Simi Valley, California-based Micom Communications Corp has come out with the V/IP Voice Over Internet Protocol phone-facsimile Internet Protocol gateway, designed to create an overlay speech-facsimile network on top of an enterprise Internet Protocol data network. According to the company, V/IP enables any user, from any telephone or facsimile machine in the company, to make free, G.729 toll-quality intra-company calls over the company’s Internet Protocol network. The V/IP product family consists of analogue and digital voice interface boards, featuring one and two speech-facsimile channels. The voice interface board plugs into a single personal computer at each enterprise location, operating NetWare, MS-DOS, Windows95 or Windows NT. Th e V/IP interface board is claimed to be compatible with any phone, facsimile machine, PABX, key system, Centrex or main exchange trunk. The product’s Quality of Service technologies support both existing router priority protocols and the new RSVP Re SerVation Protocol. V/IP is installed in a shared personal computer at each remote site on the corporate Internet Protocol network and in a dedicated personal computer at headquarters. Any user can make a long-distance intracompany call for free. The new functionality appears as an off-premise extension, tie line or a special phone extension. A typical branch office, says the company, requires an average of two speech-facsimile channels, occupying one personal computer slot. V/IP starts at $77 0 per speech-facsimile channel. Micom’s analog voice interface card with FXS, FXO and E&M support, and NetWare, MS-DOS and Simple Network Management Protocol support ship this month in the US. Digital speech interface boards with T1/E1 support, and Windows95 and Windows NT support are currently in beta test with first shipment planned for first quarter 1997. International availability, including the digital E1 speech interface board, is scheduled for early 1997.
