TMCnet News

Business Communications Platforms for Peer-to-Peer Voice Services
[September 25, 2006]

Business Communications Platforms for Peer-to-Peer Voice Services


BlueNote Networks
 
Interpersonal communications are an essential element of nearly any business deal or social interaction. Whether they are conducting an on-line financial transaction or surfing a social Web site, people have an innate need to speak with each other. Yet few Web sites offer real-time communications, beyond basic text chat capabilities.


 
Historically, most PCs have not been equipped for voice communications. Although PC handsets and headsets have been available for years, few applications have been compelling enough to entice the average consumer to purchase a headset for his or her personal computer. Businesses have been reluctant to add interactive voice features to Web sites because most consumers lack the audio environment to take advantage of them.
 
The popularity of Skype (News - Alert) and other consumer VoIP services are helping increase the use of PC handsets and headsets. In the past year Microsoft (News - Alert), Yahoo, AOL, and Google (News - Alert) have all added or enhanced the PC calling capabilities of their Instant Messaging platforms. In addition, new WiFi (News - Alert)-capable handsets, new generations of keyboards with integrated speakerphones and other innovative technologies are laying the foundation for more widespread VoIP adoption.
 
But other challenges await businesses seeking to deploy interactive voice services. Consumer and Social Web sites must scale to support millions of users. To gain broad acceptance, voice features must be simple to invoke and voice services must be reliable and predictable. In addition, voice capabilities need to be tightly integrated with their parent applications so the provider can offer a unique and compelling user experience, plus maintain control of the subscriber. Simply launching a Skype client from a Web site offers limited value or differentiation.
 
A new class of software product known as a Business Communications Platform (BCP) is helping businesses overcome these challenges. BCPs deliver interactive voice communications capabilities as reusable Web Services, enabling businesses to insert transparent voice capabilities directly into Web sites and other software applications. By embedding voice services into their applications, businesses can offer unique and improved user experiences to increase subscriber activity and product, service, and advertising revenues.
 
To reach a mass audience, interactive voice features must be delivered in an easily consumable manner. The average user may lack the desire, patience or aptitude to install a special-purpose application or reconfigure his computer or firewall settings just to make a voice call. Many early VoIP offerings failed to catch on because they were too difficult to install, or because they were tricky to deploy behind firewalls and NAT devices. BCPs provide firewall and NAT boundary traversal capabilities and employ other techniques such as HTTPS tunneling to facilitate peer-to-peer communications without reconfiguration of firewalls, gateways, or other networking equipment. BCPs make placing a voice call as easy as sending an instant message.
 
BCPs permit Web site providers to deliver controlled communications to large subscriber bases, while minimizing investments in communications infrastructure. They provide SIP signaling capabilities so a provider can act as a gatekeeper to session establishment, and force subscribers to navigate to the provider Web page to place a call. BCPs also support incumbent directory, authentication, authorization, and accounting systems so providers can easily add voice capabilities to existing services. Existing service credentials can be extended for voice services. Existing contact records can be used to place voice calls.
 
Once a session is signaled, BCPs can leverage the Internet for call transport so providers can offer communications amongst large numbers of subscribers without hosting the accompanying communications infrastructure.
 
Business Communications Platforms help bring a more human element to Web sites, business processes, and software applications. By delivering scalable, easy-to-consume voice services, this new class of product improves interpersonal communications and enables a variety of exciting new services and applications. BCPs offer a more natural and pleasing experience for the end-user while introducing new revenue opportunities for service and content providers.
  
Business Communications Platform
Feature
Benefit
Internet call transport
Highly scalable
Central call set-up and control
Maintain subscriber ownership
Integrated NAT and Firewall traversal
Seamless deployment
Browser embeddable GUI
Embed voice features directly into Web pages
Web Service APIs
Integrate business logic and voice services
 
BCP Business Benefits

Increase frequency and duration of Web site visits
Add differentiating features and services to Web sites
Increase product, service, and advertising revenues
Expand subscriber base
Improve customer satisfaction and allegiance
Reduce customer churn
 
 Alan Rosenberg is director of Product Line Management for BlueNote Networks. With BlueNote SessionSuite platforms, enterprises, ISVs and partners can quickly and easily embed interactive real-time communication services into a range of commercial or custom software applications, Web sites and internal business processes using industry-standard interfaces and technology. He can be reached at [email protected].
 

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