Prospecitve Clients' Most Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  What is FeatureTel FUSION?

A:  FeatureTel FUSION gives you what buying a telephone system would give you, plus local and long distance calling and data communications/Internet access on one IP network. That means your company’s communication network is greatly simplified, saving you money on equipment, personnel, service, and changes. Plus, FeatureTel's systems are fully redundant, protected in a hardened datacenter facility, and completely independent from any disasters that may affect your physical office - calls will still get through!

This service is sometimes known as IP Centrex, or Hosted Telephony. The basic premise being that, today, it does not make financial or operational sense for businesses to host their own telecommunications servers -- especially when this expertise is not part of the core competencies of the enterprise. Businesses need to invest their capital and energies into their core business and reduce expenses. The Hosted Telephony Service of FeatureTel FUSION helps you do exactly that.

Q:  How much bandwidth do I get?

A: The basic business service is delivered on a T1. The whole T1 is available for your use. As phone calls are made, the bandwidth is shared between data and voice -- giving you up to 1.5Mbps of Internet access. Each active voice conversation only takes up an average of .008Mbps.

Q:  Do I have to purchase hardware?

A:  You can start to use FeatureTel FUSION with a minimal capital investment by using your existing analog phones. FeatureTel will recommend the Integrated Access Device (IAD) for your office. An IAD is what you need to connect your office to our dedicated service line. To get more advanced features, like an LCD display, you may wish to purchase and install IP phones. But most companies choose to purchase IP Phones like the Cisco 7960 or 7940 models. These phones provide easy access to the features and functionality that sets FeatureTel apart.

Q.  Can I use regular phones and fax machines?

A.  Yes, you can start with analog phones, and FeatureTel will provide you with port adapters on the Integrated Access Device. As your desk phones need replacement, simply replace them with an appropriate IP handset (available from various manufacturers) to get even more user-friendly features from your system.

Q.  If I make calls between two extensions in my office, does this use bandwidth on my T1 circuit?

 A.  A small amount of signaling bandwidth is used to establish a session between the two extensions. Once a session has been established between the two extensions, no further bandwidth is needed on your T1.

Q: DO I REQUIRE ANY SPECIAL OR CUSTOM SOFTWARE ON MY COMPUTER TO USE THIS SERVICE?

A: A computer or software is not required to use your phone. Users have access to their phone features through a Web portal, using their current Web browser. The Web portal allows users to personalize calling features without the need to remember cumbersome flash and star enabled codes. FeatureTel also has softphones available - software that can turn a PC or Laptop computer into a telephone.

Q: WILL I HAVE A SEAMLESS TRANSITION FROM MY CURRENT SYSTEM TO FeatureTel FUSION?

A: In most cases, you can use your FeatureTel phones side-by-side with your current phones while you learn the new service - this makes the transition smooth and easy and provides a seamless migration path from your traditional voice and broadband services.

Q: WILL I BE DOWN FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME DURING SETUP?

A: In most cases there will be minimal downtime. There may be a brief interruption of Internet service while FeatureTel switches you over to the new services.

VOICE QUESTIONS

Q: WILL WE BE ABLE TO KEEP OUR CURRENT PHONE NUMBERS?

A: Yes, FeatureTel supports local number portability, which allows you to keep your current phone numbers.

Q: ARE MY CALLS SENT OVER THE INTERNET?

A: With FeatureTel FUSION, your office calls do not travel across the public Internet. Instead, they are on high-quality carrier lines just like any other phone call. FeatureTel uses voice-over-IP only between a point of presence (POP) and the customer premise.

Q: IS THIS THE SAME AS A PC PHONE?

A: No. PC phones that allow you to make “free” calls are meant for residential use and do not meet a business’s quality requirements. Plus, they do not have the voicemail and call handling features that businesses need. FeatureTel’s service is for businesses only.

Q: WILL THE VOICE QUALITY EVER SEEM ‘CHOPPY?’

A: Voice quality is comparable to that of your existing phone service. The Integrated Access Device uses a Quality of Service algorithm to mark and prioritize voice packets for transmission over the T1. (We also have QoS (Quality of Service) across our IP network to ensure that all voice traffic gets priority over data traffic)

Q: CAN I MAKE CALLS TO ANY PHONE?

A: Of course! Call anyone, anywhere. Your domestic interstate calls are free unless you exceed your free minutes. International calls are billed at competitive long-distance rates. Ask us about our 'International Value' plan with rates as low as 5 cents per minute to Europe.

Q: RIGHT NOW I HAVE 10 LINES, BUT I HAVE 30 EXTENSIONS OFF MY PBX. HOW WILL I BE CHARGED?

A: FeatureTel’s service offering is based on a per extension model and is bundled based on the number of needed extensions. All extensions have advanced calling features typically found in PBX environments. Long distance calling, high-speed Internet access, web portal to customize calling features, and voice messaging are also included in the basic bundle. Additional features are available via enhanced or a la carte bundles.

Q: IF MY DEDICATED CONNECTION FAILS, WILL MY PHONE SYSTEM GO DOWN?

A: FeatureTel’s service level objective is to provide 100% availability. FeatureTel manages a highly redundant backbone network to minimize the possibility of service failure. However, just like traditional voice service, a local loop failure can cause the phone system to go down. But, unlike a traditional phone system, with FeatureTel your callers would still be able to reach your main number - and hear your Automated Attendant - plus, each extension can be configured with an automatic failover destination such as a cell phone, home phone, or branch office - so your callers will still get through.

Q: DO I PAY A SEPARATE LONG DISTANCE COMPANY?

