AT&T has formed an alliance with chip suppliers and equipment vendors to develop products and ensure interoperability for the operators' VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service. Participating chipmakers include Broadcom, Centillium, Intel, and TI. CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) vendors joining the alliance include D-Link, Linksys, and Netgear. CO (Central Office) equipment vendors Alcatel, Avaya, Cisco, Nortel, Siemens, and Sonus are also participating.

 

Helping to develop gateways, Wi-Fi phones, and STB (Set Top Boxes), the team-up is expected to help the operator differentiate in an already crowded VoIP market. In addition to AT&T, telecom player Verizon, cable operator Comcast, and start-ups such as Vonage and Primus are all working to penetrate the US market.

 

AT&T is said to be opening up certification of VoIP CPE to pave the way for sales in the retail market, and has thus chosen D-Link, Linksys, and Netgear given their stronger brands and high channel presence. The main suppliers to these CPE vendors are, respectively, Alpha Networks, Gemtek, and CyberTAN.