March 2023 Summaries

National Doctors' Day is celebrated annually on March 30th in the U.S., honoring doctors for their hard work and dedication to patient care. The holiday was first observed in Winder, Georgia in 1933 by Eudora Brown Almond, who sent cards to physicians and placed red carnations on the graves of deceased doctors. National Doctors' Day became an official U.S. holiday in 1991. People celebrate this day by expressing gratitude to their doctors through letters, luncheons, or social media posts using #NationalDoctorsDay.

The Enterprise Connect 2023 conference highlighted the importance of cloud communications solutions, AI/ML integration, and interoperability. Bandwidth Maestro™ won overall Best of Enterprise Connect for its ability to integrate best-in-class voice apps across various platforms. Business leaders are encouraged to create office magnets rather than mandates to drive attendance. The use of AI as a coworker rather than a waiter is recommended to maximize its value in the workplace. Microsoft Teams, Cisco, and RingCentral are incorporating AI/ML into their UCaaS solutions for improved customer experience and internal workflows. Emergency calling compliance remains an issue, with businesses needing to ensure accurate dispatchable location information.

Bandwidth's native texting app, Send-To, has won Internet Telephony Product of the Year. The app allows Microsoft Teams users to send and receive text messages via desktop or mobile without using personal phones. Enterprises find it useful for various communication needs such as recruitment, coordinating with contractors, agencies, press, or other third parties. Send-To is part of Bandwidth's Duet® for Microsoft Teams, which offers comprehensive telephony solutions including Direct Routing, Operator Connect, and E911 compliance. This marks the second accolade for Duet for Microsoft Teams, following its win as Most Innovative Product by UC Today in 2020.

Number porting is the process of transferring an active phone number from one service provider to another, often done by businesses for various reasons such as switching providers or scaling into new markets. The time it takes to port a number can vary depending on factors like number type, complexity of request, and country/region involved. Generally, it can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Automation can help speed up the process by reducing manual tasks, increasing efficiency, and streamlining information verification. Bandwidth's number porting API provides a programmatic way to automate the porting process, allowing for real-time insights and reduced human errors.

The Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) switch-off is a looming change affecting telecom professionals and IT leaders across Europe. Countries like Estonia, The Netherlands, Germany, Japan, and Sweden are switching off their ISDN networks, with the UK planning to retire its ISDN circuits by 2025. This transition will impact approximately three million organizations in the UK alone. Businesses need to adopt Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to communicate effectively during this change. The shift from copper wires to the cloud is necessary due to the limitations of traditional networks and the advantages of IP-based phone systems, such as scalability and cost-effectiveness. To prepare for BT's ISDN switch-off, businesses should start migrating to IP-based communications now, evaluate network providers, and modernize their infrastructure.