NET2PHONE, ARRIS TARGET SECOND-TIER CABLE WITH VOIP

Voice-over-IP vendor Arris is merging its technology with Net2Phone's service in an effort to pitch fully managed end-to-end VoIP networks to second- and third-tier cable operators that generally cannot afford to enter the voice space.

The partnership will enhance Arris' hosted VoIP products into an integrated network that meets CableLabs' evolving PacketCable voice specifications. It will also leverage Net2Phone's basic telephony skills to manage the networks.

Net2Phone, which was one of the largest consumer VoIP carriers, re-focused on cable operators earlier this year, while Arris typically has focused on larger cable operators.

“Together we have a really hardened, bulletproof product,” said Gerry Pearce, Net2Phone's vice president of strategic alliances.

The end-to-end characteristics will be attractive to smaller operators that can't scale a network small enough to fit their capital budgets, said Stan Brovont, vice president of marketing for Arris.

The two companies will use Arris' Georgia facility, which has a simulated city that has 150 miles of coaxial cable and 60,000 “homes” to integrate the technologies. In fact, the simulation may be larger than most of the systems the companies actually provision in a commercial deployment.

“The really exciting opportunity is approaching the Tier 2s… giving them the opportunity to get into telephony without a major capital investment,” Pearce said.

Each piece of the network will be PacketCable-compliant because CableLabs will not certify an end-to-end network. “It's contrary to what [CableLabs] wants to do, which is to certify competition,” Pearce said.