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

To: Stephen B. Temple who wrote (2233)	12/26/1998 8:45:00 PM
From: Stephen B. Temple	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3178

From the frigid north, e-cash !! > Royal Bank of Canada - Consumers can make e-cash withdrawals and deposits from home with new Aastra device that plugs into the phone. MONTREAL/CNW/Consumers will soon be able to make e-cash withdrawals and deposits from home with a telephony device that plugs into home phones and operates much like an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). This device, designed by Aastra Technologies Limited with leading-edge technology from AudeSi Technologies Inc., will use Royal Bank Mondex, a payment system where electronic cash is stored on a smart card. This new ATM-like device will be piloted in 1999 by Royal Bank clients in Sherbrooke, Quebec. ''We are excited to have Royal Bank as a partner to bring this product to the consumer,'' said Francis Shen, Chairman & CEO of Aastra Technologies Limited. ''At the same time, we are confident of the flexibility of the Java based software technologies developed by AudeSi. The software structure allows this telecom device to easily incorporate other e-cash systems or loyalty applications. This means Aastra will have a versatile upgrade program for this product to handle other smart card applications in this ever changing technology environment.'' This ATM-like device will allow consumers to transfer funds from person to person either at the same location or over the phone. The device will also support most popular telephone network services such as Caller ID, Visual Call Waiting and Voice Mail. ''The new Aastra telephony device is an important addition to the Mondex smart card program,'' said Al McGale, vice president of smart cards, for Royal Bank. ''From our experience in the Mondex pilot project in Guelph, Ontario, we have learned that the ability to withdraw and deposit e-cash from the consumer's home was found to be an important element of the program.'' Aastra Technologies Limited (Alberta:AAH) develops, manufactures and distributes telecommunications equipment. Aastra offers a full line of products ranging from Caller ID adjuncts to full-featured communications systems. Aastra sells to the majority of the telecommunications companies in North America. In the retail market, Aastra has the exclusive license to use the ''BELL(R) Equipment - SONECOR'' trademark for telephone sets and its products are distributed to the majority of mass retailers in North America. AudeSi Technologies Inc. is a privately held technology start-up company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. AudeSi develops, markets, and licenses smart card based terminals and subsystems that facilitate multi-application smart card applications. Royal Bank of Canada (RY) is Canada's premier global financial services group and a leading provider of personal and business banking, corporate and investment banking, and wealth management services. As one of North America's largest financial institutions, Royal Bank and its key subsidiaries Royal Trust, RBC Dominion Securities, RBC Insurance, and Royal Bank Action Direct have 60,000 employees (on a full-time equivalent basis) who serve 10 million clients through more than 1,500 branches and offices in 36 countries. Royal Bank is a member of Mondex Canada and Mondex International. /For further information: Allan Brett, Aastra Technologies Limited, (416) 736-7070 ext. 360 or Raymond Chouinard, Public Affairs, Royal Bank, (514) 874-6656 or Lucie Caron, Public Affairs, Royal Bank, (416) 974-1756/ (RY.) [Copyright 1998, Canada Newswire]

To: Stephen B. Temple who wrote (2233)	12/26/1998 8:56:00 PM
From: Stephen B. Temple	Respond to of 3178

Method for avoiding interference in a cable telephony system A method of avoiding interference in a cable telephony system comprising the steps of: (a) categorizing each communication carrier from a plurality of communications carriers, based on usability, as either a preferred communication carrier or an ingress communication carrier, the preferred communication carriers so designated forming a preferred list and the ingress communication carriers so designated forming an ingress list; (b) ranking the preferred communication carriers on the preferred list based on a signal quality; (c) ranking the ingress communication carriers on the ingress list based on a elapsed time; (d) ranking the plurality of communications carriers according to a frequency, to create a frequency list; and (e) selecting a communication channel from the plurality of communication carriers based on a type of channel and the communication carrier's ranking within at least one of: the preferred list, the ingress list or the frequency list. Patent Number: 5847660 Issue Date: 1998 12 08 [Copyright 1998, MicroPatent Publications]