Texas Instruments Incorporated, unveiled PIQUA, a new system of Internet Protocol (IP) quality management elements that will enable service providers to deliver an advanced level of service quality to consumer and business subscribers moving to Internet and IP-based services, such as Voice over IP, Video over IP, IPTV and Internet-based music services. Working initially with industry partners, including Motive, Inc. and Viola Networks, TI will make available critical information necessary to properly manage emerging services from its IP communications technology offerings with PIQUA. This will empower providers to dramatically improve their subscribers' experience and reduce overall network operating costs. For more information, please visit http://www.ti.com/piqua.

PIQUA, based on TI's digital signal processor (DSP) technology and embedded software solutions, provides a real-time distributed system of complete quality management elements designed to monitor and improve the quality of IP-based services, such as voice, data and video. PIQUA utilizes sophisticated real-time calculations to instantly assess quality parameters related to the user's experience, allowing both equipment manufacturers and service providers to dynamically adapt to changing conditions and make adjustments which today are either impossible or done manually. These quality management tools enable the discovery, monitoring and repair of services, devices and networks, allowing operators to proactively manage factors like echo, dropped-packets and line-delay.

"Our studies show that as service providers continue to roll out new communications services, their ability to cost-effectively install, manage and support a growing subscriber base is an increasing challenge," said Lindsay Schroth, Senior Analyst, Yankee Group. "As an embedded management tool, PIQUA provides operators a cost effective solution that enables them to gain greater visibility into their subscribers' experience, while more effectively managing their operating costs."

Until now, IP has been associated with data networking and voice as a cost-effective alternative to traditional phone services, offering consumers and businesses reasonable savings and performance. With PIQUA, however, TI plans to enhance the subscribers' experience, making IP the preferred method for voice, video and home networking communications, offering digital quality and enhanced features unmatched by traditional services. PIQUA's real-time diagnostic tools and historical reporting capabilities will make it possible for operators to identify trends and avert problems before customers are even impacted.

"Leveraging our strengths in both silicon and embedded software, TI is offering a truly unique opportunity for service providers to roll-out new IP services and benefit from much lower operating costs and greatly increased customer satisfaction," said Greg Delagi, vice president of DSP Systems at Texas Instruments. "While PIQUA is focused primarily on voice quality today, other IP-based communications applications, such as video, home security and home automation are all areas where we foresee PIQUA making dramatic improvements."

TI has begun to enlist original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), original design manufacturers (ODMs) and third-party suppliers of network provisioning tools to make PIQUA part of their solutions. The first implementations of PIQUA, targeting VoIP applications, will be available in customer and third- party equipment later this year. TI's software development roadmap includes a long-term approach to improve all forms of IP network communications, including video delivery and consumer ease-of-use features.

"Motive is always exploring innovative ways to improve the experience of both the broadband consumer and service provider," said Sanjay Castelino, vice president of industry marketing, Motive. "We see value in the PIQUA approach because it adds new quality of service insight that can be used to actively improve the consumer experience and to understand what is occurring on an individual connection-by-connection basis."

"As a leading provider of VoIP lifecycle management solutions, our goal is to enable our customers' to better understand and utilize their networks through increased network performance and reliability," said Eric Bear, vice president of product management, Viola Networks. "TI has considerable presence in both VoIP CPE and infrastructure equipment and Viola can interact with PIQUA elements as additional network instrumentation to gain valuable insight into IP and PSTN service quality attributes. It can help our customers find and solve problems like echo, voice clipping, or DTMF problems."