October 4, 1999

One Platform For Services

Lucent integrates Internet, telephone

By Aisha M. Williams

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ucent Technologies Inc. last week debuted a communications system it says will give small and midsize companies something larger companies have had for years--the ability to access the Internet and the public switched telephone network on one platform.

With Merlyn Magix Integrated System, small-business owners won't have to deal with multiple service providers, says George Humphrey, strategic product development manager. The Integrated Network Access circuit module component lets users send local and long-distance calls to the public switched telephone network and get Internet services from a LAN, via a converged T1 connection, at a 25% to 70% savings on communications costs, Humphrey says. The Integrated Network Access Circuit module also includes a firewall.

Merlyn Magix PBX can handle as many as 80 telephone lines and 200 telephones. It works with Merlin Messaging Voice System, which offers 200 voice mailboxes, 100 hours of storage, and four automated attendants, and supports new digital telephones--including Lucent's 4400-Series digital telephones.

Michelle English, an analyst at Data-Pro, says Merlyn Magix's significant features include metal cabinets that offer electromagnetic interference protection. "The metal cabi- nets also allow Lucent to set up the phone system prior to installation, thereby providing users with better support," says English.

Merlyn Magix Integrated System will be released this month, priced at $3,294 for a four-line, 12-station configuration; Merlin Magix Integrated Network Access Circuit will be $4,995.

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