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Technology Stocks : Voice-on-the-net (VON), VoIP, Internet (IP) Telephony -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Frank A. Coluccio who wrote (1228)	9/3/1998 2:54:00 PM
From: Kenneth E. Phillipps	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3178

Thursday, September 3, 1998, 1:15 p.m. ET. Call Centers Warm Up to IP By CHUCK MOOZAKIS Call centers will be able to juggle IP phone calls as easily as regular phone calls, thanks to a new switch unveiled this week by PakNetX Inc. The vendor's PNX ACD 2.0 is a software-based switch that can overlay enhanced automatic call distribution (ACD), call management and administrative capabilities on top of IP traffic. The app, which greatly expands the feature set of the current version of PNX ACD, will be released by early November, said Chris Botting, vice president of marketing. Roger LeFevre, executive vice president of ACI Telecom Group, said the software switch has enabled ACI's Target TeleServices call center unit to bridge the gap between the public switched telephone network and IP. "We can monitor all the activity of a call," regardless of its origination, he said. "The switch gives us PBX functionality with an Internet ACD." The switching software is H.323- and T.120-compatible and can handle audio, video and data calls on a single line. Its management capabilities allow call center agents to handle IP calls with traditional telephony tools such as hold, retrieve, transfer and conference. "This is geared to multimedia call centers that want to handle both switched-circuit and IP voice," said Botting. "The switch enables [ACD and management] features that aren't available in the Internet-only space." Beyond ACD features, the switch also has integrated firewall functions, thus protecting call center agents and customers. PNX ACD operates on servers running Windows NT 4.0. It is priced starting at $2,500 per seat for a five-seat configuration.

To: Frank A. Coluccio who wrote (1228)	9/4/1998 10:59:00 AM
From: Frank A. Coluccio	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 3178

IP Telephony Won't Kill Telephone Cos, By VOCLF's Elon Ganor Thursday , Sep 3, 1998 By Elon Ganor What happens when technological innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit meet, in a field hitherto considered conservative and monopolistic? The encounter between the Internet world and the telephone communications market resembles a laboratory experiment, likely to become the ideal model of tremendous technological influence on the ordinary individual's quality of life. The combination of technological advantages, convenient use, and in particular, the attractive price, makes the Internet the most preferred communications infrastructure. Telephony and communications companies providing international communications services understood a long time ago the need to adopt the new technology and to offer services based on Internet Protocol (IP), as a communications mediator between telephones. Simultaneously, specialist companies spring up offering telephone communications services on the Internet and computerized telephone services as independent services. This process is sweeping along with it anyone involved in the industry. We have not yet even mentioned the intra-organizational networks - the Intranet - where voice communication technology over IP will be adopted as the guaranteed formula for making communications more efficient and reducing costs. The field of Internet telephone communications is thriving, thanks to the successful encounter between technology and deregulation of the telephony communications sector. When cable television and satellite communications breathe down telephony companies' necks, and when Internet suppliers offer an inexpensive alternative for international lines at access prices that are no higher than a regular local call, the entire market opens up to competition. When there is competition, prices plunge. The Israeli consumer first discovered this when the international telephone calls market was opened up to competition. The next round of price reductions will be based, among other things, on technological innovations that enable more efficient use of the communication bandwidth. Companies that are ahead of their competitors are expected to acquire increasingly large market shares. When the Internet telephone market made its first strides, the impression was that it was intended solely for the home user, and there were those who estimated it would appeal to freaks and crazies. Shortly thereafter, the press labeled it the worst enemy of the traditional telephone companies, set to destroy them. Today, it is already obvious that none of these assessments were accurate. Consultants Forst & Sullivan predict that revenues from the Internet telephone market will amount to $1.89 billion in the year 2001, compared to only $19.8 million in '96. If we assume that the Internet form of international calls is 80% cheaper than the price of the same telephone call currently transmitted by international telephone companies in various countries, we reach figures approaching the amount of $10 billion per annum for international telephone calls. Will Bezeq International, Barak, Golden Lines and equivalent companies around the world inevitably go bankrupt? Not necessarily. In fact, the opposite is true. Experience gathered to date indicates that a reduction in price to the consumer creates further demand. It is true that telephone companies will be obliged to become more efficient, but nevertheless, they are expected to establish themselves more firmly , with the new technology. Everyone knows that Internet telephony is first and foremost IP communications, and is the business of telephone companies, just as they are the business of Internet services providers, and perhaps even more. The same applies to cable television companies, and even to local telephone call companies that, for example, will want to simultaneously offer Internet and voice services on a single existing line. Surveys and forecasts anticipate impressive growth in the telephony market, and point to the enormous potential of this market. Forecasts note that by the year 2002, every fifth telephone call will be made on Internet lines. The writer is chairman and CEO of VocalTec Communications Published by Israel's Business Arena September 3, 1998

To: Frank A. Coluccio who wrote (1228)	9/5/1998 2:44:00 PM
From: STK1	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 3178

Hi Frank How are you this weekend?The Voclf and Excel Agreement was very well diagnosed by you.It seems that the Real Big announcements were still yet to come.I like the Idea of this coming at a time that LU is also getting compatible with Voclf and that the Big carrier Like DT is still yet to make a big commitment to a carrier IP voice network.I believe that the Best is still yet to emerge in the DT Voclf relationship and With ECI and XCEL packing thousands of ports with scaleability and good old traditional features we may be on the cutting edge of market very soon.I don't believe the REgulators will alow the LEC charges that Bell wants through the Switch.That would change the regulation of the Lec big time.The posibility exist though and zi wonder if the actuall impact wouldn't be better in the long run anyway.The companies that provide switching and services may buy lease or cojoin in many other bigger ventures such as IXTC or the like to avoid the charges.This may set some back but the lecs would loose some revenues if they could not get in in time.I always figured who ever got in first with the biggest may well be the one to carry on if the market expands then a point of taper will provide much incetive to the general isp to come in.Companies like fnet and the smaller ones can make big money in a small market.I see ixtc and the likes those that have switches and maybe even cojoining providing many central points of acess but only to a degree before the FCC says the lecs can do the same if it bekieves that the bottom line is being pulled.This should as you said cause the many lecs and clecs to rush in soon.Voclf will as LU and Sume stand to gain a tremendous amount of revenue from any movement of the Bells.This will be the golden Horn for them and many companies.I hope to see things starting to spring backk very soon.