Arbinet’s CLN represents the fastest and most cost effective solution for providers of international call re-origination services. The CLN interfaces with all existing and emerging transmission technologies (X.25, the Internet, frame relay, private lines and ATM) to transmit signaling information and ISDN T1 and E1 to terminate calls. Enabled by Arbinet CLNs call re-origination serves as a means of entry into foreign, deregulating markets for long distance carriers. Creative routing solutions allow these carriers to tap into foreign markets worldwide by directly offering rates lower than the in-country provider. Having concurred capacity limitations formally associated with PC based switching, the modularity and scalability of the CLN enhanced services platform allows for the “ramping up” of switching capacity to seamlessly support speedy and steady market penetration. The CLN’s flexibility allows carriers to implement a number of Creative Routing Solutions applications tailored to specific market segments including:
Transparent Call Re-origination Utilizing Out of Band Signaling
In this application the CLN in the foreign location functions purely as a signaling node and requires far less transmission capacity resulting in lower per CLN costs. This solution is ideal for applications where the callback is delivered to fixed customer locations such as large business offices. Auto-dialers make use of call re-origination services transparent to end-users and ensure heightened use and speedy call connect times. Out of band signaling via either X.25, the Internet, Frame Relay or Private Lines eliminates the need for costly and hard to acquire DIDs. As a replacement the CLN generates an unlimited number of PINs or “Virtual DIDs” offering carriers the control to support large customer bases.
Transparent Call Re-origination Utilizing DID Signaling
Another form of callback to customer location, this application utilizes DID signaling for the delivery of call re-origination services and does not require a CLN in the foreign location. Here a callback is triggered by a DID call placed to a CLN located in the call re-origination country. The callback is sent to a fixed location, however an individual customer may change the callback number by performing password protected online administration. This service may also be made transparent to end-users through the use of autodialers.
Pre-paid/Post-paid Calling Cards
These applications allow roaming access to any of other application described in this document. The CLNTM enables implementation of new pre-paid/post-paid calling card services or integration with existing calling/debit card programs. Here the CLN interfaces with X.25, the Internet, Frame Relay or Private Lines for out of band delivery of signaling information and E1 or T1 to bridge the caller with the called party. With Arbinet’s CLN the need for costly international toll free numbers is eliminated as carriers may offer access to these services via less expensive local toll free access. Service providers may offer pre-paid/post-paid calling cards with or without remote verification. Remote verification allows callers to utilize other CLNs (owned by their “home” service provider or a partner of their home service provider) installed outside of their “home” CLN calling region.
Fax via the Internet
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 autodialer 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.
Voice over IP
The CLN has the ability to carry voice conversation over IP protocols. Voice over IP achieves new levels of quality when conducted over ATM. Running Voice over IP over ATM elevates the application to telco/toll level quality.
See separate section: Voice Over IP
Internet Access
For Internet Service Providers, Arbinet’s CLN is the High Density Modem Solution. Utilizing 8 T1 Modem cards (each with 24 V.34 modems) per chassis, one CLN has 192 lines of modem capacity. The CLN enables service providers to offer their customers roaming access to Internet/email services via local toll or toll free numbers. Using the service provider’s internet access software program containing all local toll or toll free access numbers, customers wishing to engage in an email session or browse the Web will auto dial into a local CLN which will verify the account and link the user to the Internet.
Tandem Switching
Utilizing Arbinet’s CLN (Central Local Node), new entrants are empowered with the switching capability of industry leaders while established long distance carriers gain access to the markets previously deemed untouchable.
Multinode Switching over ATM
Arbinet’s CLN interfaces with the most flexible and cost efficient transmission technology in the industry, ATM, to permit high speed, low cost voice, fax, and data switching. Utilizing a distributed network with an ATM backbone, the CLN enables the world’s largest carriers to enter foreign deregulating markets by shattering capacity limitations formally associated with PC based switching and bringing the flexibility of PC telephony to the C.O level of switching.
Fax Broadcast Store and Forward
Arbinet’s CLN also performs fax broadcasting via the above described “store and forward” process. Broadcasting faxes in this way results in tremendous savings for service providers and in turn end-users as the faxes travel over low cost packet switched networks vs. costly international voice channels. If the corresponding CLNs are installed in the local calling regions of the destination parties, the cost of the fax is the cost of the local call into the sender’s CLN, the low cost of the packet switched network connection and the local calls to the receiving parties.
