PR releases

Linksys VoIP aimed at consumers and small offices in Europe

Linksys(R), a division of Cisco Systems, Inc., the leading provider of broadband, wireless and networking hardware for the consumer, SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) and small business markets, today announced new VoIP (Voice Over IP) products designed to help consumers and small offices save money and get more from their broadband connection.

Linksys is offering three new affordable and easy to use VoIP products designed to enable users to connect their standard telephones and fax machines to a cable or DSL broadband connection so they can make and receive calls using the Internet: The Linksys Phone Adapter with 2 Phone Ports (PAP2), a Wireless-G Router with 2 Phone Ports (WRT54GP2) and a wired Broadband Router with 2 Phone Ports (RT31P2). These new Linksys VoIP hardware solutions were developed with its parent company, Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in IP Telephony.

After signing up for a Voice over IP service with a specific service provider, both families and small offices can use the Internet to make telephone calls, getting substantial savings on in-country and International calling whilst also enjoying additional features at no cost such as call waiting, voicemail, caller ID, call blocking, repeat dialling and more.

"Home or small office workers, telecommuters and other users requiring more than one line for both phones and faxes will be particularly eager to start using our VoIP solutions in Europe and impressed by the cost savings our products make possible," said Patrick Lelorieux, vice-president of Sales for Linksys in Europe, Middle East and Africa. "We believe IP networking is the future for all telecom services, given its significant advantages over traditional analogue phone systems."

In-Stat/MDR, a leading market research firm, reports that by the end of 2008, over 33 million VoIP enabled broadband access devices will be shipped worldwide. "Linksys' strength in consumer sales channels and its ability to offer low cost, easy to use solutions will help popularise VoIP to the mass market," said Mike Wolf, principal analyst, consumer content and connectivity at In-Stat/MDR.

Broadband in the home and small office is used for a variety of applications including surfing the Internet, sending email, sharing photos, games and music and now making and receiving telephone calls and faxes. The new Linksys line of consumer VoIP products allows users to do all of this with a single broadband connection, all at the same time.

Phone Adapter with 2 Phone Ports for VoIP (PAP2)

The New Linksys Phone adapter, combined with a subscription to a specific VoIP service plan, turns an existing Internet connection into a high-quality phone line for placing and receiving phone calls. The phone adapter comes equipped with two RJ-11 phone ports (and a UK telephone jack

adapter) and one Ethernet port (RJ-45). Users connect their existing cordless or stationary phones or a fax machine to the phone adapter; and then connect the phone adapter to a router or gateway via the Ethernet port. Each telephone jack operates independently, with separate phone service and numbers, just like having two separate phone lines. Combined with a high-quality telephone service, users can obtain clear phone and fax connections, as they surf the Internet at the same time.

Wireless-G Router with 2 Phone Ports (WRT54GP2) and Broadband Router with 2 Phone Ports (RT31P2)

This latest version of the best-selling Linksys wired and wireless router integrates phone adapter functionality to deliver all-in-one solutions which allow customers to share a broadband connection while making phone calls (with a VoIP service subscription). Both the Wired and Wireless-G router come with a 3-Port switch for connecting three Ethernet devices directly to the network. Just like the Phone Adapter, the routers have 2 RJ-11 phone ports (and a UK telephone jack adapter) for connecting standard phones or fax machines. Linksys also incorporates QoS (Quality of Service) for prioritising voice packets to achieve clear telephone reception, and UPnP (Universal

Plug-and-Play) for easy setup and configuration.

Both the Phone adapter and Voice Routers also include a number of features, to facilitate the ease of setting up the units, achieving high quality voice simultaneously:

Pricing & Availability

The Linksys Broadband router with two phone ports (RT31P2) is currently available through Vonage(R) at www.vonage.co.uk. The full offering of Linksys VoIP products will be available through select retail, ecommerce and distribution outlets in the coming months.

 For more information, visit the Linksys web site at www.linksys.com/uk/