VoIP Monitor

Vonage Hails Signing of the New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008

VoIP Monitor — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:14:37 GMT

Vonage applaudes President Bush's signing into law of the New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008. This new act grants long awaited rights and protection to VoIP service providers to interconnect to the traditional 911 network operated by incumbent telephone providers.

"Vonage is grateful to the President and Congress for making this legislation a reality. It will enable Vonage and other VoIP providers to better support first responders in times of emergency," said Jeffrey Citron, Chairman, Chief Strategist, and Interim CEO of Vonage. "While over 98% of our subscriber lines already have access to E911, enactment of this law provides additional tools and leadership for platform neutral, responder friendly safety communications."

Vonage's E911 solution enables a customer's call to be automatically routed to the appropriate 911 center, with the caller's registered street address and telephone number appearing on the dispatcher's screen.

Packet8 Hosted VoIP Solution Now Available at Staples.com

VoIP Monitor — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:39:02 GMT

8x8 announces that its Packet8 Virtual Office hosted PBX small business phone system is now available on Staples.com. The Packet8 Virtual Office solution is an affordable, easy-to-use replacement for traditional PBX phone systems, allowing users anywhere in the world to be part of a hosted VoIP virtual phone solution. The service includes an auto attendant, worldwide extension dialing, business class voicemail, a full featured conference bridge and ring groups, in addition to a rich variety of other business class PBX and dial tone features not normally found on premise-based PBX systems.

Offering a combination of unlimited local and long distance calling in the United States, Canada and eight other countries plus advanced PBX features, the Packet8 Virtual Office solution enables small and medium sized enterprises to secure distributed corporate class telecommunications capabilities for a fraction of the cost of wire line business services from traditional phone companies. Unlike comparably priced single line VoIP phone services which offer features more suited to individual residential users, Packet8 Virtual Office provides companies with complete business phone system functionality along with the flexibility to operate each extension from any geographic location with high-speed Internet access. Packet8 Virtual Office reduces an organization's total cost of ownership for telecommunications services because of its minimal initial investment combined with unlimited worldwide calling for a low monthly fee and access to Packet8's low per-minute international calling rates to overseas wire line and mobile phone numbers.

Staples.com customers can purchase the Packet8 Virtual Office business phone package for just $79.99 (after $50 mail-in rebate) and begin using the Virtual Office service within minutes after a simple installation and activation procedure. Subscribers who purchase Virtual Office at Staples.com receive one free month of service followed by a discounted monthly service price of $39.99 for an Unlimited Extension.

Airspan Introduces WiMAX for 1.4 - 1.5 GHz

VoIP Monitor — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:29:27 GMT

Airspan introduces a new Broadband Wireless solution that supports the frequency bands from 1.4 - 1.5 GHz. The solution includes base station equipment and a suite of subscriber devices including models with support for Voice over IP and WiFi.

A complete end-to-end solution, Airspan's new product offering includes the MicroMAX Base Station and EasyST, ProST, and ProST-WiFi subscriber units, all compliant with the IEEE802.16d standard. The solution also works with other band-independent Airspan products, including VoIP and WiFi extensions for EasyST and ProST, as well as VoiceMAX -- the company's unique solution for enabling VoIP QoS over a WiMAX network.

Legacy TDM radio relay systems in 1.5-GHz were often deployed for voice by operators with universal service obligations. Now, many countries are pursuing universal service obligations for broadband. With this solution, Airspan provides a broadband product in the same frequency and, with VoiceMAX, provides lifeline quality voice service that the users of these legacy systems have come to rely on.

Vyke Launches FreeTxt to Offer Free or Cheaper Texts

VoIP Monitor — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:39:24 GMT

Vyke launches FreeTxt, a texting application for Symbian Series60 third edition mobile phones that enables Vyke customers to send and receive free text messages to fellow Vyke users and considerably cheaper SMS than other VoIP suppliers, to non Vyke users. Customers can download the FreeTxt application from Vyke’s website which conveniently integrates with the phone’s existing messaging system, and start texting directly from their handset as they normally would.

The application is simple to download. Customers will receive an SMS with a link to the FreeTxt download page and all they have to do is click the link to install the application onto the phone’s messaging menu. Once the application is downloaded customers simply enter their mobile phone number and select an ‘internet access point’. As soon as Vyke has verified the customer’s mobile number is correct and that they have a Vyke account they are then able to start sending text messages.

