Cannes, France -- December 14, 1998 -- The chance to make telephone calls over an IP network and to receive detailed billing information, is being offered to attendees at a major industry symposium this week. This is believed to be the first public implementation of Voice over IP with integrated billing services in Europe.
The service has been created by Cisco Systems and Belle Systems, combining Cisco9s Voice over IP networking infrastructure with the Internet Management System (IMS) for authentication and billing, developed by Belle Systems.
The 2,500 visitors to Cisco's annual Networkers symposium in Cannes will each be given a unique user ID and pin number, which can be used in phone booths around the venue to make telephone calls anywhere in the world.
When the caller wishes to use the phone network (built on Cisco AS5300 and 2600 router platforms) the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system will use the Internet Management System to authenticate the request and grant or deny access to the IP network. Once the call is completed, billing information showing the call's duration, destination and cost can be displayed through a standard web browser.
"There has been a lot of speculation in the industry about when Voice over IP will be robust enough for production networks, " says Peter Rouski, market development consultant, Service Provider Line of Business, at Cisco Systems. "This comprehensive public demonstration shows that Cisco and Belle Systems can supply a carrier-class service today. Our infrastructure can provide voice services to those accessing the Internet via dial, leased line, cable or ADSL. For Service Providers and their customers, the significant savings and flexibility brought by Voice over IP as a service infrastructure is a very real and very exciting prospect."
About Belle Systems A/S
Belle Systems A/S is a leading Danish software producer specialising in advanced service definition billing and management systems for larger Internet providers. The company has been providing solutions for the on-line market since 1984, and has completed installations at a number of large European banks and telecommunications companies, including Qwest, Belgacom, United Telecom Austria and TeleDanmark.Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is theworldwide leader in networking for the Internet.Cisco, Cisco Systems and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.
