Just a short time after the CAT-iq qualification program was launched by the DECT Forum, the first product has successfully passed the certification process. The Siemens Gigaset S675 IP, a cordless, hybrid phone for fixed network and internet telephony, met the requirements of the new standard, which is intended as the successor to DECT. CAT-iq (Cordless Advanced Technology – internet and quality) enables transport of voice via broadband, making it sound much clearer and more natural than over an analog line.

The DECT Forum is the international association that coordinates CAT-iq certification for CAT-iq and DECT standards; certification has been open to all vendors since September 2007. The goal is to ensure the quality of products and their intercompatibility so that in the future, one standard can be used as the basis for home connectivity.

CAT-iq was developed especially for IP-based voice services or IP radio services in next-generation home networks. Based on the proven DECT standard, it is used around the world and supports various types of devices. The CAT-iq standard encompasses several functions. The first, implemented in the Siemens Gigaset S675 IP, is the wideband voice function. This enables interoperability for voice transport via broadband between differently manufactured devices. Future stages of expansion, including the extension of the data channel, are already provided for in CAT-iq.

With the launch of the Siemens Gigaset S675 IP in August 2007, Siemens Gigaset has expanded its portfolio of hybrid phones – phones that enable both internet and fixed network telephony. They are configured without a PC; the data for the user’s provider is simply downloaded using the phone’s menu. Users of Siemens Gigaset IP phones are also provided with additional free services on their phone. These free services include the weather service from MC-Wetter, Klicktel’s online directory and Gigaset.net, a VoIP community via which – if supported by the network operator – owners of Gigaset phones can call each other free of charge. The Gigaset S675 IP is the first phone in the portfolio to implement voice transport via broadband for VoIP calls using HDSP (High Definition Sound Performance). Up to now, only users of the S675 IP were able to share this luxury; now, with CAT-iq, it also works with devices manufactured by other vendors.