RADVISION , the source of award winning, industry-standard products and technology for real-time voice and video communication over IP (V2oIP(TM)), today announced that it is in the final stages of development of the viaIP 3G-324M Gateway that will allow video-enabled 3G wireless phones to participate in videoconferences with IP-based videoconferencing systems. The Gateway will also allow mobile videophones to utilize other resources on the IP network such as H.323 compliant multipoint conferencing bridges, gatekeepers, terminals and other gateways. The 3G-324M Gateway will be available in Q2 of this year.

3G stands for the third generation of wireless communication technology. It refers to pending improvements in wireless data and voice communications through any of a variety of proposed standards. 3G will create a "bit pipe" for providing mobile access to Internet-based services and enhance and extend the mobility of additional services. Expectations for 3G include high-speed access to the Internet, entertainment, information, e-commerce, interactive application sharing and videoconferencing for mobile devices allowing people to conduct business, communicate, shop and learn from any location, at any time.

"Mobile Operators around the world are investing billions of dollars into next generation high speed 3G networks," said Jan Sythoff, Wireless Program Manager at Frost & Sullivan. "For them to gain a return on investment and attract customers, applications are absolutely key. RADVISION is providing them with a key application through its 3G-324M Gateway, enabling anyone, anywhere, anytime to join into IP videoconferences. Such applications are particularly interesting for attracting high value business customers, from across different business sectors -- a key target market for mobile operators. This is a unique proposition in the market, with huge potential -- every 3G operator should be looking at video applications."

The RADVISION Gateway will support the 3G-324M specification from the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a collaboration agreement that brings together a number of telecommunications standards bodies designed to define a set of globally applicable technical specifications and reports for a 3G system. The Gateway will enable audio and video communications between 3G-324M mobile endpoints that connect through ISDN and H.323 endpoints that connect through packet-based networks. The Gateway is a compact PCI card that is part of the viaIP family of products. As part of RADVISION's viaIP system, the Gateway is a scalable solution that can easily adapt to network requirements. Each 3G-324M Gateway provides two PRI ISDN ports. In a viaIP chassis, up to four cards can be configured for a total of 8 PRI ports carrying up to 240 simultaneous voice calls or 80 video calls (based on an E1 ISDN connection).

"Moving into the wireless arena is a natural progression for RADVISION, the leading provider of infrastructure solutions for rich-media networks," said Eli Doron, chief technology officer of RADVISION. "As the technology for making voice, video and data communications truly ubiquitous, 3G opens up another long-term growth opportunity for RADVISION."

The Gateway is expected to be sold to manufacturers of cellular network infrastructure equipment to incorporate into their solutions for support of rich-media communications for cellular providers. The 3G-324M Gateway has been pre-sold to a leading telecommunications company in Asia for implementation in their 3G wireless solution. Connectivity for SIP endpoints is planned for a future version.