TOKYO, May 27. ACCESS CO., LTD. a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile, beyond-PC and digital TV markets, and OKI ACCESS Technologies Co., Ltd. (OAT), today announced NetFront IP-Phone, a full scale VoIP solution with 3G and Wi-Fi air interfaces designed to support all three major smartphone operating systems: iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile. Jointly developed by ACCESS and OAT, NetFront IP-Phone is designed for commercial use by operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). The solution will be available from ACCESS worldwide as of June 2010.
As wireless broadband services and the number of smartphone subscribers continue to grow, VoIP for smartphones has been gaining attention globally both among end users and service providers as an essential part of next generation communications. With the introduction of 3.9G mobile technology and its ability to deliver higher quality voice services, VoIP services will accelerate rapidly. According to market research firm In-Stat, by the end of 2013, the total number of mobile VoIP users worldwide is expected to reach 288 million. In-Stat expects mobile VoIP applications to generate annual revenues of $35.2 billion.1
NetFront IP-Phone, which supports air interfaces for 3G and wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) connections and major global standards, provides a standard middleware application as well as an implementation solution service. NetFront IP-Phone is able to communicate with a variety of IP telephony servers, making it possible for ISPs and MVNOs to offer high-quality VoIP services to smartphone users while substantially reducing development time and costs. The NetFront IP-Phone interface is compliant with 3GPP. Third Generation Partnership Project, OMA Open Mobile Alliance, and IETF Internet Engineering Task Force industry standards. NetFront IP-Phone is not bundled with specific services, so ISPs and MVNOs can customize it to offer differentiated IP telephony services.
NetFront IP-Phone was developed based on a single design concept for all three major smartphone operating systems (iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile). The high quality VoIP environment was made possible thanks to two key technologies: NetFront IMS Client, which supports a base IMS framework, and a standard user interface developed by ACCESS that delivers a rich user experience. The IMS framework deploys eSound, high-quality VoIP technology developed by OKI, that enables voice communication over IP networks with realistic voice tones that are far superior to conventional phone quality. NetFront IP-Phone is designed with a flexible modular architecture, enabling providers to implement unique VoIP applications and combine VoIP services with other applications. Applications are also available as APIs, allowing operators to customize their own UI.
A VoIP trial server for NetFront IP-Phone is available for providers to evaluate the performance of the service, resulting in reduced cost and evaluation time. "Thanks to the combination of world-class mobile software from ACCESS, high-quality audio technology from Oki Electric Industry and IMS technologies from OKI ACCESS, we have produced full scale VoIP solution for smartphones," said Tomihisa Kamada, president, CEO and co-founder of ACCESS. "We will continue to partner with OKI ACCESS and Oki Electric Industry to create new multimedia communications business opportunities."
