NEC to unveil hybrid PBX with enhanced IP capabilities

In February, NEC will unveil a new version of its NEAX 2400 PBX hardware that will offer IP functions the company first introduced last year.

New features include peer-to-peer IP switching and extended support for a mixed VoIP (voice over IP) and traditional voice environment. Bruce Grant, director of product development for NEC at its headquarters in Irving, Texas, said the enhancements are the result of better integration between the traditional voice TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) functions, and new IP voice functions.

"In the previous version, if you wanted to do VoIP, you had to translate from TDM to IP and then back to TDM," Grant said. "The new peer-to-peer feature eliminates the TDM part."

Brian Strachman, an analyst with Cahners In-Stat in Scottsdale, Ariz., said this should give a better quality VoIP experience.

"It takes time whenever you translate between TDM and IP," Strachman said. "That introduces the possibility of latency. Direct, peer-to-peer IP connectivity is a cleaner way to do VoIP."

News source: InfoWorld - NEC to unveil hybrid PBX with enhanced IP capabilities