Inter-Tel IP PBX

Introduction
As Inter-Tel prepares to take on the business challenges of the 21st century, it becomes apparent that, in order to properly maintain its position as a communication leader, Inter-Tel must leverage both its extensive telecom switching experience and its newly developed IP (Internet Protocol) Telephony prowess. A convergence of these two strengths affords Inter-Tel the wherewithal to design and produce communication solutions for a myriad of business applications. Beyond providing individual business solutions, Inter-Tel is now in a position to become a total solution provider for all voice, video, and data transmission needs in both the current and future global marketplace.

Springboarding off the product and service successes of Inter-Tel's Vocal'Net/InterPrise IP gateway servers and Inter-Tel's IP long distance network, Inter-Tel.net, Inter-Tel has garnered a well-grounded working understanding of IP technologies and the multitude of business opportunities therein. Combined with over 30 years of traditional telephony experience, this extensive background and experience in IP Telephony enables Inter-Tel to drive this new product direction with unwavering confidence and security. Inter-Tel's new product development focus will create a host of diversified and unique communications solutions based on IP technology. The first of these will be the IP PBX.

The Inter-Tel IP PBX is based on traditional PBX (Private Branch Exchange) equipment. Instead of traditional telephony that uses dedicated copper wiring, this equipment uses IP for call processing and audio. The most important benefit from using the IP PBX is that a business can now combine its voice and data networks, and supply both to the desktop of its employees, through one cable, anywhere that the IP network extends. It offers an IP telephony solution to businesses that want to use their local and wide area data networks to expand their voice network and its capabilities, while still taking advantage of the full-featured capabilities of Inter-Tel's award winning AXXESS system.

Components

AXXESS PBX System
A centralized PBX system that controls all call processing, routing, phones features, device configuration, and system settings. The AXXESS system can handle over 20,000 combined devices.

Internet Protocol Card
The initial release of the AXXESS Internet Protocol Card (IPC) will provide 8 IP ports. This card allows IP devices to interface with the AXXESS system's features and to connect with any other device supported by the AXXESS system. The IPC will use a BootP server configuration, which works much like DHCP on a network to dynamically assign an IP address to each device that connects to it. In addition, the IPC will record the Ethernet (MAC) address of each device that connects to it, and correlate that to one of the IPC's 8 ports. This allows the IPC to recognize a particular device, and the user profile that belongs to it, no matter where the device is plugged in.

Inter-Tel IP Phone+
The Inter-Tel IP Terminal connects to the AXXESS PBX system via a LAN/WAN connection to the AXXESS IPC card. Each model is a full-featured Keyset that can be plugged directly into an Ethernet RJ-45 jack. It provides the same digital quality audio of a traditional PBX keyset, but it can be placed anywhere on the corporate LAN/WAN IP network, including outside the premises where the AXXESS PBX is located. The IP Phone+ also contains a passive hub and an extra Ethernet port. This allows the user to connect their desktop computer to the same Ethernet connection, so that only one Ethernet cable must be run to each desktop. You can also connect another IP Phone+ into this extra port, with up to 4 IP Terminals daisy-chained together.

Inter-Tel IP Single Line Adapter
The Inter-Tel IP Single Line Adapter (IPSLA) also uses the IPC and an IP network to connect to the AXXESS PBX system. The IPSLA's main function is to provide an interface between a standard single-line telephone and a 10Base-T IP network. The single-line phone will behave as if it were hooked directly to the AXXESS, but the voice is transmitted over the IP network instead of over traditional telephony and the attendant cabling.

Applications

Standard enterprise solution - extending an existing PBX over IP The most important capability of the IP PBX is to replace traditional telephony devices and their cabling, with a phone or adapter that can use a standard Ethernet connection and the LAN infrastructure (Figure 1).

Figure 1- The IP Terminal or IPSLA can make a call out through its 10BaseT port, across an Ethernet connection, and through the LAN (or IP network) to the Internet Protocol Card in the AXXESS PBX system. From there it can connect to any other device on the AXXESS system including Central Office trunks, other extensions, and voice mail, or use any of the AXXESS system features.

With most other IP PBX products, Voice over IP means settling for fewer features compared to traditional telephony. But with the Inter-Tel IP PBX, the interface and capabilities are the same. Each IP Terminal or IPSLA has full access to every other device connected to the AXXESS system, as well as every capability of the AXXESS system. This means that a message lamp can be lit when the user has voice mail, the LCD screen can show pertinent information, and the phone can use hunt groups, call-forwarding, reverse transfers, and other feature built into the AXXESS system. To the AXXESS system, a connected IP device works exactly the same as traditional devices.

Remote or campus offices over an IP network
This application extends the Inter-Tel IP PBX across an IP wide area network (WAN) to remote sites. Companies with multiple sites can easily install full telephone systems while leveraging the IP data network that is already in place. This saves costs for long distance and eliminates the expense of installing a PBX system or costly point-to-point connections at each remote location. This option also gives maximum flexibility to the IS staff for growing or shrinking locations.

Long distance and local phone services from IP service providers
ISPs can increase the scope of their subscriber offerings with the Inter-Tel system. With a centralized AXXESS PBX installed at ISP sites instead of at each phone user's location, the ISP becomes the equivalent of a telephone company's central office. With this solution they can provide switching, add-on services, and long-distance routing.

Work at home, accessing the AXXESS through the IP Terminal/IPSLA and an IP Network
Employees can use their IP Terminals or IPSLAs at home. Utilizing a high-speed connection to the Internet, such as a Cable Modem or a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), the IP device can connect to the IPC through the Internet. This allows the user to have access to the same powerful set of features of the AXXESS system available at their offices, from their home.