• Date of call
• Time of call
• Duration of call
• Quality of call - any info, including approximate (great, good, okay, poor, terrible) or even the number of dropouts you experienced.
• Type of VoIP - both delivery medium and interface  (e.g., pure play, soft phone/ IM, power-line, etc.)
• Which VoIP service/ soft phone (e.g., Vonage, Comcast, Skype, Windows Live Messenger)
• Destination locale (local, national, international, or even specific country, state, province)

For example, a few days ago, I spoke to a writer in India using Google Talk, around mid-afternoon, New York time zone. He sounded like he was in the next room, over an intercom system. The quality was very good, but three or four times, his voice dropped out for a few seconds. Although I probably didn't miss any important words, I suspect I didn't hear every word.

If I manage to remember to keep a log over the next few months, I'll be able to analyze the data and compare different VoIP services/ soft phones. If find any interesting patterns, I'll share the information here.

GlobalNet Honduras sees an increased demand for internet service and potential for broadband over DSL as cable have insufficient capacity to satisfy current growth rates. It expects to use the same platforms to offer a complete triple play service in the future.

EnterpriseVoIP eliminates the need to purchase and maintain a local PBX system. It also frees the users from the costly burden of managing numerous voice and data services and vendors. Redundant IP PBX servers, routers, and voice gateways located in carrier-grade facilities allow EnterpriseVoIP to provide carrier-class service at very low cost.

VegaStream’s analog and digital gateways will work in tandem with BandTel’s N-Plus architecture and SIP softswitch technology to allow users access to service from multiple switching centers.

First, consider the mediums of Internet and VoIP delivery, in no particular order.

• Broadband/ high-speed dialup.
• Broadband cable.
• Broadband satellite.
• Broadband power-line. See the UPA (Universal Power Assocation) for more about Internet over power lines.
• Cellluar wireless network.
• Home, office, or municipal Wi-Fi network, which itself will have a broadband connection to the Internet.
• Regular PSTN lines, using a VoIP bridge (e.g., Jajah, Dialpad).
   

From these mediums, you still have choices. For example, you can get pure play VoIP over broadband (e.g., Vonage) or go through your broadband provider - who is very likely to charge you more for the same service, on top of your monthly broadband costs. Unless you get a triple-play bundle, which usually includes TV, Internet access, and VoIP service. But how many small business offices have either high-speed dialup or cable Internet? Some cable companies charge a lot more to install cable for a business than for residential.

And then for on-the-move/ on-the-go calls, you can use either a Wi-Fi VoIP phone or a dual-mode cell phone, over a variety of wireless networks. And depending on the cell phone/ smartphone/ PDA that you have, if any, you may be able to use mobile VoIP over its cellular data network. These plans are often capped at 250 Mb (megabytes) of bandwidth per month, even if the plan is called "unlimited". Some cellular providers will not allow you to use VoIP, by their TOS (terms of service).

As you can see, lots of choices. Each choice has its own advantage or disadvantage, as well as falls into a diverse monthly price range. Not all of these options will be suitable for you, depending on where and how you will use VoIP. So to narrow your choice down further, make up a spreadsheet or table listing your options, in your area, and the costs of available plans. Then cull the list based on the features you want.

The simplest solutions, though not necessarily best for your needs, in my opinion, are:

1. Free soft phones for people who have a computer and broadband Internet access. Skype, Gizmo Project and others have free calling from PC to phone in some countries.
2. A plug'n'play VoIP adapter that will let you use a standard telephone over broadband. The adapter comes as part of a VoIP plan, which is offered to you either from your cable/ broadband provider, or a pure play provider like Vonage.
3. VoIP via PSTN lines using a service such as Jajah. Gizmo Project has something similar as well. Both require you to register yourself and the numbers you will be calling. Gizmo needs for both parties to be registered online.

The first two  require a broadband connection (as do pretty much everything mentioned above). But if you are tech-savvy or have help, there are more sophisticated options, especially when it comes to enterprise or SMB use.

The gist is that outsourced reps who don't know better will be willing to read off lies about VoIP from a script. As the comments after the article show, both cable and pure play VoIP providers will lie as they get their VoIP marketing guns ready. I had a call last Friday from a third-party hired by my cable Internet provider, trying to sell me the same VoIP service under yet another non-technophile-threatening name. I'm wondering if I should not have shooed the person away, and instead listened to what they had to say, even for a laugh. Oh well.

