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Convergence is slowly morphing from the concept stage into tangible products. Elsewhere in this issue, you'll find a review of the performance of a number of IP-PBXs, including products from AltiGen and Vertical Networks (see pp. 35-42). Both companies also are releasing new versions of their products, and offer products to replace key systems and small PBXs.
AltiGen (www.altigen.com), founded in 1994, has its roots in the CTI world and boasts 3,500 customers. Its system consists of proprietary boards (AltiGen's Quantum boards) that are installed in servers, typically NT, and which run AltiGen's AltiWare software.
Vertical Networks (www.vertical. com) is among the vendors of "integrated business communications systems" that have appeared in recent years. The architecture of Vertical's InstantOffice incorporates both packet and circuit switching, and in its newest release, 2.0, Vertical's emphasizing voice over IP.
AltiGen Releases Intersect
According to Tony Spielman, vice president of marketing, over the coming months, AltiGen will be rolling out a series of enhancements which it calls Intersect, to reflect the union of packet and circuit switching. As a first step, Intersect will deliver PRI and VOIP trunk connections.
The new release-3.5-comes with a "hop-off" capability, which enables the AltiGen server to use the dialed number for automatic route section (ARS) and least cost routing (LCR). In short, the call processor uses the dialing plan as the basis for routing on-net calls...