Alcatel Partners with VoIP Company Video Furnace

By Johanne Torres

TMCnet Contributing Editor

 

French technology provider Alcatel today announced that it entered into an agreement with Video Furnace to resell its system for enterprise VoIP. The new deal calls for the Video Furnace System to be sold, distributed, and supported globally through Alcatel (News - Alert) distribution channels.

 

Alcatel's enterprise video-over-IP system delivers live broadcast and on-demand video services to any network connected viewing device, such as a notebook or desktop computer.

 

The system works on any Windows, Macintosh, and Linux-based computers eliminating the media player management and compatibility dilemmas faced by IT staff. Users no longer need to install resident player software, browser plug-ins or hardware to utilize the system. The Video Furnace System enables on-demand learning, virtual classrooms, event broadcasts, distance learning, and even on-demand entertainment capabilities that allow the secure distribution of standard TV/cable channels to classrooms, campus dorms and common areas.

 

"Alcatel is pleased to offer the Video Furnace System solution along with our highly available and cost-effective Alcatel OmniSwitch solution, which supports video-over-IP with advanced QoS and multicasting capabilities necessary for data, voice and video applications," said Tom Burns, senior vice president and general manager of Alcatel's enterprise network infrastructure activities in a statement. "Our customers will benefit from the highest quality video possible while maximizing the return on the IP infrastructure investment.”

 

Alcatel announced last week that Phone Systems and Network, an alternative French operator, completed the transformation of its local and long distance network from TDM to VoIP-based on elements of Alcatel's IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). With the all VoIP-based infrastructure in place, Phone Systems and Network can now deliver a set of enterprise and residential IP services including IP Centrex and local and long distance VoIP services.

 

The new system is comprised of the Alcatel 5020 Softswitch and the Alcatel 7515 Media Gateways, providing the link between voice and IP data; the Alcatel 8688 Media Resource Function (MRF), providing advanced audio interactions in IP networks; and the Alcatel 1515 Compact Cross Connect, bridging the traditional public telephone network with the IP-based next generation network.

 

Video Furnace

Alcatel

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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and Internet Telephony magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit Johanne Torres' columnist page.