How does it work?
The FreeTxt application intercepts outgoing text messages and sends them to Vyke’s server via the phone’s internet connection. If the recipient of a text is also a FreeText user and is online, the message will be delivered peer to peer for free. If the recipient is not a FreeTxt user or is offline, the text message will be delivered at Vyke’s discounted SMS rates (as long as the user has credit on their Vyke account). If the customer chooses to not enable the FreeTxt service on their phone to send an SMS, then the text will be sent via their normal mobile operator service.

Vocalocity Integrates iPhone with Internet Phone Service

VoIP Monitor — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:32:23 GMT

Vocalocity enhances its business Internet phone service by allowing customers to seamlessly route office calls to and from an iPhone. This feature untethers workers from the desk while providing them with the ability as well as benefits of making and receiving critical calls that ultimately utilize their office phone system.

This unified communication solution from Vocalocity delivers an elegant means of maintaining a professional image regardless of location. Calls made from the iPhone which are then routed through Vocalocity's service contain the caller ID associated with the office phone. As a result, customers and prospects view the call as coming from a place of business rather than a cell phone. Conversely, Vocalocity users can easily be reached by customers as calls made to the business phone number are effortlessly transferred to the iPhone.

The iPhone integration also provides an economical way to handle business from the road. International calls placed from the iPhone but routed through Vocalocity's system, for instance, cost up to 80 percent less than rates charged by a wireless service provider.

The iPhone integration, made possible through technology from RF.com, is available at no charge to Vocalocity customers.

Small businesses which use a hosted VoIP solution from Vocalocity also enjoy features often found in systems used by Fortune 500 companies. That's because there's no need to install expensive or complex equipment often associated with such a sophisticated offering.

Nemertes Awards Seven Top VOIP Providers

VoIP Monitor — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:19:25 GMT

Seven leading providers of VOIP services received 2008 PilotHouse Awards from Nemertes Research, based entirely on ratings from hundreds of IT executives.

"This research is a must-have for companies evaluating a new VOIP strategy, or reassessing an existing one because it relies on real experiences from real customers," says Robin Gareiss, executive vice president and senior founding partner, Nemertes Research.

As part of the Unified Communications and Collaboration research project, Nemertes received 555 ratings of VOIP providers and conducted analysis on VOIP best practices. Providers with the highest average scores in each award category won PilotHouse Awards.

IT executives rated their providers on technology, product features, unified communications vision, customer service, value, VAR experience, solution experience, ease of implementation, and management tools. Nemertes issued awards for top providers overall, which includes all scores from all rollout sizes. Additionally, because companies evaluate an average of three vendors, Nemertes segmented the ratings to include the "top tier," or a short list, for three rollout sizes.

Nemertes Research 2008 PilotHouse Awards: VOIP Providers

Best Overall VOIP Providers (all rollout sizes combined)

ShoreTel, Inc. - Winner
Siemens Enterprise Communications - Finalist
3Com Corporation - Finalist

Top-Tier VOIP Providers - Small Rollouts (<500 Endpoints)

ShoreTel, Inc.
Siemens Enterprise Communications
Cisco Systems, Inc. > Top-Tier VOIP Providers - Midsize Rollouts (500-2,000 Endpoints)
- Cisco Systems, Inc
- Avaya Inc.
- Nortel
Top-Tier VOIP Providers - Large Rollouts (>2,000 Endpoints)
- Nortel
- Alcatel-Lucent
- Cisco Systems, Inc.
Best Overall: VOIP Vertical Solutions
- Avaya Inc.
Best VOIP: Industry-Specific
- Education - Avaya Inc.
- Financial Services - Cisco Systems, Inc.
- Healthcare - Cisco Systems, Inc.
- Manufacturing - Avaya Inc.
- Professional Services - Avaya Inc.
- Retail - Cisco Systems, Inc.
- State/Local Government - Nortel
- Transportation - Siemens Enterprise Communications

GIPS Launches VideoEngine and VoiceEngine SDKs

VoIP Monitor — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:05:54 GMT

Global IP Solutions launched the general availability of the VoiceEngine and VideoEngine SDKs. Targeted at application developers, IP PBX manufacturers and service providers offering real-time voice and video, the SDKs maximize flexibility and ensure high quality standards necessary for successful IP voice and video products.

