Intel funds VoIP company

Intel has invested an undisclosed amount in Jajah, a voice over IP firm, and will grant the company access to its own patent portfolio.

The voice over IP (VoIP) company said on Wednesday that its latest round of investment, worth $20m, had been led by Intel Capital, the chipmaker's investment arm. Jajah will have access to Intel's community of product dealers, manufacturer customers and developers.

Jajah will also gain access to Intel's VoIP patent portfolio. Stephen Saltzman, director of strategic investments for Intel Capital, said on Wednesday: "Innovative technologies in this space, such as Jajah's, are creating new ways of communicating that can improve productivity and collaboration, as well as lower telephony costs."

Trevor Healy, Jajah's chief executive, added: "Our shared vision, combined with their extensive relationships with product dealers [and] software developers, as well as their resources and technology, makes this a significant development for both companies and our industry. We couldn't be more pleased and look forward to the obvious opportunities this represents."

Daniel Mattes, Jajah's co-founder and chief architect, indicated that the tie-in could have deep implications for the development of smartphones. "The lines between computers and phones are gradually being removed. We need to marry phones and computers in a fundamental way," he said.

Roman Scharf, another of the company's co-founders, suggested that Intel's investment and co-operation could lead to a "best-of-class, next-generation solution to the market, which can be embedded and optimised for any computing device".