Thanks to the rapid adoption of standards based open source and open source based VoIP systems, the emergence of HD Voice and the rebounding of prosumer spending, a plethora of manufacturers will have a new Voip phone hitting the streets over the next three months.

Here’s a quick round-up of what you’ll see.
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VoIP phone market heating up

One step in that direction was their recent tapping of Voxbone, a provider of worldwide telephone numbers and origination services for voice carriers, to help bring Nimbuzz users the ability to make voice calls without 3G of Wi-Fi connectivity.

In a market known for services that are often clunky to use, Nimbuzz can now detect when a user is out of Wi-Fi or 3G range then seamlessly dial a local Voxbone access number and route the call over the Internet. Nothing changes for the user, except more ways to make low cost (or free) calls.

This new functionality also opens up new markets for Nimbuzz, as they will now be able to provide reliable Mobile VoIP calling outside of Internet range as well as over 2G networks.

Nimbuzz might not be a mass market application yet, but if they keep taking steps like this, it might not be long before they are.

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Nimbuzz gains a step thanks to Voxbone

A perfect example is recent news that VoIP, Video and IP Surveillance equipment manufacturer Grandstream Networks has teamed with NextIX Systems and Abot Tanaw to provide millions of Overseas Filipino Workers free video phone calling to their family living in the Philippines.

They’re doing it by deploying hundreds of Grandstream GXV3000’s located at six different malls in Philippines and a video call center in Hong Kong (with plans already set for sites in Philippines). Not exactly what you’d call traditional consumer video calling.

But these day’s it’s niche applications like this that are sprouting up everywhere you look.

Of course perennial front runners Polycom and Cisco are both shaping and growing the overall market, but even their video conferencing solutions often used in niche applications. Especially in the health care sector.

However it’s innovative video phone calling players like Skype and ooVoo that seem to be doing the most to foster new and exciting ways to use video phone technology. Introducing the technology to millions of new faces, in thousands of different ways.

Traditional consumer video phone calling services are not going to die, but video calling over an IP network is a flexible, portable, customizable application. As more standardization and interop happens within the idustry, it’s inevitable that even more niche applications for video phone calling will arise.

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Niche applications driving video calling adoption

That’s why Robert Mitchell’s account of his dealings with Vonage’s technical support was interesting to read.

It’s a textbook case on the trade-offs that come with the usage of VoIP. And a look into what VoIP providers deal with when consumers expectations exceed their budgets.

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Price or support?

The one trend that seems to be awakening the VoIP equipment market is the ever growing demand for high quality, reliable mobility solutions. As VoIP adoption has continued to grow, residential, small business and enterprise customers have become increasingly intrigued by the benefits of mobility.

For some time, 802.11 b/g wireless Voip phones and “systems” were all the rage. But over the last few years technological limitations and false expectations have limited most 802.11 b/g wireless VoIP deployments to small footprints and ultra controlled environments.

It’s also driven VoIP bloggers, manufacturers, service providers and users nuts.

Enter DECT, short for Digital Enhance Telecommunications, an ETSI standard for digital portable phones (cordless telephones). You’ve surely heard of it. It’s been used for over a decade and is used by the majority of cordless home telephones.

Pain, meet band-aide.

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DECT VoIP phones growing in popularity

A year ago at this time, news of a mobile VoIP provider being acquired would have garnered a ton of headlines. Today, there was barely a footnote mentioning the sale of Jaxtr to Sabse Technologies, an 18 month old start-up backed by Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia.

Jaxtr, like many other companies at the time, fell victim to the economy and the lack of an active revenue generation model forcing it to trim its operations.  Many at the time proclaimed it to be the begin of the end.

I took an optimist’s view. It seems that today’s news lands in between the two.

What then does this say about the mobile VoIP industry?

There’s still interest, but not at the same price as once before. The industry is still alive, but it looks a lot different than a year ago.

Front runner truphone is still going strong. fring continues to add features, functionality and users. Skype for the iPhone was a huge hit, even with limited functionality.

But for those mobile VoIP providers that continue to forge ahead, others have decided on a new path. Companies like Mobivox and Numbuzz have looked to partner with carriers, rather than compete directly.

Others are no longer in business.

The sale of Jaxtr is only the beginning of the M&A activity that will be seen over the next 12 to 18 months within the mobile VoIP industry. As for predicting who’s next, my guess is as good as yours - but expect more than one deal to go down by the end of this year.

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Jaxtr gets sold, which mobile VoIP provider is next?

One industry that is currently moving from analog to IP, much in the same manner as voice, is video surveillance. Like voice, video surveillance has historically been a closed circuit analog technology.

But with advances in technology, lead by current market leader Axis, IP surveillance has continually gained momentum. Even as the economy has flattened the growth of the IP surveillance industry on the whole, there is no refuting the fact that IP IS the future of surveillance.

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Cisco continues creeping into IP surveillance

According to a statement released by eBay recently, eBay is discontinuing Skype voice and chat buttons in listings as of 10th June 2009 in an effort to remove features with limited buyer and seller usage. The move will start with eBay’s UK site and one can assume it will eventually happen across all of eBay’s sites.

You’d think that at a time when you’re getting ready to sell or go public the eBay team would be trying to increase usage (thus resulting in increased profits) - not decrease it. Sure eBay should protect it’s proprietary innards that Skype is tied to, but remove it completely?

That just doesn’t make business cents.

Scoop via TechCrunch

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eBay’s mishandling of Skype continues

The Cisco SPA8800 is an affordable VoIP Gateway option for small medium businesses and VoIP service providers. The Cisco SPA8800 is SIP based and features four (4) FXS ports for connecting traditional telephones and or fax machines.

The Cisco SPA8800 also features four (4) FXO ports for connecting POTS lines, allowing PSTN connectivity for VoIP phone systems. In addition, the SPA8800 features a convenient amphenol connector interface on the back of the gateway allowing for an easy connection to a telco punch-down block or mini RJ11 patch panel.

The SPA8800 comes with the familiar Linksys web based GUI and in playing with unit, even inexperienced users shouldn’t have much trouble setting up and maintain the gateway.

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Cisco SPA8800 Released

One such player is Sangoma. The publicly traded supplier of telephony cards and software out of Markham, Ontario is looking to emerge from the enormous shadow cast by Digium by developing solutions that work with Windows.

Sangoma’s latest offerings (NetBoarder VoIP Gateway Cards and NetBoarder Express 2.0 software), announced today, are designed for those end users, systems builders, reseller and integrators leveraging Windows who want to roll their own VoIP gateways and Voip phone systems. Similar to what tens of thousands of folks have been doing for the last few years with Linux based platforms like Asterisk.

While a home grown VoIP gateway or phone system is nothing new, Sangoma’s move into the Windows market is and can be seen as a signal that market for Windows based telephony products is a viable one.

Only time will tell if this is the case, but for now at least one Windows proponent is excited about Sangoma’s move.

Nick Galea, CEO of 3CX, whose Windows based phone system has continued to win favor with customers, says the move by Sangoma is, “[Good] for our customers because the complete solution of Sangoma, plus NetBoarder Express 2.0, plus 3CX will be easy to install, easy to use and very cost effective.”

That’s an offering that’s sure to attract interest from the Windows market.

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Windows market still attracting interest