IPsmarx ships custom-branded VoIP app for popular smartphones.
The Breeze line of dialers will work for any VoIP provider with SIP-based infrastructure.
VoIP calling on mobile smartphones is certainly an idea whose time has come. According to the online trade publication Prepaid Press, smartphone traffic is likely to increase seven-fold over the next five years. And now, VoIP is going to be available to lots more smartphone owners.
Reston, Va.-based IPsmarx, a provider of SIP-based softswitches and IP PBX infrastructure to VoIP service providers, last week announced the release of its brand new smartphone dialer product, Breeze.
According to company spokesperson Carrie Fedders, "This is something we developed, based on customer demand." IPsmarx has some 200 customers scattered over 66 countries worldwide. "They've been asking us 'When can we offer VoIP for the iPhone and Android and the BlackBerry?' – because that's what their customers are looking for," Fedders said.
As of launch time, Breeze has been implemented for a broad range of popular IP phone platforms, including Apple's iOS, Android OS, and Windows Mobile. A version for BlackBerry is in the works and will be released soon, according to the company.
What should make the Breeze platform especially appealing to the VoIP service provider community is the fact that, unlike many existing dialer products, which are proprietary, it is built on open standards, and is compatible with the full universe of existing SIP-based switches and IP PBX equipment. "If they're using Asterisk or some other platform, they can use Breeze and don't need to migrate over to our softswitches," Fedders commented.
Furthermore, Breeze can be labled with the providers' own branding and seen as an integral part of each provider's service offering.
"This furthers our mission to enable our VoIP service provider clients to stay ahead of VoIP trends and offer competitive features to differentiate their service in the constantly evolving VoIP marketplace,' said IPsmarx CEO Arash Vahidnia in a statement. "By implementing Breeze, we expect to see our existing clients greatly expand their businesses," he said.
Breeze can place and receive calls over either Wi-Fi or 3G networks. The application utilizes the users' on-phone contact lists and supports a number of PBX features, such as call transfer, hold, call waiting, and music on hold.
When used in conjunction with IPsmarx switches and IP PBX, Breeze phones can function as extensions on the PBX. For networks that have the IPsmarx Tunneling server deployed, Breeze can function in blocked areas and from behind firewalls.
