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What has changed in EPABX over the years?
The shift to IP is on, and we are seeing implementations move from traditional TDM only to either 'hybrid' IP/TDM or pure IP. Improvements in quality of service and availability are contributing to this trend.
Further, we believe CIOs and IT departments are seeing the value of moving to IP telephony more clearly. Enterprises have accepted that they will move to IP, and the question now is how and over how much time will the transformation take.
We believe enterprise need to move to IP based on their own timetable and budgets, and will not 'rip-and-replace' current equipment. As a result, they require solutions that allow them to migrate to IP on their own terms. Alcatel's ability to operate in TDM, hybrid IP/TDM, and pure IP environments supports this customer requirement.
How strong is the trend towards the adoption of IP PBX amongst the enterprises?
In 2004, industry estimates for IP telephony shipments doubled, and we expect IP shipments to overtake TDM shipments by 2007 or 2008.
What is the pattern of adoption amongst large, small, and medium enterprises?
Large enterprises are the early adopters with more complex, multi-site and campus implementations. Medium size enterprises and smaller company adoption follows, with this segment requiring less complex 'solution bundles' that combine platforms, devices and applications.
What are your views on TDM based vs. IP based debate. Can you make a per line cost comparison between the two technologies?
Our view is that customers require open solutions that operate in TDM, hybrid IP/TDM and pure IP environments. This enables customers to migrate to IP at their own pace.
Regarding price, there is a price premium for IP-based solutions, which could be as much as 20 percent higher than TDM. However, there is tangible ROI in terms of cost savings related to reduced telecommunications costs, simplified management, etc.
Are there any interoperability issues?
Alcatel is firmly committed to open standards, such as H.323, SIP, and XML, to simplify the integration with existing environments to help ease the migration of enterprises.
Is there a clear-cut RoI model for enterprise to implement IP?
For distributed environments, IP telephony can give an ROI of 18 months through reduced expenses, including carrier fixed line costs, lower mobility cost, and lower management costs. Additionally, use of IP communication applications in India, such as using audio conferencing instead of conference bridges, can deliver ROI in less than 6 months.
With that said, we do believe it is also a long term investment that will increasingly bring new and innovative communications applications to the enterprise to improve business processes. Real-time communications over IP can reduce the gaps in communications when a person cannot be reached – keeping the business process moving and finishing it more quickly.
Do you think vendors have not succeeded completely in convincing the enterprises of the benefits and importance of IP?
No, we believe that enterprises are increasingly understanding the value of moving to IP, and enterprises are increasingly looking at how to deploy IP across multiple sites, across the globe.
Source: Voice&Data
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