Ottawa IP equipment vendor TalkSwitch is making its way south of the border: in December the company announced a joint venture with San Jose service provider Covad Communications Group Inc. to bring an integrated VoIP/carriage system to US small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Combining Covad’s ClearEdge Integrated Access and TalkSwitch’s 480vs IP phone system, the firms claim customers could save up to 40% compared to legacy phone systems. In November TalkSwitch unveiled two hybrid phone systems programmable for both IP and analog.