OTTAWA -- Zarlink Semiconductor Inc. (TSX:ZL), the market leader in access infrastructure and residential gateway voice solutions, and AudioCodes, a leading provider of Voice over IP (VoIP) technologies and Voice Network products, today announced availability of a joint solution that supports the cost-effective design of residential gateway products that consume less power and support higher quality voice services.

Linking Zarlink’s VE890 voice telephony chipset with AudioCodes Tulip AC494 ATA reference design, the joint solution helps residential gateway equipment designers meet new “green” performance standards that limit power consumption for voice-over-broadband equipment. Zarlink’s VE890 voice chipset, the lowest power solution available in the market today, reduces power consumption by 50 percent compared with competing solutions.

"Combining the industry’s lowest power FXS and unique echo-free FXO from Zarlink with AudioCodes’ field-proven DSP VoIP software and integrated AC494 SoC, the new reference design offers equipment manufacturers the best-in-class, ready-to-deploy solution for the fast growing residential gateway market," said Jacques Issa, Director of VoIP Marketing and Applications with Zarlink's Communication Products Group.

The foreign exchange office (FXO) functionality of the VE890 provides best-in-class common noise rejection and radio frequency (RF) immunity. The patent-pending echo-free, impedance-matching feature of the VE890 series eliminates echo to improve voice quality on the FXO channel. Along with these competitive advantages, the VE890 series reduces development and deployment costs with its support for worldwide programmability, complete reference software drivers, as well as the VeriVoice™ line test software.

“Zarlink’s VE890 is another enhancement to our feature rich Tulip AC494 ATA, which keeps it at the state-of-the-art of today’s ATA solutions,” said Shaul Weissman, Vice President, VoIP processors at AudioCodes. “The AC494 Tulip reference design with VE890 support enables designers to quickly develop VoIP applications while at the same time reduce their bill of materials. We are delighted to be working closely with Zarlink to deploy VoIP reference solutions based on the VE890 series.”

The VE890 voice telephony chipset and AudioCodes Tulip AC494 ATA reference design will be on display at Broadband World Forum Europe 2009 (September 7-9 in Paris, France; Zarlink booth #165). Please contact Zarlink for additional information. For more on the VE890 chipset, please visit: http://www.zarlink.com/zarlink/hs/residentialgateways_VE890%20Series.htm.

Zarlink Semiconductor Inc. (NYSE/Toronto: ZL)

AudioCodes Ltd. (Nasdaq: AUDC)