Telco Systems expands CPE line

Telcos Systems today increased the range of its customer premises equipment, launching a voice over IP gateway that lets users combine their voice and data access into a single device.

The Access211 will compete with similar devices from Cisco Systems and Motorola, which have both been used by Vonage to provide residential voice service. However, according to Irit Gillath, vice president of IP product line management for Telco Systems, the product is more comprehensive than either competitor.

The Access211 uses standard phones (or fax machines) and is targeted at CLECs and ILEC that want to provide VoIP services to their existing customers or service providers wanting to go out of their regions with similar services.

The Access211 has two ports that can be used to support two different phone numbers, an Ethernet port for the PC, and an uplink port to connect to a cable or DSL modem. Key to the new product is focus on voice quality.

"It enables you to control the voice quality and ensure that voice always gets the highest priority," said Gillath. "We make sure we control the data traffic and make sure the amount of bandwidth needed for voice is maintained. So even if you have very high data traffic, nothing will harm your voice service."

The gateway also uses variable voice compression, letting both the end-user and the VoIP service provider control voice quality. Additionally, it uses the 802.1 q VLAN tagging standard, which enhances security for VoIP phone calls.

Like Telco Systems’ other products, the gateway will rely heavily on telco sales channels. The company specifically designed the Access211 for the U.S. carrier market, but it has been getting some interest from European and Asian carriers, Gillath said.