EDISON, New Jersey, and SANTA CLARA, Calif., August 24, 2004-- Vonage, the leading broadband phone company, today announced it is teaming with NETGEAR, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically advanced, branded networking products, to develop a suite of broadband telephony devices. These devices will incorporate the latest version of Texas Instruments' Voice over IP (VoIP) and Wireless LAN (WLAN) chipsets, enabling consumers to benefit from integrated broadband voice and data applications compatible with the Vonage service. First available will be a voice-enabled 802.11g wireless router followed by a wired two-port telephone adapter/router. These products are expected to be available to customers of Vonage's innovative digital telephone service as early as October of this year in time for the Holiday season.
Today's announcement means that Vonage customers have the option to free themselves of Ethernet cables for the flexibility and mobility of a wireless home network from NETGEAR, a brand trusted for its innovative home networking solutions. Customers can take advantage of the wireless option for both voice services and data networking with these NETGEAR phone adapters and routers. Customers of Vonage service place and receive calls on their existing telephone, with their existing telephone number, through a fast Internet connection enabling voice service concurrent with normal Web surfing.
"NETGEAR's routers - in fact, all their products - are well-known for their high performance and reliability," said Jeffrey A. Citron, chairman and CEO for Vonage. "But just as important is the fact that NETGEAR's devices are easy to use. We want to offer our customers the convenience of purchasing a wired or wireless router bundled with the Vonage service at an attractive price. We're very pleased to work with a company that shares our emphasis on customer convenience and ease-of-use."
"Like NETGEAR, Vonage is a pioneer within its industry, and the Vonage service demonstrates a unique application for our networking products," said Patrick Lo, NETGEAR's chairman and chief executive officer of NETGEAR. "Vonage has been offering our traditional wired routers to their customers for more than a year. So, we're extremely gratified that they have now chosen NETGEAR to provide them with a solution integrating two of the fastest growing technology areas, wireless and Voice over IP, into a single device."
Vonage is the fastest growing digital telephony company in the US, adding more than 25,000 lines per month. According to a June 2004 report by industry research firm In-Stat/MDR, more than 10 percent of all broadband subscribers will utilize broadband IP telephony by the end of 2008. Lower service cost and compelling new communications features are cited as the primary reasons to drive service adoption.
About Vonage
Vonage is redefining communications by offering consumers and small businesses an affordable alternative to traditional telephone service. The fastest growing telephony company in North America, Vonage's service area encompasses more than 1900 active rate centers in over 125 North American markets. Vonage is sold directly through www.vonage.com and retail partners such as Amazon.com, RadioShack, Best Buy and Circuit City. Wholesale partners such as EarthLink, ARMSTRONG®, Advanced Cable Communications and the Coldwater Board of Public Utilities resell the Vonage broadband phone service under their own unique brands. With more than 235, 000 lines in service, Vonage continues to add more than 25,000 lines per month to its network. Over 5 million calls per week are made using Vonage, the easy-to-use, feature-rich, flat rate phone service. Vonage is headquartered in Edison, New Jersey. For more information about Vonage's products and services, please visit www.vonage.com or call 1-VONAGE-HELP. Vonage®, Vonage Digital VoiceTM, Toll Free PlusSM and Virtual Phone NumberSM are trademarks of Vonage Holdings Corp.
Netgear
Netgear (Nasdaq: NTGR) ontwerpt geavanceerde netwerkproducten die voorzien in de specifieke behoeften van kleine en middelgrote ondernemingen en van thuisgebruikers. Het productaanbod van het bedrijf telt ongeveer 100 producten waarmee gebruikers hun Internetverbinding, randapparaten, bestanden, digitale multimedia content en toepassingen kunnen delen en gebruiken met meerdere computers en andere apparaten met Internettoegang. Het hoofdkantoor van Netgear bevindt zich in Santa Clara, Californië. Meer informatie is te vinden op www.netgear.com.
Voor meer informatie:
Monogram Communication Strategies (MCS) BV, Jeanette de Wilde, tel. +31 (0)23 562 8208, jeanettedw@monogram.nl