Lan 1 to distribute TalkSwitch® - the Ideal Telephone System for Small Businesses - in Australia

OTTAWA, CANADA & SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – November 21, 2007 – TalkSwitch®, the industry leader in the design and manufacture of innovative phone systems for small and multi-location businesses, today announced that it has signed a distribution agreement with Lan 1 to bring the award-winning TalkSwitch telephone system to small businesses in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Australia presents a tremendous opportunity for TalkSwitch. The country boasts one of the world’s highest broadband penetration rates and is a leading adopter of VoIP technology. The market for key, PBX and IP PBX systems is stronger than ever, and TalkSwitch, which combines the capabilities of all three, continues to lead the industry in designing telephony systems and applications for small businesses.

TalkSwitch telephone systems are ideal for small businesses with up to 64 telephone users per location. Each system is a fully hybrid IP PBX that includes Auto Attendants, Voicemail, Music-On-Hold, and Caller Display, as standard; along with an extensive set of calling features specifically designed for small businesses, including Remote Extensions for connecting off-premise telephones and mobiles. As true hybrids, TalkSwitch systems give customers complete flexibility to choose between analogue and IP phones, and about whether they want to call over the traditional telephone network, through a VoIP service provider, or a combination of the two.

“Australia has a highly advanced telecom infrastructure and a growing demand for telephone systems that allow the small business to take full advantage of that infrastructure,” said Jan Scheeren, President and CEO, TalkSwitch. “Choosing the right partner to reach such a dynamic market was not something we took lightly, however the decision was made easy when we entered discussions with Lan 1. Lan 1 demonstrated superior expertise in IP telephony while offering a complete range of networking equipment to complement the TalkSwitch line. With exceptional service and pre/post sales support, Lan 1 will help ensure our success in the Asia Pacific region.”

Lan 1 is a value added distributor with a large, well-established, IP-centric channel that has been actively seeking a solution like TalkSwitch. Lan 1 resellers will be able to use TalkSwitch to better target small business customers. Lan 1 is also one of the largest distributors of VoIP equipment to major Australian service providers. 

“We’re pleased to be the authorized TalkSwitch distributor for the region,” said Daniel Lee, Managing Director, Lan 1. “TalkSwitch has a proven solution that addresses the needs of small businesses, offering a full set of essential call handling features designed to be simple enough for customers to manage and configure themselves. For the traditional IT reseller, TalkSwitch offers a system that is easy to deploy and use. For the phone system reseller there is finally an IP phone system available that works like traditional PBX. With its true mix of analogue and IP connectivity, these systems are highly flexible and very, very powerful. We’re delighted to be selected to introduce these systems to this market.”

Lan 1 will be offering a range of TalkSwitch IP PBX systems, analogue and IP telephone handsets, and software applications to its customers. Resellers looking to add TalkSwitch equipment to their portfolio can sign up with Lan 1 by visiting www.lan1.com.au or www.talkswitch.com.au, or by calling [+61] (02) 9318-4222. 

About TalkSwitch
TalkSwitch® designs and develops award-winning phone systems for small, multi-location and franchise businesses. Since its establishment in 1990, TalkSwitch has dedicated itself to developing the PBXs and IP PBXs that tens of thousands of small businesses rely on. With a growing global network of resellers, distributors and partners, TalkSwitch’s fully hybrid phone systems are changing the way small businesses communicate. For more information, please visit our website at www.talkswitch.com, or call us toll free in North America at 1.888.332.9322. In all other markets, please call +1.613.725.2980.

About Lan 1
Lan 1 is a value added distributor providing a diverse range of IP products. Established in 1993, Lan 1 is headquartered in Waterloo, Sydney, Australia with branch offices in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth. Lan 1 aims to provide more than products. Channel partners are provided with the essential tools to effectively design, market, implement and configure a complete range of IP products and solutions. Our focus is on supporting our partners using proven best-practices to ensure success throughout the entire channel. Offering strong brand names and a high level of personalised service and support, specialised product training programs and pre/post sales and co-marketing, Lan 1 partners will gain vital knowledge to successfully provide customers with a complete working solution, resulting in rapid growth in their respective market segments.

For more information, please contact:
Chris Brennan
Public Relations Manager,
TalkSwitch
+1.613.725.2980 x 136
888.332.9322 x 136
cbrennan@talkswitch.com

Mathew Bertram
Marketing Communications Executive
+61 2 9318 4215
mbertram@lan1.com.au