8el - leading voice and data solutions

Reading, UK, March 31st, 2005 --- A voice and data solution supplied by specialist telecommunications 8el is behind a respected IT award presented to top, UK solicitors firm Russell Jones & Walker.

The Legal IT Awards were judged by a panel of 8 experts and practitioners from a broad spread of professional backgrounds and geographical locations and awarded The Communications Award to Russell Jones & Walker. When evaluating entries, the panel of judges were looking to reward examples of best practice, innovation and invention. The decision also took into account the company’s strong emphasis on cost savings, RJW made a 33% reduction in communications costs following the deployment of 8el’s converged communications and IP video conferencing.

Adam Tulk, IT Director, Russell Jones & Walker said "Selective adoption of converged communications (using 8el and Westell) has enabled Russell Jones & Walker to deliver far greater functionality at considerably reduced costs, with a return on investment delivered in nine months from project initiation"

When originally deciding their communications strategy, Russell Jones & Walker (RJW) wanted to take advantage of latest technology and in particular capitalise on the potential cost savings offered by converged voice and data networks. Specifically, they required a network that was able to deliver their telephony, site-to-site data transfer and Internet access across their 10 UK sites. In response, in 2004 8el supplied RJW with a Quality of Service (QoS) enabled, converged solution that met these requirements adding further benefits including; overall cost savings, increased functionality and more network capacity.

To facilitate Russell Jones & Walkers desired solution, 8el suggested implementing an ATM Wide Area Network (WAN) across the UK operation to replace the redundant SDMS network. In order to effectively meet RJW’s voice requirements including VoIP functionality between sites, 8el turned to Westell - the established market leader in telephony interworking. Westell suggested the installation of an IiQ 2030 gateway to enable RJW to integrate voice and data networks. This gateway would permit traditional phones attached directly to the PBX to communicate with IP phones over the network, without compromising on the quality or functionality of existing systems. Thus RJW was able to preserve its existing telecoms switch infrastructure yet obtain a guaranteed quality-of-service commitment for prioritising voice traffic over the 8el WAN.

Convergence specialists 8el then translated RJW’s voice, Internet and site-to-site data traffic from each office into a common format, ATM and delivered it across their resilient core network. By converging RJW’s traffic into ATM, 8el is able to provide a single network infrastructure to deliver multiple voice and data services and enable significant savings through the reduced leased line rental costs.

Russell Jones & Walker now receive the full benefits of an 8el converged network, with a single point of contact for customer services. The 8el customer support team provide proactive, personal assistance to complement its portfolio of voice and data services and are available 24/7, 365 days a year.

Westell Limited is a subsidiary of Westell Inc. (NASDAQ WSTL). It is a leading provider of telecom solutions, with expertise in developing and deploying effective telecom signalling interworking, protocol translation and conversion products and services, as well as access-network solutions. Westell addresses and implements solutions for convergence - the powerful combination of switched and packet technologies incorporating Voice over IP. Fourteen years of development in the UK has created a comprehensive range of InterChange iQ products.

Founded in 1980 and headquartered in Aurora, Illinois, Westell Inc.’s international operations are centered in Westell’s offices in the UK. Westell Inc. designs, manufactures and markets a broad range of telecommunications and data communications products used by business and telephone companies to provide voice and data services.

Westell Limited’s website can be found at www.westell.co.uk and Westell Inc.’s website can be found at www.westell.com.

8el (pronounced ‘A-Tel’) is an innovative, specialist network operator providing efficient voice and data services to the corporate market. UK businesses use 8el to satisfy the communication challenges presented by their office, home and remote communities and derive strategic, financial and quality benefits.

8el is an established and trusted supplier to leading businesses, delivering voice and data network services to over 35,000 users. Solutions are deployed across a number of vertical markets including the recruitment, transport, publishing, accountancy and legal professions.

For more information on 8el’s converged solutions contact Chris Sayer on 0845 33 000 93 or email [email protected]