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The Blog The Business Phone BlogThe following is a guide to service features that are available on Telaustralia ISDN 2 & ISDN 102030 services.
Call Waiting is a feature available on our ISDN Multiple Number services. It is a standard feature available on the ISDN 2 Enhanced service.Call Waiting is available as an optional feature on ISDN 2. Call waiting is not available on ISDN 2 with Direct Indial or ISDN10/20/30. There is no charge for call waiting.
What is call forward? Call forward allows you to forward calls to your ISDN service to another number.
There are three types of call forward:
(a) call forward immediate forwards all calls to your ISDN service to another number; and
(b) call forward busy forwards calls to your ISDN service to another number when your ISDN service is busy; and
(c) call forward no answer forwards calls to your ISDN service to another number when your ISDN service does not answer.
There are two ways call forward can work:
(a) fixed (you tell us the number you forward to and we set it at the exchange);and
(b) variable (you set the number you forward to yourself)
You can apply call forward to individual numbers on a Multiple Number service,and to the group directory number on a Direct Indial service. In the basic form of the feature for Direct Indial services, call forwarding is applied to the entire indial number range and calls are forwarded to a single, common number. If call forwarding is needed at the extension level, call deflection or private network partial rerouting is needed (see below).
Call deflection is a feature similar to call forward
which allows you to deflect a call to your ISDN service to another
number rather than answer it. The method of entering the number to
divert to will depend on your handset, but typically you will be
required to pre-program it in your equipment. You can deflect calls
received at
individual extensions in a number range, without affecting the rest of
the number range. Call deflection is provided on a per number basis when
used in conjunction with the Multiple Number feature. When this feature
is provided on Direct Indial services, it is available to all
extensions, subject to allowances within your terminal equipment. The
control procedures for this feature depend on your equipment.Please
refer to your equipment user guide.
Call forward (variable) is a standard feature available on the ISDN 2 Enhanced service. Call Forward is available as an optional feature on all other ISDN services except ISDN 2service with Direct Indial and point-to-multipoint.
Call forward (fixed) and call deflection are available as optional features on all ISDN services except ISDN 2 service with Direct Indial and point-to-multipoint.
Call Deflection is not available via the analogue ports on ISDN 2 Enhanced. You can get call deflection for ISDN 2 with Multiple Number and Line Hunt services, and as part of the call forward (all conditions) feature on ISDN 2 service with Direct Indial and point-to-point and ISDN 10/20/30.
You can only get private network partial rerouting if you have an ISDN 2 service with Direct Indial and point-to-point or an ISDN 10/20/30.There is no charge for call forward, call deflection or private network partial rerouting features. We charge you at standard ISDN call rates for forwarded calls.
Enquiry/Conference is available as an optional feature on the following ISDN services:
(a) ISDN 2 with Multiple Number service; andIt is not available on ISDN 2 with Direct Indial or ISDN 10/20/30.
There is a monthly for Enquiry/Conference (in addition to the standard monthly access charges for your ISDN service). In addition we charge you our standard ISDN call rates for calls you make.
Call transfer also lets you to join the two calls in a three-way conference call.
(a) You cannot transfer the call if both calls are outgoing.The analogue ports of the NT1 Plus II are compatible with this feature. The analogue ports of the NT1 Plus are not compatible with this feature.
There is monthly access fee for for call transfer (in addition to the standard monthly access charges for your ISDN service):
The analogue ports of the NT1 Plus II are compatible with this feature. The analogue ports of the NT1 Plus are compatible with this feature, except in the case where the number is provided with call waiting.
There is no charge for calling number display when we provide it as a standard feature. When we provide it as an optional feature, there is a monthly aces fee.
If you do not have calling line identification restriction, you can still block presentation of your number to a person you are calling on a call-by-call basis if you have compatible equipment.
The analogue ports of the NT1 Plus and the NT1 Plus II are compatible with blocking presentation of your number on a call-by-call basis.
Calling line identification restriction is available as an optional feature on all ISDN services. This feature is available on a per call, temporary or permanent basis, depending on your equipment.There is no charge for calling line identification restriction.
preferred network barring option. You may also have barring applied to individual extensions via your telephone system- please discuss with you equipment supplier. (You can get network barring options that you can turn on and off yourself by subscribing to the call control option if you have ISDN 2 with Multiple Number service or ISDN 2 Enhanced services.
Call barring is available as an optional feature on all ISDN services and there is no charge for call barring.
Call control allows you to prevent unauthorised calls being made by choosing the types of outgoing calls that can be made from your ISDN service. A four digit PIN controls the feature, letting you turn on or off your preset call barring options.
Call control is available as an optional feature on the following ISDN services:The analogue ports of the NT1 Plus are compatible with call control.
We charge you for call control (in addition to the standard monthly access charges for your ISDN service)
Multiple Number lets you have up to eight telephone numbers (in total) with one ISDN service. If you have ISDN 2 Enhanced, a maximum of six telephone numbers can be used on the analogue ports of NT1 Plus II, as each port has three different rings. The NT1 Plus does not support distinctive ring (ie different rings for each number),so only one number can be used per analogue port.
