| Ma Bell wraps her arms around VoIP |
Sep. 23, 2004
AT&T has unveiled a program to foster the "development, delivery, and adoption" of emerging voice over IP (VoIP) applications, capabilities, and devices. The program, based on proprietary AT&T specifications, is intended to enable "select vendors" to test applications and equipment against AT&T specs and thereby ensure compatibility with AT&T's evolving VoIP communication services. AT&T has invited industry leaders representing application developers, equipment, device manufacturers, and silicon vendors to participate in the program in order to "shape and scale" the emerging VoIP market.
AT&T Labs, which oversees the technical aspects of the program, says it has been focusing on a variety of interoperability initiatives, and has been working closely with silicon providers, equipment designers and manufacturers, and "the world's top IP PBX and VoIP infrastructure providers," to ensure support for -- and interoperability with -- AT&T's VoIP services. Additionally, participating companies have been working with AT&T to certify their products' compatibility with AT&T's VoIP services, and to license AT&T's intellectual property where appropriate.
Charter Members of the AT&T VoIP Innovation and Interoperability Program include: silicon providers Broadcom, Centillium Communications, Intel, and Texas Instruments; customer premises equipment (CPE) manufacturers D-Link, Linksys, and Netgear; IP-PBX vendors Alcatel, Avaya, Cisco, Nortel Networks, and Siemens; and carrier-grade softswitch and gateway provider Sonus Networks.
AT&T's says its intent is to create an ecosystem that will enable equipment designers and manufacturers to deliver VoIP products to the marketplace that are certified to work with AT&T's new broadband phone service. Some noteworthy examples include: - Broadcom, Centillium Communications, Intel, and Texas Instruments are developing VoIP software and chipsets that can be used in a wide variety of consumer electronic products.
- D-Link currently provides the Telephone Adapter (TA) used in conjunction with AT&T CallVantage Service, according to AT&T. The D-Link TA was the first consumer product certified through the AT&T Program, and continues to be supplied to consumers through various fulfillment channels. AT&T says that D-Link's MGCP-based TA was designed to rigorous standards to ensure that the voice quality of the customer's broadband calling experience rivals that of traditional phone calls.
- Linksys will soon deliver a wired router with voice and a wireless router with voice for retail sales to consumers, AT&T says.
- Netgear is developing one of the first combination wireless routers with an integrated voice adapter for retail sales to consumers, according to AT&T.
- To address IP gateway requirements for the AT&T CallVantage Service, AT&T partnered with Sonus for a carrier-grade voice over broadband (VoBB) solution.
"Our vision is to stimulate the development of a broad spectrum of VoIP-enabled devices from chipsets, software and Telephone Adapters to a range of products such as corded and cordless telephones, Wi-Fi phones, game consoles, set-top boxes, routers, modems, PBXs and ACD systems," explained Cathy Martine, AT&T senior vice president for Internet Telephony. "By working with developers and manufacturers, we will be able to deliver the benefits of IP-based telephony to businesses and consumers faster and more cost-effectively."
(Click here for further information)
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