VoIP Summary

Universities Shifting To Asterisk IP PBXes?

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 02:00:00 +0000

Ted at Signal-to-noise posted about Sam Houston State University (SHSU) switching to Asterisk IP PBXes from Nortel PBXes. They have also moved 1600 IP phones from Cisco CallManager to Asterisk. They've set up a redundant system with multiple Dell servers. Sounds exciting; other universities could certainly save money following suit - maybe even pass on the savings in terms of tuition rate reductions. Just as long as they choose wisely and don't get hosed on poor choices. Years ago, the university I attended was somehow persuaded to buy the Rolm telephony system when it was already outdated. Later, when I worked at a giant telecom company, an insider told me how the sales guys (from elsewhere) had laughed afterwards about how they snowed the university on the Rolm system.

Addressing VoIP Call Quality Issues

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Call quality issues for VoIP is getting attention from some of the biggies in the industry. Apparent Networks and Nortel Networks have signed a deal to look into quality issues. One project will result in software which Nortel intends to embed in their VoIP products. With such software system users will be able to trace the source of potential quality problems. [via eWeek] The premise is that call quality is subject to many factors, and not necessarily caused by faulty VoIP hardware. Since Nortel is a hardware vendor, such software would help them remotely track customer problems and thus both reduce support costs and result in happier customers sooner.

I Subscribe For The Articles. Ri-i-i-i-i-ight.

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 23:02:00 +0000

An old joke amongst men in the 1970s and 1980s was that they subscribed to Playboy magazine "for the articles." Well, men may be saying the same thing in this decade about Penthouse Media Group's new content for mobile devices, which will include text, games, audio, and of course images and video clip. Is that fly on the (wind)screen, or are you just happy to see me? [source: Cellullar News] Of course, judging by past success with per-minute adult calling services, the real money will probably come from similar adult VoIP calling services, even video. Maybe they should team up with Globe7. Then again, if they do, they may have to turn back potential customers.

How To Get Ahead In The Communications Business

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:30:00 +0000

Despite that grand title, the method is simple. Ignore RFPs (Request for Proposals) and just start doing the work. That's what one company in Florida did. Instead of bothering to submit a proposal for St. Petersburg's municipal Wi-Fi project, like their five competitors did, they just started piping in Wi-Fi access to downtown.

More Ads On Cell Phones?

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:15:00 +0000

According to a report by Informa Telecoms & Media, we can expect more advertising on mobile devices such as cell phones. Within five years, mobile ad spending will be close to US$12 B. [via Cellular News] Another area that advertising is getting into is VoIP services, such Globe7's offer of free calling minutes based on how much video content you watch - for which they presumably get paid for by content providers such as movie production companies.

EarthLink Adds Eight Cities For Its Bundled Internet + VoIP Service

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:00:00 +0000

EarthLink Inc. is expanding its bundled Internet and IP telephony service in the United States to eight new cities, including Atlanta (where it's based), NYC, LA, D.C., and others. The service will include enhanced 911 calling, work with existing phone jacks, and function during power outages. [via Atlanta Business Chronicle]

Babble.net USB VoIP Babble Stick

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 20:30:00 +0000

UK-based Babble.net is now offering their own USB VoIP flash memory stick. The so called Babble Stick is GBP 19.99 (Great British Pounds), has 256 Mb of space, comes with a microphone and headphones, and holds your Babble account details. Babble's FreeB offer is still on, which for a one-time fee of GBP 1.50 gives you 30 minutes of free calling for at least 3 months. They also have a Babble web-calling toolbar, which lets you call phone numbers on a web page from the Internet Explorer web browser.

Nokia Dual-Mode Cell Phones in Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 20:15:00 +0000

Singaporeans will be getting dual-mode 2G/3G cellular/ WLAN (Wireless LAN) Nokia phones via SingTel. These phones will support both the regular cellular network as well as VoIP calls over Wi-Fi networks. [via VoIP News] Dual-mode phones are expected to rival simple Wi-Fi phones because they can switch between cellular and Wi-Fi networks.

Mobile Linux Phones In 2007

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 19:45:00 +0000

If you're a Linux operating system fan, you probably already know this by know, but Trolltech ASA thinks the first mobile phones based on the Linux OS will be available by 2007. There's already a group work on Open Linux for Palm devices, so you can probably expect to see some announcements about Palm Linux phones next year, too.

Free SkypeOut For France

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 19:30:00 +0000

French Skype users will now enjoy the same offer that Canadian and American users get. They can now get free SkypeOut calls to landlines (from and to France) until New Year's Eve. Skype is also offering currently offering free calls to toll-free landlines in Taiwan. SkypeOut calls can be made from your computer or from a Skype-certified Wi-Fi phone.

