US Navy deploys world's first VoIP Gateway Board for VME systems

19th October 2004

Fall VON Boston, MA, 19th October 2004: VegaStream, the leading supplier of dedicated business VoIP (Voice over IP) Gateways, today announced that it has developed a new VoIP gateway board - the Vega 50V BRI - under an additional contract with the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division of US Naval Air Systems Command. The new product is for deployment in high reliability and performance VME systems to meet the exacting requirements for military deployment. The first deployment of the Vega 50V is planned for the USS Ronald Reagan with subsequent installations in other Navy ships and shore-bases.

VegaStream announced its first contract with the US Naval Air Systems Command in February 2004 after its Vega 50 BRI gateways were selected for use within the Training Systems Division of US Naval Air Systems Command. The US and Canada still have an installed base of nearly 2 million ISDN BRI lines, the majority within federal government and military applications. The Vega 50 BRI gateway is the only available VoIP gateway that supports SIP and North American BRI standards (NI1, NI2). The new Vega 50V BRI Gateway Board is a VME standard version of the existing Vega 50 BRI gateway.

The Vega 50V BRI Gateway Board is the world's first integrated VoIP gateway board for VME standard equipment rack systems and has the same functionality as the Vega 50 BRI gateway - a standalone "box-based" gateway already widely deployed in service provider and enterprise networks. With all the functionality of the original gateway, the Vega 50V BRI Gateway Board will enable end-users and system integrators to gain the benefits of IP-based networks while easily integrating with existing legacy communications equipment and applications.

"The military communications environment has its own unique requirements which are often very different from the 'commercial' world," said Tim Burne, CEO, VegaStream. "Whilst a ship may be redesigned to incorporate new armaments, when it comes to communications the onus is on the equipment to be optimised for the environment, not vice versa. The military have done extensive development on VME systems to meet their specifications. A VoIP Gateway Board designed for VME equipment racks but with all the functionality of a 'traditional' stand-alone gateway is a massive advantage for VoIP deployments by the military as they gain the advantages of proven commercial off-the-shelf technology in a military environment. Thanks to the work and development done under our contract with the US Naval Air Systems Command, VegaStream now has a product available that can be deployed in customer applications where a standalone gateway would not be suitable."

The Vega 50V BRI is scheduled for general availability in 4Q04.

About Naval Air Systems Command
Within the Naval Air Systems Command, the NAVAIR Training Systems Division (TSD) is the Navy's source for a full range of innovative products and services that provide complete training solutions. This includes requirements analysis, design, development and full life cycle support. Of significance is NAVAIR TSD's ability to provide continuous learning across a wide variety of applications (aviation, surface, undersea, etc.). NAVAIR TSD integrates the science of learning with performance-based training and measurement of training effectiveness focused on improving the performance of Sailors and Marines. NAVAIR TSD continually engages the warfighter to understand challenges, solve problems, create new capabilities and provide essential support.

For more information visit: http://www.ntsc.navy.mil/