The G.722 codec understands frequencies from 50-Hz to 7,000-Hz, however, to take advantage of this wider range, both endpoints have to support the codec. If a call is connected through the PSTN, the gateway device will transcode and essentially downgrade the audio to G.711. To avoid this, organizations may want to consider VoIP peering, though these providers, too, often transcode the audio to the lowest common denominator.
The good news is that G.722 doesn't require any more bandwidth than G.711, which uses about 85 Kbps on an Ethernet network. And, like G.711, it doesn't require that a vendor pay a license fee for implementation. Improved acoustical components in phones that better reproduce the frequencies may provide some additional benefits. The G.722 codec is already in use for some videoconferencing systems and may one day show up in 3G communications.
If you want to improve audio quality for callers on your system, you should evaluate G.722-capable phones. Siemens was an early proponent of the wideband codec for higher-quality audio, and most of the vendors we spoke with have this feature in at least some of their devices. Avaya also is making use of G.722 for improved sound, and its phone uses improved acoustic hardware to take full advantage.
Siemens' OpenStage phones include Bluetooth and USB ports, as do Avaya's devices. The Bluetooth on the Siemens phone, however, can be used only to exchange vCards—the company plans to add support for headsets in the near future, but until that happens, its Bluetooth support is little more than a curiosity. Likewise keep in mind that the codec used in today's Bluetooth devices does not support G.722, so its associated benefits are lost.
USB ports can be used to plug in a memory stick to back up and restore data stored on the phone, and to load pictures associated with callers. More practical uses are the ability to plug in a high-quality speaker and microphone to use as a conference phone or to add a USB WLAN adapter for wireless access.
You Get What You Pay For
Bottom line, whether these devices are worth the price depends on your organization's priorities. It's true you're going to pay for a high-end VoIP phone, but a vendor like Cisco is much more likely to respond to a problem with a detailed fix than an off-brand alternative provider would be.
Bob Friday, Chief AI Officer for Juniper Networks, explains how the advanced technology is transforming operations.
Contact center leaders from 8x8, Awaken Intelligence, and 360insight discuss the importance of agent experience.
AI may force enterprises to rewire parts of their data centers so they are fully optimized to run such workloads. The question is do you use Ethernet or InfiniBand?