A: No. FeatureTel FUSION includes long-distance service. Not only do you receive a generous number of free minutes, you also get a very competitive per-minute rate if you exceed your free minutes.

Q: WHAT ARE THE PHONE SYSTEM FEATURES?

A: FeatureTel FUSION gives you the features you need for a business phone system, including voicemail, automated attendants, call transfer, drop and hold, call forwarding, 3-way conferencing, redial, caller-ID, call-waiting caller-ID and more.

Q: CAN I GET CALLING CARDS?

A: Yes, long distance calling cards are available.

Q: HOW DO I HOOK UP NEW EMPLOYEES?

A: All you have to do is make a quick call to FeatureTel to add another phone and program the IP address in to that phone. Everything else is handled via the web.

Q: HOW DO I RECEIVE FAXES?

A: The Integrated Access Device supports analog devices, so you can connect your fax machine or analog phone.

Q: WHAT IF I HAVE FEWER THAN 5 EMPLOYEES?

A: If you need the full T1 bandwidth for Internet access and you make a lot of telephone calls, FeatureTel FUSION could still be a good choice for you. However, the basic small business bundle may not be cost effective for companies with fewer than 5 employees - please ask about our SOHO (Small Office Home Office) Service - this service does not require the expense of a dedicated T1 line, but instead uses your existing DSL or Cable internet access to connect to the same features and functions as FUSION.

LAN QUESTIONS

Q: WILL I HAVE TO MAKE ANY CHANGES TO MY EXISTING LAN INFRASTRUCTURE?

A: If you plan to integrate IP phones with your LAN, you’ll need to make sure it can support that quality of service. FeatureTel will be glad to bring on an integration partner to help with this assessment. Flat networks built with Layer 2 switch devices are probably ready to support IP phones. Larger networks with Layer 3 routers may need upgrades. Typically, if you have Category 5 network cable or better, you are ready to go.

Q: IF I AM SENDING LARGE FILES ACROSS MY LAN WILL IT MEAN I CAN’T GET A LINE TO MAKE A CALL?

A: A congested Ethernet LAN can introduce delay and if the delay is outside of certain guidelines, the voice quality can be degraded. A traffic study may need to be performed on your LAN to determine if LAN changes are required. Typically this is only a factor if you are running on a 10Mbps, non-Layer 2, switched network. Solutions to eliminate congestion include introducing traffic prioritization techniques, which include Layer 2 switches that support the 802.1p protocol used to prioritize voice traffic over data traffic, or to increase your LAN bandwidth to 100Mbps.

Q: WILL MY LAN EVER SLOW DOWN IF A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ON THE PHONE?

A: IP telephony does not use a lot of LAN bandwidth. IP telephony conversations consume approximately 20-80Kbps or less of intermittent, non-sustained bandwidth.

Q: WILL FeatureTel HELP ME WITH LAN SETUP?

A: Yes. FeatureTel and our business partners can provide additional consulting services you may need beyond the installation of the phones.

Q. WILL I NEED A SPARE LAN PORT AT EACH DESK TO PLUG THE PHONE INTO?

A: No. To save on Ethernet ports, the IP phone can be plugged into the Ethernet port, and the PC can be connected to the Ethernet port on the phone. On most phones this is a switched port, not a hub port, with VLAN capability, so you can put your phone in a different VLAN than your PC.

Q: CAN I STILL HOST MY EMAIL SERVER OR WEBSITE IF I USE FEATURETEL FUSION?

A: Yes. FeatureTel FUSION is delivered over a business-grade, always-on, high-speed, dedicated Internet access circuit suitable for hosting your own email server or website. FeatureTel can also provide you with business quality e-mail services. Once your business is directly connected to our protected datacenter, you may decide to co-locate your servers at our facility.

Q: DOES IT WORK WITH A FIREWALL?

A: Whether or not your service requires a firewall depends on your network and how you will connect to the FeatureTel service. If you use a broadband connection, you will likely have a firewall already. If you are using a corporate LAN, you should consult your corporate network adminstrator. All that is really required for the service to work is an IP Address for the IP Phone and a reliable connection to FeatureTel's servers.

SERVICE QUESTIONS

Q: WHO DO USERS CALL FOR SUPPORT?

A: Your employees may never need phone-in support because they can use a very convenient website (the FeatureTel Web Portal) for managing their own service. However, your designated system administrator will always be able to call and speak with someone at FeatureTel when they need to.

Q: IS THERE 24X7 SUPPORT?

A: Yes. Not only can you call for assistance at any time, technical specialists are monitoring FeatureTel’s network around the clock. They are in a position to discover and correct most network issues before they ever have an impact on your service.

FeatureTel QUESTIONS

Q: WHO IS FeatureTel?

A: FeatureTel only serves businesses and remote/SOHO (Small office/Home office) workers. FeatureTel is locally funded, locally owned, and locally operated by Triangle, NC area Telecommunications and Networking professionals. The company is fully funded, and carries no debt.

Q: WHERE IS FeatureTel?

A: FeatureTel’s corporate headquarters are at 3467 Apex Peakway in Apex, North Carolina. The company’s data centers are co-located at hardened facilities around the Triangle.

Q: WHAT else does FeatureTel do?

A: In addition to FeatureTel FUSION, FeatureTel offers standard business telephone services, including digital trunks. FeatureTel offers dedicated Internet access to businesses and also sells services to ISPs and other communications carriers. While connected to our customers via a mission critical Point-to-Point connection, FeatureTel also offers outsourced network services including: Firewalling, Web Hosting, Virus Protection, e-Mail virus scanning, remote backups.

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