Boscom's new Bosanova Claro voice over IP (VoIP) gateway cuts call costs, simplifies deployment and makes voice calls over the internet more reliable, according to the manufacturer. The new product may appeal to firms connecting several branch offices and teleworkers.

Instead of requiring expensive new ports to be added to a firm's private branch exchange (PBX) in order to carry VoIP traffic, the Claro gateway is connected between the PBX and the connection to the local telephone exchange. This means no new PBX configuration is necessary, saving IT managers' time and expense.

The Claro gateway decides whether a call should be routed via the IP network or the phone network, examining the numbers dialled to establish whether the call is to another office equipped with a Claro gateway. All the gateways exchange information to construct routing tables automatically, so when a new gateway is connected the network updates itself.

The gateway continuously checks the quality of the IP path between itself and the other gateways and will route the call via the phone network if there is a long delay or a high level of packet loss. If the quality deteriorates during a call, several strategies may be used to improve the situation, including re-routing the call via an intermediate gateway, or adjusting the buffering.