GlobalTouch Deploys Video Over VoIP, T.38 Fax Support

GlobalTouch Telecom Inc. (GTT), a provider of traditional and VoIP services, said on Tuesday at GLOBALCOMM it has deployed a plug-and-play video-over-VoIP application that combines video telephony hardware and SIP software functions.

GlobalTouch worked with video device maker Leadtek Research Inc. to develop the videophones, and overcome video signal handling and compression challenges.

The GlobalTouch platform offers two ways to make video calls: through the Leadtek desktop phone or by using GlobalTouch’s video softphone that comes with its VoIP service. The softphone integrates with Microsoft Outlook contacts, which means users simply click an Outlook contact to initiate a video call with another person who has videophone capabilities. If a user on either end of the call does not have a videophone, the call defaults to a normal voice-only call.

GlobalTouch at GLOBALCOMM also said it has developed software-only “server side” T.38 Fax support. This means the company can offer its customers nearly double the fax transmission speed, as well as a higher level of transmission reliability, the company said. The T.38 Fax protocol is specified by the International Telecoms Union (ITU) as real-time IP fax transport.

Server-side means a company’s fax in/out software resides on the VoIP server where faxes are transmitted and received. Normally, service providers depend on third-party libraries and/or equipment for T.38-capable fax termination and origination. GlobalTouch said its solution does away with this method, saving companies from paying licensing costs and giving them more direct control over the application.

“For business customers nervous about taking the VoIP plunge, our innovative, built-in T.38 fax makes a strong case for both home and business VoIP,” said Gregory O. Welch, CEO of GlobalTouch. “This new use of the T.38 fax protocol precludes the use of any special or expensive hardware boards, yet offers a faster, more reliable fax even over a mediocre line, which happens all too often in the real world.”

GlobalTouch Telecom Inc. www.globaltouchtelecom.com

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