The Unified Communications market continues to grow and companies are looking for more ways to capitalize on the benefits of call control, presence, voice and video solutions. GIPS VoiceEngine and VideoEngine SDKs simplify the development of full-featured Unified Communications services with real-time voice and video capabilities by providing all the components and multimedia processing technology needed by application developers. Traditionally, developers had to go to multiple vendors and integrate varying technologies to build a VoIP or video over IP application risking quality and interoperability issues. The SDKs combines all the important IP communications components in one package providing a one-stop solution.

Designed with ease of use in mind, the SDK API's can handle difficult media processing and call control functions, making it an essential tool for both the experienced and inexperienced VoIP or video over IP application developer. By relying on GIPS' IP communications expertise, customers accelerate their time-to-market while focusing on differentiating themselves in a competitive marketplace.

ZONE Telecom Selects Empirix for VoIP Service Monitoring

VoIP Monitor — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:16:37 GMT

Empirix announces that ZONE Telecom has installed its Hammer XMS monitoring solution. Hammer XMS provides ZONE Telecom with a consistent, proactive approach to managing and monitoring its VoIP network by gathering statistics and conducting trend analyses that allow for better, more accurate capacity planning for long-term growth.

ZONE Telecom offers a full array of telecommunications products and services by utilizing proven telephony technologies as well as taking advantage of the newest developments in the field to deliver value and high-quality service to its customers. The company chose Empirix's Hammer XMS monitoring solution because it offers the following features:

Alerts: proactive notification mechanism for rapid fault awareness and diagnosis;
Diagnostics: immediate troubleshooting in order to identify where issues lie;
Media analysis: identifying media details by location of zone, provider and/or customer where the problem originated;
Scalability: handling traffic volume and rapid growth as the company expands; and
Ease-of-use: flexible and ready to use right out of the box.

Empirix's Hammer XMS is a carrier-class monitoring solution designed to ensure the reliability and quality of next-generation services. Hammer XMS offers Network Engineering, Planning, Operations and Customer Care teams the ability to both efficiently and confidently deploy new services and maintain current services with higher quality and at a lower cost.

JAJAH Expands SMB Solution Suite

VoIP Monitor — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:41:09 GMT

JAJAH has expanded its SMB Solution Suite to incorporate a managed service IP telephony solution, including a fully functional 'soft' PBX. The suite of services gives every small and medium business the ability to IP-enable their existing telephony systems and make VoIP calls to over 200 countries without any additional investment.

The JAJAH SMB Solution Suite gives every employee access to:

All devices: make or receive calls via mobile, landline and even softphone (PC-based telephone), with specific plug-ins for Blackberry and Windows Mobile phones available. Pre-paid and analog-only phones will also be supported.
Productivity Tools: a suite of Productivity Tools gives the ability to embed telephony within Office Automation Tools, including support for Google Enterprise Apps and Microsoft Office. Features also include centralized address book, database and directory lookup services.
Presence: flexibility to choose which phone to use to answer a call. At the touch of a button, choose whether to accept an inbound call on mobile, landline or softphone, or even to divert the call to a voice mail, which will be converted to text and delivered as an email into the employee's inbox. Employees can specify their location and availability, while the network will also make intelligent routing decisions based on last-call and office hours.
Dial Plan & Portability: no need to change numbers as the JAJAH system fully supports number portability. The JAJAH SMB Suite also offers sophisticated dial-plans, call monitoring and limit-setting amongst other budget management tools.
Unified Communication & Voice 2.0: Support for visual Voicemail (where voicemail is converted to text), universal messaging, SMS, conference calls, scheduled calls, call logging, and address book synchronization.
IP-Backbone: For the first time, access to a global telephony backbone will be built in, with all calls routed over JAJAH's award-winning IP-telephony backbone. This not only reduces calls costs, but increases voice quality.

JAJAH's SMB Solution Suite will be available directly via the JAJAH website at www.jajahSMB.com, with a global indirect channel partner to be announced in the coming quarter.

