Routers, phones dialing in VoIP
Major device manufacturers are planning to incorporate Internet phone calling technology into their modems and cordless phones, another sign of the growing popularity of this cheaper version of telephone calling, executives said on the sidelines of the Consumer Electronics Show.
Typical of this new breed of devices is from Zoom International, a Boston-based electronics maker. The ADSL X5v, shipping in March, is primarily a broadband modem. But it also has a built-in analog telephone adapter (ATA), usually a separate device to convert traditional phone calls into the packets of data that travel over the Internet. The device, which costs about $100, lets any of five home phones make Internet phone calls, Zoom Vice President Terry Manning said.
In the next six to nine months, some Motorola cordless phones will also contain an ATA, Motorola senior marketing director Bill Taylor said. "We are in the process of integrating that architecture right now," he said. "While the dates are a little squishy, we think it'll be ready in about nine months."
