AT&T (News - Alert) may have been busy toward the end of 2011, wheeling and dealing in its failed attempt to make its acquisition of T-Mobile a reality, but it wasn’t too occupied to lend a helping hand.

Shortly after the holidays, Oklahoma’s AT&T division donated 3,600 calling cards to members of the Oklahoma National Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team stationed overseas in Afghanistan and Kuwait. The soldiers will use the calling cards, which were doled out to military members at a special ceremony, in order to call home to family and friends – a simple, but necessary, gift.

“Because our troops sacrifice so much, we owe them more than we can ever really offer.  And while we can never truly pay back our troops for the sacrifices they make protecting our freedoms, we hope that by providing them with a means to stay connected with the ones they love that we can make their deployment – and their time away from family and friends – a little bit easier,” said AT&T Oklahoma President Bryan Gonterman. “It is our sincere honor to provide these calling cards to the brave men and women of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.  We can’t thank them enough for all that they do, but hopefully this will demonstrate our appreciation for their service.”

For military families, VoIP has become a widely used method for affordably connecting families and loved ones with the soldiers working to keep our nation safe. In fact, VoIP has helped many troops overseas participate in weddings, attend family events and even visit with their newborn child for the first time. Once combined with a calling card, VoIP certainly offers troops, or anyone stationed in another country for that matter, a winning package.

A VoIP switch vendor, Sippy Software is one company offering pre-paid calling card services that enable both residential and business SIP customers to access a VoIP network using a fixed line or cell phone. Sippy Software’s calling card module combines with Sippy Softswitch, a carrier-grade session controller that delivers a complete network management for VoIP carriers on one platform. From built-in multilingual support to the option for either online account recharge or basic recharge vouchers, users gain access to all the works without having to sacrifice missing out on those special moments.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2012, taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 3 2012, in Miami, FL. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO, click here.

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Tammy Wolf is a TMCnet web editor. She covers a wide range of topics, including IP communications and information technology. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell