The benefits of a CLN enabled Fax via the Internet service are two fold:
Utilizing Arbinet CLNs, Service providers subject to restrictive settlement contracts with foreign local carriers are able to terminate faxes outside of these agreements via ATM, Frame Relay, Private Line, X.25 or the Internet. This is especially crucial in areas such as Asia where faxes constitute a high percentage of total communication traffic.
As the costs associated with faxing via these technologies are significantly lower than faxing via voice lines, providers of international fax services may offer their customers lower rates. For instance, the cost of international faxing between CLNs can be as low as two local calls plus the low cost of the packet switched transmission if the CLNs are located in the local calling regions of the caller and the called party.
Arbinet’s CLN allows service providers to offer Fax via the Internet services with and without remote verification.
Utilizing Arbinet CLNs, providers of international fax service can offer customers the low costs associated with faxing through packet switched data networks including the Internet, X.25 and Frame Relay. The cost of international faxing between CLNs can be as low as two local calls plus the low cost of the packet switched transmission if the CLNs are located in the local calling regions of the caller and the called party. The use of an auto-dialer makes the entire process transparent to the user. This application uses only one port on the CLN per transaction, thereby requiring a minimum of transmission capacity to support large volumes of faxes.
Call Flow When faxing with Arbinet’s CLN the process works as follows: The end-user dials a local phone number to access a nearby CLN. The caller is then prompted to enter their account number(a PIN acting as a virtual DID), service code and destination number. After this information has been entered the CLN plays a fax tone and the user presses the start button on their fax machine. The origination CLN then receives the fax and disconnects the local connection. The fax and call information (PIN for billing purposes and destination number) is then packetised and transmitted via one of the above listed transmission technologies to the corresponding CLN for termination to the destination party. If the corresponding CLN is installed in the local calling region of the destination party, the cost of the fax is the cost of the two local calls and the low cost of the packet switched network connection.
Service providers may offer global roaming access to Fax via the Internet services by connecting CLNs internationally over any packet switched network (the Internet, X.25, Frame Relay and soon the cell switched ATM network). This enables the service provider to “follow” their customers worldwide.
Call Flow A German customer who normally uses his or her calling/debit card to access a CLN installed in Germany may wish to use this same card when traveling in France. While in France, the customer need not dial into the German CLN to send an international fax. Instead, the customer dials a French local toll free number to access a CLN installed in Paris. The Paris CLN prompts the caller to enter their account number and service code. The service code indicates that the customer will be sending a fax. The Paris CLN quickly verifies the account with the customer’s “home” CLN in Germany (over X.25, the Internet, Frame Relay etc). After the account has been verified, the Paris CLN prompts the user to press the start button on their fax machine, accepts the fax and disconnects the local connection. The Paris CLN then “packetises” the fax and sends it via X.25 the Internet or Frame Relay to a corresponding CLN based on the least cost route. Next, the corresponding CLN terminates the fax to the destination party. If the corresponding CLN is located in the destination party’s local calling region, the cost of the fax transmission equals the cost of the local toll-free connection, the packet switched transmission and the cost of local termination
Inbound Calls via a Local Toll-Free #
Account Verification Request
Account Verification
Fax Terminated on Local CLN, Packetised and Transmitted via X.25, The Internet, Frame Relay to a Corresponding CLN based on LCR Decision
Fax Terminated to Destination Party (Termination may be a local call if the corresponding CLN is located in the destination party’s local calling region.
