Super-regional telecom carrier US LEC Corp. is preparing to roll out its previously announced VoIP service in Tampa and Jacksonville, FL, later this month.

The Charlotte-based company has deployed Internet gateways in Florida in advance of the VoIP roll-out, which will be its first such offering related to the new technology.

“Our VoIP product will leverage our reputation for quality service and post-sale customer care to bring a dependable and high-value product to business customers,” said US LEC President and CEO Aaron Cowell. “Using dynamic bandwidth allocation, US LEC’s VoIP product will adjust automatically to our customers’ fluctuating voice and data requirements.”

Eventually, US LEC says it plans to expand its VoIP efforts, extending the new services to more of its 100-plus markets throughout 2004.

“Our VoIP product is an excellent fit for businesses throughout our 15-state footprint, allowing them access to new technology without requiring the purchase of new and expensive equipment–,” adds Cowell. “The product is designed to accommodate legacy systems today, and allow our customers to upgrade to more advanced systems in the future.”

With its existing network infrastructure to support the VoIP service offering, US LEC has partnered with Cisco Systems in the deployment of its gateways and Internet Access Devices.

“US LEC customers can benefit from this new VoIP service, which can provide businesses with a cost-effective networking solution,” said Sameer Padhye, vice president of service provider marketing at Cisco. “US LEC will benefit from the design and installation expertise that Cisco provides, and we are committed to US LEC and the successful deployment of their new VoIP services.”

The company also is teaming with BroadSoft in the deployment of the BroadWorks platform to provide a range of applications, enabling US LEC to support a wide array of services integral to VoIP deployment.

“Our applications enable service providers like US LEC to support a variety of customer requirements, ranging from basic services to more sophisticated applications like VoIP,” said BroadSoft VP of Marketing Scott Wharton. “The BroadWorks platform will support the US LEC deployment as they continue developing their VoIP offering.”

US LEC: www.uslec.com