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LAS VEGAS (2006 International CES, January 6, 2006)
— Small and mid-sized businesses can now take advantage of Skype's free
and low-cost Internet call rates with Actiontec's VoSKY Exchange, the
first Skype-certified product that allows Skype's Internet telephony
service to be used in an office environment. This PBX add-on enables
every phone extension in the office to make and receive Skype calls
without any changes to existing PBX equipment, phones or user PCs,
yielding major savings on both domestic long-distance and international
calls.
Designed for businesses of 10 to 300 employees, VoSKY Exchange
is a videocassette-sized device that plugs into the PBX on one end and
a Windows XP computer on the other. It adds up to four outgoing Skype
lines to the PBX, with rollover capabilities in the event that one line
is busy. Outbound Skype or SkypeOut calls are placed by dialing a
one-digit access code that is configured when VoSKY Exchange is
installed. Inbound calls from other Skype users are routed to any of
the Skype company lines and then transferred to the user's extension in
the same manner as regular calls. Benefits include:
- Lower phone bills for employees and callers, with
free calls between Skype subscribers anywhere in the world and SkypeOut
rates as low as 2 cents per minute to locations as far away as the UK,
Russia, China and Australia.
- No need to use headsets for Internet calls, because all inbound and outbound Skype calls are routed through users' regular phones.
- Easy four-in-one administration, with support for the new Skype Groups feature enabling all four Skype lines to share the same Skype account.
- Rapid return on investment, with no costly
infrastructure upgrades, replacements, or training. Payback is possible
in a few weeks' time through the savings realized on long-distance and
international calls.
VoSKY Exchange also complies with the Skype dialing format, supports
Skype speed dialing, and delivers PBX-equivalent voice quality with the
aid of special echo cancellation technology. "Until now, Skype has offered major cost savings and
convenience for consumers, but businesses have not been able to
leverage Skype's capabilities largely due to legacy PBX infrastructure.
VoSKY Exchange delivers these Skype benefits to the business community
for the first time," said Gunjan Bhow, Actiontec's Vice President of
Marketing. "Whether you make regular calls to overseas business
associates, save on calls between branch offices, or simply want to
lower your domestic long-distance bills, our Exchange product can
provide tangible bottom-line savings by making it possible to integrate
the Skype service into your existing PBX system." Specifications and Availability
VoSKY Exchange is a Skype Certified product, indicating that it has
passed Skype certification tests and meets Skype technical
requirements, industrial design guidelines, and usability requirements.
Minimum system requirements include a PBX with up to four free FXO
ports and auto attendant capability; a 2.8 GHz Pentium IV PC running
Windows XP with 512 MB RAM, 400 MB free hard disk space, a CD-ROM drive
and up to four available USB ports; a broadband Internet connection;
and Skype's Internet calling service, which is available as a free
download at www.skype.com. The product is available immediately through
select telephony resellers.
Source: Actiontec Press Release
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