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DECT Forum unveils cordless VoIP technology(Total Telecom Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) The DECT Forum on Tuesday unveiled new technology that it says will enable the cordless telephony standard be used for voice-over-IP as well as other Internet and audio and video-streaming services in the home. DECT is a well-known cordless technology that has long been used in fixed-line handsets in the home. Now, the forum hopes to extend the lifespan of DECT through CAT-iq, or "Cordless Advanced Technology Internet quality". According to Erich Kamperschroer, chairman of the DECT Forum, the DECT market will be worth around E1.8 billion in Europe in 2006, but will fall to E1.26 billion in 2009. But by then Kamperschroer predicts that CAT-iq VoIP phones will generate around E0.81 billion in revenue, with a further E0.14 billion from IP audio-enabled devices. The DECT Forum added that the technology, which will continue to use the same frequencies as DECT, will enable fixed service providers to offer high-quality VoIP services to their customers and will also allow connectivity to IMS and SIP-based applications as well as Web 2.0 applications. Kamperschroer unveiled the new CAT-iq brand and logo at ITU Telecom World in Hong Kong on Tuesday, and said the forum is in the process of registering the logo worldwide. He added that the forum is also working with standards groups ETSI and the Home Gateway Initiative. The first CAT-iq products are expected to be launched in Q3 2007, and will primarily be ordinary phones that can be plugged into an Ethernet socket to enable VoIP. In mid-2008 video and audio-streaming applications as well as some dedicated Internet services such as address books or weather information will be added, followed by intelligent networking devices in 2009. "It's the future of cordless telephony," claimed Kamperschroer, who said it represents more revenue opportunities for fixed-line carriers and a way to combat fixed-mobile substitution services. He stressed, however, that CAT-iq is not being positioned as a competitive technology to wireless LAN in the home, and noted that the new technology would not be used for high-speed Web surfing, for example. Instead he sees CAT-iq as an add-on to WLAN, with both technologies eventually integrated into a single home gateway. In Kamperschroer's view CAT-iq will enable much better voice quality that he believes is not possible with WiFi. He added that the DECT Forum will set up a certification programme to ensure the interoperability of different products. Copyright 2006 Terrapinn Ltd |