Siemens Readies Upgrade Of Call-Control Software

With the upgrade, the HiPath 5000 4.0 softswitch doubles its capacity to 2,000 users across 64 nodes. The softswitch software resides on a Microsoft Windows server.

In addition, Siemens is introducing version 4.0 of its HiPath 3000 IP-PBX, a combination hardware/software solution that now can be implemented in a distributed network as a Survivable Media Gateway (SMG) node on a HiPath 5000 system.

Survivability means the distributed HiPath 3000 SMG systems could revert to stand-alone mode and continue to provide access to the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) if their connection to the centralized HiPath 5000 system is broken.

"The 4.0 release merges the code base of the two platforms, so you can think of them as components now of a greater product," said Joan Vandermate, vice president of product management at Siemens Enterprise Networks, Reston, Va.

The HiPath 3000 still exists as a stand-alone IP-PBX. However, for customers with several offices, solution providers can implement the 3000 at each location along with the HiPath 5000 Real Time Services Manager at a company's headquarters to provide centralized administration, including centralized database administration, single-call detail reporting and a centralized attendant.

The ability to use the HiPath 3000 as a gateway provides customers with a lower-cost alternative to using gateway cards specifically made for the HiPath 5000, said Peter McNally, president of Inter-Com, a solution provider in West Caldwell, N.J. "It's going to be a lot more cost-effective," he said.

In addition to cost benefits, Siemens' modular strategy provides the added protection of survivability, Vandermate said.

"If you have a network failure in the headquarters or data center and the offices can't reach the [HiPath 5000 server, the HiPath 3000s immediately revert back to stand-alone mode. The calls would not drop, and you wouldn't lose any features," Vandermate said.

While Siemens competitor Cisco Systems also offers survivability capabilities, Cisco only offers a limited call-handling feature set in that mode, solution providers said.

"A lot of our customers are very conservative in this part of the country, and reliability and survivability are very important to them. For those that have tried IP solutions and have not been successful, it has been for that reason," said Ron Murphy, Siemens product manager at Alltel, a solution provider in Little Rock, Ark.

Pricing for the systems, which are scheduled for general availability in February, 2003, ranges from $350 to $700 per seat.