Business Broadband Telephony

The Sawtel Business Broadband Telephony™ service is a turnkey, software-based solution designed for deploying primary and secondary line voice services over existing broadband networks. Subscribers can make IP-originated calls to other IP phones, or to the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and receive calls through a PSTN-provisioned phone number. Sawtel can deploy the service using either prepaid or postpaid billing mechanisms to flexibly match consumers and business models. The solution contains all the components necessary for service delivery, including an application (feature) server, session border controller, real-time transport protocol (RTP) relay mechanism, and integration with a rich set of money-saving enhanced services. Key line-side features supported include: caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, anonymous call blocking, and voice mail. Subscribers can access and control any of these features through traditional dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) interfaces or via an easy-to-use, self-service Web portal.

The Sawtel Business Broadband Telephony™ solution offers a number of important advantages:

• Delivers Key Line-Side Calling Features

  To provide subscribers with an experience similar to legacy PSTN-based phone services, Sawtel’s Business Broadband Telephony™ supports many line-side features, including caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, anonymous call blocking, and voice mail. These represent some of the highest use features available to the subscriber through star (*) codes on PSTN phones.

• Feature-rich Voice Mail & Unified Messaging Services - Message Access, Retrieval, and Notification

  Subscribers enjoy full control over the service via both Web interface and IVR menus. This includes comprehensive message playback and control operations that allow subscribers to skip through audio for fast message review. Subscribers can set up email notification when a new voice message arrives. This offers the flexibility to receive notifications on mobile phones when subscribers are away from their office or home.

  Sawtel Broadband Telephony™ supports IP-to-IP, IP-to-PSTN, and PSTN-to-IP voice calls. Clients can leverage existing broadband Internet connections.

  

Common Product Features

• Auto Attendant

  Provides a simple voice directed interface for calls coming into the main number(s). Allows callers to enter an extension number, selecting from menu options. Searches company directory. Callers can leave a message in the company mailbox.

• Extension dialing

  Calls may be routed to individuals, hunt groups, receptionist(s), information mailboxes, or sub-department Auto Attendant.

• Hunt groups

  Calls can be routed to a group of phones, such as an entire department, where all phones ring simultaneously; the first to answer is connected to the caller. If there is no answer, the call is forwarded to the group's mailbox.

• Office Manager Web Portal

  Enables configuration and management of business service features and functions, including:

  • Configure Auto Attendant
  • Configure Auto Attendant Menus
  • Configure Employees
  • Configure Extension Range
  • Configure Reserved Extensions
  • Configure Holiday Schedule call handling policies
  • Add phone number extensions

Standard Subscriber Features

Supports IP-to-PSTN, IP-to-IP, and PSTN-to-IP voice calls

• Self-service subscriber Web portal with real-time call detail and call rating
• Multiple language support for IVR
• Voice mail with DTMF and Web accessible inbox to view, listen, and manage messages
• Message waiting indicator (MWI)
• Configurable dialing plans
• Call feature control using DTMF * codes
• caller ID, call hunting and call forking, call waiting, call transfer, 3-way calling, caller ID block outgoing ANI, repeat dial, call return, anonymous call blocking, caller ID unblock outgoing ANI, Do Not Disturb, simultaneous ring, last incoming call ANI playback
• Screening of calls from PSTN
• 7-digit dialing (domestic USA deployments only)
• 911 call routing to local PSAP (domestic US deployments only)
• Virtual phone numbers
• Inbound call filtering and routing
• Caller ID outgoing selection
• "*" code access to large scale audio conferences with up to 125 conference participants
• Configurable star "*" codes
• Forwarding to international numbers
• Subscriber control over inbound call handling
• Backup phone support (safe forwarding number for offline CPE)
• Click-to-dial from call history lists
• Wake up call
• Distinctive ringing
• Contact name as caller ID on inbound calls from caller listed in subscriber address book
• Can set up as prepaid service offer
• Support for a wide variety of Telephony Adapters (TA) and soft phones, including both before-the-router (BTR) and after-the-router (ATR) configurations

Voicemail and Unified Messaging Features

• Email notification of message arrival

  Receive notification with or without the voice mail as a wave file attachment. Subscribers can review messages on their PC and forward voicemails to others via email.

• Rapid call return

  Allows subscribers to listen to a voice message then have the system call the party who left the message. Once the call is ended, the subscriber is returned to the same point in the voicemail system.

• Access to subscriber IVR interface from deposit menu

  Allows subscribers to call into the deposit interface of their mailbox, then enter a DTMF sequence to switch to the subscriber interface. The subscriber presses the star (*) key while listening to the deposit greeting; the system prompts the user for the voicemail password and, if validated, transfers them to the subscriber interface.

• Prompt cut-through

  The system allows experienced subscribers to enter star (*) during the greeting and immediately enter their password, to save time. Subscribers can also enter DTMF selections without waiting for menu prompts.

• "in message" Skip-forward and skip-back

  Subscribers can skip forward or back within a message, or skip to the beginning or end of a message.

• Configurable greetings

  Subscribers can choose from four different voicemail greetings:

  • System default greeting with the phone number
  • System default with a recording of the subscriber's name
  • Personal greeting recorded by the subscriber
  • Alternate temporary greeting (vacation message, etc.)
• Class-of-service definitions

  Service providers can configure voicemail offerings with different classes of service. Attributes that can be controlled at the class - of - service level include maximum length and number of messages that can be stored, greeting length, and number of days that a message can be stored before being automatically deleted.

• Message Waiting Indicator

  SIP-based message waiting indicator is supported for SIP phones, in accordance with RFC 3842.