Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. has teamed up with Jetstream Communications Inc. of the United States to launch a phone system that carries multiple phone numbers on a single line equipped with Internet access, the company said Wednesday.
The system will be the world's first broadband telephone that not only allows a user to simultaneously talk and surf the Internet, but provides separate phone lines in the same household, Matsushita said.
The company said the telephone combines its well-known Panasonic brand and consumer electronics expertise with Jetstream's broadband voice services and software.
Based in San Jose, Calif., Jetstream manufactures communications equipment that delivers multiple voice phone calls over a single high-speed Internet connection.
The Panasonic Broadband Phone is being demonstrated at the five-day Supercomm 2001 trade show, which opened in Atlanta on Sunday.
The cordless phone system enables simultaneous access to the Internet and up to four phone lines with eight handsets.
It offers one-button access to any phone line on the included cordless handset, while eliminating the need for any complex configuration and wiring requirements, Matsushita said.
Broadband transmission is a type of data transmission in which a single wire can carry several channels at once, such as what is used for transmitting cable television.