I wonder if MicroOS will have a role in this. Hmm...
Wednesday June 2, 7:01 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Lucent to Trial Technology That Brings Wireline Voice Quality to Wireless Local Area Networks
University of Maryland and Penobscot Bay Medical Center Will Test Applications
MURRAY HILL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 2, 1999-- Lucent Technologies (NYSE:LU - news) today announced it will conduct market trials of voice over IP (VoIP) technology that enables wireless local area networks to carry voice calls with an unprecedented quality of service for unlicensed wireless IP networks. The innovative technology developed by Bell Labs will allow businesses to deploy converged voice and data applications on wireless IP networks without sacrificing voice quality.
The University of Maryland, College Park, and Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Maine, will be the first to test converged applications based on the technology. They will use Lucent's WaveLAN® wireless local area network, IP ExchangeComm(tm)system, and a palm-sized wireless IP voice and data prototype that can deliver simultaneous voice and data calls over wireless IP networks. Lucent will demonstrate the technology at SuperComm '99 from June 7 to 10 in Atlanta (booth number 8039, Hall H).
The Bell Labs technology enables voice to travel over Lucent's WaveLAN wireless local area network -- or any compatible IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN -- without the loss, delay or poor voice quality that can plague voice calls as they move over local area networks.
Bell Labs solved this problem with an algorithm that determines gaps between the transmission of data packets and gives the voice packets - or any real-time packet -- the priority to move within those gaps without adversely affecting data performance. This technique is a significant improvement over other technologies for improving the quality of voice over IP, which simply give priority to voice packets over data packets - approaches which can have a negative impact on data traffic.
''This technology eliminates noticeable delays in voice over IP calls and provides voice quality that rivals the traditional, circuit-based phone network,'' said A.S. Krishnakumar, head of Networked Multimedia Research at Bell Labs.
''Bell Labs has removed an obstacle that has slowed the delivery of both high-quality voice over IP and converged voice and data applications in the wireless world,'' said Barry Weinbaum, director, Lucent Enterprise Wireless Networks. ''Lucent already offers businesses the most comprehensive portfolio of voice over IP and enterprise wireless solutions in the industry. As we apply this technology, we will be able to provide customers with an even wider range of choices for implementing voice over IP capabilities in their enterprise networks.''
In July, the Office of Information Technology at the University of Maryland will begin a six-month trial of an application that will help the library's information technology (IT) staff speed the repair of computer problems. Using the palm-sized devices, the staff can write a repair ticket or report on the spot, and e-mail it immediately to dispatch a technician, if necessary. Staff members also can use the device to make and receive calls and messages no matter where they are on the campus.
''As Maryland's flagship public research university and one of the largest universities on the East coast, the University of Maryland wants to be in the forefront of exploring innovative, new technologies that can help us better serve our faculty and students, and to showcase those technologies for the state of Maryland and the region,'' said Don Riley, CIO, University of Maryland. ''Being able to access both voice and data while on the move with a small portable device is a real advantage for our staff, speeding repairs, improving responsiveness and quality of service. The voice quality is as good as a wired telephone, which makes it a very attractive application overall.''
Penobscot Bay Medical Center will begin testing several applications within its 109-bed community hospital. ''We're excited about the opportunity that this technology presents to do our jobs more efficiently,'' said Tim DeHart, telecommunications administrator for the medical center. Physicians will use the prototype device to input patient information into the hospital's dictation system, which is accessed by medical staff to update records. The emergency room staff will use the technology to handle bedside registration, and employees handling patient discharge will use the technology to input reports and access the patient discharge database. In addition, the clinical engineering staff will use the device to remotely access equipment service history database when conducting maintenance and repair.
Lucent will use the information resulting from the customer trials and its existing expertise in wireless voice and data networks to develop an 802.11 standards-based wireless infrastructure for businesses that can support voice, data and converged applications accessible by any standards-based wireless phone, PC or personal digital assistant. The company plans to deliver wireless IP solutions for enterprises that will let users make and receive voice calls; create, read and send voice and e-mail messages; input and receive data; or access any Web site.
Weinbaum expects that converged wireless applications will be used by businesses and institutions -- such as retailers, hospitals, manufacturers and schools -- whose employees are constantly on the move within buildings or on campuses. ''These industries already have recognized the benefits of Lucent's market-leading DEFINITY® Wireless Business System and TransTalk® Digital Wireless System for wireless voice communications, and WaveLAN wireless LAN for data communications,'' Weinbaum said. ''The successful marriage of voice and data over wireless IP will open the door to 'go-anywhere' applications that could significantly increase productivity, improve customer service and simplify communications.''
In addition, Lucent said that the VoIP technology, while currently being demonstrated in unlicensed spectrum by means of its WaveLAN local network system, could be a precursor to seamless public and private voice and data communications over packet-based, next-generation mobile networks now being developed under the emerging IMT-2000 specification of the International Telecommunications Union.
Lucent's demonstration at SuperComm '99 will showcase the superior capabilities of the Bell Labs' technology by sending and receiving voice calls over its WaveLAN wireless local area network using Lucent's IP ExchangeComm system and an industry-standard personal digital assistant. IP Exchange Systems, announced last October, is Lucent's family of next-generation IP telephony servers that converge voice, data and fax over local and wide area networks, and the Internet.
In addition, Lucent will discuss the technology and its enterprise wireless strategy at the Multimedia Telecommunications Association's Convergence Solutions Business Summit education track, ''The Mobility-enabled Enterprise: Powering the Engines of Productivity and Profits,'' on June 8, which runs concurrently with SuperComm '99.
Today's announcement is another component of Lucent's end-to-end convergence strategy, aimed at integrating voice, data and messaging across multivendor networks. In May Lucent announced www.messenger, a web-based tool that lets voice messaging users to access their voice, fax and e-mail messages through the Web. The company also introduced a package of software and hardware called Real World VoIP Networks(sm) that gives Lucent's comprehensive portfolio of voice, IP application and data networking products the most reliable and flexible voice over IP capabilities in the industry.
Lucent Technologies, based in Murray Hill, N.J., U.S.A., designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, communications systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone systems and microelectronics components. Bell Labs is the research and development arm for the company. For more information about Lucent Technologies, visit our Web site at www.lucent.com. |