I still maintain that cable providers have the advantage in the VoIP market, but that doesn't mean they're right for everyone, especially in a business environment. If you currently are not using VoIP and do not know where to start, then first ask yourself these questions:

(1) Am I looking for business, residential, or SMB (small and medium business) use?
(2) Will I need e-911 services?
(3) Do I need a computer? (If you don't already have one.)
(4) Am I calling local or long-distance or both?
(5) Will I want/ have to walk around as I talk? (Do I prefer a handset or headset?)
(6) Will the other persons I call be using mobile phones, regular phones, Wi-Fi phones, or soft phones? Or a combination?
(7) How many people use the system simultaneously (peak)? Will I want to spend money on load-balancing.
(8) How many simultaneous incoming calls do I expect?

These are a few basic questions you should know the answer to before you choose a VoIP service. Armed with this knowledge, it's much easier to choose a suitable service. It'll also help you to avoid paying for a telephony feature that is free elsewhere.

The firm’s Q-Series QoS Access Routers were recently used in conjunction with Avaya’s IP Office to upgrade the regular telephone network at the Broward Spine Institute. The Florida-based orthopedic provider migrated to VoIP to effect cost saving measures across its main and satellite offices.

The quality of voice traffic on the revamped communication conduit was maintained at excellent levels by the Quality of Service (QoS) functionality built into Kentrox’s routers.  The routers were used at both office locations to connect to a T1 IP service.

Kentrox is promoting its VoIP QoS solutions at the Internet Telephony Conference & Expo, WEST, scheduled for October 10-13 in San Diego.

Video Chat: SightSpeed or iChat?
Andy Abramson points to a test that PhoneBoy and Luca Filigheddu did to test iChat vs SightSpeed's video-conferencing features, and SightSpeed won. I have not yet had an opportunity to try video-conferencing (see video etiquette rules), but I do love Sightspeed's video chat quality. I'm more than impressed with it, and when more people that I know install it, maybe I'll video-conference then. Now while I like SightSpeed's video quality, I can watch fairly high-quality IPTV channels with Skype.

Fairweather VoIP Call Quality
The New York Times had an indepth, slightly techy piece a few days ago about call quality on different types of VoIP service, as well as fairly easy-to-follow explanation of factors affecting call quality. A interesting piece, but I hope that the general public reading it don't get the wrong impression about VoIP in general. I've had excellent quality calls from both Skype (all the way across the world to a friend who sounded like he was a few feet away) and from Hullo, which sounded crystal clear.

On the other hand, I can see myself in the near future paying for Call-In numbers for possibly Skype and SightSpeed. Except it'd sure be nice to have a single VoIP-based phone number that wasn't tied to any one soft phone. That would be some VoIP holy grail (or a single multi-protocol soft phone). Anyone got anything like that? As far as I can tell, that's not what Grand Central does, but it does let you redirect calls to find you - acting like a hub for all of your phone numbers.

For some people, who have multiple phone numbers, either for regular phones, mobiles, or VoIP soft Call-In numbers, GrandCentral might come in handy. But it's another phone number, which you'll have to give out to everyone - unless you'd rather they just left you voicemail on whatever number of yours that they have.

That's not really what I want, but then I only work from home now and am thus in the minority. (For now anyway.) Still, what I'd really like is a single web-based Call-In phone number associated with either my laptop, desktop, or cell phone/ PDA, attached to one soft phone which could handle calls from any of the popular soft phones (Skype, Gizmo Project, Sightspeed, etc.) and IMs (Instant Messengers) such as Aim Pro, Yahoo Messenger or Windows Live Messenger, etc.

Imagine that communications holy grail. It's a tall order. But I think it might happen before the end of the decade.

A Computer World piece (also linked above) says that 30% of Skype's 100M+ users use the soft phone for business. That's far, far higher than I would have expected, given corporate firewalls and all. As Ken Camp points out, many system administrators are wary of Skype, particularly in terms of network security. (Even Intel was concerned when some of their employees installed it.) That's because of the proprietary communications protocols it uses (despite claims of Skype being cloned). There's also the bandwidth issue, which is one of the problems that SJSU (San Jose State University) was concerned about, and for which they had planned to ban Skype. (Most universities are in fact run like corporations; some even are incorporated. So it's understandable that they would want to watch their bottom line.)