Although you can have multiple devices, only two lines are available at any one time.
Multiple Number is available as an optional feature on the following ISDN services:We charge you for each Multiple Number (in addition to the standard monthly access charges for your ISDN service): The first two numbers per service there is no charge and then you are then charged for each additional number.
Malicious caller identification requires compatible equipment in order to perform a trace.
For ISDN 2 Enhanced, the analogue ports of the NT1 Plus II and the NTI Plus are compatible with malicious caller identification.
If you are using the ISDN 2 service or equipment connected to the S-Bus of theNT1 Plus II, your equipment may support either malicious caller identification or malicious call trace. (Earlier versions of this feature in Australia were provided as malicious call trace, a non-ETSI feature.) Because the capability of your equipment to handle each may differ, when you ask us for this service we supply both versions of this feature for simplicity. Check with your equipment supplier for compatibility.
We charge you for malicious call identification/malicious call trace (in addition to the standard monthly access charges for your ISDN service)
The network activated ISDN redirection lets you permanently redirect all your incoming calls from an ISDN service/number to a fixed single number. It applies at the number range level (or the single number level for Multiple Number services). You can choose:
(a) unconditional redirection – which applies the equivalent of call forward immediate and redirects all calls to another nominated ISDN or public switched telephone network destination number (but not 190 numbers); or
Network activated ISDN redirection is available as an optional feature on thefollowing ISDN services:
(a) ISDN 2 with Multiple Number, Line Hunt and Direct Indial point to point;We charge you for calls we redirect at standard ISDN call rates. We also charge you our monthly access charge for your service. 14.8 You are responsible for all charges incurred as a result of asking us to provide Network activated ISDN redirection to you.
We expect to provide emergency redirection on a temporary basis, usually for no longer than one week. During this time, the standard ISDN service charges continue to apply.
You can choose:
(a) unconditional redirection - which applies the equivalent of call forward immediate and redirects all calls to another nominated ISDN or public
We activate and deactivate emergency redirection when you ask us to. You must tell us at least one hour before if you want to activate, change or deactivate any of your emergency redirection arrangements. To activate emergency redirection within one hour, we must be able to successfully validate your identity. If we have trouble validating your identity, we may not be able to activate the service within one hour.
When we activate diversion on your ISDN 2 with Direct Indial or ISDN 10/20/30 services at your request, you cannot change or remove emergency redirection yourself. You must ask us to change or remove the redirection.
When we activate diversion on your ISDN 2 with Multiple Number, ISDN 2 Line Hunt and ISDN 2 Enhanced services at your request, and you subscribe to the call forward option chosen above, you may deactivate the redirection when yourequipment and/or our ISDN service is working.
The redirection of calls from your ISDN service to a single service on our public switched telephone network or ISDN service may not be successful if the single service cannot cope with call volumes.
The redirection of calls will only be successful if the incoming call type is compatible with the number to which the call is directed. Data calls redirected from ISDN services to services on our public switched telephone network will fail.Emergency redirection is available as an optional feature on the following ISDN services:
Emergency redirection charges For each activation is $200.00 ex Gst $220.00 inc Gst. There is no charge for deactivation.
We will not charge you the activation charge if you activate emergency redirection because our network is faulty (as determined by us). We will not charge you for redirected calls over our network if our network is faultyand you are preselected with us. If you are currently not preselected to us, you must give us permission to have your STD and fixed to mobile calls carried via our network for the duration of the redirection. You are responsible for all charges incurred as a result of asking us to provide emergency redirection to you.
Number Only Redirection is available for a period of up to 12 months from the date we connect the redirection service.
The redirection of calls will only be successful if the incoming call type is compatible with the number to which the call is directed. Data calls redirected from ISDN services to Basic Telephone Services on our public switched telephone network will fail. The redirection of calls from your ISDN service to a single service on our public
We cannot promise the redirection of calls if they come via another phone company and you must tell us at least five business days before you want us to activate operatorconnect diversion.
Operator connect diversion is available as an optional feature on the following
We charge you a monthly fee for extension level billing (in addition to the standard monthly access charges for your ISDN service.
What is line Hunt?
Line Hunt lets you advertise one directory number and have more than one ISDN service connected to that number. The network distributes incoming traffic acrossall available ISDN information/B channels.
If you have a Multiple Number service and choose Line Hunt, you will receive an extra number called the group directory number that becomes your advertised number.
Line Hunt requires you to have a minimum of two services of the same type eg two ISDN 2 services.
You do not need to request Line Hunt with your ISDN 2 with Direct Indial or ISDN 10/20/30 service as an equivalent functionality is provided as a standard feature with these services.We charge you a monthly fee for Line Hunt (in addition to the standard monthly access charges for your ISDN service)
Direct Indial (or DID Range) lets callers contact a person they wish to speak to directly without going through an operator or reception Direct Indial is used in conjunction with phone systems or PABXs. It also supports automatic call distributors and voice mail and paging services.
We have a separate number range for Direct Indial operations. For our standard Direct Indial operation:
We charge you a monthly access fee for each 100 Number Indial range Block.
