WebTel Wireless Launches InnovativeWireless VoIP Service Using the Ascend MultiVoice for the MAX
February 9, 1999
NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)Industry First
Wireless VoIP Deployment Builds Up
and Expands the Ascend MultiVoice Gateway
to the Wireless Market
Ascend Communications, Inc.
(Nasdaq:ASND), a leader in wide area
networking (WAN) and Intelligent
Networking (IN) solutions for providers
and users of the next-generation
public network, today announced that
WebTel Wireless, Inc., a
California-based provider of wireless
phone and Internet services, has
standardized on the Ascend
MultiVoice(TM) for the MAX platform
for the industry's first Wireless Voice
over Internet Protocol (WVoIP)
service.
"We believe that by bridging wireless
and IP telephony, wireless operators
can offer domestic and international
long distance calling plans economically
and profitably through toll-bypass via a
managed IP network," said Aaron
Haskal, president, CEO and founder,
WebTel Wireless, Inc. "Our
breakthrough effort will pave the way
for the future of wireless and we plan
to share this vision and market our
solutions to other cellular operators.
We chose Ascend as our solutions
provider because they have the
expertise and vision, and the
leadership to help integrate wireless
into the next-generation public
network."
"The Ascend MultiVoice for the MAX
VoIP gateway is being deployed by a
number of service providers worldwide
and the WebTel deployment signifies
an exciting new direction and
expansion into the wireless market,"
said Ron Chan, director of marketing,
Enterprise Networking Division, Ascend
Communications, Inc. "We believe that
WebTel has accomplished something
unique with their initial deployment of
Wireless Voice over IP, and Ascend is
looking forward to working with WebTel
to help bring their vision to fruition. "
Haskal is speaking on a panel at the
CTIA Wireless '99 show today between
2:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., and will
present WebTel Wireless' service
introduction milestones and his vision
for the future of wireless -- "Wireless
Voice over the Internet." Speakers on
this panel will discuss how "voice over
the Internet is about to change
wireline telephony, and hear what
challenges and opportunities it brings
to wireless carriers."
Why Wireless Voice over IP?
New VoIP networks are rapidly being
deployed worldwide as part of the
next-generation public network and
present a significant opportunity for
service providers to economically
turn-up new services. Wireless service
providers can leverage VoIP solutions
to route calls across a managed VoIP
backbone network to successfully
terminate toll-quality, wireless voice
calls worldwide. This new, innovative
transport method of bridging wireless
networks and VoIP backbone networks
will benefit both the service provider
and the end-user.
WebTel Wireless' VoIP network allows
carriers worldwide to terminate calls in
Arizona and provide long-distance calls
for about half the cost compared with
the same service using the public
switched telephone network (PSTN).
Additionally, by bridging WebTel
Wireless' managed IP network with the
Ascend MultiVoice VoIP platform, the
company is well positioned to deliver
integrated voice (both wireline and
wireless) and data into a single
network, and open up its market for
international communications.
Today, WebTel Wireless offers
flat-rate long-distance telephone and
Internet services (both wireline and
wireless). The company's initial
deployment of Wireless Voice over IP
consists of five operational Points of
Presence (PoPs) in Flagstaff, Phoenix,
Prescott, Sedona, and Tucson,
Arizona. Each PoP consists of
MultiVoice VoIP hardware and software
running on the MAX 6000 platform with
interfaces to the WebTel Wireless
network. Service is being expanded to
include both domestic and international
long-distance toll-bypass. WebTel
Wireless is in the process of deploying
Wireless Voice over IP PoPs and
introducing services in the
Southwestern and Eastern U.S.,
Europe and Asia.
"If you're not thinking globally, you're
not thinking," concluded Haskal. |