VoIP Summary - Thur Aug 31/ 06

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 22:45:00 +0000

ISP Mozcom Becomes VoIP Provider
Mozcom, the first commercial ISP in the Philippines, launched their new VCall VoIP service, which is targeted at anyone who would benefit from VoIP in their daily operations. [via The Manila Times]

Sprint Settles Patent Dispute
A suit levied by tglo.com and Theglobe.com on Sprint Nextel Corp has been settled according to the latter company. The issue was a supposed digital telephony patent infringement. [via eWeek] Sprint themselves sued Vonage late last year.

Two New Skype Phones From USRobotics
Networking hardware makers such as Netgear, D-Link, and USRobotics must think they've found a pot of gold in VoIP, judging by all the IP phones they've collectively released this year. USRobotics just released two new Skype-certified cell phones - the USR9601 USB Internet Phone (~US$50) and the USR9602 USB Internet Mini Phone (~US$25). [via Boston.com]

New VoIP Contracts: BTAS Picked By DCITA In Australia

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 17:30:00 +0000

The DCITA (Dept of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) in Australia recently picked BTAS to implement a VoIP telephony system made by Alcatel. The system will be installed at four points in Canberra, and calling will be accomplished with both soft phones and around 950 IP handsets . [via ZDNet Australia]

New VoIP Provider: Comcast Corp

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 17:15:00 +0000

Comcast Corp is already an established cable company in the US. They're now offering their triple-play of services (IP telephony, cable TV, and Internet) for US$99/m in the Nashville, Tennessee area, and will be rolling out to other nearby areas shortly. Comcast is promoting the service in 20 US cities. They are up against companies like Vonage and SunRocket but still plan to hire 100 salespeople in the Middle Tennessee region this year. [via Tennessean]

New VoIP Provider: Sentinel Communications

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 17:00:00 +0000

Sentinel Communications has just entered the VoIP market, offering both calling plans as well as business products and services - including IP PBXes, network design and implementation, T-1 lines, toll-free numbers and more. [via eMediaWire]

While they are based in North America, they appear to be targeting worldwide residential and business customers.

Mig33 Mobile VoIP Provider: Million-User Milestone

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:45:00 +0000

Australia's mig33, a mobile VoIP provider, says that they now have over one million users worldwide, since launching in Dec 2005. Calls are made using a Java-enabled mobile phone or PDA, and the service can be used to initiate a call between any two phones. [via ACN Newswire]

VoIP Provider Difficulties: Chariot ISP

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:30:00 +0000

ISP Chariot has been planning a launch of their VoIP service for this year in Australia, but has apparently gone through a number of troubles, including being taken to court by their partner, Transcom International. The resulting negative media hurt the company and delayed the launch., which should be live by the time you read this. [via VoIP News Australia]

Asterisk VoIP Voice Changer Software

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 03:30:00 +0000

After frequently visiting Asterisk VoIP News a lot lately, I'm convinced that Dal and the rest of the crew watched a lot of science fiction, horror and spy movies/ TV shows. Dal reports that a new version, 0.4, of the Asterisk Voice Changer is available. You heard me. You know, change the pitch of your voice and all that, a la the Scream series of movies. [via Asterisk VOIP News]

What I'm wondering is if this software could be used to improve VoIP call quality on pc2phone calls.

Skype to Skype Call Quality Secret: Global IP Sound

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 03:15:00 +0000

Despite discussions here that VoIP call quality is at undesirable levels in certain scenarios, pc2pc calls are usually of fairly good quality. My Skype2Skype calls have been mostly clear as a bell, when my computer's RAM isn't overloaded. What's the reason behind this quality? GIPS (Global IP Sound) Voice Engine modules, which Skype licenses. Jim Courtney provides more details at Skype Journal.

Mac Skype Soft AudioSwitch

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 03:00:00 +0000

Mac Skype users now have free software, AudioSwitch, that lets them switch between speakerphone and wireless headsets. [via Signal to Noise] Skype recently released a new Mac version.

Fusion Strikes VoIP Partnership With Chinese Community Services Website, Jinti

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 14:59:00 +0000

Fusion Telecomunications has struck up a partnership with Jinti, a Chinese community services site claiming over 3 million unique visitors from mainland China per month. As part of the partnership, Fusion will be marketing their Efonica VoIP services on the website. [via Asterisk VoIP News]

This is an interesting development considering that VoIP services are banned in China. Even text services are expected to filter out "banned words" for conversations where one or more parties are in China.

