Voice over IP (define) leader Vonage plans to offer a new Motorola gateway to make home networking easier. It combines broadband telephony and home networking functions in one device.

Additionally, it has four Ethernet (define) ports for computers or gaming consoles plus a firewall. The device was unveiled in March and is interoperable with networks that use the session initiation protocol (define) standard.

The new Motorola gateway offered by Vonage. Source: Motorola

"By taking two complex technologies -- Voice-over-IP telephone service and home networking -- and bringing them together into a single product, the Motorola VT2442 is making the Vonage service even more convenient for customers," Charles Dougherty, a Motorola vice president, said in a statement.

The Motorola VT2442 will be offered directly through Vonage's Web site beginning this fall. The companies have collaborated before. Vonage has offered Motorola's VT1000 series gateway, Mitchell Slepian, a Vonage spokesman, told internetnews.com.

The Edison, N.J., VoIP provider, which is streaking toward 1 million customers by year's end, will continue to offer home-networking products from other vendors, including Cisco's Linksys division, Slepian said.

It's the first VoIP provider supply agreement for the VT2442 gateway, a representative of Motorola's home networking equipment group said.

Vonage also took additional steps to comply with the new federal 911 emergency calling mandate. The company tapped TeleCommunication Systems (TCS) to provide emergency VOIP call center service for Vonage customers. The new TCS center will handle calls from any Vonage subscriber that cannot be routed directly to emergency dispatchers.

The service supplements TCS' e911 service, which Vonage recently purchased, and it comes after several incidents during which Vonage customers could not reach an operator during a crisis.

Vonage is also investing millions to tie into the Baby Bell's routers and databases to ensure that its e911 service works properly.