[January 5, 2005]

Texas Instruments and AT&T Team Up to Develop VoIP Devices

BY JOHANNE TORRES

Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (quote - news - alert) and AT&T (quote - news - alert) announced today that they have partnered to work together to provide VoIP ( define - news - alert) equipment designers and manufacturers new platforms for the development of VoIP devices and other products compatible with AT&T's global IP network. The companies say that the combination of TI's VoIP software and silicon technology and AT&T's broadband telephony solutions will quickly enable communications equipment manufacturers to develop new equipment, such as terminal adapters and VoIP gateways, for use in managing voice services through broadband connections.

"VoIP is the most significant, fundamental new technology shift in telecommunications in decades and promises to deliver tremendous value by leveraging the cost efficiencies and advanced communications capabilities of IP-based technology," said Cathy Martine, AT&T's senior vice president of Internet Telephony. "This alignment with TI will help deliver the benefits of IP-based telephony to our customers faster and more cost-effectively."

According to the terms of the agreement, TI-based reference designs for voice gateways will be compatible with AT&T's CallVantage Service, via AT&T's certification lab testing. One of the first TI-based VoIP products that will be available through AT&T's CallVantage Service is VTech Communications' VoIP6322 Dual Line Corded/Cordless Broadband Telephone System.

The 2.4GHz DSS VoIP6322 can be used with both traditional and broadband phone services and includes a corded base station and one cordless handset. The VTech system can be expanded to a total of eight cordless handsets, thus allowing users to distribute phone service throughout the home or small office/small home office without additional wiring.

"Ultimately, we expect that VoIP will emerge as the technology that drives customers toward successful voice, data and video connections on any device, anywhere and at anytime," said Fred Zimmerman, executive director, customer premise solutions for TI's VoIP business. "This extended alignment between AT&T and TI draws from both companies' strengths and market leadership positions to enable equipment designers and manufacturers to quickly ramp high quality VoIP products all over the world."

Texas Instruments
www.ti.com

AT&T
www.att.com