SIPtoSIP sponsored by free world dialup

Communication Nova

What is a Communication Nova?

The FWD Nova Trial tests the utility of a web like business model for enabling HD communications. Telephone companies connect end points (i.e. telephones) for a fee tied to the location of end points and the duration the connection. Browsing the web involves connecting end points (i.e. computers) to a server for the cost of a broadband connection and a computer. The Nova Trial connects SIP HD capable IP phones to a server (the Nova). Two or more parties connecting to the same Nova get connected to each other. The Nova does not provide an alternative means to place telephone calls, because Nova connections are not telephone calls. For example, there are no telephone numbers associated with Nova's. Trial participation involves a $100 USD participation fee covering SIP server credentials and technical support for 12 months. Nova owners incur no costs associated with location or how long one end point remains connected to another via the Nova. Participation in the trial is not even required to assemble a Nova as G.722 SIP registration and conferencing is available from multiple sources.

Step 1 - Get an HD capable IP Phone and broadband connection

Obtaining a HD (presently G.722) capable IP phone represents the principal expense in setting up a Nova. The FWD Nova Trial supports HD IP Phones from Polycom, AudioCodes, snom, and Gigaset. The companies offer HD capable devices priced from $100 to $300 which are available directly or through distributors. Trial participants can use IP Phones from any of the other dozen or so device manufacturers that support G.722 (e.g. Cisco, Panasonic, Avaya), but configuration support for these other devices remains pending.

Trial participation requires the use of a SIP hardphone in a fixed location. Trial participants can supplement access to their Nova using G.722 capable soft phones installed on mobile devices or PC's.

The broadband connection requirements associated with Nova's are relatively moderate in terms of bandwidth (125kbs in both directions) and relatively stringent in terms of performance (success requres very low latency, jitter, and packet loss.) The G.722 wideband codec does not include functionally to cope with network impairments. There exist a number of codecs with features making them more robust against network impairments, but G.722 remains the only HD codec widely implemented by IP phone manufacturers. NAT and DHCP do not present a problem, but protocol filtering practices make large university and corporate networks inhospitable to SIP VoIP.

Step 2 - Get G.722 enabled SIP registrar and conferencing functionality

The elements involved in creating a Nova (G.722 capable SIP registration and conferencing) are available from multiple sources.

Paying the $100 USD participation fee via the Start button at the FWD siptosip.net home page triggers an email with startup instructions, Nova assignment, SIP credentials, and contact info for technical support.

Step 3 - Configure an HD IP Phone to access your Nova

Configuring an IP Phone remains a complex task. This arises from the very nature of VoIP. The transformational impact of VoIP comes from moving the complexity of media processing and call setup from the network into the end user's device. Unlike the telephone network which includes a long list of functionalies that enable telephone calls, the Internet simply provides a means to move packets from A to B. This makes things like high definition voice possible, but it also creates a presently daunting configuration challenge for IP phones. The trial provides standard configuration instructions for devices from Polycom, snom, and Gigaset. We are also working to incorporate the lessons learned from the setup challenges experienced by existing trial participants. The obstacles to joining the Nova community are nonetheless one time setup challenges, and the Nova model rewards participant patience with a HD voice experience closer to being there than any other means of communication.

Step 4 - Test you IP Phone setup

The successfully configured IP Phone will be able to connect to HD SIP URI's such as those provided by Dave Frankel's ZipDX - wbdemo@conf.zipdx.com and hdconnect@zipdx.com

Step 5 - Invite friends, family, and colleagues to join you at your Nova

Communication Nova's are locations analogous to physical space like a web site. One "visits" a Nova in the same manner as one visits a location in physical space or a website. Communication ensues when two or more people visit a Nova. Trial participants need to invite people to join them at their Nova. The Nova owner connects to the Nova when they are available to talk and leaves it up until a visitor arrives (e.g. as in the case of being at a location in physical space). The people visiting your Nova need not be trial participants, but they will need HD enabled IP phones that support SIP URI dialing.

The process of "Calling someone" in the case of the telephone network means ringing their device. This interruption model of communication is not going away, but it does create problems of implemention. The fact that people end up with multiple devices means tracking work numbers, home numbers, cell phone numbers, etc. The Nova offers a fixed destination relative to a given context. One can use any device to access a Nova. The Nova set up for family communication might get accessed via a mobile device, via a home connection, via a work connection, or even via the connection at a friend's house. The Nova trial initially sets up a single Nova, but trial participants are welcome to create additional Nova's for all their communication contexts. In any case, inviting someone to join you at a Nova involves sharing the Nova address and not the address of a particular device.

 

Free World Dialup 2010.