>From NewsScan Daily
11 June 2004
BT TO SHUT DOWN 'CIRCUIT-SWITCHED' NETWORK IN FAVOR OF VOIP
U.K. giant British Telecom will gradually shut down its traditional
circuit-switched network and migrate over to technologies that route phone
calls over the Internet. The change "will deliver our vision of a
converged, multimedia world where our customers can access any
communications service from any device, anywhere -- at broadband speed,"
says BT Wholesale CEO Paul Reynolds. The new system will enable each
subscriber to have a single phone number for both mobile and fixed-line
services, and will make possible such add-on features as family conference
calls, video streaming and voice-activated phones. BT estimates that by the
2008-09 fiscal year, the new network could save it about ??1 billion
annually. (AP 10 June 2004)
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20040611/D834FNTO0.html
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Janina Sajka, Director
Technology Research and Development
Governmental Relations Group
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
Chair, Accessibility Workgroup
Free Standards Group (FSG)
Email: janina at afb.net Phone: (202) 408-8175