In a point-to-point set up, our ISDN exchange only expects to see a single device respond to call requests. That device is responsible for managing calls for all of your devices using that service. Typically these other devices will be extensions on a PABX.
In an ISDN 2 point-to-multipoint set up, you would typically have an S-BUS feeding multiple devices (routers, Terminals Adapters etc) and our ISDN exchange expects that there may be more than one device responding to call requests. (Equipment specifications will define one or the other.
A Historical perspective of ISDN in Australia by the Technology Applications Group. Amazing how things have progressed with data speeds, networks and Applications.
ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital Network. The ISDN is a digital communications network service which uses the same copper wire lines used for standard (analogue) telephone services. ISDN services enable end-users to send and receive information at faster speeds and with greater reliability than is possible using the standard telephone service. ISDN services are used for the carriage of information such as voice, data, high quality sound, text, still images and video.
ISDN was designed around the notion of separate channels at 64Kbps. This number springs from the fact that 64Kbps is essentially the data rate at which the analogue lines are sampled at (8000 samples per second, 8 bits per sample) for the phone company’s ISDN. ISDN is essentially combinations of these channels, and also slower 16Kbps channels, used only for signalling. The 64Kbps channels are called B channels. The 16Kbps channels are called D channels.
There are two main interfaces – Basic Rate and Primary Rate. The Basic Rate Interface is intended for home use, and Primary Rate is intended for businesses. The Basic Rate Interface (BRI) is designed to carry the most data consumers can possibly send to the home through existing copper phone lines. The Primary Rate Interface is designed for businesses with larger data needs, or with the need to set up their own local phone system. It is generally just a much faster connection to the phone company, with several B channels.Telstra supplies ISDN services to both end-users and service providers. Where service providers have access to their own transmission networks, they purchase short distance ISDN services to use as customer ‘access tails’. The access tail services supplied to service providers are similar to the eligible ISDN services. In essence, they are carriage services using that part of the network which connects end-users’ premises to an exchange (that is, the customer access network). They are joined with the service providers’ networks to create an end-to-end service
The early days of ISDN saw the evolving technology developed along proprietary lines. In the US the two competing camps were AT&T with its 5ESS switch and Northern Telecom and the DMS100. Both products were rolled out at approximately the same time with similar features and options. As the product was placed on the network there were some compatibility issues.
The Australian ISDN was implemented in 1988 prior to the presence of a second carrier. Australians have therefore been fortunate to have a single set of protocols and interfaces from any location in which ISDN is provided, thus avoiding some of the problems associated with incompatibility, in certain other countries. Unfortunately, the set of protocols used were different to every other ISDN service. Recognising this as a major impediment to the industry, Telstra migrated its platform towards the European ETSI ISDN standards, called Euro-ISDN, in 1995.The
ISDN is a digital communications service which enables the end-user to send and receive information at faster speeds and with greater reliability than is possible using the analogue carriage service of the PSTN network.
Telstra operates the only ISDN in Australia. Telstra has expanded its ISDN capacity in line with the licence conditions under s.66 of the Telecommunications Act 1997. Specifically, the licence condition requires Telstra to be in a position to make available: ... within 90 days of a request, a carriage service that provides a digital data capability broadly comparable to that provided by a data channel with a transmission speed of 64kilobits per second supplied to end- users as part of the designated basic rate ISDN service: • by 1 July 1997 – to at least 93.4% of the Australian population; and • by 31 December 1998 – to at least 96% of the Australian population.
The number of Telstra basic rate ISDN services installed at 30 March 2000 was 125,013, compared with 73,028 services installed at 30 June 1998. Very few basic rate ISDN services are utilised by residential customers.
Telstra has provided a separate measure of ISDN service penetration – the number of installed digital data equivalent lines (Exhibit 3-3). This measure is derived by multiplying the number of ISDN services in operation by a factor based upon the number of 64Kbit/s data channels provided by the type of ISDN service. For example, a basic rate ISDN service (OnRamp 2 and Microlink) is multiplied by two as it provides two 64Kbit/s channels, whereas a primary rate ISDN service (OnRamp 30 and Microlink) is multiplied by a higher figure, owing to the greater number of 64Kbit/s channels provided by primary rate ISDN services.
Telstra was one of the first telecommunications carriers in the world to introduce ISDN starting in 1988. The initial introduction of a primary rate service called Macrolink was followed by the introduction of Microlink, a basic rate service providing two 64Kbit digital channels and a 16Kbit signalling/packet data channel.
Telstra’s ISDN services are offered using two distinct ‘networks’ namely, the overlay network and the ETSI network. Each network is described below.
• The overlay network is based on a discrete network (separate from the PSTN). This network has been in operation since 1989 and, as at mid- 1998, provided connections to over 400,000 PSTN basic access line equivalents. It is to be phased out in 2000.
• The ETSI network, on the other hand, is integrated with the existing PSTN infrastructure. It is designed according to the standards of the European Technical Standards Institute (ETSI) and was introduced in 1997 as ‘OnRamp’.
With each network, terminal adaptors are located at customer premises in order to enable end-users to send and receive information over the network. As the overlay network is phased out, terminal adaptors which are not compatible with the ETSI network will need to be replaced.
