Avaya to create 55 new R&D jobs

Telecoms multinational Avaya plans to create 55 new jobs in the Republic at a research and development (R&D) centre.

The company will announce today that it intends opening an R&D centre at its headquarters in Sandyford, Dublin.

Avaya said yesterday that the move would create 55 jobs for software engineers at its Sandyford base. This will bring the number of its Irish employees working on R&D to 110. It already has a staff of 170 here.

Avaya is a telecoms specialist with headquarters in New Jersey in the US. In October 2000, it was spun off from Lucent Technologies, which was itself a spin-off from US giant AT&T.

It specialises in technology used for mobile communications and for voice over internet protocol (VoIP), the system that allows people to make cheap telephone calls over the internet.

It has a global workforce of 20,000 and has grown through acquisitions, with the purchase of rival Tenovis in Europe and a majority stake in Tata Telecom in Asia. Two years ago it bought Irish video-conferencing equipment developer Spectel for more than €85 million, valuing the stake of founder and chief executive Gerard Moore at €37 million.

Avaya's clients include the likes of O2 and Bank of Scotland, but it also supplies its technology and services to small businesses.

IDA Ireland is supporting the R&D venture.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin welcomed Avaya's announcement. "The groundbreaking R&D that is driving this centre of excellence is in a new area of business for Avaya and as a result places the Dublin operation at the cutting edge of the company's technological developments," he said.