AT&T U-verse Voice Rolls Out in Indianapolis

VoIP Monitor — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:28:00 GMT

AT&T U-verse Voice rolls out in parts of the Indianapolis area, bringing consumers a next-generation digital voice service delivered over the AT&T U-verse IP network. U-verse Voice brings together your AT&T home phone, wireless, broadband and TV services -- all on one bill -- with unique features that provide a new level of integration, convenience and control.

AT&T U-verse Voice completes the company's IP triple play and is available to all new and existing U-verse TV customers in the Indianapolis, Bloomington, Muncie and Anderson areas. With U-verse Voice, customers receive new features that highlight the benefits of having advanced video, broadband, wireless and home phone services from a single provider.

AT&T U-verse Voice is a managed IP-based service that is delivered over AT&T's fiber-rich network, unlike many VoIP providers that offer best-effort digital phone services over the public Internet. This allows U-verse Voice customers to enjoy great sound quality and reliability, as well as unmatched calling features that combine with your AT&T U-verse TV, broadband and wireless services from AT&T.

Fonality and BroadSoft Team Up

VoIP Monitor — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:31:57 GMT

Fonality and BroadSoft have certified their products to work together, enabling service providers to market and deploy Fonality to their small and medium-sized business customers with confidence. BroadSoft has completed certification of Fonality trixbox Pro and PBXtra with BroadWorks. BroadSoft has also joined the Fonality Authorized Certified Ecosystem.

BroadWorks offers a range of carrier-grade applications that includes hosted PBX, unified communications, mobile PBX, business trunking, and residential broadband. Fonality products include a family of open-source-based, hybrid-hosted IP PBX offerings tailored for SMBs. By certifying the products together, the companies offer service providers a complete line of hosted and premise-based unified communications offerings for customers of all sizes.

Fonality business phone systems are designed for modern workplaces, accommodating companies that have a mix of office, mobile and home-based workers. Fonality solutions support both VoIP calling and traditional phone lines, allowing a smooth transition for businesses upgrading their calling services. Its patented, hybrid-hosted architecture allows employee identity to be maintained as they travel between work, home and hotels. Fonality products, when paired with the award-winning HUD presence software, provide a unified view of Instant Messaging, e-mail and calling for all fixed and mobile workers.

8x8 Partners With Aastra; Introduces Packet8 Hosted Key System Services

VoIP Monitor — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:01:07 GMT

8x8's Packet8 business launches of a new line of broadband agnostic, plug-and-play IP phones designed to enhance the features and functionality of Packet8 business phone services.

Developed in conjunction with Aastra Telecom the Packet8 675xi series of IP phones incorporates 8x8's advanced NAT traversal technologies to facilitate the same network-independent operational advantages Packet8 business customers currently enjoy with the existing Virtual Office business class phones and terminal adaptors. These include the ability to simply plug the phone into any public or private Internet connection and immediately make or receive calls without performing any network configuration or firewall manipulation. The Packet8 675xi IP phones also deliver enhanced equipment and service features including corporate directory display and lookup, intercom paging, shared line appearance and Power over Ethernet capability.

The Packet8 675xi IP phone series consists of three models the 6753i entry level phone, 6755i intermediate phone and 6757i CT advanced phone each of which offers full duplex speakerphone functionality, programmable softkey appearances, LCD display screens, embedded XML browsers and up to nine call appearance lines. All models support "Power over Ethernet," eliminating the need for a separate power supply for the phone, and come equipped with dual auto-sensing switched Ethernet ports to eliminate additional wiring for a computer and simplify installations. Additional features enabled by the Packet8 675xi series include intercom paging and direct dial from a searchable corporate directory. Prices for the Packet8 675xi series range from $129.99 for the 6753i to $349.99 for the high end 6757i CT model which includes a DECT cordless phone as part of the bundled offer. The 6757i CT model's built in DECT antenna allows the user to roam up to a 300 foot radius from the 6757i CT base telephone.

8x8 Introduces Packet8 Hosted Key System Services

8x8's Packet8 business introduce a new hosted VoIP services designed to replace traditional premise-based telephone "key systems" typically used by companies whose size or structure dictates the sharing of multiple, common phone lines among employees, regardless of where the employees are located.

Driven by the new Packet8 675xi series of IP desktop phones and the addition of shared line appearance services to the Packet8 Virtual Office platform, the new hosted key system solution provides businesses an opportunity to migrate to VoIP without altering the features, functionality and user behavior they have traditionally relied upon.