These services are provided by a $200m overlay exchange network which extends out to user exchanges using a custom designed remote server known as a BMUX, connected by a 2Mb/s primary rate access to the overlay network node. The BMUX can only be provided at exchanges with digital transmission available to the rest of the network. In addition, on cost grounds, a BMUX is usually not installed until at least 5 orders have been received for Microlink ISDN service at that exchange.
By 1996, there were over 36,000 Microlink Services (basic rate ISDN) connected via 3,900+ BMUXs and more than 8,100 Macrolink Services (primary rate ISDN) in operation on the overlay network. The number of BMUX based services peaked in mid 1997 and has declined thereafter, as the ETSI based OnRamp substituted Microlink in the market.
Following OnRamp’s introduction, new ISDN customers are being served primarily by the new Future Mode of Operation (FMO) network and ETSI based ISDN service capabilities. Also existing Microlink customers have progressively migrated from Microlink to the OnRamp ISDN service. Migration from Microlink to OnRamp requires a telephone number change for the customer. In addition, a modification to the customer premises equipment to allow for compatibility with the new OnRamp Service may have been required in some cases. It is our understanding that the migration is due to be completed by 2001/2002.
As part of Telstra’s strategic planning process, it created a vision for the future which it called its “Future Mode of Operation” (FMO). The FMO incorporates fundamental changes to its “Present Mode of Operation”.
As a result of this network infrastructure, managing, operating and extending ISDN had become complex and expensive. The FMO directly addressed these concerns by creating a “composite” network in which a single network of switches will support both telephone and ISDN services.
Telstra’s ISDN service had been developed as a separate network to the PSTN. At certain locations there were connections between the two networks in order to enable interoperability. This dual/integrated network is sometimes called an ‘overlay’ network – ISDN ‘overlays’ the existing telephone network – but they remain two separate networks.
Telstra’s existing ISDN network was further complicated by the fact that basic rate access MicrolinkTM, was not provided directly from the ISDN exchanges. Basic rate is provided by a purpose-built device called a B-MUX which was connected to the exchange via Primary Rate Interface (PRI). Each B-MUX supports up to fourteen Basic Rate Interface (BRI) ports.
In December 1994, the Telstra Board approved $300 million to rebuild its ISDN network over the next five years. The decision was based on the recognition that Telstra needed to expand its network and move to international standards to meet the rising demand for ISDN services.
From 1996, new switches provided ISDN services based on international ETSI standards, MacrolinkTM and MicrolinkTM services continued to be supported by Telstra to 2000 and existing customers were being migrated to ETSI ISDN progressively.
The major benefit of the network upgrade to Telstra was that it would be better positioned to satisfy market needs and demands more cost- effectively. In particular, the Composite Node network enabled Telstra to provide ISDN wherever there is a telephone exchange. Previously, it required either a special ISDN exchange or a B-MUX to be within about 5 kilometres of the customer and this often cannot be cost-justified. As a result, the penetration of ISDN had been restricted.
By supporting international ETSI standards, Telstra made it less costly for international CPE manufacturers to make their products available in Australia. Increased competition in the CPE environment has lowered prices and increased the number of applications which can use ISDN.
The national network deployment profile of FMO, ETSI ISDN and BMUX as at 1999, as provided by Telstra, is summarised in the Exhibit 3-5. This is based on the accelerated FMO program that has been agreed between Telstra and the Government. This shows that by July 1997, 25% of exchange sites nationally, representing 58% of PSTN lines were equipped to provide ETSI ISDN (On Ramp service) within normal provisioning periods.
ISDN services enable end-users to send and receive information at faster speeds and with greater reliability than is possible using the standard telephone service. ISDN services are used for the carriage of information such as voice, data, high quality sound, text, still images and video.
Telstra’s ISDN services are targeted at the business sectors, especially large corporate. At the end of December 1998, Telstra had 648,000 ISDN channels in operation, which increased by 48% during 1999 to reach 964,000 channels.
The service had been largely marketed to business customers, such as the corporate and government sectors. However since early 1999, in view of the growth of Internet, Telstra’s ISDN service has began to address the small and medium businesses.
Telstra’s ISDN provides a range of voice and data business solutions including telephony, fax, file transfer, Internet access, access to the corporate LAN and video conferencing.
OnRamp supports voice communication by phones or phone systems - providing fast call connections and clear voice quality. OnRamp provides features such as Direct Indial, Multiple Number, Easycall features like Call Waiting and Line Hunt that help users manage their calls.
For the small home office, an OnRamp service with Multiple Number provides extra phone numbers to differentiate between business and personal calls. One OnRamp service provides two digital lines for two simultaneous phone conversations - or talk on one line and still receive a fax or access the Internet on the other. Larger businesses can use larger OnRamp services with 10 digital lines or more for phones and data requirements.
The Internet has been called ‘information at your fingertips’, yet as the Internet moves increasingly to sound, image and video content, standard modem connections are proving too slow. At 128 Kbps, OnRamp can provide Internet access much faster than conventional modems, which means less time waiting for connection to the internet or files to download and more time available for working.
