NEW MODULAR GATEWAY INTEGRATES GSM AND CDMA TO A COMPANY’S PHONE SYSTEM

The GS8 modular gateway connects to IP networks and analog systems to provide seamless connectivity between them and the mobile phone network

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MILPITAS, CA, 12 May 2008 – Zed-3 today announced the release of its GS8 modular gateway that accommodates plug in modules for analog, GSM, and CDMA. The system permits connectivity of phone calls between any of these interfaces and the SIP interface on the Ethernet port; it also fully supports the bidirectional transmission of SMS (text) and MMS messages. The GS8 modular gateway allows a business or enterprise to make and receive calls on a cellular phone network which can offer cost savings, convenience, and improved customer service.

By installing a GS8 modular gateway, a company’s phone system can direct calls over the mobile phone network based on convenience or cost. For example, an executive who is out of the office may not want people to know his or her mobile phone number. Calls to the executive at the company’s phone system can be routed to the executive’s mobile phone seamlessly and transparently to the caller.

“Our business customers can now access the voice network through GSM and CDMA using ordinary SIM cards, as well as the access we offer to a soft switch from Unicom,” said Mr. Zeng, Director of Digital Fixed Line Business Department of China Unicom, based in Beijing. “This provides a complete solution without the need to access the PSTN using traditional copper lines. We can offer our customers flexible deployment of equipment, short commissioning times, and low maintenance costs. This helps our customers improve working efficiency, improves our service quality, and is an additional driver for the growth of Unicom.”

In many countries the rates for mobile to mobile phone calls, especially if they are on the same network, can be vastly different from land line to land line calls or calls between a land line and a mobile phone. Often, a service provider will offer free calls between mobile numbers on its network or between specified groups of such numbers. By using one such number on the GS8 modular gateway, calls between the company’s office and its workers out of the office can be at minimal or zero cost. This can enable the ROI (return on investment) for the product to be measured in months.

“Zed-3 started to develop the GS8 modular gateway a year ago as a result of demand from our customers. We have had the product in trial for four months and we are all proud of the result,” said Iain Milnes, President of Zed-3. “The product is completely unique in the market place and its flexibility and modularity enable a vast array of applications.”

The GS8 modular gateway mounts in a 19” rack and has four slots to accommodate any combination of interfaces. The available interfaces are analog FXS, analog FXO, GSM, and CDMA. The GSM modules are available to support the USA and most of the Americas (850 and 1900 MHz) and the rest of the world (900 and 1800 MHz). The CDMA module operates at 800 MHz to serve most of the world. The business installs the SIM card of its choice into each wireless module to obtain service. It is therefore possible to mix and match services from different providers and even to have GSM and CDMA operating in the same unit.

“Like many businessmen in Indonesia, I carry multiple mobile phones,” said Pak Setiawan Willy, Managing Director of Rhemacom in Jakarta. “By putting my SIM cards into the GS8 modular gateway I need to carry only one phone which looks more professional and makes my life simpler. This new product from Zed-3 has brought excellent benefits and resolutions to many Indonesian businesses.”

There are two working modes in which the GS8 modular gateway connects with other SIP devices, including interconnection with other GS8 modular gateways. The basic working mode is similar to that of a SIP phone in which the GS8 modular gateway registers to another SIP device, such as a soft switch or IP PBX. The second working mode is to connect to other SIP devices without registration. This permits the GS8 modular gateway to operate independently of an IP PBX and also permits the clustering of GS8 modular gateways to transparently create a virtual gateway that has more than four wireless ports.

With its ability to send and receive SMS text messages, the GS8 modular gateway offers businesses a means of communicating with their customers that they may not have today. For example, a dentist or optician can confirm the attendance of patients by SMS instead of a phone call. The SMS can be pulled from the company’s data base and sent a few days prior to the appointment. As another example, a garage can send an SMS as soon as the service on a car is compete. These examples are accomplished without human intervention by pulling records from the company’s data base. Using a GS8 modular gateway has an advantage over using a shared SMS service. The recipient can reply to the SMS or call the origination number, neither of which is possible with shared systems.

“One issue we have in Romania and in neighboring countries is the need to ensure survivability of the communications networks to petrol stations on long stretches of roads,” said Mr. Dragos Manac of SNS srl, a system integrator based in Bucharest. “The GS8 modular gateway serves that need in an excellent way for both voice and data.”

Pricing and Availability

The GS8 modular gateway and plug in modules are available in distribution now. A fully configured system with four GSM modules has a list price of less than $2225.

 For more information, access www.zed-3.com or call +1-408-587-ZED3.

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