One number for phone, fax, and 'net? (Up front: news, trends & analysis).

The U.S. government recently announced its support for ENUM, an emerging standard that could simplify personal communications by providing a single point of contact for telephone and Internet communications.

The electronic-numbering system would allow consumers to specify a single identifier for telephone, fax, and mobile phone numbers, as well as e-mail and instant-messaging addresses. The Department of Commerce said it will work with the State Department and the Federal Communications Commission to help set up the ENUM network.

ENUM already has support from 13 other countries, and an international telecommunications body has been working to set global standards. The specific ENUM standard, known as E.164.arpa, translates telephone numbers into Internet addresses, and vice versa. For example, the phone number 202.555.1234 would be expressed as an Internet address as 4.3.2.1.5.5.5.2.0.2.elarpa. Users would not need to type all this out because Web browsers or automated phones would likely automate the process.

Proponents say ENUM will simplify communications because one point of contact could be routed to a telephone, e-mail inbox, or fax machine, depending on the application. The standard also would allow users to access Internet services through a telephone keypad. It also will become increasingly important as more telephone traffic travels over Internet networks. Many companies already use Internet-based telephony to save on long-distance calls between international offices, and experts say ENUM could help this technology overcome major hurdles.