VoiceMail
The CLN can integrate customized or standard voicemail applications.
Conference Calling
With Arbinet’s CLN, service providers can offer their customers enhanced conferencing services. Customers have roaming access via a local phone number to enhanced conferencing services and may dial in from any location to establish conferences. Once connected to the CLN in their local calling region, the customer enters a personalized access code and may choose to schedule a conference, join a conference or dial out to additional participants while a conference is in progress. Users may chose from two types of conferences: public (requiring no pass-code) and private (where a pass-code is required to join the conference).
Constant Ring
The greatest benefit of this application is the speed of connect times. In this application the CLN located either in the foreign callers local calling region or at the customer’s site is constantly called by a CLN located in the re-origination country. Therefore whenever an end-user wishes to get an international dial tone they simply dial a local phone number or pick up their phone (depending on the location of the CLN). As soon as one call to the local CLN is answered (by a party placing an international call), the CLN in the re-origination country automatically dials into the local CLN on another port to await the next international caller.
Call-Through
Arbinet’s CLN acts a call through node in foreign locations, where there is no Creative Routing Solutions to the customer, but where the origination country’s dial tone is extended overseas.
Voice Messaging/Message Store and Forward
The CLN has the ability to transmit a message to an intermediate relay point and store it temporarily before transmitting it to a final destination point. If callers wish to deliver messages to destinations without being connected or because they are having trouble being connected (busy line, no-answer), they may utilize a message store and forward service. After PIN validation, the user enters the appropriate service code for message store and forward and is subsequently prompted to enter the phone number of the recipient and record their message. The CLN transfers the message to the remote CLN that is located nearest to the recipient. The remote CLN then attempts delivery N number of times (depending on the service provider’s specifications).
CLN to CLN Routing
An interconnected CLN global network can least cost route based on the type of transmission to be made (fax or phone traffic) available transmission technologies (X.25, the Internet, Private Lines or Frame Relay) and the origination and destination of the call. Owner/Operators of Arbinet CLNs determine a rate for termination of calls on the CLNs serving the destination call region.
Origination and Termination Globally
Service providers may offer local termination in the city where their CLN is located. For example, a CLN operator in Tokyo may advertise $0.15 per minute for faxes terminated from their CLN to the destination fax in Tokyo.
Email to Fax
The email to fax application allows end-users to send messages from their computer to recipients fax machines. Service providers and end-users alike benefit from the low cost of faxing through packet switched data networks vs. voice lines. In this application the call flow is as follows: An end-user creates a document to be emailed and sends the message. An auto-dialer connected to the sender’s modem line dials a local phone number to access a nearby CLN. The CLN receives the Email packet and transmits it via Internet to a corresponding CLN installed in the destination party’s local calling region. The “receiving” CLN which transmits the fax via a local call.
Fax on Demand
An end user may request information from a central database to be faxed to him upon entering the appropriate code and his return fax number.
ACD Automatic Call Distribution/Call Forwarding
Customers seeking to unify access to distributed work forces or agent networks can do so with Arbinet’s CLN. Acting as an Automatic Call Distribution node the CLN recognizes incoming calls, looks up routing information, sends the call to a customized hold message, and routes the call to the appropriate party. The CLN will also generate valuable management information detailing the arrival of incoming calls (when, how many, which lines, from where, etc.), abandoned calls and origination of calls (recognizing the caller’s phone number with Automatic Number Identification and linking it with the number called determined by Direct Number Identification Service). With this information, not only is the call processed at much greater speeds, but the operator has a means for measuring the effectiveness of their customer response system.
Interactive Voice Response
The CLN is one of the most flexible platforms for the development of any number of interactive voice response applications. These applications allow the service provider to give customers direct access to pertinent account information. Combining Interactive Voice Response with any of the CLN’s other applications is a valuable enhancement to any service providers offerings and a cost saving customer service solution. For instance a customer with a fax store and forward account can call into their local node to find out the total amount of their current bill or to sign up for alternate services.
