Then there are the hidden costs of VoIP. They're all about options and licenses, and the expense can be substantial. Many standard PBX features, such as E911 (Emergency 911) service support, are optional with VoIP. Cisco's E911 server application, for instance, lists as a $5,999 option. This gets you 100 licenses, meaning 100 extensions can be part of the E911 service. Each additional license is $10, without volume discounts. It would have cost us more than $50,000 (in addition to the cost of the core VoIP components) to equip the entire Syracuse campus with E911 service.
And beware of additional hardware resource costs sneaking up on your budget. Case in point: Call Manager is responsible for call processing, database processing and management and other tasks, so there's only so much processor power to go around when it's time to place calls on hold or when multiple conference calls are under way. Call Manager's limited on-board DSP (Digital Signal Processing) resources handle conference calls and other advanced system functions. DSP performance is crucial at Syracuse because we have a large volume of outside calls: In the pilot, we found that when around 200 or more extensions were in use simultaneously with a lot of call conferencing and hold conditions taking place, the DSPs could get overtaxed. The only solution is to buy hardware. For a campuswide system, we would need multiple $19,000 add-in boards for our core switches to get more DSP power.
You may incur other unforeseen costs for your new VoIP environment that your vendor doesn't advertise, so hammer your sales engineer for details on the possibilities--especially if your network is growing.
History Lessons
If your IT group hasn't had to worry about QoS before, it will with VoIP. Voice traffic may not be bandwidth-heavy, but it is highly sensitive to latency, jitter and delays. Make sure you budget for VoIP-specific QoS training if these kinds of Layer 2 and Layer 3 QoS issues are new to you, as they were to us at Syracuse. That way, you can configure your network so voice gets top priority.
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.
