VoIP Spreads Among CUs

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - (01/11/06) – Increasing numbers of creditunions are turning to Voice Over Internet Protocol to improve theperformance and reduce costs of their telephone service. Voice OverInternet Protocol enables voice conversations through privateInternet-based networks or the public Internet. Businesses pay afee to an Internet service provider to use the Internet, but thecall itself carries little or no fee as long as it is transmittedwithin the voice-over IP network. Among the area credit unions thathave introduced VoIP are Wescom CU and Altura CU. Altura CU, inRiverside, invested about $100,000 in a 100-telephone Internetnetwork for its call center, mostly for routing calls among officesand at-home workers. The credit union uses NEC and Cisco Systemsequipment. Irvine-based Zeacom Inc. Routes incoming calls over theInternet to Altura’s 11 branches and five CUSOoffices.