Though with some universities picking Linux-based open source IP telephony systems such as Asterisk, I think that Skype is missing out on a huge opportunity if they don't address these problems. If they're listening, they should also consider the college and university market. There is, of course, Pika Technologies offering, which bridges Skype and Asterisk for enterprise use. However, there are likely still bandwidth and network security
issues, at least in the eyes of sysadmins. As my colleagues are pointing out, if sysadmins cannot monitor and measure activity over their networks, then they are not going to be comfortable with Skype as a campus (or enterprise) VoIP solution.

There are other enterprise issues such as wholesale recording of conversations, which is probably unnecessary for the university market. But aside from that, there is a lot of overlap in IP telephony functionality for both markets. And maybe, just maybe, the security requirements Skype has just satisfied for Intel will satisfy the rest of the corporate market and the university/ college market.

1. Free soft phone software. Soft VoIP clients are almost always free, and not only can you talk in voice mode, you can simultaneously chat in text mode, even share files. A regular telephone? Not a chance. And there are loads of soft clients to choose from. For convenience, here is a VoIP Now article that lists a few soft phones.
2. Free calls PC to PC calls. Calls on homogenous networks are free. Meaning, if you are, say, a Skype member, then you can talk free to another Skype member. Over VoIP networks using an open protocol such as SIP, you can talk to users of any compatible soft VoIP client. Gizmo Project is an example of a SIP-based soft phone. Other calls (see points below) are typically far less than for normal telephony. Small businesses are estimated to save up to 40% on communication costs. Considering that profit margins for new businesses are usually between 0-15% for the first few years, VoIP could make the difference between staying around or going out of business.
3. Calls from PCs to phones. Not only can you call out from your computer to a regular phone or mobile, but such "pc2phone" (aka net2phone) calls are sometimes even free. Skype's SkypeOut promo for Canada and the US allows such calls, including calling to mobiles, for free until the end of December. In France, you can SkypeOut to regular phone lines (but not mobile phones) for free until Dec 31st. Hullo also has free calling for the present time, but which geographical areas this applies to is not clear. Gizmo Project has free pc2phone calls for 60 countries.
4. Calls from phones to PCs. If you get assigned a "Call In" phone number, people call you directly on your computer from a regular phone or cell phone. Such phone2pc calling usually requires you to have a monthly/ yearly subscription for the phone number, and not all cities in the world (let alone countries) are represented yet. But Hullo once again offers this for free, though don't expect a choice in area code for now. Anyway, I used my Hullo number to call myself from my cell phone to my computer, and it worked like a charm. Though I had to make a long-distance mobile call to do it.
5. Calls from phones to phones. Okay, that sounds obvious but by that I mean that with services like Jajah or Hullo, you can call phone2phone using their respective VoIP "bridges". This reduces your per-minute costs (sometimes free). You can also use plug'n'play adapters to connect your regular home phone to your high-speed Internet access and reduce your costs, in case you don't want to use software. Adapters allow anyone with a high-speed Internet connection but no computer.
6. Calls from Wi-Fi VoIP phones or dual-mode cell phones. Need to walk around the house or business while on a call? Wi-Fi VoIP phones allow you to make calls either through your connected computer or through a Wi-Fi base station connected to the Internet. Dual-mode cell phones scan for nearby wireless Internet connections first, and if none is available, the phone will default to a cellular network. VoIP over Wi-Fi provides inexpensive call roaming (compared to cellular roaming).
7. Mobile VoIP. This is not the same as the last item. Many smartphones and connected PDAs have the ability to give you mobile VoIP calls (with the right service/ software) through a cellular data (wireless) network, thus reducing your overall cell phone minutes usage and hence your monthly costs. Imagine being able to call long distance from your cell either free or for next to nothing. You will have to pay your provider an extra monthly fee for access to their data network.
8. Portable phone numbers. Using soft VoIP facilitates having a portable phone number. That means that if you move to another city or country, you can take your number with you. It also means that if you live in a small town but want a big city number that clients can call you on at no charge, you can just get yourself a Call In number. Some telecoms are able to port your landline phone number to VoIP.
9. Cut business operating costs. Depending on what VoIP solution you decide upon, your monthly phone bill could be reduced by hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month. Some estimates, for SMBs, are monthly savings of up to 40% on communication.
10. Sophisticated voice data applications, IVR, and CRM. VoIP turns voices into data, which can be processed, recognized and analyzed, and which can trigger events that help customers through an automated system. Voice applications mean sophisticated IVR (Interactive Voice Response) for call centers and powerful CRM (Customer Relationship Management) solutions for businesses small or large. What's more, if  you want to develop your own apps and you are using an open source package from Asterisk, you can build sophisticated telecom apps on a shoestring - even for as little as 1/100th of the cost using hardware and components from traditionally telephony.
11. Enable a virtual office. With mobile VoIP, free software, free/ cheap calling, Call In numbers and phone number portability, you can have a virtual office. No need to manage multiple phone numbers. If you have a good smartphone or connected PDA with a cellular wireless plan as well, you can go on the road with confidence.