VoIP Summary - Sun Aug 13/06

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 08:00:00 +0000

If you speak Turkish, be wary of an email written in the language that has a link to a fake Skype website, and which hosts a file (skypekur.exe) that will steal all kinds of passwords from your computer and email them back to the originator. [via SurfControl]

With all the complaints that the QoS (Quality of Service) of VoIP, Pandora Networks is hoping their new suite of services will make a difference. They're aiming at the SMB (Small to Medium Business) market. [via TMC Net]

Telcos who are starting to offer VoIP services are going to be unlikely to do so at discount rates, according to Infonetics Research. Instead, they're more likely to add extra features and charge a premium rate. [via Computing]

A couple of weeks ago, Ed Whitacre, CEO of AT&T, shot his mouth off about his view of network neutrality. Basically, he said that no one should get a free ride. But as Russell Shaw points out in the article, quoting the It's Our Net Coalition, telcos already make US$14 billion per year from Internet companies and US$20 billion per year from broadband subscriber fees.

VoIP Summary - Sat Aug 12/06

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 05:00:00 +0000

New research from CompTIA finds that IT channels assign a much higher priority for VoIP than SMBs (Small to Medium Businesses). IT considers it top VoIP in the top three of technolgies that are expected to enjoy growth in 2007. But SMBs rank it ninth in priority. [via New Telephony]

Looking for reviews of various VoIP services, or want to write your own? Have a look at WhichVoIP. [via PR Leap]

The number of US VoIP subscribers increase about 21% in Q2 2006 to nearly 7 million, with cable VoIP taking the biggest increases in volume. [via TeleGeography] Translation: Vonage is still leading, but they'd better watch out, they'd better not cry...

Now here's a great application of WoIP (Video + Voice over IP). A number of hospitals in California are using WoIP for real-time language interpretation so that English-speaking doctors can serve patients with minimal English language skills. Spanish is currently the most commonly spoken foreign language at these hospitals, but they also have interpreters for four other languages. Hospitals in other states are considering offering the same type of service. [via Information Week, VoIP Magazine]

VoIP Summary - Fri Aug 11/06

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Sphere Communications is targeting OEMs and ISVs with their new SphereCSE Communications Service Engine, which is an IP PBX software development platform that is built XML and SOAP and several other web service formats. They offer a free SDK (Software Development Kit) for download. [via TMC Net]

If you're about network threats via VoIP, Network Box has their Unified Threat Management (UTM) appliance and service that provides anti-spam, anti-virus, anti-phishing and other features. It's compatible with SIP and H.323 [via IT Backbones]

The Internet-based telephone subscriber base grew in the US by 21 percent in Q2 2006. Cable companies have been the winner in this increase. [via Chicago Tribune]

The Square Mile downtown financial core of London, UK, will have Wi-Fi coverage by the end of this year. The move will give city workers access to mobile VoIP service. The network will be set up using street "furniture" such as signs and lamp posts. [via Contractor UK]

Microsoft Keeps VoIP Initiative Going

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 23:30:00 +0000

Microsoft is increasing its involvement in VoIP by getting into the PBX and IP PBX arena. This move is expected to disrupt the VoIP market over the next few years. [via NE Asia Online]

Microsoft is also expanding their VoIP iniative by following in Skype's footsteps. They are partnering with consumer electronics accessory companies to bundle up Windows Live Messenger with gear such as headsets.

Initially, the bundle is being offered with Plantronics Audio 350 headsets at Best Buy , Circuit City, and CompUSA stores in the US. [via Ars Technica] Hiliariously, one commenter Ars Technica weighed in the beauty (or lack of) of the headset.

Globe7: Free Internet/ VoIP Calls

noreply@blogger.com (blogslinger) — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 21:30:00 +0000

Looking for free international VoIP (Internet) calls? Globe7 offers a soft client which lets you earn credits of US$0.005 for every minute of video content you watch. You get to choose the content, which includes news clips and movie or TV show trailers. (You can also watch the videos directly from the website, but then you don't get credit.)

Additional features include video calling, free pc2pc calling, pc2mobile calls based on credits, 1 gigabyte of free web storage space (images, audio, video). There's no limit to the number of videos you can watch, and a US phone number comes with a Gold Member account. (Austin Powers need not apply.) You can also view news feeds in the Globe 7 client.

Globe7 currently only supports Windows 2000 + XP, and you must have Adobe Flash 8 player (free) or above. Registration requires you to divulge a fair bit of personal info. You get a $1 credit on signup.