BellSouth will begin offering, on a market trial basis, a business class network-hosted VoIP service in Columbia, South Carolina and Miami, Florida. Customers' voice and data traffic will be carried on the private BellSouth Regional IP Backbone, versus the public Internet. BellSouth plans to launch hosted VoIP business services in additional metros in the Southeast later this year, based on these trials. BellSouth's VoIP portfolio already includes equipment-based services (IP-PBXs), which the company has offered for nearly three years, and Centrex IP, a network service announced last month.
BellSouth has selected an integrated solution from Siemens, utilizing its next-generation softswitch to deliver the network-hosted VoIP services. http://www.bellsouth.com
- In May, BellSouth launched a new Centrex IP Service for business customers across the southeastern markets served by the company. Centrex IP will allow customers to use browser-based software that assists them with call management. Customers will be able to use Centrex IP to access enhanced call management functions through a secure login and have real-time control of calling features. The service is provided using Lucent's EBS Communication Manager and iMerge Centrex Feature Gateway, which works with any Class 5 switch, and serves as a bridge between circuit-switched networks and IP network infrastructures to deliver Class 5 features and functionality over a packet network.
