Overview of COMPUTER SUPPORTED TELECOMMUNICATION APPLICATIONS (CSTA)

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1 Overview of COMPUTER SUPPORTED TELECOMMUNICATION APPLICATIONS (CSTA) CSTA is a CTI interface that can provide TAPI like functions for your phone but also be used in Call Centres. Developed in ECMA by committed switch and computer manufacturers with a considerable CTI track record this is a standard which has developed and matured. CSTA and the millennium bug - click here to read about how Y2K should be handled Scope The scope of the Task Group, ECMA TC32-TG11, is to develop and refine a standardised Computer-Telephony Integration (CTI) interface to provide 'third party' interactions between computer applications and the telecommunications network. Thus the computer application is not constrained to act on behalf of just a single telephone user. This standard, known as Computer Supported Telecommunication Applications (CSTA), is specified in a number of documents available from ECMA. The specification has focused on the needs of private telephony networks but also 1

2 takes into account the requirements of other public and private networks. Documentation History CSTA Overview Associated Standards Bodies Frequently Asked Questions (faq) Documentation History Phase I Phase II COMPUTER SUPPORTED TELECOMMUNICATION APPLICATIONS (CSTA) ECMA-179 specifies the architecture and services for CSTA Phase I ECMA-180 specifies the application layer protocol (in ASN.1) for CSTA Phase I plus Protocol Implementation Conformance Statements (PICS) TR/68 reflects typical scenarios for CSTA Phase II showing representative message flows ECMA-217 specifies the architecture and services for CSTA Phase II ECMA-218 specifies the application layer protocol (in ASN.1) for CSTA Phase II plus Protocol Implementation Conformance Statements (PICS) - please note that there is an errata to early versions The work on CSTA Phase II extends the range of features offered by CSTA 2

3 phase I COMPUTER SUPPORTED TELECOMMUNICATION APPLICATIONS (CSTA) Phase III Phase IV ECMA-269 specifies the architecture and services for CSTA Phase III and represents a major development in CSTA capabilities ECMA-285 specifies the application layer protocol (in ASN.1) for CSTA Phase III plus Protocol Implementation Conformance Statements (PICS) TR/72 provides a glossary and definition of terms and abbreviations used by CSTA The work on CSTA Phase III extends the range of features offered by CSTA phase II. Work on phase IV will commence in There are some major new work areas being considered for phase IV, one of which is the important area of Voice over IP (VoIP). We will be updating this site with further hints about the possible content of phase IV soon... Associated Standards Bodies ECTF - Enterprise Computer Telephony Forum 3

4 ECMA TC32-TG11 has a liaison with the ECTF. Below are examples of areas of co-operation: Ensuring that ECTF work on the C.001 specification (CTI call control model) is co-ordinated with the ECMA work on call control for CSTA. Ensuring that the ECTF media architecture and related APIs (e.g. S.100, S.400) are co-ordinated with CSTA. Ensuring that JTAPI is compatible with CSTA and may be used as an API to a CSTA interface. Further information on ECTF can be found at their web site ISO - International Standards Organization ECMA has submitted the phase III Services and Protocol Standards, together with the Technical Report, to ISO/IEC JTC1 SC6/WG6 early in 1999 by means of the fast-track procedure as DISs. CSTA Overview CSTA is not concerned with the specifics of the interface to terminals (e.g. phones). The PABX is responsible for determining how to support a given CSTA service request. The relationship between CSTA services and the services provided to users by computers and Special Resources (such as voice synthesisers, recorders, etc.) is similarly de-coupled: computers and Special Resources may provide CSTA Services in any way that is convenient and/or appropriate for the product involved. 4

5 CSTA imposes no implementation constraints on the internal functioning of computer applications, Special Resources or their connections to the PABX. Services provided by CSTA consist of observing and/or acting upon objects (e.g. phones and calls) that can be accessed by the server on behalf of the client. The objects and their behaviour are defined in a deterministic implementation-independent manner in the CSTA operational model. These objects are not constrained to one particular phone interface as the CSTA interface direct to the PABX and so is independent of the objects. 5