Telstra today announced it had deployed more than 10,000 new Telstra IP Telephony (TIPT) services across the organisation - the largest ever roll-out of Hosted IP Telephony in Australia and an important milestone in the internal upgrade of the existing CustomNet voice solution.

Telstra Enterprise & Government Executive Director Paul Geason said the roll-out utilised the Telstra Next IP™ network and was another example of how Telstra was benefiting from the same products and services it makes available to its customers.

"Telstra continues to lead by example" Mr Geason said. "One of the cornerstones of Unified Communications solutions is Telstra IP Telephony which enables Australian customers to maximise their resources and operate more cost-effectively, which is particularly critical in a tough economic environment"

TIPT features a toolbar that integrates with Outlook and Internet Explorer to deliver improved usability and productivity with simple tasks such as click-to-call and integration with the Telstra Corporate Directory.

Telstra Product Management Executive Director Mr Philip Jones said this milestone was a prime example of Telstra’s commitment to its unique and differentiated products and services.

"Telstra staff are now reaping the benefits of a network-based system that leverages the Telstra Next IP™ network to deliver high definition voice and mobility with rich features like simultaneous ringing, remote office and a desktop toolbar with the power of click-to-call. This Unified communication solution will soon be enhanced with new functionality including seamless integration with Microsoft Office Communicator and video calling" Mr Jones said.

Broadsoft President and CEO Mr Michael Tessler said BroadSoft® played an integral role in Telstra’s early IP telephony initiatives by delivering a rich voice feature set that now powers TIPT.

"This milestone is a compelling proof point of how Telstra is leading the market with next-generation communications services" Mr Tessler said. "Telstra IP Telephony can improve the efficiency of how Telstra employees and customers communicate, thus increasing productivity and providing an enhanced user experience. We look forward to working with Telstra and its partners on the continued TIPT roll-out, as well as on its broader Unified Communications initiative"

TIPT operates across a single data network which helps business to become more resource efficient. Eliminating dual networks can lead to improved efficiency, productivity benefits and potential cost savings to business.

Polycom Vice President of Marketing, Voice Communications Solutions Vice President Mr Chalan Aras said this was one of the largest IP handset deployments globally for Polycom.

"The success of the TIPT service exemplifies the rising demand for IP telephony worldwide" Mr Aras said. "Telstra’s vision to deliver HD-quality IP telephony to Australian organisations meets the increasing needs of businesses of all sizes to achieve cost efficiencies and enhance productivity through the deployment of Voice over IP solutions"