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Global
News
December
2, 2004
RTX
to develop cordless Internet phones compatible with
Skype
DENMARK
-- RTX, a leader in wireless product development, recently
announced an agreement to develop handsets for cordless
Internet telephony with Skype Technologies S.A, the
global P2P telephony company that is changing the telecom
world by offering consumers free, high-quality calls
worldwide.
Easy-to-use
handsets are a key driver in securing a consumer mass-market
uptake of VoIP. By giving consumers convenient cordless
handsets that eliminate the need to sit in front of
a PC to use Internet telephony, the telephone will shorten
time-to-market and lower entry-barriers for a host of
manufacturers. This will accelerate the introduction
of a broad selection of handsets to consumers around
the world.
The handset allows the end user to decide whether to
make a free Skype call via the Internet or use the analog
telephone line. As well as giving users mobility away
from the PC, the telephone also provides a highly intuitive
user interface and bridges the gap between the switched
telephone network and the future world of VoIP. The
cordless aspect of the product is provided by DECT -
the well established and familiar wire-free technology
used across the world for existing cordless telephony
applications. The telephone base station itself is easily
connected to the PC via a USB interface and to the ordinary
telephone line via the normal telephone jack.
Niklas Zennström, CEO and co-founder of Skype,
said: "Skype and RTX share the vision of harnessing
the power of the Internet to give consumers more flexible,
cost-effective, yet high-quality telephony. Internet
telephony is transforming the nature of the telecom
industry, and industry experts expect it to become the
de facto method for voice communications within the
near future. Our development and marketing agreement
with RTX is proof of our commitment to lead this development."
Jorgen Elbaek, CEO of RTX Telecom, added: "Until
recently, only technophiles have benefited from VoIP
telephony. However, the technology is rapidly maturing,
driven by Skype and other innovative companies. We see
the greatest opportunity being the price conscious mass
market, where ease-of-use is essential. This is why
we have developed a platform for low-cost cordless telephony
for both VoIP and standard PSTN, with the added benefit
of being able to use a cordless handset, rather than
a PC. The first product to be launched is an Olympia
branded cordless DUALphone available now in Scandinavia."
RTX Telecom is a wireless product development company
with 200 engineering experts. It focuses on advanced
wireless communication standards that include GSM/GPRS,
DECT, Bluetooth, TD-SCDMA, 802.11a/b/g, VoIP and others.
It provides individually tailored turnkey solutions
where a customer's specification is turned into a fully
tested product, ready for the market in the shortest
possible time. RTX Products, its subsidiary, is supplying
OEM/ODM products, mainly designed by RTX Telecom.
Contact:
RTX Telecom A/S
Tel: +45-9632-2300
je@rtx.dk / press@rtx.dk
www.rtx.dk
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