The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) have given interim approval for a technology that builds a bridge between the public switched telephone network and the Internet.

Voice on IP networks today operates by translating telephone numbers to IP addresses and placing an H.323 or Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) call to the device. The interchange format and translation record has not been standardised, limiting widespread deployment and complicating international Voice on IP services.

It's hoped Internet Telephone Numbering System (ENUM) Provisioning, which has received the go ahead for trails by the ITU, will ease these headaches.

The ENUM protocol is a mapping into the Internet Domain Name System (DNS) of parts or all of the international public telecommunication numbering plan defined in ITU-T Recommendation E.164. As such its a significant step towards integrating Internet-based services with the global telephone network. ®

External Links

Information on ENUM protocol (from ITU Web site)

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