LAS VEGAS – Sonus Networks, which has long been a pioneer in providing IP-based voice and multimedia gateways, switches and servers, has unveiled a new solution aimed at helping carriers add voice services to their WiMAX offerings.

Sonus, which announced the new solution at NXTcomm08 in Las Vegas this week, says that its WiMAX solution will allow WiMAX carriers offer quality voice services to their high-speed mobile broadband offerings, much in the same way that Sonus’ technology already helps ISPs offer voice over cable and DSL. Sonus uses a wide array of gear to help carriers deliver their voice services for WiMAX, including its network border switch that connects phone calls between IP networks run by different carriers, and its GSX 9000 Open Services switch that is used to help carriers develop converged infrastructure between public switched telephone networks and IP-based networks.

Sonus has traditionally been known for helping ISPs and VoIP companies such as Vonage with connecting broadband VoIP calls to public switched telephone networks. Michael Rubin, Sonus’ vice president and general manager for its access line of business, says that the new WiMAX solution is a “tweak” of the VoIP solution that it currently provides to carriers such as AT&T. While end users may not see Sonus’ gear at work in their WiMAX services, Rubin says that they will be integral for any WiMAX carrier that wants to offer their customers quality voice services.

“Let’s says that you’re a subscriber and you call up Clearwire and you say you’d like data and voice services,” explains Rubin. “They say, ‘Fine, we’re going to send you a black box that’s going to have WiMAX going one way, and in this other way it’s going to have one connection for your PC and one connection for phone. The black box then provisions itself, and voila you’ve got data and voice services. That’s what Sonus’ solutions enable.”