Cisco offers Net phone software

Cisco Systems Inc., the giant Internet hardware company, is selling software that will allow businesses to use the Internet for much of their internal telephone needs. Cisco intends to win a significant share of the voice-over-Internet telephony market with a package of services that allow IP telephone networks to interact seamlessly with conventional phone systems, including cellular. The systems will be adaptable to individual needs and are expected to help move telephony away from the old-line phone companies onto the Web where individual Internet addresses will eventually replace phone numbers.

To read an article about the service, go to newsday.com. To read Cisco's full press release, go to cisco.com.