TI Trots Out New IP Phone Offering

Semiconductor specialist Texas Instruments today unveiled a new system-on-a-chip offering for Internet protocol phone makers.

The new TNETV1050 IP phone processor boosts processing power needed to support IP phone standards, and allows handset makers to add new services and generate new revenues.

Some examples of possible features include adding video games, security features or a USB controller to enable PDA synchronization, TI’s IP phone manager Angela Raucher told internetnews.com. The phones have been in testing for more than a month, Raucher said.

The product also includes TI’s Telogy Software (gained from a 1999 acquisition), which provides integrated industry operating systems and protocol stacks, saving manufacturers time and money to add features.

Nearly 4.2 million IP phone ports were shipped worldwide in 2002, according to industry analysts, Allied Business Intelligence (ABI). The number will more than double to over 9.2 million ports in 2003, ABI predicts.

Dallas-based TI has seen steady demand from end-users, especially enterprises. The residential market has grown more slowly but TI believes residential customers will soon begin to tie IP phones into their wireless broadband gateways.

TI, which said it owns 80 percent of the market, is also confident the new offering will best rival offerings from Broadcomm and Agere.

“It’s a higher level solution with fully tested software and more integrated, on-chip peripherals,” Raucher said.