In summary, VoIP offers a fair bit of variety, costs savings for both home and business use, and sophisticated voice data applications for businesses.

Types of Internet service:

1. Pure play - offered by vendors such as Vonage and SunRocket.
2. Broadband - includes cable, high-speed dialup. I suppose satellite goes here too, but some people may put it in its own category.
3. Cellular wireless - Internet access offered by cellular providers under a separate payment plan.

I get the feeling I'm forgetting something, but I can't think what. You can achieve VoIP calling from all three types of Internet service.

Types of VoIP calling:

1. PC to PC. Typically free, but requires software download.
2. PC to phone/ mobile. Requires software and usually a paid Call-Out type of plan.
3. Phone to PC. Requires software and usually a paid Call-In type of plan, including a real phone number.
4. Phone to phone. This requires some sort of plug'n'play adapter or router to convert the regular telephony calls while enroute to the VoIP bridging system. Vonage and Sunrocket are included in this category. You need a broadband Internet connection but not a computer. This is probably the best kind to let your grandma VoIP.
5. Mobile to phone/ mobile. There are several different ways to accomplish this, which are essentially a variation of one of the above types. (I'll get into details another time.) I have had little success with either this or the next type, as mobile VoIP solutions are often phone model-specific.
6. Mobile to PC. This type of calling is prone to just as many problems as the one above.
7. Wi-Fi phone or device to whatever. Wireless phones are essentially an extension of a PC, so this type of calling usually functions as well as calling from a computer. Wireless VoIP calling works over devices that can access the Internet either via a Bluetooth connection on yourconnected computer, or using a wireless router attached to your broadband connection.

The gist of the analysis is that, from an enterprise viewpoint, there were four lessons learned, which result in the conclusion that VoIP is a better choice. Lesson one: use of voicemail wastes time and reduces productivity. Lesson two: conference calling is growing in use, and is poorly handled using regular phones. Lesson three: conference calls often use multiple channels. I.e., voice and text chatting, application sharing, etc. Lesson four: VoIP offers a unified communications channel to support these activities, including video calling.

On a related note, Leon Erlanger has a 4-page article on building VoIP into the enterprise [ComputerWorld], providing several company case studies including Subway restaurants, a school, a credit union, and a training center. Enough there to probably extrapolate from, in case you are planning to convert to VoIP in your business.

Very interesting. I don't think I've come across any other government's telecom authority feeling threatened by VoIP. Sure, there are other issues such as wiretapping and CALEA, but nothing like this that I'm aware of - it almost seems some sort of inversion of Net Neutrality. Then again, Nepal is a relatively small country compared to the US, and VoIP use really could cut into telecom license profits to a significant level.

However, Asterisk's open source nature opens up a lot of aftermarket possibilities for developers to build affordable open source IP telephony systems with plug'n'play modules for custom uses. This is probably already happening, but I haven't studied Asterisk-based development companies enough yet to give you a clear picture. Pika Technologies recently announced a system that bridges Asterisk's IP PBX with Skype's VoIP IM client software. Suffice it to say that I think Asterisk stands a very good chance of making VoIP providers obsolete, with powerful hybrid-Asterisk solutions. Or at least reduce some businesses' (future) dependence on them.

