N3 now VoIP-enabled, BT announces

Tags: BT Quality

24 Jul 2007

BT has announced that the N3 network has now been enhanced to carry phone calls using voice over internet protocol technology (VoIP).

The enhancement means that NHS trusts will now be able to make free IP phone calls using the N3 Local Gateway Service.

N3’s head of marketing, Michael Cole, told EHI: “From day one, trusts will see benefits, including free ‘on net’ calls to any compatible site on the NHS network and big savings on mobile calls, equating to up to 70% of the NHS’s usual telephone bill.”

N3 Local Gateway Service (LGS) provides an interface between a local telephone switch and the N3 Voice Services Central platform. The N3 LGS enables telephone calls to be placed over the N3 network (on-net) and access to the N3 fixed to mobile gateway.

A partnership with mobile operator O2 means that trusts will also be able to call mobile numbers at a subsidised rate. BT claim that around 70% of NHS phone calls are to mobile phone numbers at present.

Cole said: “We have been listening to what the NHS wants since beginning working with them and have designed a suite of services specifically for them. Trusts have wanted voice and data for a while, and so 18 months ago we started making Quality of Service arrangements and after nine months we developed the suite of services for the NHS market.”

In preparation for voice across N3, BT has deployed six-layer Quality of Service, a data management system which prioritises important data applications, voice and multimedia traffic. This gives the network the ability to handle the increasing demands it faces, and ensures that delay-sensitive services such as voice are given priority.

Trusts will be charged an initial set-up fee and will then pay ongoing rental charges after the deployment, but VoIP calls to other users of the service will be free.

Cole said: “The actual savings will depend on the caller profiles and the amount of expenditure in the trust on telephony. We expect savings of tens of millions in the NHS as a whole, but it really does depend on how the VoIP technology is used. It isn’t a new technology – many trusts are already using it, but now trusts can be confident of free calls to other N3 voice-enabled sites paying a minimal rental fee.”

As well as the N3 Local Gateway Service, BT is also offering a second service called N3 Hosted Voice.

Through this service N3 can effectively host a users’ IP telephony – managing the infrastructure and the billing process in total.

This will initially be targeted at small to medium sized users such as GP surgeries, where BT will effectively host the users’ IP telephony – managing the entire infrastructure and the billing process. BT has partnered with Cisco to provide hosted Cisco Unified IP Phones to trusts that take advantage of this service.

BT claims that NHS organisations in England can significantly reduce their communications costs by using the service.

Substantial savings will be made on communications by converging voice and data over a single network, BT says.

The technology has been piloted at five early adopter sites around the country and BT says the company is engaged with a number of trusts. So far, 35 trusts have confirmed they want the service.

Patrick O’Connell, managing director of BT Health, said: “N3 has been a real success story for patients and clinicians alike. In January this year we hit 18,000 connections two months ahead of schedule.

“Today, we’ve announced that the network is now voice-enabled. This opens up a raft of cost saving opportunities, technology innovations, efficiency enhancers and a roadmap for the future for organisations and the way they communicate.”

NHS Connecting for Health has funded the voice upgrade of the network, but trusts are responsible for paying additional set up and rental fees which will vary depending on the local NHS organisations existing infrastructure.

Full training is available in the services and BT says more products will be release in due course.

Cole said: “Trusts can have both of these new services. These are just the entry level solutions and there will be more. Using these, trusts can easily connect to the network and make free ‘on net’ calls and take advantage of the fixed mobile gateway. They can utilise existing infrastructure and equipment on site, or they can use N3 Hosted Voice and use specialised phones to host IP telephony geared to them.

“This is the start of a suite of new services to be developed on the NHS backbone and it is sure to bring great benefits to the healthcare environment.”

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Reader's Comments

Is it really for the good

c180378@hotmail.com

24 Jul 07 20:07

It all sounds good but will that not make the system slow. The N3 network seems very slow as it is

Better ?

25 Jul 07 12:07

So lets get this straight

VoIP will be rolled out first to GP surgeries, GP's already complain vociferously about slow N3 speeds. The N3 QoS model priorities voice over data, so the GP access times get worse N3 then sell the surgery a bigger N3 circuit to carry the extra traffic, paid for by CFH of course

What genius agreed to this ??

