Dedicated an Co-located Servers
June 18th 2008
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Archive for June, 2008
Voice over IP
June 18th 2008
VoIP technology is using the Internet environment in order to establish audio and/or video communications, similar to those using the classic telephony (PSTN).
How it works
By using the IP protocol, VoIP technology is extremely versatile, the limits being imposed solely by the infrastructure architect and by the operator’s imagination..
Eurovoice VoIP system implemented by Join Telecom is an intelligent solution which enables an excellent quality communication in either corporate and residential domains.
SIP technology (Signaling Protocol) which form the basis of VoIP development is formed essentially of two distinct protocols:
- SIP protocol, which signals events (call has been initiated, the phone was pulled, there is an ongoing call etc);
- RTM (Real-Time Media) protocol, which allows for communication transportation (audio and/or video) who relies on its turn to different codecs havin different compression rates.
SIP allowed for the creation of dedicated hardware which includes all the components necessary to transfer voice and video from a microphone/video camera directly to the Internet and vice-versa. Thus, it is possible to use such equipment (generically calld voice gateways) with legacy telephones/videophones, which can still be used on classic PSTN lines. It is the ideal solution for those accustomed to use a regular phone at home.
SIP also allows for the implementation of software solutions, starting from the simplest ones (XLite, Zoiper) up to very complicated, transforming a regular computer into a true telephony switch, with tenths and even hundreds of connections, inter-connections, simultaneous calls, answer machines etc.
SIP can be transported to end-users directly using the home Internet line or, for corporate users, separately through fiber optics, using E1 line multiplexers (it is possible to transport 16 flows of 30 numbers using one optical fiber) in order to use these flows with smart telephony systems (such as smart Alcated systems).
Join Telecom Customisation
Join Telecom wished to have a very versatile system, having in mind that most of the users are corporate ones and flexibility demands are high.
Accordingly:
In order to achieve the highest call qualitym connections are realized in a centralized fashion by the means of metropolitan, high-speed lines. When a number outside Romania is called, the system uses telephony-dedicated external lines, which are not aggomerated with Internet traffic and which are monitored permanently. These dedicated lines are sending voice/video data to the most important Internet nodes in the world (Internet Exchanges), from where it is forwarded to the networks where call destinations users are located.
Happy Jointelecom clients are today on all continents (maybe except Anctarctica).
- call within Eurovoice and Join Telecom are completely free (subscribers already pay for internet access, other taxes would not be justified);
- subscriptions are symbolic for Join Telecom users (0-2 EUR/telephone number), this only covers operational expenses of the system;
- there is no notion of “free” or “included” minutes (any advertisement of this kind hides the real costs in the subscription cost), every call is delailed in the telephony interface, directly on the Internet, with detalied call duration, cost and other information.
- any telephone number can be set up on more than one equipment (or computers) simultaneously. When there is a call, all equipments start to ring. The equipment that realizes the call shuts down all other equipments. Equipments can be located everywhere on the Internet: one at home, one at the office, one on the mobile phone or in an other office abroad. This creates an enhanced portability, very useful for businessmen who do not have the time to set up complicated solutions and who wish to be available on the same telephone number, wherever they are in the world;
- a telephone number ca be set up in a hunting system, useful for call-centers, where many people make simultaneous calls to the same telephone number and still more than one connection is desired.
- any telephone number can be forwarded to an other telephone number, according to several criteria::
- unconditionnaly;
- after a certain number of rings;
- after a certain number of seconds, if not answered;
- finally, it is possible to iplement short numbers, of 3-4 digits, useable in a small group. The national trend is to have 10 digits for a telephone number, but Join Telecom goes to lower digits for small groups. The equipment set with a short number has a corresponding 10-digits number and hence can also be called from any other network using the regular numbering system.
Corporate Internet Access
June 16th 2008
Corporate Internet Access is delivered by Join Telecom since 2004 to companies and national agencies with the highest quality conditions.
Many are asking why corporate solutions cost more than residential ones. The question is legitimate, having in mind the prices 10-20 higher.
There is no simple explanation, supplemental costs derinving from a sum of factors, of which the most important are the following:
- Corporate Internet bandwidth is guaranteeed 100% and as such all upstream and maintenance costs accumulate;
- the environment for delivering corporate internet acces is made exclusively of fiber optics, which allows for rapid bandwidth modifications on demand by software reconfiguration, without any other supplementary installations or equipment;
- corporate locations are monitored 24/7 in order to facilitate pro-active interventions in case of mishaps;
- corporate locations are using high-end equipment;
- any kind of consultancy in the corporate domain is free in contractual limits, no exceptions made;
- in most of the cases, corporate clients need communication solutions and not only Internet access, including, but not limited, to:
- Internet access with an up-time higher than 99,95%;
- secure intranet access (between multiple sites);
- free Voice over IP telephony system between sites;
- audio and video monitoring systems;
- tele-conference systems;
- web and email hosting solutions with particular demands;
- server collocation on separate bandwidth;
- secure and encrypted communication channels between sites or via Internet.
- problem solving is made with outsourced, specialized companies.;
- problem solving is made very quickly, 24h a day;
At this moment, Join Telecom delivers corporate services in Romania in Bucharest, Constanta, TImisoara and Cluj. We also deliver corporate services using leased lines in Milan and Lisbon.
Join Telecom’s corporate telephony system is active in Romania, France, UK, Portugal, Spain, North America (USA and Canada) and also in Chili.
Speed Test
June 16th 2008
Online Speed Tests offer an image about the capability of a network to sustain traffic for a particular client and it is also a check-up instrument for existing clients.
Since some time I wished to make a speed test available on Join Telecom, but the scripts I found were badly conceived or too expensive.
OOkla Net Metrics made available recently a Mini Speed Test to incorporate on websites. The engine is identical to the commercial flavor (found at http://speedtest.net), just less shiny.
I have installed on one of our servers this speed test, on a Fast Ethernet interface. Up to now, everything seems OK.
The speed test is available directly on Join Telecom website but also separately, at http://bandtest.jointelecom.ro
Happy testing!