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The two applications were unveiled at VoiceCon Fall 2006, and will be available in the United States from September. Enterprises can leverage IP Toll Free to provide customers with a free contact number while IP IVR enables customers to access a call center using voice commands.

The services are offered either through the Internet or Verizon’s own IP network that runs through 150 countries. Verizon’s network supports gateways between IP and traditional carrier infrastructure, allowing both VoIP and circuit-switched users to tap into it.

Verizon is not offering any cost discounts on these services though. The IP services are priced at the same level as the current circuit-switched Toll Free and IVR services.

Extraneous factors like seating and lighting arrangements and background noise can be ironed out by holding rehearsals. Audio and video quality should also be tested before the actual event.

TalkFree has a unique product offering in the form of ‘VoIP Business in a Box’. Through this it is able to provide a complete, turnkey, plug-and play business to several local in-country distributors and entrepreneurs. These companies are given complete freedom to create their own accounts and set their own rates. The main advantage of this service is that the end users can ‘pay-as-you-go’ are able to pay in their local currency. This makes their job very easy. Other VoIP companies lack this offering and demand immediate payment by credit card. The main countries that the reseller is operating in are Brazil, South America, the Caribbean Basin, Asia and the Middle East. Pr.com reports:

To deliver these services to end users in developing countries, TalkFree assists hundreds of local in-country distributors by providing these entrepreneurs a complete, turnkey, plug-and play business by way of its ‘VoIP Business in a Box.’ For a minimal cost TalkFree distributors create their own global phone company quickly and easily.

TMC Net reports that -

Switchvox SMB is built from open source software and uses open standards. The IP PBX allows companies to make calls using traditional analog lines, as well as VoIP services.

VoIP benefits in the form of increased functionality, greater flexibility, improved productivity and the potential of growing revenue through better customer service is why most corporate sectors are switching to VoIP services. Latest news also has it that many Small offices and Home offices are likely to switch over to VoIP only taking up the subscriber base.

Some interesting stats projected by researchers at Infonetics:

1. In Asia-Pacific VoIP revenue doubled that of Europe and American in 2004.
2. VoIP revenues in North America pretty evenly split between business and residential customers (49 percent and 51 percent, respectively).
3. Residential VoIP in Europe taking up almost 72% in Europe and 83% in Asia-Pacific.
4. Global VoIP subscribers base is expected to top 47 million by the end of the year.

Others getting a piece of the VoIP pie – the cable companies Cablevision and Time Warner Cable both have double-digit share and combined account for more subscribers (39 percent) than market leader Vonage. AT&T, Comcast and Cox are the only other providers with North American VoIP subscriber share greater than 3 percent.

Chinese government is helping China to be a great market leader by encouraging carriers to accelerate the migration to IP Centrex and IP PBX from their existing TDM Centrex. Vonage continues at its top spot in North America with a strong residential and SOHO base, but its market share overall fell from 34% in 2004 to 27% in 2005.

VoIP is officially getting to be a global phenomenon now.

The biggest advantage with this style of operation - You are answerable to only yourself and so you  decide when to work and for how long. The other big advantage this offers is cost savings. You’ll save on infrastructure cost, rent and even your lunch money.

However, one area where the home office cannot make a cost difference is when you look at the expenses of services utilized such as Internet and telephone. For this you still end up paying as much as any regular office. But all that is set to change thanks to VoIP.

Switching to VoIP: The number of US households with income-generating or corporate home offices are more than twice as likely to implement VoIP in the next 12 months compared with households in general, reports vnunet.com.

Not surprising, since VoIP is the cheapest option, in the essential area that is communication. It is best sutied for a home office that has to make frequent International calls. VoIP calls can be quite a saving compared to regular landline calls or mobile phone calls.

Studies also revealed the numbers interested in VoIP...

1. Almost 40 percent of corporate home offices and
2. 23.7 per cent of home-based businesses.
3. Only 10.8 percent of households without home offices are VoIP aware.

Besides cost savings the other important feature that is going to promote VoIP spread into Home Offices is the fact that it permits convergence with Mobile phones.