Ideal for offices where multiple users require the ability to view and answer more than one shared phone line at their desk or anywhere in the business, the Packet8 hosted key system solution includes a searchable corporate directory, direct intercom paging from phone to phone and shared line appearance functionality which allows a group of users to accept a call, place it on hold, page a colleague and ask them to pick up the call on any one of up to nine separate lines. The Packet8 675xi IP phones can be used with both the Packet8 hosted key system service as well as the Virtual Office hosted iPBX service, separately or in combination in the same office environment.

LiveVox Awarded Patent for VoIP Dialer Solution

VoIP Monitor — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:45:31 GMT

LiveVox announces the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded a patent for the company’s carrier-grade, hosted-VoIP-dialer solution. The patent solidifies the company’s position as the first to deliver a VoIP dialer without using the public Internet and validates the technological advancement of the LiveVox solution. Because the solution directly accesses the carrier backbone using a SIP interface, LiveVox can offer hosted dialing services with unlimited capacity, higher quality and lower cost than premised-based or other hosted-dialing solutions. Other hosted solutions use either the public Internet or a hybrid of VoIP and analog protocols.

With LiveVox, call centers with heavy outbound requirements, such as credit and collection organizations, can meet growing volume needs without incurring costly per-line fees. LiveVox has replicated the key features of the traditional dialer and delivered them in a hosted solution, allowing call center and collection organizations to consider new strategies, such as replacing hardware-based dialers, to boost productivity without purchasing additional infrastructure or software licenses.

JAJAH and EMOBILE Launch Wireless IP-Telephony Service in Japan

VoIP Monitor — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:39:32 GMT

JAJAH with EMOBILE have launched an IP-only mobile device the EM·ONE that is set to be the standard around the world. With the EM·ONE device, users in Japan can now make and receive voice-over-mobile-broadband calls via its JAJAH Mobile software client without a traditional mobile phone connection.

Japan is recognized as the world's leading mobile telephony market, with other countries tending to adopt Japanese mobile practices over time. As many carriers around the globe announce intentions to move towards purely IP-based mobile telephony, JAJAH and EMOBILE have made this a reality.

The JAJAH Mobile software uses the data channel, a HSDPA connection, to deliver voice services. In 2007 JAJAH and EMOBILE released an outbound-only IP-mobile service, which attracted thousands of Japanese users. Now EMOBILE customers cannot only use their device to make calls to more than 200 global destinations, but for the first time also to receive calls.

For a small monthly fee of approximately $5, EMOBILE customers can purchase their own DID, or Direct Inward Dialing number, for their Sharp EM·ONE Ultra Mobile Device running Windows Mobile 6, which turns their device into a fully functioning mobile phone, without a cellular connection. This local number operates as any normal phone number. It can be used to make and receive calls, and can be stored in a phone or address book. Calls are routed over JAJAH's IP-telephony network so customers take advantage of JAJAH's low calling rates.

The JAJAH exclusive service utilizes a revolutionary pure IP network and will be available to everyone in Japan starting August 1, 2008.

Analysts at Ovum predict that, by 2010, 77 percent of the voice connections in the Asia-Pacific region will be mobile and that the region will host over 2 billion fixed and mobile voice connections, 42 percent of the global total. Ovum's annual voice service forecasts mobility to be the key growth technology in the voice market for the foreseeable future. Japan has already embraced the mobile market and the Ovum prediction is likely to be replicated across other markets as consumers continue to demand a connected, yet wireless life.

In addition to low cost long-distance and international calls, calls between EMOBILE customers are absolutely free and handled over a pure SIP connection, thus eliminating the need for termination over regular network. With the improved service, the EM·ONE has become a truly multi-functional mobile device, allowing people in Japan to communicate inexpensively.

JAJAH's continued innovation in IP telephony reaffirms the company's vision to revolutionize the way in which the world makes global long distance calls by making its network accessible from any phone, anywhere and anytime.

BroadSoft's VoIP Platform Selected to Expand Samsung Networks'

VoIP Monitor — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:58:19 GMT

BroadSoft announces that Samsung Networks will expand its deployment of hosted voice services on BroadSoft's BroadWorks VoIP application platform. Samsung Networks delivers the services to large enterprises in South Korea.

