Franklin Telecom Announces 2-Port Voice/Fax Gateway with Debit Card Billing Functionality!
Mini Data Voice Gateway Packs Mega Punch
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 1999-- Franklin Telecom (AMEX:FCM - news) will introduce the ''Breeze(TM)'' Data Voice Gateway (DVG) today in conjunction with its annual Shareholder's Meeting in Westlake Village. The Breeze is a long-awaited 2-Port addition to Franklin's Bell Weather Gateway family. Like the Tempest® Data Voice Gateway, the Breeze offers advanced voice compression, T.38 Relay Fax features, as well as a Windows based Graphical User Interface to enable rapid installation and configuration.
The Breeze, which is smaller than a typical desk top modem, can accommodate either telephone company central office lines, single line telephone sets, fax machines, PBX extensions or any combination of these lines and devices. ''A typical Telecommuter application,'' notes Sean Quine, Franklin VP of Software Development, ''might enable a Customer Service person to work at home and simultaneously handle inbound customer service calls while accessing the corporate computer database over the same single line telephone connection. The home worker would be interconnected to the corporate call and data center through a single phone call made from the agent's home, through the Breeze to a local ISP. Running Virtual Private Networks over Managed Internet connections is a Breeze application!''
Franklin President and COO, Peter S. Buswell notes, ''The Breeze will enable USATalks, Qwest, Level3, and other NextGen Telephone companies the ability to extend their advanced packet networks directly to the customer premise, no matter how small that customer might be. I am surprised I have to explain this,'' Buswell continued. ''Why dial a distant node to connect to an IP network, when a product like the Breeze can bring an IP telephony network directly to your door?''
''This is the first true plug and play Internet Telephony solution in the Market,'' added Frank Peters, Franklin's Chairman and CEO. ''This product is going to redefine the American business communications landscape. It's more than just an 'on ramp' to the information highway for the SOHO market. It is the highway! We can connect the branch offices of corporate America directly to these emerging packet networks, enabling smooth call handling, toll free, toll quality interoffice voice and fax communications. The Breeze will work with our standard 4U high Tempest, our new 2U high Typhoon (coming in the fourth calendar quarter) and is totally compatible with the Franklin AMAS gatekeeper, Billing software and H.323, INow! and MGCP standards interfaces. Together, these compatible systems mark a breakthrough in networking in that Franklin can deliver to the Consumer market clear through to the Telephone Company and large Enterprise markets. Our first order for the Breeze was placed by USATalks today for 1,000 systems.''
The product bundles a WAN connection, Basic Rate Interface or Ethernet Port with an Internal router eliminating costly external add-on routers. The Breeze is fully integrated into the company's AMAS Gatekeeper, enabling applications that require debit card billing, authentication and authorization. The Breeze is fully Interoperable with the 8-96 port Tempest and Typhoon Gateways. The Breeze is currently in pilot production. Evaluation units are available to qualified customers considering volume commitments. The product will ship through Franklin Distributors beginning in September and has a MSRP of $2195!
About Franklin Telecom
The primary business of Franklin Telecom is the design and manufacturing of communications devices including hardware and software solutions which enable superior quality Voice over IP applications. Franklin's Internet subsidiary FNet provides Voice over Internet Protocol global Telco services.
Certain statements in this press release constitute ''forward-looking statements'' within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements, expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
For additional information about this Company, visit the Officer's Message page at Franklin's Web Site:
www.ftel.com - for Internet Telephony & Franklin's Next Generation
Telephone Equipment.
www.fnet.net - for Internet Telephony Next Generation Telephone
Service.
www.franklin.net - for Internet Services, E Commerce and Access.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
