NGT Unwraps New Version of Wholesale VoIP

New Global Telecom announced release 3.0 of its 6DegreesIP branded suite of suite of managed wholesale VoIP services at SUPERCOMM this week, which includes the VoiceConnect and VoiceSelect services for direct-to-IP origination and termination, hosted billing and on-demand conferencing. It also noted two customer wins.

The VoiceConnect service includes local calling, and domestic and international long distance. DIDs are available in 385 rate centers in 48 states, and the service provider expects to expand that over the course of the year. VoiceConnect includes support for 911 and local number portability, and is offered on a seat and per-minute basis.

VoiceSelect is an ala carte selection of direct-to-IP origination and termination, without 911 support. VoiceSelect offers DIDs, local calling, and domestic and international long-distance call termination in 305 rate centers. The service includes support for LNP and is targeted at service providers having their own 911 solution or for cross border number assignment, which makes U.S. DID telephone numbers assignable to foreign users to reduce long-distance calling costs. It’s available on a per-minute pricing basis.

A hosted retail billing service is integrated with the new version. It includes a front-end interface for one-time online provisioning, rated call record information, electronic bill presentation, invoicing (paper and electronic), basic CRM functionality (including trouble ticket interface) and optional payment processing.

On-Demand Conferencing is an on-demand audio and Web collaboration service. It includes features like conference recording, international toll-free participation and free Web collaboration when used in conjunction with audio conferencing.

Other new platform features include directed call pickup, automatic callback and external source music on hold, along with additional customer support services such as an IP addressing customer training module and a service provider readiness checklist.

NGT also has established an in-house product lab to perform interoperability testing of CPE, including SIP phones, analog telephone adaptors and integrated access devices, as well as to perform network and feature testing.

CAL Communications Inc., a reseller of telephone systems and long-distance services, and a provider of voice, data and fiber optics systems integration, will deliver VoIP services to businesses using the product.

Carlos A. Lopez, CAL Comm's president says "Our search for the right approach to VoIP market entry and expansion lead us to New Global Telecom's wholesale solution. As a Hispanic-owned Certified Minority Business Enterprise, we will be marketing hosted IP solutions to governmental agencies as well as to the Hispanic business community and other businesses, leveraging a very strong sales proposition."

CAL Comm will focus initially on sales to Chicago-area small and midsize businesses, including the company's 2,500 end users. Expansion is planned to additional cities in the 2005 to 2006 timeframe.

BroadBand Telephony Systems (BBTS), an IP telephone system and equipment VAR and integrated voice/data/video systems supplier, will deliver VoIP services to the residential market nationwide using the product. BBTS will offer long-distance calling options and an online order entry, and anticipates service rollout to the majority of large U.S. markets within twelve months of service launch.

"This major product release is a demonstrable advance in our strategy toward a truly turnkey wholesale solution for service providers,” says NGT’s Director of VoIP Product Management Caitlin Clark-Zigmond. “We have listened carefully to our customers and the market in order to prioritize product roadmap activities and, as a result, we know that demand for capabilities in release 3.0 is very strong."

Share this article: Email, Slashdot, Digg, Del.icio.us, Yahoo!MyWeb, Windows Live Favorites, Furl
Add this article feed to: RSS, My Yahoo, Newsgator, Bloglines