Samsung Networks has already successfully deployed 200,000 Hosted PBX seats on the BroadWorks platform, making SNI one of the world's leading IP telephony service providers to large enterprises. Now, the company will introduce more VoIP services offerings, including BroadWorks Business Trunking, a SIPconnect-compliant solution that extends advanced calling features to enterprises using the customers' existing telephone facilities and equipment.

Samsung Network's hosted and trunking voice services include advanced calling features, such as fixed-mobile convergence functionality with Simultaneous Ring and Remote Office, which makes any phone -- such as home or mobile -- a user's office phone.

"Samsung Networks has aggressively rolled out voice services to South Korea's large enterprises, making it one of the largest Hosted PBX carriers for business," said Michael Tessler, president and CEO of BroadSoft. "Samsung Networks's success serves as a case study for carriers around the globe on how to package and sell the inherent value of Hosted PBX to large enterprises."

Nortel VoIP Enhances Bermuda Telephone Voice Services

VoIP Monitor — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:06:19 GMT

Nortel is helping subscribers of the Bermuda Telephone Company stay connected regardless of their location with more efficient voice, data and multimedia services. Through the implementation of Nortel carrier VoIP technology, BTC subscribers can use their Bermuda number outside the island to stay connected wherever they are, accessing a suite of advanced IP services like personal call routing and inexpensive long distance calls.

With Nortel's Communication Server (CS) 2000, an IP multimedia softswitch, subscribers to the BTC network will also be able to use fixed mobile convergence capabilities such as the ability to have calls rerouted from their wireless service to their voicemail or home phone.

Nortel's CS 2000 will allow BTC to meet the demand for immediate client needs, as well as help to pursue and attract future customers by delivering complete packages of residential and business communications services that vary from traditional voice services to advanced multimedia communications such as video calling, presence and collaboration.

Nortel's CS 2000 delivers IP voice services and supports a wide range of voice and multimedia features based on the open, industry-standard SIP protocol. This technology supports existing residential and business features and will evolve to deliver advanced communications services to drive BTC's business objectives and to improve overall customer satisfaction. This product simplifies life for business executives - especially for organizations without extensive IT resources - by making new applications and services readily available without having to deal with integration, support, or device and domain compatibility.

Nortel's complete IP solution supports the explosion in demand for new communication services being driven by Hyperconnectivity, a global trend where anything that can be connected to the network, will be connected. To address this demand for services and the rapid growth of enterprise and residential subscribers, carriers are using Nortel's VoIP and multimedia service solutions to deploy new communications technologies that converge voice, video and data services onto one network to improve quality of service while reducing costs.

snom's New VoIP Handset Technology Debuts in North America

VoIP Monitor — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:24:04 GMT

snom announces the next generation of voice: snom klarVOICE. This wideband handset, which can be adapted to all snom VoIP telephones, captures more than twice the spectrum of voice frequencies than standard phones enabling phone conversations with greater clarity and richness.

The new snom klarVOICE handset works with the codec G.722. This codec is able to shrink the bit rate of the voice channel down to 12.65 kbps, offering excellent quality. In standard narrowband VoIP calls, the voice signal is sampled at 8,000 times per second, resulting in an effective voice pass-band of about 200 to 3,300 Hz. The new wideband handset offers a doubled sample rate, providing an effective pass-band of 50 to 7,000 Hz.

Use of snom klarVOICE results in a much higher fidelity voice call, more akin to talking to someone in the same room rather than over a phone.

Pricing and Availability

The snom klarVOICE handset, which can be adapted to any existing snom 3xx series VoIP phone (snom 300, 320, 360, 370) using snom’s latest firmware release (Version7.1.33), is available for an MSRP of US$32.50. snom 3xx series are the industry’s premier, business-class, SIP VoIP phones and feature a global executive design and styling with a large, high-resolution greyscale display screen, programmable function keys and advanced business calling features.

AT&T U-verse Voice Launched in Miami Valley

VoIP Monitor — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:17:50 GMT

AT&T launched the company's integrated suite of AT&T U-verse services in Miami Valley, including AT&T U-verse TV, AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet and AT&T U-verse Voice. AT&T U-verse brings together your TV, broadband, home phone and AT&T wireless services — all on one bill — with unique features that provide a new level of integration, convenience and control. AT&T U-verse TV, High Speed Internet and Voice services are all delivered over AT&T's advanced Internet Protocol network.