N3 VOIP for Primary Care?

25 Jul 07 12:07

As far as I am aware GPs are exactly the market that this product is not aimed at! According to N3SP that is. In any event considering the bandwidth that is deployed into GP practices you will not be able to provide/deliver this product without the practise requiring an upgrade to N3 at substantial cost. Finally mobile tariffs and savings are possible, but the calls to the general public are across all mobile providers and not just O2! This somewaht dilutes the savings possible.

But who pays for the bandwidth

26 Jul 07 14:07

The algorithm for calculating the bandwidth you are allowed only includes clinical systems. If you want to use VIOP or NHS mail for that matter you can sneak some of the bandwidth provided, but if you want it to run properly you will need to buy additional bandwidth. At the moment N3SP are going round throttling back N3 connections where they believe the connection has been overspecified.

This is not the free lunch that is being advertised!

bandwidth algorithm

rmills@nhs.net

26 Jul 07 20:07

actually, that's not strictly true. The algorithm and did/does budget for local apps alongside national and it's actually quite useful when explaining why some sites suffer and others can cope with their allocated circuit.

It was based on some slightly flawed presumptions but probably as good as anything at the time it was rolled out. It was skewed against larger general practice sites though, especially when the device count range was changed in the small print.....

Network assessment and management tools

bobby@directrium.com

26 Jul 07 20:07

The LAN/WAN network infrastructure that GP practices currently have will have to be assessed before deployment of VoIP on the current data network & after deployment they will have to be monitored 24/7 to avoid loss of QoS. Do the GP' practice managers know the dangers of not assessing the computer networks they before they begin migration to VoIP. What help and advice are they getting on the network management issues that will come as a consequence of migration and how thay can avoid it. This is critical and it will not be one shoe fits all solution as the network usage is differenet depending on the GP practice processess and throughput.

GPs mere users not customers of n3

gerard@careprovider.com

26 Jul 07 22:07

Another N3 product of interest to GPs is the mobile network VOIP gateway, this would bring calls to mobile phones down to 3p a minute to any mobile network phone.

Then there is a product that goes with VOIP; an N3 Virtual Exchange. GPs could dispense with all our exchange equipment (leaving old PTSN as a backup) in surgeries and use the virtual exchange service (perhaps jointly our local provider trusts) over an expanded N3 connection. Of course GP practice’s bandwidth would have to be 2meg leased line or better for VOIP (you cannot use serious VOIP over ADSL).

GPs could contribute some of our current phone bill costs to finance a VOIP change over and wider N3 connections and continue to pay the reduced rental directly. But as mere GPs we are not N3 customers. VOIP services could fund wider N3 bandwidth for GPs

Hopefully BT/N3 will market directly to GPs as customers of N3. GPs have been seen as NHS employees, or at best simple users, so we have not been in the loop and engaged at all in N3 apart from us complaining about it. N3/CfH are now realising that GPs have a role and are making change in their thinking.

Lots of new useful products are being rolled out by N3. VOIP is only one. GPs should be proper customers: PCTs get in the way!

Gerry Bulger

N3 GP Voip Deployment

28 Jul 07 21:07

Our Team has just successfully deployed Cisco Voip to a GP Surgery Today!

Its gone into a new build replacement for a 60`s surgery and is due to go live on monday. there are about 60+ cisco 7912 and 7941`s

They have there own Voice Gateway supporting SRST and connect back to a county wide Unity and call manager cluster at shared services HQ, this allows Free calls via n3 to currently the PCT HQ, a community hospital, shared services, IM&T, estates, mental heath Trust, cmhts, and soon 2 other gp surgeries

Bandwidth Algorithm

31 Jul 07 11:07

The messages we have received recently have been very clear. The algorithm includes only the NPfIT clinical applications. So the comment about the algorithm including bandwidth for local applications is very interesting. We have tried on numerous occassions to find out what the algorithm is but have not managed to. I would be very interested to know how much bandwidth is included for local apps and how it is calculated.

VOiP - NHSnet phones4u

31 Jul 07 16:07

Well lets face it they've got to do something to justify the massivly under-used backbone and pop capacity.

Is there going to be a "national numbering scheme"? We had one of those before on the old NHSnet contract which included voice and data