In addition to its telephone and fax facilities, OnRamp provides high speed access to central office resources for regional offices and telecommuters, enabling all employees to share the same facilities and function better as a team.
Video conferencing provides the facilities for live full colour video and audio communication between people situated in two or more locations.
OnRamp provides fast data transmission to industry sectors with such applications, specifically the pre-press graphics industry, the health sector and construction industry.
Office Local Area Networks (LANs) have become part of the modern working environment with their ability to help staff share information and work better together, but their advantage can be lost as a business expands to new locations. Staff working from home (telecommuters) and channel partners are also disadvantaged by the loss of access to shared information.
OnRamp’s high speed digital transmission and instantaneous call set-up speeds up the flow of information and allows all staff – whether telecommuters or channel partners - to work together more effectively.
A study by STM Consulting and Bellcore (1998) showed the percentage of services in operation that belong to Corporate & Government (C&G) customers. C&G customers are Telstra customers with a total Telstra bill size exceeding a specified amount. At the end of 1999, more than 95% of the ISDN customers belonged to the commercial, business and government sectors. Residential users accounted for less than 5%.
It is a common understanding in the Australian market that the skewing of basic rate ISDN demand to corporate customers relates to its use almost entirely for intra-corporate communications (eg, semi-permanent connections and LAN/WAN connectivity). The same is believed to apply to commercial customers; these tend to be larger multi-site customers with internal/inter-site communications requirements. For this reason, at this stage basic rate ISDN demand tends to occur only at centres which are large enough to have branch offices of large corporates and medium sized enterprises.
In Australia, as in other countries, Internet access requirements are expected to stimulate demand for basic rate ISDN in the residential and small business sectors, which today effectively have no real application for ISDN. However, the pricing of ISDN is prohibitively high for small business and residential users.
However, with the introduction of xDSL technology in 2000/2001, with its faster access speeds (up to 8Mbps) and the ability to use existing copper infrastructure, ISDN has a formidable competitor. In addition, HFC, LMDS and FTTC are also some of the competing technologies for ISDN as a high-speed access network solution.
In fact, Telstra has introduced xDSL as migration path for ISDN. ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) promises 8Mbps Internet access to anybody within 1.5km of a telephone exchange.In June 2000, to fight the entry of xDSL, Telstra launched a new ISDN data service. It targets small office home office (SoHo), micro-business, and residential users.
Data applications (in terms of call minutes) account for more than 85% of the ISDN network traffic. However, in terms of number of calls, voice accounts for 75% of the total calls made.
Inter-business applications (such as videophone and videoconferencing) which use 64Kb/s (or nx64Kb/s) end-to-end connectivity, have yet to be adopted on a significant scale.
Telstra considers further disaggregation of its traffic volume of ISDN network to be commercially sensitive.
Anecdotal evidence was presented to suggest that existing ISDN services in rural areas are exclusively in larger towns and are most likely to be part of the telecommunications facilities of a large corporate or government organisation. Such demands only occur in larger towns where there are government institutions such as hospitals and educational facilities, and branches of large businesses, such as banks and the post office. This reflects the current dominant application of basic rate ISDN which is for intra-corporate communications.
Data from Telstra on the deployment of BMUX and Microlink shows that rural penetration of Microlink is about 0.2% of telephone services in rural areas, about half the national total (0.4% of services). Furthermore about three quarters of rural Microlink services are in exchanges having more than 1,000 lines (ie, the larger rural centres). The 77% of rural exchanges which have less than 500 lines in total have only 34 Microlink services (1.2% of the rural total).
Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, ISDN was heralded as the high- speed access network technology of the information superhighway, with a maximum non-compressed data speeds of up to 128Kbps.
However, it was mainly utilised by large corporates, government units and businesses for their inter-office and LAN connections. It lacks the applications for small business and residential users. In addition, the value proposition for ISDN – benefit compared to price – resulted in limited take up by the small to medium businesses, let alone residential consumers. The fact that Telstra operates the only ISDN network in Australia has also prevented competition in delivery of the service. Despite network coverage of 96% by 1998, ISDN has failed to achieve wide adoption.
In 1998, the ACCC said ISDN prices in Australia were high by international standards, citing the Asia-Pacific Telecommunications Index from the National University of Singapore that indicated Telstra ranked first for IDD pricing but eighth for its ISDN pricing. Telstra competes with other carriers and service providers in international traffic but no carriers have the underlying network to offer a different ISDN tariff.
The ACCC report (1998) also quoted from a study by Siemens, a German electronics corporation, which showed that Australia had a penetration of 0.61% of ISDN in 1997, compared with Germany’s 8.69%, Switzerland’s 5.3%, the Netherlands’ 3.08%, Japan’s 2.57%, France’s 2.54% and the UK’s 2%.
However, with the arrival of the Internet in the mid 1990s, demand for higher bandwidth has breathed a new life into the ISDN service, especially in the small and medium business.
Since early 1999, Telstra has been addressing the need for an ISDN service in the small and medium businesses. The number of ISDN channels (both basic and primary rates) in operation increased by 48% from 648,000 channels in 1998 to 964,000 channels in 1999. xDSL and other technologies now provide competition for ISDN.
