A new generation of telephones: let your telephone work for you: from simple voice mail to the latest rage, voice-over-IP.

• Author: Colby, Kent L.

"One ringy dingy. Two ringy dingy. Hello, is this the party to whom I am speaking?" Telephones have come a long way since comedian Lilly Tomlin made the concept of two-way communication indelible in our minds.

The telephone has been ringing for a long time. So far, there is seemingly no competition for this technology; not even the Internet bites into the time people spend on the phone. The "ringy dingy" may be replaced by a more soothing, electronic jingle, but the timeless device still provides the customer with an instantaneous one-on-one, personal connection. Whether receiving a call from a client, or placing a sales call, no business can afford to be without a modern-day telephone system.

CALLS UP

The Federal Communications Commission reports that end-user customers obtained local telephone service (nationally) by means of some 167 million incumbent, local exchange-carrier (ILEC) switched access lines; 22 million competitive, local exchange-carrier (CLEC) switched access lines; and 129 million mobile, wireless telephone-service subscriptions. According to the report, Alaska had 484,065 ILECs. For competitive reasons, the number of CLEC connections in Alaska is not reported. In order for a carrier to be considered the "provider" of local telephone line over its facilities, it should own the "last mile" of wire, cable or optical fiber that connects to the end-user premises, or radio spectrum for the fixed wireless facility. According to the report, small business and residential usage accounts for slightly more than one-half of phone connections on CLECs. That compares to over three-quarters for ILEC lines. Presumably the remainder of users constitutes big business and government. So, nearly 50 percent o f phone usage is used by big business. Add the small businesses into the equation and business in general accounts for the majority of telephone usage in this country.

BIZ USE

It's generally understood that companies need telephone equipment and telephone systems. The key issue at hand is that the company maximizes its efficiency with the telephone--there are many ways to ensure that.

One major workplace time saver is voicemail. Ever miss a call, or not have your call promptly returned? Both issues are among the irksome problems a company can minimize or eliminate with today's voicemail technology. Voicemail is not new to the business telephone system, but some of its new features are. Primarily, the service frees up the receptionist and verifies that messages are not lost. Wire-Comm's general manager explained many of the uses of...