Skanova first out with IP-telephony to broadband customers

Skanova first out with IP-telephony to broadband customers Skanova, an independent network wholesale company of the Telia group, will be the first Swedish telecom operator to offer IP-telephony to operators and service providers on the Swedish market. The new IP-telephony service addresses broadband suppliers connecting their customers via customer premises networks (LAN). The service, IP-telephony LAN, includes an unlimited number of phone calls to the Swedish fixed network. No special phone is needed, you can use your old telephone connected to an adapter. Nor do you have to dial any special access code. The sound quality comes up to the present quality in the mobile GSM network. But the supplementary PLUS services is something you will have to do without. Skanova plans to start delivering the service from March 2001. - We believe that this service will be of interest to players on the market wanting to offer their customers a less sophisticated telephony service at a fixed monthly cost, says Indra Åsander, Market Director at Skanova. IP-telephony today should not be seen as a replacement of traditional telephony, but rather as a complement, says Tomas Holmström, with business responsibility for IP-telephony at Skanova. So far, traditional telephony is superior in terms of functions and quality. - As functionality and sound quality keep improving, IP-telephony is sure to become an alternative to traditional circuit-switched telephony. The service we now launch should be seen as an "extra telephone" at a lower price, says Tomas Holmström. About Skanova Skanova is an independent wholesale network provider within the Telia group of companies. Skanova operates Sweden's largest telecom and data network, and offers its customers full network access, services and support. Our goal is to meet the growing need for top quality services. The challenge lies in enhancing the competitiveness of our customers with ground-breaking, sometimes unexpected, solutions. We have 2,500 employees, and our estimated turnover for our first year of operations is SEK 20 billion. For more information, please contact: Indra Åsander Market Director, Skanova, phone +46 8 713 1660, Tomas Holmström, phone +46 8 713 3519, business responsible for IP- telephony, Skanova, press secretary Lars Joelsson, phone, +46 8 713 2807. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/02/08/20010208BIT00780/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/02/08/20010208BIT00780/bit0002.pdf