Net2Phone launches new venture

Net2Phone announced a new venture called Adir Technologies today focused on selling software for Internet-based voice networks.

As previously reported, the new company will include a minority investment from networking giant Cisco Systems. Cisco also plans to help market Adir's technology.

The new venture will focus on selling software to manage voice networks based on Internet protocol (IP), technology the company has been developing and using since 1995 as part of its Internet telephony efforts.

The company hopes to separate its Internet voice services business from the underlying technology that makes it go, according to the company. As a result, Adir Technologies will increasingly compete against the likes of Clarent for market share in the voice-over-IP equipment market.

"Today Net2Phone derives almost all of its revenue from services," Net2Phone chief executive Howie Balter said in a conference call today. "This provides new value from existing technologies...This will allow us to generate new forms of revenue. Revenue not just from services as we do today, but revenue from actually offering product."