It's also worth noting that we found it impossible to transfer a call or do a teleconference with a Microsoft Messenger client. Still, it worked fine for simple phone conversations, though it suffered from more latency and echo than the hardware phones we tested.
Call Me
One area where SIP is making strides is IP telephony. Carriers providing IP Centrex services have long been advocates, and the eponymous BroadSoft SIP platform we used for our testing helps carriers and ISPs offer the service. This cost-effective, reliable turnkey product, assembled from best-of-breed SIP vendors, integrates with its own customizable software to make it easy for a carrier or ISP to roll out IP Centrex and advanced services.
For example, we set up unified-messaging services that automatically sent voicemails to an e-mail address. Web-based provisioning, as well as a Java application called CallPilot, made it a cinch to forward calls to another phone or redirect them to a remote location. We could even conference in other phones when using Microsoft's Messenger client, and we easily set multiple numbers that would ring simultaneously. CallPilot even provided a detailed log of all dialed, missed and received calls.
Need another example of the SIP protocol's flexibility? BroadSoft plans to add IVR and speech-to-text services to its offering by partnering with Holly Australia.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