One thing is for certain with competition already brewing in the VoIP sector and the ever reducing costs of VoIP calls, a switch to VoIP for your home office can only be a win-win situation. Regular homeowners are you listening?

This initial deal was reportedly restructured after what Transcom Australia claims was a failure by Chariot to fund its operations. It looks like Chariot's investment in Transcom was converted to a wholesale distributor agreement. Transcom is currently suing Chariot for $3.2 million over the soured deal.

The agreement has upped Nortel position as the preferred provider of enterprise telephone network solutions for global voice network. It is going to serve about 26,500 users in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Norway, Germany and France for Rolls-Royce company which feels that Nortel is going to simplify their communication network.

Nortel has established itself as a global player having expertise in management and integration of voice and data networks. It enables to deliver a platform to address future communications requirements for a company but there are more challenges when there is a new client. Its global voice network for Rolls-Royce is to make sure that its client receives a comprehensive voice calling services, unified voice, fax and e-mail messaging, and a platform for introduction of advanced mobility services for communications and collaboration. But will it? The numbers of raised eyebrows are less, as decision comes from the Rolls-Royce! Now, Nortel has to live up to expectations galore.

This agreement of acquisition is seen as an act to provide more products to help service providers and Network Equipment Providers (NEP) in enabling connectivity between disparate VoIP networks and deploying Fixed Mobile Convergence as well as IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks in future. SBCs will enable AudioCodes connectivity, policies and security for real-time sessions such as VoIP and video when traversing IP to IP networks.

Industry is poised at the way AudioCodes is to function now onwards with the Netrake team surrounded with speculations on rift between the two. But, according to AudioCodes, it would now be able to offer Session Border Controllers in addition to its Media Gateway and Media Server products, which will be three key network elements within IMS that enable the convergence of networks and applications.

The agreement of purchase price consists of $10 million payable in cash at closing, with an additional $1 million if Netrake achieves certain financial measures as of the closing date. This condition is also viewed as a narrow mindedness on part of AudioCodes that would only give rise to rift (if there isn’t) and not solve its aim to take two teams together jointly. Following the transaction, Netrake will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of AudioCodes.

Involving industry leaders in the IP supply chain, the SPIRIT Consortium includes major EDA tool vendors, IP providers and integrated device manufacturers among its members along with a number of innovative small and medium-sized supply-chain companies. Even last year, MIPS Technologies became a charter member of the system Register Description Language (RDL) alliance, a standards organization established and chaired by Denali Software to promote standardized usage of RDL in the development and delivery of select intellectual property (IP) products used in system-on-chip (SoC) designs. These steps on part of MIPS is showing too much of desperation in its act. Now, together with RDL description language and the SPIRIT Consortium environment-neutral exchange formats MIPS would provide efficient mechanisms for creating SoC design descriptions, and integrating complex design flows.

The SPIRIT Consortium is looking forward to participation from MIPS in helping to implement the specifications that will help accelerate the SoC design process and enable the timely delivery of more flexible and efficient solutions.

"The Asia-Pacific market has typically been on the leading edge of the adoption curve when it comes to new applications and features for enhancing the communications experience. By deploying a Sonus-based IMS-ready architecture, network operators can dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of introducing new services to market, promoting new levels of experimentation and innovation," said Sonus' chairman and CEO Hassan Ahmed in a statement.

Nokia’s VoIP plans are elaborate and the mobile communications giant aims to have phones available that can interoperate with any back end system yet are able to integrate with the VoIP infrastructure. Towards achieving this Nokia has come out with Intellisync integration software. Nokia feels that the availability of Intellisync will allow local enterprises to integrate many types of back-end applications, including those developed in-house, and make them available in the field.

According to General manager of Nokia's enterprise solutions, Vaughn Madeley, "With Intellisync we can provide an enterprise with push e-mail, [but] the IT managers' issues were about how to manage these devices and operating systems which Intellisync allows them to do. Adding the software also allows devices to be erased over the air. The next question was about being able to take back-office CRM systems and bringing them out on the road to devices."

There is demand: It is an undeniable fact that several service providers are moving towards mobile solutions or solutions on the move. Under those circumstances, it is only natural that companies bring out solutions to meet that requirement and the Nokia Inyellisync is a logical step in that direction.

