clari.nb.top (moderated) #690 (0 + 4 more)                                
From: newsbytes@clarinet.com (NB-LAX)
Newsgroups: clari.nb.online,clari.nb.top

****Two-Way Voice Calls Over The Internet 11/21/94
Keywords: Bureau-LAX, NEWS
Date: Mon Nov 21 14:54:53 EST 1994
Lines: 96

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 NOV 21 -- A Toronto, Ontario firm
named microWonders Inc. is promoting a free Windows program that
provides two-way voice communications over Internet connections.
Named the Internet Global Phone (IGP), the program will run on any
PC equipped with a SoundBlaster compatible sound card, speakers, 
and a microphone, the firm says.

Actually, IGP has been available since June by Internet FTP (file
transfer protocol), but its source code is now published both in the
current Dr. Dobb's Journal (DDJ) "Sourcebook on the Information
Highway" edition and, together with the executable program, on
CompuServe.

The program is expected to be of some interest to the many 
millions of Internet subscribers, and to the various governments and
institutions that now underwrite the sprawling, world-wide network.
(The same DDJ edition, which will remain on newsstands until
February 1, covers proposed pricing schemes for Internet
commercialization.)

IGP uses voice compression technology developed at the Technical
University of Berlin and made freely available over the Internet.
The compression technology, called GSM, makes real-time voice
connections practical over any common modem-based Internet
connection from 14.4 kilobits-per-second (Kbps) up. It also works
over ISDN (integrated services digital network)-based or LAN 
(local area network)-based connections, the firm says.

In an interview, microWonders Sing Li said the program's voice
compression will not replace the standard telephone. "It turned out 
that, as we implemented it, it is probably not ready for prime time 
yet," he told Newsbytes. "So we decided to do an article and share 
the code with the people, and try to get some momentum going."

Li said Windows 95 and Windows NT are expected to include voice
compression, primarily to make voice calls possible over local area
and other networks. He said his firm is working now on harnessing
that technology, rather than the public domain libraries from
Berlin.

Asked if he thought the availability of international voice
connections might overload the system, Li replied: "I think video
will probably do that, but as far as audio is concerned, GSM
compression is quite efficient."

Using the program, as described by Li, resembles using a BBS 
(bulletin board system) or on-line "chat" mode to pass notes back 
and forth. First you say your piece, then you press a "send" button 
to transmit the result. The voice compression takes place in 
real-time, before transmission, which makes for a lower traffic 
requirement, Li explained.

"When you press 'Send' it will try to send it all at once," Li said,
"but it still works more like an intercom than a hands-free phone.
It can go over 14.4 (Kbps), and does not tend to load it up any more
than, say, someone using FTP to transfer UseNet news."

Li said some modifications to the source code would be needed to
make the system work more like a telephone, and he thought the time
had arrived for people to start adopting and adapting the code for
wider application.

The IGP package uses industry standard Windows Socket 1.1 binary
compatibility interface, and incorporates WSNETWRK technology from
DFM Inc., of Lakewood, Colorado. This approach makes the program
compatible with networking environments including Novell, Microsoft,
and Banyan, the firm said.

IGP is backwards-compatible with existing Unix voice utilities such
as Mtalk and Atalk, which until now have remained "a hobbyist thing
for Unix," as Li put it. As a result, IGP can connect with Unix-
based workstations, minicomputers, and mainframes.

IGP requires a 386/20 or faster Multimedia PC-compliant PC containing 
a SoundBlaster or compatible sound board with microphone and speakers,
four megabytes (MB) of memory or more, and Microsoft Windows 3.1 or 
later. Use with a 14.4 Kbps or 28.8 Kbps analog modem requires Internet 
access by SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) or PPP (Point to Point
Protocol). TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet protocol) 
access by ISDN or LAN also may be used.

IGP source code can be downloaded from the DDJ Forum on CompuServe
(GO DDJ) or via anonymous FTP from Internet at site ftp.mv.com
(192.80.84.3) in the /pub/ddj directory. It is also downloadable
from DDJ's BBS at 415-358-8857.

The software implementation can be obtained via anonymous FTP from
Internet site ftp.cs.tu- berlin.de in the /pub/local/kbs/tubmik/gsm/
directory, or by electronic-mail at jutta@cs.tu-berlin.de.

(Craig Menefee/19941121/Press Contact: Sing Li, microWonders Inc.,
416-597-2671, Internet e-mail lsing@hookup.net, CompuServe e-mail
70214,3466; Mark Clouden, DFM Corp., 303-988-1381, Internet e-mail
mclouden@dfm.com)