UMS features, VoIP in UMS, IP clearing house

Principal features of Unified Messaging System (UMS)

UMS brings voice mail, e-mail, fax, SMS and sometimes video messages into one mailbox that can be reached from any device.

• Single mailbox for all message types (voice, fax, e-mail, SMS).
• Access from any device: phone, PC, web, mobile.
• Text-to-speech (listen to e-mail by phone) and speech-to-text (read voice mail).
• Fax received as an e-mail attachment; voice mail as an audio attachment.
• Message notification and forwarding; filtering and prioritising.
• Integrated directory, calendar and address book.
• Remote access and security (PIN, authentication).

Importance: saves time and cost, improves productivity and response time, gives mobility, reduces equipment (one system, one place to manage), and helps businesses and call centres handle messages in a single inbox.

VoIP as part of UMS

UMS stores voice mail as digital audio. VoIP provides the voice path: calls arrive over IP and, if unanswered, are recorded by the voice mail server and stored as a file (WAV/MP3) on the e-mail server. The same IP network carries e-mail, fax over IP and voice, so one infrastructure serves all messages. The user hears or reads the messages through VoIP phones or softphones, and can reply by voice or e-mail.

 Caller--VoIP--[IP-PBX]--(no answer)-->[Voice mail]
                                           |
 User <--phone/PC/web-- [Unified message store]
                         (voice, mail, fax)

Internet Packet Clearing House (PCH)

Packet Clearing House (PCH) is an international non-profit organisation that supports the operation of the internet's core infrastructure. It mainly helps set up and support Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), runs DNS anycast services (including for many country-code top-level domains), and does research, policy work and training.

Purpose

• Help build neutral exchange points (IXPs) where local networks swap traffic directly.
• Keep critical DNS services fast and resilient through a global anycast network.
• Support routing security and collect traffic and routing data for research.
• Train network operators and advise governments and regulators on interconnection policy.

Benefits

• Local traffic stays local, which lowers latency and the cost of international transit.
• Better speed and reliability of the internet for a country.
• More resilient DNS, so websites and services stay reachable during failures or attacks.
• Help for developing countries: equipment, training and technical aid for new IXPs.
• Supports competition and growth of ISPs and other IP network operators.

Note: PCH does not bill operators or settle traffic charges. Clearing and settlement of VoIP calls between carriers (recording usage and calculating payments) is done by separate commercial IP-telephony clearing houses.