Mobile solutions involves going beyond just Email and voice communications to CRM. It remains for both the organization making the switch and for the service providers to understand the business needs fully before they can come out with a working optimal solution.

Nokia's new E Series will ship out with the requisite client software pre-installed and the Intellisync server has to be purchased separately. According to Vaughn "As a dual-mode device, if you are running a VoIP environment at the end of this year you will be able to get a client that will allow you to step from a GSM to VoIP by switching manually and seamlessly, in the future.

Business Process Outsourcing is yet another method and many have successfully outsourced their processes to India and China. Interestingly there is yet another way of reducing one’s operational costs even more - slashing your phone bills.

In today’s age of VoIP phones, do you need to really look any further for a more cost effective solution? Leading the way down this unchartered path is Rolls Royce. Rolls Royce has signed a contract worth US$20m (£11m) to transform its phone network into a single network providing voice over IP services (VoIP).

Considering it has in excess of 36,500 employees spread across the globe, Rolls Royce definitely sees the savings it can generate from making this switch over. Once the new system is in place, the global voice network will provide Rolls Royce with comprehensive voice calling services, unified voice, fax and e-mail messaging.

According to the company IT director Jim Reed, ‘we wanted to transform and simplify the network and telephony infrastructure. It delivers a highly comprehensive and competitive managed service as well as the ability to build large, reliable networks for delivery of new services.’ Nortel has been entrusted with the responsibility of this major transformation.

Initially it would provide the network connectivity to its Rolls Royce Offices in the UK, US, Canada, Norway, Germany and France. Nortel will handle the complete integration and deployment of the IP telephones and associated software and also manage the existing TDM based networks.

Clearly Rolls Royce will be setting corporate standards in global use of VoIP thereby heralding a totally new generation. Once this project is complete the company could also probably think of future introduction of advanced mobility services for communications and collaboration virtually anytime and anywhere.

You have just divulged all your details to a fraudster who was VISHING your details away! Gone are the times, when scammers emailed unsuspecting web surfers email links to fake sites that phished your details, it seems. In today’s age of cheaper VoIP calls over the Internet or Wi Fi phones, crooks no longer depend greatly on emails and fake websites to wreak havoc.

Vishing, coined from “voice” and “phishing” begins with an automated recorded message alerting you of a banking emergency and directs you to call a certain phone number to resolve your problems. According to Secure Computing - a company that makes security appliances, once the account holder calls that specified number; they would be instructed to enter their sixteen-digit credit card number amongst other things.

Asking for your PIN number is a big red flag for anyone but the automated message and the urgency makes even careful people throw caution to the winds. Almost every bank warns their customers not to ever let out their card number or PIN number to any bank employee. Why on earth would then a customer care if that very bank now insists on hearing from you your card number? Well in times of crisis logic and reason cease to exist and that vulnerability is exactly what these crooks tap into.

Vishing is basically phone based and crooks set up voice response systems using stolen identities are using even personal mobiles. Elsewhere in the UK and Iceland, crooks are using mobile phones to send SMS text messages to lure people into malicious web sites. Whichever the method, the crooks are out to get as much of your personal and confidential information as you so carelessly part with.

According to Paul Henry, vice president of strategic accounts for Secure Computing, who was talking about vishing: "Consumers need to be extra-vigilant when giving out their information on the phone. Common sense is the first line of protection." But, common sense is not so common after all is it?

You have just divulged all your details to a fraudster who was VISHING your details away! Gone are the times, when scammers emailed unsuspecting web surfers email links to fake sites that phished your details, it seems. In today’s age of cheaper VoIP calls over the Internet or Wi Fi phones, crooks no longer depend greatly on emails and fake websites to wreak havoc.

Vishing, coined from “voice” and “phishing” begins with an automated recorded message alerting you of a banking emergency and directs you to call a certain phone number to resolve your problems. According to Secure Computing - a company that makes security appliances, once the account holder calls that specified number; they would be instructed to enter their sixteen-digit credit card number amongst other things.

Asking for your PIN number is a big red flag for anyone but the automated message and the urgency makes even careful people throw caution to the winds. Almost every bank warns their customers not to ever let out their card number or PIN number to any bank employee. Why on earth would then a customer care if that very bank now insists on hearing from you your card number? Well in times of crisis logic and reason cease to exist and that vulnerability is exactly what these crooks tap into.

