08:12 GMT, November 11, 2009 VALLEY FORGE, Pa. | Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is exploring the use of its vocoder technology via the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) market through an agreement it has signed with Unicoi Systems, Inc. A vocoder is software that digitizes speech, transforms it into information packets so it can be electronically transmitted, and decodes it at the receiver so that it can be heard as speech.

"We look forward to working with Unicoi for the advancement of this technology with our unique vocoder system," said Larry Easton, Director of Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services-Defense's Ventures organization. "Unicoi's expertise in the voice over IP market offers us an opportunity to bring our technology to a wider set of customers and applications."

The Lockheed Martin Time Domain Voicing Cutoff (TDVC) vocoder consumes less bandwidth than those of comparable quality and can withstand up to 30 percent data loss without significant degradation of voice quality. These capabilities make it well-suited for use with a variety of applications including the Internet and mobile phones.