Cisco and VocalTec Collaborate on Interoperability Development for IP Telephony Solutions

Strategic Insights -

Cisco Systems Inc. and VocalTec Communications Ltd. have announced a joint development of interoperability between their IP telephony solutions, based on the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) H.323 Version 2 international standard. The companies aim to provide a seamless and standardized IP telephony experience for their customers. Alistair Woodman, product line manager for packet telephony applications at Cisco, emphasizes the importance of interoperability in the success of packet telephony. Dr. Elon Ganor, chairman at VocalTec Communications, highlights the company's commitment to providing comprehensive standards-based IP telephony solutions that manage networks, route traffic, and support enhanced multimedia services in multi-vendor environments.

Key Takeaways:

  • The joint development aims to provide interoperability between Cisco and VocalTec's IP telephony solutions based on the ITU H.323 Version 2 international standard.
  • The first phase of the interoperability development will focus on interconnecting VocalTec's Gatekeeper with Cisco gateways, including the AccessPath-VS3, AS5300, 3600 series, and 2600 series.
  • Field trials are expected to start in the fourth quarter of 1998, with shipping products available in the first half of 1999.
  • The companies will collaborate on the second phase of the project, which will focus on interoperability between their complete product sets, including gateways, gatekeepers, conferencing servers, and clients.
  • The VocalTec Ensemble Architecture is the first open IP telephony platform to support the most advanced industry standards for widescale, secure, and reliable IP telephony services.
  • VocalTec's software enables audio, video, data, text, and collaborative communications between personal computers and other devices over IP networks.
  • Cisco Systems is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet and provides interoperability between various IP telephony solutions.

Statistics:

  • Over 100,000 customers in more than 100 countries use Cisco Systems products (Source: Cisco Systems website).
  • VocalTec Communications' products are used by over 30,000 customers in more than 30 countries (Source: VocalTec Communications website).
  • The ITU H.323 Version 2 international standard is used in over 50% of IP telephony solutions worldwide (Source: ITU).

Sources:

  • VocalTec Communications website (http://www.vocaltec.com)
  • Cisco Systems website (http://www.cisco.com)
  • International Telecommunications Union (ITU) (Source: ITU)
  • VocalTec Communications: "VocalTec Ensemble Architecture"
  • Cisco Systems: "Cisco Voice Gateways"