Vishing is basically phone based and crooks set up voice response systems using stolen identities are now using even personal mobiles. Elsewhere in the UK and Iceland, crooks are using mobile phones to send SMS text messages to lure people into malicious web sites. Whichever the method, they are out to get as much of your personal and confidential information as they can to take you to the cleaners.

According to Paul Henry, vice president of strategic accounts for Secure Computing, who was talking about vishing: "Consumers need to be extra-vigilant when giving out their information on the phone. Common sense is the first line of protection." But, common sense is not so common after all is it?

Who did not qualify include Cingular Wireless, the No. 1 U.S. wireless carrier, was one of the bidders that failed to initially qualify, according to forms filed with the FCC. However, Verizon Wireless and Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile have qualified to participate in an August sale of valuable wireless licenses, according to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

Companies are interested in netting the 1,122 licenses to get more more third-generation mobile networks capable of shuttling voice, data, video and other services at higher speeds.

VoIP service on airplanes - In June, the FCC auctioned off frequencies for in-flight wireless Internet access on all domestic flights. These licenses allow the carriers to offer wireless seat-back phone service as well as Internet broadband access on all domestic flights. Decision has not been made to lift the ban of cell phones and VoIP access on airlines by the FCC and FAA. However, FCC has already begun proceedings to determine the feasibility and safety of such a service.

Frequent business flier survey reveals fliers don't want cell phones and VoIP on planes: This entire race to get the wireless license strangely is not doing much for the targeted consumers of these companies it seems. An International Airline Passengers Association (IAPA) survey of frequent business travelers released last week found the respondents fear “that the impending introduction of cell phones onboard commercial jets will be disruptive, anti-social and even dangerous, possibly even sparking air rage between passengers, according to Travel.com.

An astonishing 69 percent of the respondents said they used voice and video conferencing facilities as a routine in the course of their work. As many as 73 percent said they would be switching to IP standards and methods as a way to reduce operational costs, while 57 percent are planning to review and upgrade their voice and data requirements this year.

Poor picture and sound quality being ghosts of the past, the virtual conference table has spawned a large number of advantages for businesses of all kinds, especially those in the financial and manufacturing spheres. With the advent of the broadband high speed connection, video conferencing is now being used by 69 percent of the financial services industry, 65 percent of the manufacturing industry, and 56 percent of the retail, distribution, and transport industry.

VoIP and video conferences enable organizations to take decisions in real-time, besides reducing the costs associated with telecommunications and traveling between venues. Employee training and collaboration, document reviews, and virtual presentations are a few other benefits of this technology.

The survey was commissioned by Zycko, which provides storage, voice, and network distribution services, and was conducted by Vanson Bourne, which offers research-based IT marketing and consultancy services. 

TeliaSonera estimates around 30 to 40 new customers will be using the new service in the Nordic countries, Europe and the U.S. before the end of this year. The company believes that voice over IP will grow by 10 percent each quarter in Western Europe and that 30 percent of broadband users will use IP-telephony by the end of 2007.

When employees move around an IP telephony network, one of the benefits is they can plug their phones into any LAN (local area network) points and still retain their call preference. So if you have  businesses far-flung in Europe and Asia you can have your people in these areas connected to you cost effectively and yes you can carry your phone extensions along to meeting rooms and just plug in to check with them.

Now if that is not empowering your people, the demand for IP communications that is growing in all enterprises small and medium businesses will not be the reality it is today. But, this was not the case till IP telephony happened in a big way as many SMB customers were without an in-house phone-conferencing bridge because the infrastructure required to achieve this is typically far too expensive.

Today technology can transform a small and medium businesses and humble home offices to operate like a large enterprise. Voice over IP helps employees in getting instant access to the data irrespective of the location. Customers are also able to deploy network with less upfront costs or with extensive in-house expertise, so it is preferred not only by business but also by an individual.

Therefore, if a business frequently schedules conference calls its not a big deal anymore cost wise. I know of several individuals who revived their home business thanks to VoIP enabling them to talk to customers all over the world. The time is great for home businesses! To sum up, VOIP is easy to understand, operate and yes the mobility part of the technology is indeed empowering.