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09/09/2009

Skype Business Push Continues With ShoreTel SIP Interoperability

The push to integrate Skype with SMB IP PBXes is speeding up. On the heels of the commercial availability of Skype for Asterisk comes Skype for SIP for ShoreTel. The new capability allows ShoreTel users to make and receive calls via the Skype for SIP service. Skype announced that service in March, and ShoreTel is the first SIP-capable IP PBX vendor to achieve certification with it.

The service will provide the usual benefits of Skype IP PBX integration. Users connected to ShoreTel PBXes will be able to make and receive calls to and from the PSTN via Skype's low-cost outbound and inbound services. They'll also be able to receive calls from Skype users for free. And companies will be able to put click-to-call buttons on their Websites that will automatically launch such inbound Skype calls.

The new capability is currently available in beta form to ShoreTel's enterprise customers. Of course, other SIP-capable IP PBX users can also in theory use SIP for Skype. But certification will be particularly useful because SIP remains a far-from-complete standard. Its implementation often depends as much on vendors and service providers' interpretations of the standard, rather than on hard-and-fast rules. And those interpretations can vary considerably.

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Resources

  •     A selection of free documents for download to help make purchasing decisions when shopping for a business phone system.
  •      Get customized price quotes on a business phone system from top vendors.

Reports

  • SMB Video Conferencing: Getting Beyond Clouds & Interoperability
         This 31-page VoIP Evolution report provides an in-depth analysis of a market that has suddenly become very competitive. It identifies and dispels some of the misconceptions that have become part of the conventional wisdom surrounding SMB video conferencing. Chief among these are unrealistic expectations regarding the cloud approach and interoperability.
         The report provides an innovative approach to analysis by illustrating that these issues are just two of many important factors that differentiate solutions from one another. The report surveys 10 Companies to Watch and compares 16 cloud solutions using a unique Differentiation Matrix that clarifies their strengths and weaknesses.

  • Voice Over LTE: More Pitfalls Than Promise for Now
        This 18-page Heavy Reading Insider report, written by Robert Poe, analyzes the prospects for delivery of voice calls over cellular networks using LTE (long-term evolution) 4G wireless technology. Operators are originally looking to use LTE mainly for mobile data services, since a number of technical issues make delivering voice traffic over LTE complicated. The report describes the various options available to operators, and explains why they are likely to move to voice over LTE later rather than sooner. Information about the report is available at Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider.

  • Making HD Voice Happen: Choosing Codecs, Connecting Islands
        This Heavy Reading Insider report by Robert Poe evaluates the impact HD voice will have on voice services providers ranging from traditional telcos to cable MSOs to cellular carriers to VoIP operators. The 20-page report also analyzes the role vendors' and providers' choices of codecs will play in ensuring that HD voice services can be delivered end-to-end, rather than only within individual providers' or enterprises' networks. It also surveys the HD voice efforts of 14 vendors.
        Information about the report is available at Heavy Reading Insider. A column about the report is available at Light Reading.

  • Disruptive VoIP Services: What Carriers Need to Know
        A report by Robert Poe for Heavy Reading, analyzing the innovative VoIP services with the most potential to disrupt the telecom services market over the next three to five years.
        The 57-page report describes the changes VoIP innovation brings to telephony models, practices and concepts. It identifies 17 categories of potentially disruptive VoIP services, and analyzes their potential impact on the market. It also profiles 50 potentially disruptive companies and services.
        Information about the report is available on the Heavy Reading Website. Coverage of the report is available on the Light Reading Website.


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