing, presentation viewing, and unified messaging for cell and PDA devices. These service applications reside on hosted network servers, which deliver very fast response and provide all the features of VoIPnet. What does VoIPnet actually do? VoIPnet offers a new fully hosted VoIP service that replaces the need for a premises-based phone system and the multiple vendors required to provide popular applications like voice mail, conferencing, What are the benefits of using VoIPnet? This service allows small and medium businesses and multi-site enterprises to gain control over communications expenses and management difficulties associated with PBXs and IP/PBXs by migrating to a new network-based hosted solution. VoIPnet has all the features and functions of a very robust IP-PBX system, yet it has better user interfaces and features than most IP-PBXs on the market today. This hosted IP-Centrex offering promotes CapEx savings and on-going cost savings due to browserbased Moves, Adds, and Changes, on-net calling between offices, and bundled applications that businesses usually purchase separately (for example, voice mail, conferencing, and unified messaging). How does this type of solution differ from other Internet-based call management solutions on the market? VoIPnet is hosted in a carrier-grade network, not the Internet. The applications were built with a browser-based model in mind, making it easy for your company to administer, manage, and update your features (such as speed dial keys, phone templates, and moves, adds, and changes) as if it’s your own system. Therefore, a PBX is not required—only phones. Other Web-based portals, such as those offered by Vonage, are simply PC-based solutions with a Web-enabled front-end for making calls over the Internet. VoIPnet gives your users the same voice quality they have been accustomed to with your PBX, unlike other VoIP solutions that may transport voice traffic over the Internet. What kind of savings can my company expect? This depends on the size of the business, the type of service you currently have, and other solutions you are currently considering. A return-on-investment (ROI) calculator available with the service can Once your order the service, VoIPnet will contact your technical and/or office representative (via e-mail) to confirm the details for setting up the service. You will have your own Group Web Portal, separate from your personalized PCM, which will allow your organization to, for example, perform moves, adds, changes for any user, maintain a company directory, and administer hunt groups. From an operator’s perspective, this is very much like owning an in-house PBX or Key system, without the difficulties of managing a physical piece of equipment. Since this Web-based interface is also hosted in the VoIPnet Network, the administrator can manage a remote office, or work on changes from home or anywhere he or she has access to an Internet connection. You can’t do this with an in-house system, and the VoIPnet interface is much easier and intuitive to use than any PBX (or IP-PBX) on the market. What service components are associated with VoIPnet? VoIPnet provides your organization a complete spectrum of local, long-distance and dedicated Internet access functionality. Specific service components delivered to customers depend on the VoIPnet package selected. You can choose from four service plans: Basic, Enhanced, Premium, or Trunk Replacement. What is the difference between voice mail and Unified Messaging? There are two options for messaging: 1) standard voice mail solution is hosted and accessed verbally though your phone keys as most systems work today, and 2) Unified Messaging, which allows your company to access voice messages and send voice mail through e-mail. Your employees can “see” who called them and listen to their voice messages on their PC via Microsoft Outlook. So what about QoS? Is VoIPnet able to guarantee that a user’s voice quality won't degrade when the network or Internet is busy? VoIPnet performs traffic engineering on a per-customer basis. In addition, VoIPnet is transmitted over a managed IP network, not the Internet. This network is engineered for voice traffic. If the Internet is busy, it will only effect the response time of your PCM, which you do not need in order to use your phone and make calls. What phones does VoIPnet support? Is any additional equipment necessary to attach those phones to the service? The service will work with any analog phone using ATA devices (no LCD support possible), most SIP compliant IP phones such as Cisco IP phones, Polycom IP phones, Aestra 480i IP phone, Sipura 841 IP phone, LG LIP6812, LG LIP6830 IP phones as well as SIP soft phone clints such as Xten and Microsoft Messenger. The service will also work with your existing PBX with the use of IAD's (integrated access device) or SIP Trunk Gateways. We are constantly certifying new IP endpoints for use on our platform, so if you dont see your IP phone listed here, please contact us for a complete listing. What about E-911, Local Numbering Plans and the miscellaneous that goes along with offering a complete solution? VoIPnet currently offers the most sophisticated e-911 on the line-side and works with the Class 5 to support the trunk-side, network-facing functions of e-911, LNP, and 800 services. Our e-911 solution has unique capabilities that, for example, address the situation in which a business has multiple locations all served by the hosted service but the business has moved a phone number from one location to another. Since 911 requires the call to be routed to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) associated with the physical location, we have a technique that allows us to ensure the 911 call is routed to the correct PSAP with the correct phone number. Here’s another example that What kinds of reports are available to end-users to manage this service? The Group Web Portal provides your users with a report that allowsthem to view each phone number and the services assigned and provisioned to that phone number. Every time a change is made to an account, the report is automatically updated and can be viewed from any Internet connection. You’ll be able to keep this as they do today. It will be treated as another DID number on the hosted service. What if my organization needs call accounting codes and billing codes? VoIPnet has the ability to assign as many codes as you like, based on users, projects, and clients, for example. At the end of the billing cycle, these calls can be separated out by account/billing code, so you What about security? Could someone “hack into” VoIPnet customers’ networks? The hosted communications servers are fully secured in the network, thereby ensuring that only authorized end users and network servers can access the system. What about redundancy and fail-over capabilities? The service is engineered to be as reliable as any other carrier-grade network product. Since all of the data is stored in the network, the data itself is intact. What happens to voice quality when several users are making calls, and several others are making large data transfers? When you evaluate the service, we will determine what the correct bandwidth will be required for your number of employees, as well as an evaluation of your LAN. So the system will be provisioned and installed to ensure voice quality, and the number of users and/or data being transmitted won’t have an effect on voice quality. What if a customer has a firewall? How would it work? They have multiple approaches for delivering IP telephony while keeping their firewall intact. The solution operates outside of the firewall and can utilize a Network Address Translation (NAT) device that only allows voice calls to the specific IP addresses through the firewall. In case of failure of any component, is there any impact on service? In the event of a failure, the impact on service is very limited, if at all perceptible. In fact, the system was designed to isolate failures from the users, so any calls that are in progress will remain “up” in the event
If your company workload is focused around the telephone, VoIPnet could help you significantly improve your telecommunications efficiency and your bottom line. In addition, if your company has telecommuters and small, remote offices functioning in the same communications environment as headquarters, then your company is a good fit. Companies operating in industries such as financial services, legal services, travel agencies, real estate offices, government, and higher-education organizations can also benefit from using VoIPnet. What does my organization need to do to get ready for VoIPnet? Your company should perform a qualification/provisioning checklist to determine what specifically will be needed, including selecting the most appropriate service packages for the business. Once this is complete, you may only need new phones, or you may need additional cabling, a router and/or Frame Relay termination device, and phones. Is Local Number Portability (LNP) required? LNP is required in most cases. If the service is moving from a competitive carrier, then LNP will be required, as with any service. If the customer is an existing customer, then LNP will not be required. Once I sign up, how long will it take my company to get up and running on VoIPnet? The amount of time needed to get your system running depends on your current bandwidth delivered, whether LNP is required (from another service provider), whether cabling upgrades are required, and a number of other factors. However, you can generally expect that the service, from the time the order is submitted to the time you have dial tone and training, to be between 30 and 45 days.
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