Teo, a telecommunications company, formerly known as Tone Commander Systems, has received formal letters of approval and CNSS serial numbers for its newest TSG-6 Power over Ethernet (PoE)-enabled IP phone models.

These models were tested and approved by the National Telephone Security Working Group (NTSWG) last June.

Officials with Teo said that both models include 802.3af PoE support and a built-in switched Ethernet port, which allows a single copper network connection to support both a PC and phone, thus avoiding the need for a cabling upgrade.

According to company officials, the U.S.-manufactured phones are industry-standard SIP compliant and have been deployed on numerous SIP-compatible systems including Cisco, Avaya (News - Alert), Asterisk, Redcom, Alcatel and Edge Access, as well as many others.

Company officials said that the Teo 7810PoE-TSGA is TSG-6 Class A certified and may be used in Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) areas without any other equipment restrictions. The less expensive 7810PoE-TSGB is TSG-6 Class B certified and may only be used in applications where the network switching device is collocated within the same protected area as the telephone.

"These new certifications bolster Teo's reputation as a leading provider of highly secure, government-grade communications systems," said Steve Hill, president of Teo, in a statement.

Hill said that the company is proud to continue to offer the industry the largest range of TSG-6 approved telephone equipment on the market today.

Teo, company officials claimed, was the first manufacturer to receive TSG-6 certification for an IP phone and was also the first to receive CNSS Class A certification for a PoE-enabled phone. The company has three different CNSS approved IP phone models.  

Other Teo/Tone Commander TSG-6 products include the industry's only certified TSG-6 ISDN phones and TSG-6 NT1 ISDN Network Terminations.