MUNICH -- Com hem, Sweden's largest cable TV provider with approximately 1.4 million subscribers, has opted for Siemens, the leading provider of next generation communication solutions, to implement its strategy to converge voice, data and video services into new applications. Com hem has chosen Siemens as system integrator to build up its Voice-over-IP-Solution (VoIP) based on the Siemens Surpass Softswitch.

Siemens will deploy the Surpass hiQ 8000 Softswitch, a state-of-the-art next generation IP telephony network solution, and integrate it into com hem’s existing IP infrastructure, as well as into its billing system. The Surpass hiG 1200 Trunk Media Gateway will establish the transit from the IP network to the traditional PSTN. The first call controlled by the Siemens Surpass VoIP platform is currently scheduled for September 1, 2004 and commercial service for September 30, 2004 with up to 4000 subscribers. In the forthcoming four years com hem plans by means of the Siemens Surpass Softswitch platform to rollout telephone services to a majority of its cable TV customers.

The Siemens Surpass voice-over-cable solution chosen by com hem comprises the Surpass hiQ 8000 Softswitch as a call management server, the Surpass hiG 1200 Trunking Gateway, an announcement and voice mail system, billing mediation and a VoIP cable modem. The softswitch, the gateway and the cable modem are all compliant with the EuroPacketCable interoperability standard. "Our customers rely upon high service reliability within an increasingly sophisticated set of applications," said Martin Kull, CTO of com hem. "With Surpass, we will be able to both meet these expectations and quickly realize new business opportunities."

Siemens AG