In fact, Telstra has introduced xDSL as a migration path for ISDN while competitors are introducing xDSL services. Some xDSL operators believe the 30,000 or so ISDN users (mostly SME) are likely to convert to ADSL.
In June 2000, to fight the entry of xDSL Telstra has launched a new ISDN data service. It targets small home office (SoHo), micro-business, and residential users. The remodelled OnRamp Business Highway was launched on 19 June 2000. ISDN voice and data calls are fixed at Australian local rates, with a flat rate of A$1 an hour for data calls, timed per second, and a A$0.15 connection fee. Previously all calls were charged by time and distance. Telstra is cutting ISDN costs to better compete in the small-end data market against new high-speed copper-wire technology, ADSL, and cheaper cable Internet services.
However, Telstra is confident that ISDN still has a future, despite competition from other access network technologies. An attraction of ISDN is that it is an all rounder because it can enable so many applications and is well suited for international data traffic and video conferencing.
According to Telstra the market grew strongly in 2000 with a growth rate of 30%. However, being a mature product with competition from new technologies like xDSL, Telstra expects the market to level off in 2001/2002.
We regularly get asked how do we get the cheapest line rental possible. There are a number of ways to go about getting cheap line rental depending on the technology used to deliver the service. Many business's get stuck on just using the Telstra PSTN network when there are some great alternatives out there.
Lets work from most expensive to cheapest for Line Rental.
The most expensive line rental type is PSTN $39.95 per month. Because of legacy pricing that Telstra applies to their copper network at the wholesale level, there is a limit on what can be achieved with pricing for PSTN lines. Typical pricing on PSTN is $33-$39.95 per month. PSTN (or POTS Plain Old Telephone Service) is a single line service that can be used for Voice, FAX, EFTPO & ADSL Internet. PSTN is available from every exchange Australia Wide is is the most commonly used type of phone line in Australia.
The next pricing increment comes in with ISDN services which are again on Telstra network $33 per month. With ISDN you get digital line quality and access to a 100 number DID range. Per channel access is around $30 for either ISDN 2 or ISDN 102030. With ISDN you have options for increments of 2 or 10 channels. Multiple ISDN 2 services will provide 2, 4, 6 or 8 services. ISDN 102030 has increments of 10 so its 10, 20 or 30 channels per service. Multiple service can be installed on the 1 site. ISDN is available at most exchanges Australia Wide and a PBX Phone system is needed.
The next level of pricing comes with Muliti Line ISDN which runs on Optus network $20 per month. Per channel access can be had for $20 per month if you are prepared to take a 36 month agreement. If a shorter term agreement is more your style then rental is $25 per per month. With Multi Line you get Digital service, access to a 100 Number DID range and the ability to take any increment above 10 channels ...eg 10, 11, 12 13 channels at a time up to 30 channels per service. Multiple services can be installed at the 1 site but the Optus network is not as broad as the Telstra network. A PBX Phone system is needed.
And the winner is ...Hosted Voice with Line rental as low as $10 per month. With Hosted Voice there is no tie to the physical network other than using an ADSL service so there is no charges being paid to Telstra to maintain the legacy network. Hosted Voice is only limited by the Internet capacity that you have on your site. Now the fastest growing Fixed Wire Telephone Product in Australia, Hosted PBX will be the standard when NBN network is activated. With even the most rudimentary level of access, with Hosted PBX you get a virtual PBX phone system with a massive range of features and benefits so you dont need a PBX Phone System. One is supplied as part of the product.
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One of the questions that has been in the air over the NBN is what is the future of ISDN and how will it interface with the NBN.
I have heard from one of my contacts within Telstra that while not finalized, the plan for ISDN will be that where the ISDN service is delivered over fibre or on site MUXs then that equipment will be left in place but copper based services will be migrated on to the NBN.
This means there is no problem in continuing to deliver ISDN services as there is a a migration plan for each technology type.
Not a lot of detail available just yet but will keep you posted as updates become available.
Customers often ask for an explanation of what types of business phone lines are available to them. Here a brief explanation of the office phone options available in layman’s terms.
ISDN 2 is a digital line phone line mainly used for business and is also known as Basic Rate or BRI. An ISDN 2 gives the user 2 channels for voice and is mainly used by SMEs. The service is delivered via a NTU modem and is mainly used in conjunction with a PBX Phone system. ISDN 2 can be ordered in multiples of 2…2/4/6/8 channels. Line hunt can be added to ISDN 2 but only with multiple ISDN 2s…eg 4 channels or more.. Line Hunt cannot be added to a Single ISDN 2.
ISDN 2s main feature benefit is that it can have a 100 Number Direct In Dial Range (DID range) added. This gives the user a range of 100 numbers that can be used to direct dial in to. Even though the user may only have 4 voice channels or lines available, they can have 100 numbers. Fort example an advertised number that would go to the Receptionist while also have Direct Dial numbers that can be used for individual or departments.
