VoIP products made in Hong Kong

By Chris Hall

     After a hesitant start, VoIP technology is now attracting a great deal of interest. Although the past two years have seen significant growth in deployments and popularity, the VoIP market is basically segmented between VoIP phones that support services such as Skype, where typically a USB IP phone is hosted on a PC, and sophisticated IP telephony services offered by providers on a much more local and customized basis. Hong Kong based makers are turning out product for both segments.
     Let’s take a look at a “Skype phone” offering. Two USB VoIP phones are currently on offer from the Hong Kong based Parco Pacific Limited. Built around an IC solution sourced from South Korea, Parco Pacific’s USB VoIP phones are attractively designed for the desktop, with one model, IP-001LED, fitted with an LED light that alerts the user when a call comes. (The LED light alert is in addition to a ring tone alert.) Both units come with a stand, in which the phone rests when not in use. Both models are available now.
     Connecting with a PC by either USB 1.0 or 2.0, each phone can be used with Skype, Yahoo Messenger, MSN and ICQ, and any other VoIP service.
     Parco Pacific sales manager Candy Chan said that these USB VoIP phones sell well to European and Asian markets, including Turkey, Russia and Japan, as well as to customers in North and South America. Chan commented that VoIP telephony is increasingly popular, and the company ships some 4,000 sets of the USB VoIP phones per month.
     Parco Pacific started out in year 2000 as a USB specialist. The company pulled in sales revenues of US$5 million, in 2006, and US$7 million in 2007. The company remains very much a specialist in USB peripherals and gadgets, and Chan indicated that currently portable USB speakers are a big product focus.
     Both product design and manufacturing are in-house, and the company has an 80,000-square meter manufacturing facility in the Dongguan city area, China, complete with injection molding, spraying and printing machines. A team of 8 engineers handles product design. Component ICs, PCBs and raw materials are subcontracted from other companies. Parco Pacific has a website at www.parco-co.com.hk.

The provider perspective
     Turning now to IP telephony products designed for the service provider based segment, among the VoIP products on offer from Hong Kong’s Perfectone Net Ware Company Limited is an IP PBX, model IPPBX 1090. Perfectone sales and marketing manager Billy Lo explained that the basic application is the replacement of a traditional PSTN PBX, transforming the telephony environment of a business or organization to one that is IP based, supporting the use of IP phones, with all the advantages that then offers in terms of reduced calling costs and additional “value added” functionality. Lo indicated that IPPBX 1090 would be particularly suitable for a small to medium size business. Lo also indicated that IPPBX 1090 could also have a router and firewall built in.
     Among Perfectone’s IP phones, model IP301, explained Lo, is a standard IP phone, available with or without Power over Ethernet (POE) functionality and supporting the SIP protocol and a variety of codecs. As well, an FXO port could be added, said Lo, allowing the use of PSTN lines. IP phone IP301 also supports call forwarding (to the called party’s mobile phone for example). Caller ID and 3-Way Conferencing are also among IP301’s features.
     Overall, commented Lo, IP301 is an ideal cost-effective option for a service provider who wants to bundle an IP phone with a services package.
     Perfectone is also offering IP Gateway products, where the basic function is to transform a PSTN phone into an IP phone. This not only saves the cost of phone replacement for the end user, it also makes available all of the additional functionality of an IP phone. Perfectone’s IP Gateway model GW240, for example, supports 4FXS, or the use of four phones via the one gateway unit.
     Also included in Perfectone’s broad product range is a Dual IP DECT phone, model IPD701. This is a “dual” phone because it also supports phoning over PSTN, in addition to IP telephony. As a DECT phone of course, the user is able to move freely around a home or office, returning the phone to the base station when it is not in use.

Software flexible
     Sales manager Lo was careful to emphasize that Perfectone develops its software in-house, and this is a huge advantage when it comes to satisfying customer needs. Phones can be customized to meet special requirements, matching the phones to a range of service providers and adding more functionality.
     Perfectone has put a lot of effort into developing its “software flexible” approach, Lo emphasized, and the company has recruited some 25 engineers for R&D, based in Hong Kong and also in Shenzhen and Shanghai in China.
     Lo also emphasized that service provider based IP telephony has seen a major surge over the past two years, with growth of 70-100% in Europe.
     In this positive business climate, Perfectone has been able to establish OEM business, selling IP phones to wholesalers, who often buy the phones to use with their own PBX products. As well, Perfectone is able to sell its IP products to service providers who need IP phones to bundle with their services. Perfectone Net Ware Company Limited has a website at www.perfectone.net.

IP DECT Router
     Also in the service provider segment, the Hong Kong based Avantec Manufacturing is offering an IP DECT Router, model DT620. This cordless IP DECT router offers three-in-one functionality, combining an integrated DECT Base for cordless phone with a VoIP/PSTN gateway and router. Both the H.323 and SIP protocols are supported simultaneously.
     The unit is bundled with Avantec’s DECT Extension product, enabling cordless VoIP and PSTN service on a single base. At a frequency of 1.89GHz, up to 4 handsets can roam at up to 50 meters indoors and up to 300 meters outdoors.
     With its built-in router, Avantec’s IP DECT Router also supports Firewall, NAT and both static and dynamic DHCP and PPPoE. The router can also register up to four SIP proxies or gatekeepers simultaneously. There is also support for an auto-provisioning system.
     Connectivity includes either 2 VoIP ports or 1 VoIP port and 1 PSTN channel. There is 1 RJ-11 PSTN relay port. There is one RJ-45 WAN 10/100Mbps Ethernet port and 4 RJ-45 10/100Mbps LAN Ethernet ports.
     Avantec’s DT620 IP DECT router is GAP Compatible and supports QoS utilizing TOS (Type of Service). The unit can be managed remotely, either via a Web UI or Auto Provisioning. There is a built-in watchdog for Auto Recovery. Avantec Manufacturing Limited has a website at www.avantec.com.hk.

Skype/ PSTN all-in-one phone
     Returning to a Skype theme, Sedna Advanced Electronics is offering SE-P51SP, a USB Skype/ PSTN all-in-one phone, supporting Skype/ VoIP calling, normal PSTN calling, Video calling on Skype, Skype/ PSTN call forwarding, and remote Skype call and voice recording (supports voice mail). A single press of a Line/ Skype hot key switches the unit between PSTN and Skype.
     The SE-P51SP also has a built-in Skype Gateway function for diverting calls. Skype calls can be forwarded to a mobile phone or another PSTN line, and users can also make Skype calls remotely, using their mobile phone.
     There is also a speaker-phone function, ideal for conference calls. A 4-line dot-matrix LCD display can display the contact list in multiple languages. A contact person’s online status can be reviewed on the display. Sedna Advanced Electronics Limited has a website at www.sednacomputer.com.