To: Wayners who wrote (919 ) 9/17/1998 9:21:00 AM From: STEAMROLLER Respond to of 1561
New Lucent Software Allows Internet Telephony Providers to Offer Ubiquitous, Seamless Telephone Service Business Wire - September 17, 1998 07:48 MURRAY HILL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 17, 1998-- Lucent Technologies today announced a breakthrough software product, developed by Bell Labs, for converging voice and data networks that lets Internet telephony gateways from different vendors interoperate with each other and with traditional telephone networks. The software eliminates the incompatibility problems that have frustrated and prevented Internet telephony service providers from offering ubiquitous, seamless telephone service to their customers. The new product, the PacketStar(TM) IP Services Platform, not only solves the basic problem of connecting people using regular phones to people using any Internet phone, but it also lets traditional and emerging network operators provide a range of enhanced voice and data services that reach well beyond today's Internet telephony offerings. "This is breakthrough technology that will redefine Internet telephony," said Dan Stanzione, chief operating officer of Lucent Technologies and president of Bell Labs. "This technology gives Internet service providers the 'glue' they need to make Internet telephony equipment work together and to make Internet phone calls look, feel and work like regular phone calls. It also enables traditional network providers to offer Internet phone customers the same advanced services they offer other customers today." The PacketStar IP Services Platform is designed for traditional carriers expanding into Internet telephony, competitive entrants building Internet-style networks, and for ISPs who want to offer standards-based Internet Telephony services. The product solves two distinct problems facing service providers: The PacketStar IP Services Platform interoperability offering solves basic interoperability problems caused by signaling, directory and protocol incompatibilities between packet-circuit gateways from different vendors. The PacketStar IP Services Platform software switch offering allows seamless connectivity between public telephone networks and various Internet telephony networks. The software switch enables network operators to offer their customers Intelligent Network services - such as call waiting, call forwarding, billing and operator assistance - over either traditional networks or the Internet. Service providers can access and use existing directories and databases on both the Internet and the phone network. Programming interfaces supplied with the PacketStar IP Services Platform enable network operators and independent software vendors to quickly create new Internet-based services that operate across both public phone networks and the Internet. The PacketStar IP Services Platform software is written in Java(R)/C and runs on most commercially available servers. The system is fully distributed, giving service providers flexibility and easy scalabilty. Support for new protocols and services can be added while networks are running through the addition of simple "protocol handlers" and "applets." Two patents are pending on Bell Labs technologies at the heart of the software. Trials of the beta product will begin this month. The product will be shown at N+I in Atlanta in October, with general availability in first quarter 1999. The PacketStar IP Services Platform interoperability offer will be priced at $180 per gateway port. Pricing for the software switch offering will be announced at N+I in October. A white paper describing the PacketStar IP Services Platform is available via the press section on the Lucent web site. Lucent Technologies (LU) designs, builds, and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, communications systems and software, consumer and business telephone systems and microelectronics components. Bell Laboratories is the research and development arm of the company. For more information about Lucent Technologies, headquartered at Murray Hill, N.J., visit our website at lucent.com .