VOIP to Make Mainstream Move at CES

Devices necessary for making VOIP (voice over IP) work in new ways will make their debut at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. These products include a chip-level solution that will soon find its way into end-user products, as well as a new technology line and some end-user products that are ready to ship.

One anticipated technology is support for wireless VOIP. DSP Group Inc., based in Santa Clara, Calif., will announce what it calls its Cordless IP chip. The chip combines traditional telephony and digital cordless technology in a single package.

According to the company, the new chip is designed to support multihandset, VOIP multiline phones. The product’s primary market is residential. A company spokesman said the new chip would work with 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz handsets using today’s cordless technology, and with the new 1.9 GHz standard.

Texas Instruments Inc. will demonstrate its new Voice over Broadband technology. This is TI’s version of VOIP, designed for use with cable and DSL connections. Included in the demonstration will be TI’s new IP video phone, which will send voice and video over an IP network.

Soyo Group Inc. also will be showing a new VOIP phone. This one is the company’s Z-Connect Instant Broadband Telephone. The phone is designed so that it can be plugged into a router connected to a DSL or cable network and be ready for use immediately.

The phone comes with 150 minutes of free VOIP calling time. Additional calling time will be available from Soyo. The company is also showing its Z-Connect Router. This VOIP router includes four Ethernet ports, and it can support as many as four simultaneous conversations over the Internet via a secure ISP connection.

Like the phone, the router includes 150 minutes of free time, with additional time available from Soyo.

California is mounting an appeal of the FCC’s recent ruling on VOIP phone services. Click here to learn more.

Along with a new line of VOIP phones, Kiwi Systems will show a line of VOIP phone adapters, which allow standard phones to connect using VOIP. The new line, called KiwiTalk, also includes a new USB phone. Kiwi said the new phone line is designed to improve voice quality while lowering costs.

The KiwiTalk phones will include a number of features such as conferencing, call forwarding, Caller ID, voice mail and online account management.

Kiwi said its phones are designed to drastically reduce the cost of calls, especially international calls. The Kiwi phones include phone numbers that let users receive calls from anywhere.

International CES runs Jan. 6 through Jan. 9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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