Telstra said that up to 200 people will take part in the trials, which should provide feedback on the usability and popularity of various telephony services and the quality of voice calls.
Telstra Technology's group managing director Ted Pretty said the move to Softswitch Technology increases flexibility and improves the efficiency of Telstra's network.
"In the packet world, voice shares the network with e-mails, video transmission and file transfers, which allows for a more efficient use of network resources. The evolution to an IP ecosystem will result in a more cost effective and flexible operating environment for Telstra, which will help deliver next generation services and applications," said Pretty.
However, Pretty does not expect VoIP to replace circuit switched telephones immediately, instead he expects a slow transition as new services are added.
"Initially, voice over broadband using IP is expected to be attractive as a second or additional fixed line service. Telstra's investment... will assist us to introduce new VoIP enabled services like click-to-call, e-mail notification of voice mail, a self-service Web interface for management of calls and functions, and eventually, multimedia services such as video conferencing," said Pretty.
What a con!
Telstra ongoing efforts to deceive the public & regulators over VoIP is a disgrace that must be stoped.
Other than a good broadband connection, which is not availiable in this country, all VoIP needs to work is the right modem.
Telstra, rather than telling their customers this prefer to feed them full of BS that is designed to do nothing more than confuse consumers and regulators alike.
If Telstra realy want to do the right thing for consumers with VoIP then they should be focusing on ensuring all Australians have access to a broadband internet connection because without it VoIP does not exist.