Network programming in .NET

Chapter 14. Adding Digital Telephony

Introduction

If you call any large cinema looking for times for films, you will undoubtedly be forwarded to an automated system that tells you when each film is on. This system is made possible by digital telephony.

Computer Telephony Integration, or CTI, systems routinely cost $10,000 and upward for enterprise-scale systems. The high cost is largely a result of the misconceived idea that any telephony system requires loads of specialized hardware and, thus, is out of reach for the humble developer. In fact, you can put a simple system together using no more than a cheap modem.

Any company that employs staff to answer phone calls can save money by implementing a CTI system. Such a system can be used to route calls ...