Customers can currently order AT&T U-verse services in parts of more than 20 local communities, including Beavercreek, Butler Township, Centerville, Clayton, Dayton, Fairborn, Huber Heights, Kettering, Mad River Township, Miami Township, Miamisburg, Moraine, Northridge, Oakwood, Riverside, Springfield, Springfield Township, Vandalia, Washington Township, West Carrollton and Woodbourne-Hyde Park. AT&T will make U-verse services available to more homes throughout the area on an ongoing basis.

Packet8 MobileTalk Adds iPhone

VoIP Monitor — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:33:15 GMT

Packet8 has added the popular Apple iPhone to the list of over 450 mobile handset devices now supported by the Packet8 MobileTalk international calling service. Featuring mobile international calling rates such as $.01 per minute to China, $.02 per minute to the U.K., $.03 per minute to Mexico and $.059 per minute to India, the Packet8 MobileTalk service enables cell phone users to significantly reduce their international phone bills and maintain high digital voice quality while still enjoying the convenience and flexibility of on-the- go mobile calling.

The Packet8 MobileTalk iPhone application does not require a software download but rather uses a customized web-based dialer, accessible via a standard data plan or WiFi connection, to route calls to a unique local Packet8 access number and then on to the Packet8 digital VoIP network. Once the call has been initiated, the data connection is no longer engaged and the call is carried to completion over the cellular provider's network with only Packet8's low international calling rates applied.

Over 450 Windows, Palm, RIM, Symbian-based and iPhone mobile phone models, including the entire family of Blackberry phones running version 4.0 of the operating system and above, and 25 Nokia models running the Symbian OS, are now supported by the Packet8 MobileTalk service. A complete list of supported devices can be found at http://www.packet8.net/mobile_services/supported_phones.aspx.

Customers can sign up for a Packet8 MobileTalk account today at http://mobiletalk.packet8.net. Packet8 MobileTalk overseas calls are billed at Packet8's low international rates which can be found at http://www.packet8.net/international_services/. The complete terms and conditions of service for Packet8's mobile services can be found at https://www.packet8.net/terms/mobile.aspx.

Vonage's First Technology Patent Receives Approval

VoIP Monitor — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:45:05 GMT

Vonage has recently received approval of its first internally developed patent, called "Method and Apparatus for Placing a Long Distance Call Based on a Virtual Phone Number." The invention allows customers to use a virtual number to contact parties at distant locations without incurring long distance charges.

"This is a major milestone for Vonage as we continue to keep innovation at the heart of our corporate value system," said Jeffrey Citron, Vonage Chairman, Chief Strategist and Interim CEO. "We are pleased to have secured this patent, and the depth of talent and creativity here at Vonage that it reflects."

The patent -- No. 7,386,111 -- covers a process for a system that connects calls by converting virtual numbers at an originating point to a physical number associated with a destination point.

A virtual number allows a Vonage customer to have a secondary number where they can be reached. For example, a Vonage customer can get a secondary phone number with the same area code as his mother, so when his mother tries to contact him, she can as a local call even if he lives across the country.

VoIP Supply Selects Bandwidth.com to Deliver Total Business VoIP Solutions

VoIP Monitor — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:58:51 GMT

VoIP Supply has selected Bandwidth.com to provide voice and data services for its end-to-end phone system solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. In selecting Bandwidth.com, VoIP Supply will now be able to offer businesses complete nationwide advanced Internet, VoIP, network and wireless services in addition to its current phone system and VoIP hardware offerings.

The partnership, VoIP Supply's first with a voice and data service provider, represents a strategic investment in the delivery of complete telephony solutions to the small medium business marketplace; allowing the company to further solidify itself as a market leader "with everything you need for VoIP."

"After weighting a couple of options, we found the right partner in Bandwidth.com. Its business culture, offerings and customer-centric approach aligned perfectly with ours," stated Benjamin P. Sayers, CEO at VoIP Supply. "As more businesses consider the switch to IP-based phone systems, Bandwidth.com's flexible and affordable offerings will allow VoIP Supply to be uniquely positioned within the marketplace to help small businesses realize greater cost savings, increased productivity, and painless user management with their VoIP deployments."