ISDN 10/20/30 is also a digital phone line that is also know as Primary Rate or PRI. As the name suggests ISDN 102030 comes in increments on 10 20 or 30 channels and is mainly used for Medium to Large business.. Line hunt can be added to ISDN 10/20/30 and delivery is via a NTU modem. A PBX with a PRI card is required to use ISDN 102030. 100 Number DID ranges are also available on ISDN 102030.
Often referred to as POTS (plain old telephone service). PSTN are the same lines carried over copper that run in your home and most business’s. One line usually means 1 number but a 2nd number can be had on a line for additional cost but only 1 number used at a time ... eg only 1 phone call at a time from either number.
While not state of the art, PSTN are typically reliable and available in nearly all locations.
PSTNs can be used for voice but are also used often for ADSL Internet, Fax & Eftpos and also often used as security phone lines. If you want to add in ADSL then you don’t have much choice other to add an ADSL line in but the good news is a PSTN telephone line can be shared between fax, Eftpos & ADSL. A range of features can be added to PSTN Phone lines including line hunt & message bank.
Multi Line ISDN 10 is Optus networks version of ISDN 102030 Primary rate. The main difference being that it can be delivered with a minimum of 10 channels but there is no 10 channel increment requirement above 10 ISDN channels. For example you could have 13 channels but no less than 10 channels. While being generally cheaper than Telstra product it is not as widely available. Most features are the same as ISDN 102030 with a DID range also being available. A PBX Phone System is also required to use Multi Line ISDN
Hosted Voice, otherwise know as Hosted PBX, is a VoIP service where the equipment interface including the modem and handsets are held on site but the PBX System is virtual and managed via Software. The PBX is in effect hosted elsewhere. There is no PBX Unit as such but the system offers the full functionality of a Business Phone System. ADSL or SHDSL Internet is required to carry the calls.
The main benefits of a Hosted PBX or Hosted Voice system is significantly cheaper set up and calls costs. Call costs are often less than half the price of PSTN or ISDN lines, in particular for Long Distance STD calls. Because the lines are virtual, the numbers of PSTN or ISDN lines needed for a business are negligible therefor offering further savings on Line Rental. The Hosted PBX line rental is significantly cheaper per channel because there is no network infrastructure in place that requires maintenance.
In addition whenever the system needs to be configured it is simply a matter of logging into the Management software to do the configuration there by saving on call out charges for Technicians.
One further benefit of purchasing and using a Hosted PBX System is that it will be transferable onto the NBN.
SIP trunks work the same as a Hosted PBX in that the calls are carried over VoIP. The main difference being that SIP trunks usually connect to an existing PABX system and allow for a mix or ISDN, PSTN and Voip lines on the one set of equipment.
For example a business could use ISDN lines with a 100 number range for incoming calls and then route all outgoing calls over SIP trunks to take advantage of the lower call charges available on SIP and Hosted Services.
While not really a phone line, a GSM Gateway is equipment that enables a PBX system to make calls over a mobile network enabling the customer to take advantage of fleet pricing or capped mobile plans. A SIM, or multiple SIMs can be used to give multiple outgoing call channels.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
PABX PHONE SYSTEM HACKING & FRAUDULENT ACTIVITY
“IRSF" is a form of traffic inflation or flooding whereby an international revenue share provider obtains a number, or range of numbers designated as a premium rate service (PRS) which allow callers to access some form of entertainment service/feature, such as mobile ringtones, screensavers, horoscope readings etc, usually 190X numbers in Australia and more notoriously 900 numbers in the US.
Each call to a PRS generates profit for both the revenue share provider and the content provider, ranging anywhere between 30% and 80% of the net tariff. Fraudsters have been known to enter into arrangements with the PRS content providers, with the purpose of flooding traffic to them using various methods, most commonly via hacking PABX, VoIP or Voicemail and programming the extension to automatically dial the PRS number.
There is currently a concerted effort across carriers to mitigate fraudulent activity on both the fixed and mobile networks, including a ramping up of monitoring of unusual international traffic and the implementation of proactive measures to block international B numbers which have unusually high traffic flowing to them, often in high risk destinations. However, this will not completely stop fraudulent activity occurring.
As a precaution, you should be aware of the dangers and passing on warning to your SMB and Corporate End Users to ensure they have proactively set security on their own PABX systems to deter hackers. Some tips are provided below which may help prevent fraudulent activity:
HOW DO THEY DO IT AND WHY?
Hackers fraudulently use a company’s PABX system to make long distance telephone calls, usually to obscure international destinations at no cost to themselves. The costs are born by the organisation and can be quite considerable.
The more sophisticated PABX systems become, so do the hackers and their software. Hackers exploit weaknesses in the company’s PABX system by figuring out voicemail pins and gaining access via the PABX maintenance port or ‘Direct Inward System Access’ (DISA) point of the PABX. Once they penetrate the voicemail they are then able to re-program the PABX system to make International telephone calls.
The fraudsters will often then either on-sell the calls as a phone operator themselves or they may even divert the calls to their own premium rate services. Both methods derive income for the hacker, while the business is left with the bill.
