By De Wet Snyders, group marketing manager, CentraTel (Pty) Ltd
The humble facsimile (fax) machine has been with us since 1843 and has had its detractors for almost as long. Yet with the development of e-mail and the fact that e-mail has become the de-facto standard for communications - fax usage continues to increase, with annual fax traffic globally increasing by 40% per annum.
Fax technology has been with us for many and years and as a result a fax is considered trustworthy. In addition, it has not been affected by the "dangers" now associated with the Internet. This has resulted in faxes attaining and maintaining legal status whereas its digital cousin, e-mail, has not.
The means of sending/receiving fax communication has developed from the traditional fax machine through to high capacity fax servers. In order to ensure its continued success, fax must now make its next step.
Next generation fax offers true convergence
Consider the current buzzwords in the industry - "convergence", "unified communications", voice over Internet Protocol - "VOIP". The next logical step in digital communication is to provide voice and data over a single IP-based infrastructure and adoption is gathering momentum.
Convergence and unified communications relate to this provision of voice and data services over packet-based IP networks. However, a technology conspicuous by its absence is fax. How can we possibly move toward convergence with a "legacy" technology like fax?
Even when using a fax server, organisations must maintain dedicated analogue or digital lines with direct access to the public service telephone network (PSTN) - hardly the clean and slick solution that the purveyors of VOIP would have you believe - so it gets brushed under the carpet and forgotten!
However, Active Voice, represented exclusively in SA by CentraTel (Pty) Ltd, the only specialist telecommunications distributor in sub-Saharan Africa, can provide organisations with a software-based fax over IP solution to increase the value-add of their VOIP offering. XMediusFAX is an AVVID accredited solution that provides an ITU-T T.38 fax over IP solution without the need for fax boards.
XMediusFAX is available in three different options to suit all users` fax requirements and budgets.
XMediusFAX Express Edition (XMediusFAX-X) is the latest addition to the XMediusFAX family, offering a cost effective FOIP solution (including MS Exchange integration) for SMEs supporting up to four fax ports.
XMediusFAX Enterprise Edition (XMediusFAX-EE) provides supports for both T.38 FOIP and traditional fax boards ensuring an excellent solution for organisations looking to migrate from traditional to T.38-based faxing. XMediusFAX-EE supports up to 120 fax ports per server.
The Service Provider edition of XMediusFAX (XMediusFAX-SP) is designed for managed service providers looking to provide real-time FOIP services as a standalone application or to enhance their managed mail service capabilities. Furthermore, it is used by large organisations as a global fax solution.
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CentraTel focuses on the value-added distribution of voice, convergence and data products throughout sub-Saharan Africa. With three distinct areas of focus - distribution, resale of carrier air time and specialised financing. CentraTel is a leader in the market and is the largest multi-vendor telecommunications distributor in sub-Saharan Africa.
The CentraTel group is made up of five companies, namely CentraFin, CentraCell, CentraVoice, CentraTec and Masakhe. The group`s success in a competitive market is testament to its unique approach to business and customer satisfaction. CentraTel`s specialised product offerings coupled with its strong foothold in sub-Saharan Africa, places the group in a solid position to address the convergence of telecommunications and information technology.
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