Fujitsu and Tdsoft Alliance in Innovative VoDSL Venture

Fujitsu Telecommunications Europe Limited, the leading supplier of high performance telecommunications solutions, has announced the availability of an innovative Voice over Digital Subscriber Line (VoDSL) solution, resulting from a successful joint development with Tdsoft, a developer and provider of Voice over Next Generation Access (VoNGA) products. The two companies will jointly enable the provision of integrated voice and data services over a single copper pair. The joint solution will be available on an international market basis to satisfy the growing demand for voice services over a DSL-based broadband access network infrastructure, delivering multi-line voice capability combined with fast Internet access.

Fujitsu and Tdsoft have completed a series of tests, demonstrating successful interoperability between Fujitsu's SuperVision DSLAM system and Tdsoft's VoNGATE Voice Access Gateway, using the internationally adopted V5.2 interface. Complementing its own world-class DSL capabilities, Fujitsu's alliance with Tdsoft represents a significant advance towards making DSL solutions more widely available. Fujitsu Telecommunications Europe's Director of Marketing, Andy Hunwicks, commented: "As local loop unbundling gathers pace across Europe, the availability of proven, high performance Voice over DSL solutions such as this will hold the key to ensuring that the market can benefit from the advent of new, enhanced voice services. Our relationship with Tdsoft highlights the importance of strategic alliances, enabling us to bring best of breed products together to create exciting new platforms. The synergy between Tdsoft's VoNGATE and our SuperVision DSLAM system has been clearly demonstrated in the testing programme. By enabling us to combine a versatile voice access gateway with our extensive range of solutions for next generation access network applications, we have now been able to add emulated voice services to our existing interactive digital services bundle."

Commenting for Tdsoft, Gil Eyal, VP Sales and Marketing, said: "The co-operation with Fujitsu provides an end-to-end Voice over DSL solution for the growing Small-Medium Business and Small Office Home Office (SOHO) customer communities. The joint Fujitsu-Tdsoft solution will provide carriers and service providers with a service package that includes integrated voice and fast Internet access services - enriching Fujitsu's product offering by adding voice services over a DSL-based broadband access solution."

Fujitsu is a major contributor in the European xDSL marketplace, acting as the key supplier in a number of high profile implementations. These include BT's roll-out of broadband services in the UK, with Fujitsu having already implemented ADSL systems in over 200 exchanges, as part of the first phase of BT's broadband launch. Fujitsu's product strategy is clearly focused on the creation of core strategic solutions, designed to maximise the use of the available bandwidth through technologies such as xDSL. A leading player in the international standards arena, Fujitsu is able to provide a range of fully integrated voice and data solutions for future new carrier networks. These can encompass system and subsystem supply, integration, or a complete turnkey field operation - including the installation, commissioning and management of access and transmission lines plus equipment.

Currently employing 1,230 staff around Europe, Fujitsu Telecommunications Europe is a strategic division of the Telecommunications Group, Fujitsu Limited, Japan - one of the world's largest communications equipment suppliers. Fujitsu's customer base includes wide-ranging contracts across the breadth of modern telecommunications networks. Focused on providing strategic end to end solutions, Fujitsu offers a complete turnkey service - from project planning, community liaison, cable laying and civil engineering, to installation, implementation and ongoing maintenance.

Headquartered in Birmingham, Fujitsu Telecommunications Europe has extensive research and development facilities and also operates as part of Fujitsu's global manufacturing resource. The company has a long-established track record for product and service innovation, with extensive expertise in the field of leading edge optical transmission and telecommunications switching technology. This ranges from the development of the most advanced Photonic Network Solutions; to Passive Optical Networks; Fibre Access Systems; Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) networks; Advanced Switching Systems; Radio Access Systems and IP Applications; in addition to its TMN-compliant Network Management Systems.

About Tdsoft
Established in 1994, Tdsoft is a privately-held company, backed by leading international venture capital firms. A developer and provider of Voice over Next Generation Access (VoNGA) solutions for the telecommunications industry, Tdsoft's open solutions enable service providers to add voice services over existing next generation access broadband infrastructure of Cable, xDSL and Wireless. Tdsoft's products are currently used by more than 45 carriers and telecom equipment vendors in 25 countries, with testing conducted across 15 different switches worldwide. Tdsoft's VoNGATETM is a versatile voice access gateway, designed as an open platform capable of supporting any combination of PSTN switch interfaces, access infrastructures and access technologies at the same time.