Due to the number of lines that most PABX systems have, the cost to the business can escalate rapidly as many calls can occur during any one time. the hacker will often breach the system late at night when the business is not operating so they can attempt to avoid detection
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS AND YOUR END CUSTOMERS BUSINESS
How you protect the business is a matter for you and/or your End User to determine in consultation with the PABX maintainer.
Here are some of the ways in which you can protect your system:
LOOK FOR THE SIGNS
You should consult with a PABX maintainer to determine if your system may have been a target. As far as we know no Telaustralia customers have been victims of this type of Fraud.
Here are some possible warning signs:
To block international calls please call Telaustralia
customer service on 1300783528.
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PABX Fraud can have a serious impact on your business Here are some Case Studies to provide some insight into the impact this may cause |
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Case Study 1
A prominent Australian bank was the victim of PABX Fraud.Hackers had accessed the company’s system through the company’s main switchboard and jammed the phone to constantly dial a number in Sierra Leone.The following business day, the staff noticed that their voicemail boxes were constantly busy and thought that there may have been an IT problem but didn’t think to alert their maintainer.The banks telephone carrier noticed the breach several days later and notified the customer that approximately $10,000 worth of calls to Sierra Leone had been run up in a period of only 6 days |
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Case Study 2
A government department was a recent victim of PABX hacking. Their telephone carrier noticed the unusual call traffic and alerted the customer within 24 hours of the fraud occurring. Due to problems with finding the correct person to handle the issue, the problem was not rectified for approximately 14 days after the initial breach. The customer eventually received their bill to find out that $80,000 worth of calls to Columbia occurred as a result. The customer was liable to pay the charges |
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Case Study 3
A small construction business suffered a recent PABX attack. Tthe business was a customer of Telstra and was surprised when they received a bill from Optus featuring calls to Liechtenstein totaling $8,500. The customer did not usually make calls overseas but still had International access on their phone system |
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Questions or Concerns
If you have any questions or concerns regarding fraudulent activity on YOUR PABX you should consider the steps listed earlier in this document and contact your PABX Phone System provider to make any required programming changes. IF YOU WANT INTERNATIONAL CALLING BARRED FROM YOUR LANDLINES CALL TELAUSTRALIA 1300783528 TO ARRANGE. |
WHAT IS ISDN 2
Formerly known as OnRamp 2, ISDN 2 business phone lines transforms your existing analogue telephone line into two digital connections. ISDN2 features are;
Two telephone numbers on the one ISDN 2 phone service.(on the one piece of copper)
With ISDN 2 there are two digital channels capable of transferring both voice and data at bandwidth rates of 2 x 64kbps or 128kbps when 2 lines are combined giving the user the option of 2 voice channels.
An ISDN2 service must be connected to an ISDN compatible PABX system at the customers premises
With ISDN 2 you can access a 100 Number Direct Indial (DID) range so even if you only have 2 lines you can have 100 numbers.
A full explanation of the range of features available on an ISDN 2 service is located here.
WHAT IS ISDN 2 ENHANCED
ISDN2 enhanced services are identical to standard ISDN2 services but are supplied with an integrated network termination device and router. Since this hardware is more expensive to supply, the monthly line rental is a few dollars higher than standard ISDN2.
The integrated unit supplied currently is the Open Networks NT1 plus II . This unit allows the customer to connect
multiple computers on a small LAN to the ISDN service to leverage the ISDN investment. The NT1 plus II also allows customers to "bond" the two channels together for 128kbps internet access when no phone lines are in use. Although these units require mains power they have the ability to keep the main phone line active during a mains power failure.
WHY USE ISDN 2 PHONE LINES
ISDN 2 Phone lines are Digital business phones lines delivering clearer and faster phone calls.
ISDN 2 are a scaleable service in that you can add an additional set of lines in increments of 2 lines at a time. eg start with 2 lines and add in 2/4/6/or 8 ISDN2 services as required.
ISDN 2 gives you the availability of a 100 Number Direct in Dial range. Even if you only have 1 or 2 ISDN 2 services you can have 100 phone numbers or more. ISDN 2 is ideally suited to small to medium business that require crisp clear digital communication lines in conjunction with a PABX phone system. ISDN 2 Business phone lines have access to all the great business phone line features you need including Line Hunt & Caller ID.
For more than 10 channels you will require and ISDN 10/20/30 service. A full explanation of the range of features available on an ISDN 2 service is located here.
HOW DO I CONNECT TO ISDN 2 PHONE SERVICE
As ISDN is digital, there is no need for a modem. However, a customer will need a terminal adapter to receive the ISDN service. A terminal adaptor enables the communication from the user's terminal to the network and serves as an interface between the ISDN BRI line and the customers equipment.
Terminal adaptors are sometimes referred to as Network Termination (NT) devices or ISDN modems/routers, although this latter term is slightly misleading. The terminal adapter is provided by the ISDN service provider.
To connect the customer's local area network (LAN) to an ISDN2 service the customer will require a separate ISDN router or (as is more common) a terminal adaptor with a modem / router built in.
Customer wishing to connect a LAN to an ISDN2 service should choose the ISDN2 enhanced service.
A full explanation of the range of features available on an ISDN 2 service is located here.
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