North State Moves Forward

North State Communications, the first telephone company in North Carolina to install the automatic dial telephone system, installed VoIP, with the assistance of Engineer’s Consulting Group (ECG). This project began in September 2004.

ECG and North State began with a meeting to assess the current features of North State and to determine what new features would be most beneficial. VoIP based on BroadSoft’s BroadWorks and Cisco AS5400 PSTN gateways were selected. The CommuniGate Pro Dynamic Cluster, a multi-server configuration allowing for faster response times and providing automatic server redundancy, was used as a voice-mail storage platform. ECG was chosen to furnish CommuniGate Pro and install the VoIP platform.

ECG developed a project plan and did an on-site installation and integration. After installation, they provided training to North State on the entire integrated system. ECG now provides monthly engineering support, tier-3+ customer support, and installation updates on their system.

ECG has also assisted with marketing packages for VoIP products including Hosted PBX, a step up from basic VoIP. North State has begun customer trials on the system, and is considering using the platform for applications beyond standard VoIP and Hosted PBX.

“North State's VoIP system is flexible and can be used for Hosted PBX, IP Centrex, Dynamic T1s, SIP Long Distance termination, and Voice Mail hosting. It was engineered for a long lifetime of use, and can scale to support tens of thousands of users.” – Mark Lindsey, ECG Senior Systems Engineer

“Our alliance with ECG has enabled us to integrate VoIP services into our product mix efficiently,” says Royster Tucker III, North State Executive Vice President. “Our technicians were literally able to stand next to the ECG folks and learn the product as it came out of the ground. This type of hands on training has given us sound back office resources as we deploy our products in the market,” adds Tucker.

About North State
Headquartered in High Point, NC, North State Communications consistently ranks as one of the nation’s 25 largest communications services providers. Providing services in the northern Piedmont Region of North Carolina, the company has a complete offering of data and voice solutions for large, medium and small businesses. In the residential market North State offers voice services with advanced features, high speed Internet services, long distance services and DIRECTV satellite television services. The company provides wireless services through an affiliation with Cingular Wireless, and owns and operates a portion of the nationwide Cingular network. For additional information, visit www.northstate.com

About ECG
ECG focuses on the design and deployment of next-generation telephony platforms for the US. ECG is a leader in Voice-over-IP (VoIP) and traditional TDM/analog platform analysis, design, and deployment. Coupled with ECG's broad experience in the Telecom regulatory arena, ECG offers comprehensive support for CLECs and other organizations. ECG's engineering team services clients in all of the United States and abroad. For more information about ECG, please go to: www.e-c-group.com.

ECG is a trademark of Engineers' Consulting Group in the United States.

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