The Peninsula
Hotels are deploying an
integrated voice and data VoIP1 network system linking The Peninsula
Hotels’ fourteen hotels and offices worldwide. This globally-connected
VoIP network is the first ever built in the hotel industry.

The Peninsula Hotels’ global VoIP network was mainly built by upgrading
software, which incorporates NEC’s IP Networking functionalities into
NEC’s IP-PBX. The IP connectivity is used in the hotel’s fourteen
locations including the hotels in Hong Kong, Manila, Bangkok, Beijing, New
York, Chicago and Beverly Hills. This network system was designed and
built with a minimal initial investment and completed in a short time.

With the new VoIP network, The Peninsula Hotels has an lower initial
investment as compared with a global VoIP network using a conventional
method that requires VoIP gateway in each PBX locations, a significant
decrease of cost from the cheaper international communication costs , and
a Global Customer Service Centre located in Hong Kong which handles the
global reservations of Peninsula customers.

“The Peninsula Hotels has been working to curb the cost of international
calls since the communication among its hotels worldwide has become more
frequent as a result of global expansion. The new network system was
built in response to this, and it will expand along with the establishment
of new hotels.” says Mr. Shane Izaks, General Manager, Information
Technology of The Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited.

“NEC is one of our preferred vendors of PBX systems to The Peninsula
Hotels. Building of the new network system signifies the hotel’s
recognition of NEC’s technological capabilities to integrate voice and
data, its ability to make a system proposal that efficiently utilizes the
hotel’s already existing IP-PBX assets, in addition to its proven track
record.” says Mr. Shane Izaks.

Main characteristics of The Peninsula Hotels’ VoIP network system include
the following.

1. Minimum investment and speedy construction of VoIP network system with
backward compatibility, using NEC’s IP networking technology

—Building a VoIP network system in general is costly because of the
necessity to set up a VoIP gateway per PBX in order to connect existing
PBX to the IP network. The newly-built system was easily created by
upgrading software, which provides IP Networking functionalities, to NEC’s
IP-PBX, UNIVERGE NEAX 2400IPX.

For the locations that use other vendors’ PBXs, NEC’s compact gateway
systems, IPS-DM3, were installed.

—The VoIP network system linking fourteen locations worldwide enabled
reduction of initial investment cost. Cost of international business calls
was reduced by connecting worldwide locations with internal lines.

2. Realizing improvement in employee productivity through advanced
telephone features by employing NEC’s IP communication protocol

—Communications among employees are improved by standardizing telephone
numbering plans of all locations and assigning an individual phone number
to every employee.

—The use of NEC’s IP networking protocol, CCIS over IP4, enables advanced
telephone features such as Caller number display from global locations,
QoS control for voice in the IP-VPN environment and Centralized Call
Center in Hong Kong that calls can be transferred 24 hours from worldwide
hotel operators.

“NEC has a major market share for PBX in Hospitality, especially in Japan
and Asia Pacific. NEC is now proposing the new UNIVERGE series of IP-PBX
and IP Telephony server for the hotel industry. This implementation of
VoIP network for The Peninsula Hotels has shown NEC’s migration path from
TDM5 PBX to IP capabilities.” said Kazuo Tsuzuki, Associate Senior Vice
President of NEC Corporation.

NEC is offering solutions that enhance customer competitiveness in the
forthcoming Next-Generation Network (NGN) era. NEC will continue to
support management innovation by reinforcing development and sales of
broadband solutions for the hospitality industry.
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