Voice Processing: Bellcore Initiates Voice-Over-Packet Generic Requirements. Requirements Will Facilitate Integrated Multi-Carrier Network, New Service Options for Voice Calls - Company Business and Marketing

EDGE, On & About AT&T, Jan 18, 1999

Driven by increased market demand to harness the power of packet-based data networks to integrate voice and data communications in one network, Bellcore Tuesday launched an industry-wide initiative to develop generic requirements (GRs) for voice-over-packet architectures. Bellcore is enlisting the participation of local exchange carriers (LECs), interexchange carriers (IXCs), next-generation carriers, equipment suppliers and other stakeholders to participate in the GR, to help forge a blueprint for a unified approach to the interoperability issues between different networks, services, protocols and equipment.

Establishing voice-over-packet GRs is essential to the evolution of current delivery methods of voice and data communications, enabling network operators to meet all the communications needs of businesses and consumers- including voice calls and high-speed data communications - on one integrated network. Currently, telecommunications companies must bundle services offered on separate circuit and packet networks for their customers, resulting in higher capital and operating costs, quality of service limitations and inefficiencies in delivery. Bellcore will open an industry dialog by hosting a Voice-over-Packet Industry Summit on February 25-26, in Orlando, Fla., where it will present highlights from its research on an architectural framework for Voice over Packet in Next-Generation Networks. Using the feedback from the Summit as a basis, Bellcore will work with carriers, suppliers, standards groups and other industry parties to develop the first phase of voice-over-packet GRs in 1999. "Data traffic will predominate in networks of the future, and we believe the optimal network strategy will be to integrate voice and data on a single packet network that treats voice as much as possible like data. However, voice-over-packet communications has yet to reach its full potential due to differing and proprietary development and implementation efforts," said Cas Skrzypczak, president, Professional Services, Bellcore. "It's imperative that carriers and equipment providers work together to develop an approach that utilizes common standards that promote interoperability and competition, and that fulfills the range of market requirements while meeting changing customer needs. A piecemeal approach by different industry players could result in long-term interoperability problems, inconsistent service and fragmented market offerings." The voice-over-packet GRs are expected to have major industry impact by facilitating nationwide inter-operating multi-carrier networks that will render separate voice and data networks unnecessary. For carriers and equipment providers, the benefits of these GRs will include decreased development and testing cycles, enhanced network management and increased network optimization. For data and voice communications customers, the result is cost savings, faster provisioning and improved network management capabilities. Creating GRs for networks of the near future is a complex undertaking with major technical, business and regulatory challenges. As an independent organization that has played a leading role in laying the foundation of today's public telecommunications network, Bellcore is uniquely positioned to lead and promote the transition from the current voice network (which is the result of more than 100 years of evolution) to an integrated network suitable for the next millennium. Underscoring this experience, Bellcore has a proven track record with over 1,000 Bellcore GRs in active use by the industry today, such as its recent GRs to offload Internet traffic from the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to alleviate congestion. By all counts, the data communications market is exploding, with growth expected to continue into the next millennium. According to a study by Decision Resources, the U.S. data communications market is expected to grow to two-and-a-half times its current size of $20.2 billion in the next seven years. Bellcore's initial report and subsequent GRs will address a variety of technological and operational impediments to full voice-over-packet implementation, including interoperability with existing service provider networks (important for 800/888 services, emergency/911 and operator services), interoperability between network elements and services, quality of service, service reliability, network security and end-to-end signaling, among others. "As service providers increasingly interconnect with one another in the shrinking global community and work with additional vendors to add new and enhanced services for their customers, it is essential that we establish a well-defined set of requirements to link the world together," said David Misunas, vice president, business development, Core Systems Division, Ascend Communications Inc.. "We fully support the development and implementation of open standards to ensure a fair competitive environment and the successful development of the next generation public network." Service providers, equipment suppliers and other industry parties wishing to join Bellcore's industry initiative or attend the Voice-over-Packet Summit should contact Al Vitenas at Bellcore at (732) 758-5026, or e-mail vitenas@cc.bellcore.com Bellcore, an SAIC company, provides software, engineering, consulting and training services to optimize the performance of communication networks worldwide. Bellcore was created in 1984, employs 6,000 professionals, and has revenues of more than $1 billion. Bellcore (www.bellcore.com) is headquartered in Morristown, N.J., with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Central and South America and Asia Pacific.