"We are very excited about our partnership with VoIP Supply," said Henry Kaestner Co-founder and Chairman of Bandwidth.com. "VoIP Supply is a true leader in the business telecom industry with a commitment to excellence that is readily apparent in all aspects of their business from corporate culture to the way they treat their customers. We believe that this new one-stop shop approach to all things VoIP, from hardware to service, is exactly what businesses are looking for. We look forward to exceeding customer expectations in as give them better telecom functionality and quality, all while saving them money."

VoIP Supply is committed to providing superior IP-based phone system solutions to the small medium business sector. VoIP Supply offers phone system solutions from leading IP PBX providers such as Digium, SwitchVox, Fonality, Grandstream, trixbox, and Talkswitch, among others. For more information on the small medium business IP phone systems from VoIP Supply, please visit VoIP Supply's phone system section.

Tpad to Offers Residential, Mobile and Business VoIP Phone Services Worldwide

VoIP Monitor — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:54:27 GMT

Tpad has developed a new IP PBX Business Solution catering to the lucrative small to medium sized enterprises marketplace. This move is intended to vigorously compete with business VoIP telephony companies such as Packet8, Vonage and Skype. The Tpad solution has been specifically targeted at businesses that require a simple yet powerful, robust phone solution using the latest VoIP technology.

Tpad offers a wide range of next generation telecommunication solutions including a hosted and managed IP PBX package. The hosted IP PBX, hosted IP PBX, called Tpad Lite, will allow any company in the world to have their own private phone system hosted on Tpads global VoIP network.

Using the hosted solution companies will automatically reduce their cost of ownership on expensive communications hardware, as this solution allows them to simply rent access to the hardware from Tpad for a small monthly fee.

If you combine this saving with the massive savings on international VoIP calls using Tpad, this business VoIP solution is very powerful and competitive in the expanding business VoIP marketplace.

New TalkSwitch Management Software 6.10 Enhances VoIP

VoIP Monitor — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:15:59 GMT

TalkSwitch releases its TalkSwitch management software 6.10 in the UK & Ireland. The free software update offers TalkSwitch users new features for enhanced call handling flexibility and increased productivity, including the ability to integrate with multiple Internet Telephony Service Providers, with fail-over to PSTN for added security, plus more extensive diagnostic capabilities to simplify VoIP deployment.

In addition, users will notice a dramatic new Java-based graphical user interface that enhances the intuitive configuration experience, provides extensive help messaging for guidance, and makes installations even simpler.

For the first time customers have the option of integrating with up to 4 different service providers on a single system, allowing them to take advantage of the best offerings from each. If a certain service provider has great rates on local calling they can use that provider, then select a different one that has better long distance or international rates. It's a great way to save money and get the most value and return on their phone system purchase.

There is also a built-in diagnostic tool that allows users to instantly check the status of firewall ports to ensure optimal connectivity for VoIP networking.

Remote management capabilities have been enhanced with support for centralized administration of TalkSwitch system, making TalkSwitch an even more attractive proposition for administrators and value added resellers seeking to manage networks of TalkSwitch systems across different locations.

Software 6.10 is available for free to all existing TalkSwitch customers in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and can be downloaded from: http://www.talkswitch.co.uk/support/software/.

Comcast and Vonage Form Collaboration for Internet Services

VoIP Monitor — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:07:52 GMT

Comcast and Vonage announce a collaborative agreement to address the reasonable network management of Internet services. Comcast committed to work together with Vonage to ensure that network management techniques are chosen that effectively balance the need to avoid network congestion with the need to ensure that over-the-top VoIP services like Vonage work well for consumers.

This is the latest in a series of announcements related to Comcast’s network management practices that demonstrate the company’s commitment to ensure that its customers’ ability to use any application or access any content they choose while avoiding network congestion situations that could affect the consumer experience. In March, Comcast announced it would move to a protocol-agnostic network management approach by the end of 2008, and tests on this approach have already begun. Comcast has announced other collaborations with BitTorrent, Inc. and Pando Networks, as well as participation in the P4P Working Group organized by the Distributed Computing Industry Association. Comcast has also participated in the IETF Workshop on P2P Infrastructure, and will continue to collaborate in the IETF with other ISPs, P2P providers, and others on technologies related to network management and P2P application development.