Only last week we were predicting that VoIP ATAs would do a Houdini and vanish right in front of our eyes. Well set-top box maker Digeo has just added VoIP functions right into its box and will be selling it to customers like Charter Communications. Their set-top box is called Moxi, and and the VoIP service is called Moxi Phone Link. It allows folks who use the service to see incoming call info on their screens, while a small icon shows if there are any voice mails pending. (Right now the same old ATA stuff is going to be the way to go but next version of the box, which bundles the cable modem right into the box will not require an ATA and customers can simply plug their phones into a plain old phone jack, without having to bother with routers and ATAs etc!) Doesn’t look like company has any customers as yet. It is working with cable telephony start-up Cedar Point Communications, which provides the backend mojo. Cedar makes Safari VoIP/Media switching platform that allows VoIP calls over the HFC networks.
Love the Tommy Tutone reference. Well done.
I’d hardly call on screen caller id and voice mail indication the disappearance of the ATA/MTA.
jake – let me check on this. from what i saw initially, i don’t think you need an ATA for this. you simply plug in the phone into an out jack, and you are good to go. but let me reconfirm.
Om, Can you also find out the extent of use of the TV screen and I presume the remote to control the calls. Apart from the notification, if the call control is done only through the connected phone, then the only thing Moxi has done is integrated ATA functionality into their STB. If it is otherwise, as I infer from your writeup (I couldn’t locate additional info from their website) it is an interesting development.
i saw the demo of this. you can listen to your phone calls right on the TV – the way they can do it is, I am guessing is that the v-mail boxes are saved on a server. which is actually quite smart, since many times services go down and all. the call control in the demo i saw was both from the phone and the remote.
Jake I updated the piece with more information. In case you were interested.
Got it. Thanks.