Residential VoIP
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If you use VoIP to make a lot of calls and have concerns about call quality,
what you might try doing is keeping a call log, which you can analyze
later. Use a spreadsheet or word processor program, and keep all or
some of the following information in a grid or table form:
- 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.
Written by ewriter on October 6th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Software and Business VoIP and Networks and Residential VoIP.
Are you aware of the latest market trends in the growth of residential VoIP services within US? Do you have a broadband connection at home? Have you surrendered your landline connection or have got plans to do so in the near future? If 'yes' you are one of the innumerous people who have led to the recent tremendous growth of residential VoIP in USA.
Voip-news.com describes the latest report from Telephia with respect to the growth of residential VoIP in US. You should not be surprised to know that Vonage takes up the huge chunk of the residential VoIP market followed by Verizon VoiceWing, AT & T CallVantage, SunRocket and Lingo. The connectivity, cost factor and customer service are the major criteria pointed out by the people for their switching between VoIP vendors.
Click here to read one of our previous post on "Options For VoIP Service"
Written by Priya Venkatesh on October 6th, 2006 with no comments.
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Honduras is all set to welcome VoIP services from GlobalNet Honduras, a local ISP. The company will team up with technology from digital video technologies company Thomson to launch its VoIP services over a DSL network. More than 25,0000 corporate and home users are expected to take advantage of these services that will utilize Cirpack softswitch solutions from Thomson. TMC Net reports:
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.
Written by pushpa27 on October 6th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Business VoIP and Residential VoIP.
Want to check in on your home while you're at work or somewhere?
Worried that men in black will be visiting your place to plant bugs?
Create your own inexpensive home security by turning to Skype for
essentially free home monitoring. All you need is a webcam, two Skype
accounts, and a broadband connection. Run one Skype video window at home, set to automatic answer, and another wherever you are. More details at VoIP-Sol.
Of course, unless you keep both Skype windows going, you will not have constant monitoring. You can do the same thing with Sightspeed, which some people, including myself, think has better quality video calling.
Now while you basically have your own CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) system this way, you might still want something like InnovAlarm or Alarm.com to actually warn the authorities if you have an invader. Unless it's them paying your place a visit.
Written by ewriter on October 4th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Skype and Software and Security and Residential VoIP.
The number of options for VoIP service that you have available to you
are quite numerous, whether for business or for residential use. If you
have asked your self some questions about VoIP usage, then you can look at some of the options.
First, consider the mediums of Internet and VoIP delivery, in no particular order.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Written by ewriter on October 4th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Software and Business VoIP and Networks and Residential VoIP.
Can't vouch for this myself, but a couple who have an IT security background relate a recent incident when the wife received a call from Comcast,
and all the "lies" the rep supposedly told her about Vonage, to get her
to switch to the more expensive Comcast "Digital Voice" service. This
is an interesting read, as are the comments that follow it.
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.
Written by ewriter on October 3rd, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Standards and Business VoIP and Residential VoIP.
It all began when Vozin Communications, big fans of Google Talk and its open source code, decided to change the way Google talk worked with their Talqer soft client.
It solved the serious limitation that Google talk had – that it could only talk to those with an Internet connection. Google talk was surely not making the most that VoIP had to offer.
Talqer (pronounced "Talker") is a downloadable client that either integrates into Google Talk or can run on its own. If you choose to run it from Google Talk, that client will now have a button to launch the Talqer dial pad.
Other interesting features include the ability to keep track of the calls made and integration with the Internet explorer etc. Not just that Talqer even offered crystal clear communication in comparison to Skype. Without getting into a discussion about the tariff plans, one can safely say that Talqer matched all the features of Skype or bettered it.
But that was Google talk. What happened to other popular messengers such as Yahoo and MSN messenger now called the (now called Windows Live Messenger)?
Despite the fact that Talqer was based on an open VoIP standard, Google Talk could not communicate with the other popular messengers. Good news for all the MSN users - they can now use Google Talk using GTalk2VoIP and get...
- Cheap outgoing calls from Google Talk or Windows Live Messenger (WLM) to any telephone number (PSTN) around the world.
- Incoming calls from PSTN to Google Talk or WLM users (phone number lease service).
Free voice mail service, voice conference chat service for Google Talk or WLM users.
- Ranking (by voting and real-time ASR monitoring) of VoIP service providers used for your call’s routing.
- Free off-line messaging for Google Talk users.
- Call from the Web service allows you to receive phone calls from your potential customers right from your web site.
- Free outgoing/incoming calls to/from SIP phones.
- Free access to Google Talk and WLM from PSTN via SIPBroker.
GTalk2VoIP requires no software to be downloaded. Assuming you already have Google Talk, all it requires if for you to add an email address to your Google Talk contacts and chat away.
Written by shiama on September 30th, 2006 with no comments.
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VoIP is extending its reach to far-flung areas that do not have access to telecom services. Bangladesh is all set to deploy the IMS-compliant BroadWorks VoIP application platform from BroadSoft which includes features such as hosted PBX, Business Trunking, Mobile PBX and Call Center. UTC Associates has been chosen to distribute the platform to enterprises and households across Bangladesh. VoIP Services reports:
“BroadSoft is committed to being a catalyst for improving the communications infrastructure in Bangladesh and prompting further investment and advancement of technology in this emerging market,†said BroadSoft’s president and CEO Michael Tessler in a statement.
Written by pushpa27 on September 30th, 2006 with no comments.
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Ken Camp's New IP Media Blog
Ken Camp has moved his old blog about VOIP, IP media, and unified communciations. Congrats and good luck. From what I can tell, posts from the old site have been moved over.
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.
Written by ewriter on September 29th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Skype and Software and Business VoIP and Residential VoIP.
Andy Abramson talks about GrandCentral,
a new beta telephony service that lets you manage your phone numbers
from a single GC phone number. He explains why he likes it, despite PhoneBoy's and Ken Camp's
dislike. Don't know about you, but I like to have a single phone
number. When I worked for a certain large telecom's consulting
division, I carried my own pager plus one from the company, and my cell
phone, which later became two. Four phone/ pager numbers for
communication is absurd. I only keep one cell number now, a million
email addresses, a dozen VoIP soft phone accounts, but no other phone
numbers other than the one that I received free from Hullo. Still, I know no one using Hullo, so I only have one (cell) phone number to manage, at present.
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.
Written by ewriter on September 29th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Skype and Software and Business VoIP and Networks and Residential VoIP.
Comcast Cable, a company leading the subscriber race for cable VoIP, declared last week that they will not prioritize and tier Internet access. Earlier this year, broadband Internet providers
stirred up a hornet's nest when they announced that they planned to
charge differentrates for different customers and possibly different
types of traffic. Anyone who didn't pay would have their web traffic prioritized accordingly.
This
decision by Comcast should make net neutrality proponents very happy.
(If only all the other cable companies followed suit, then things would
be wonderful.) Comcast, who only entered the VoIP arena earlier this
year, has been doing so well with their VoIP subscriber numbers (one
million already) that they are adding 4000 jobs.
One theory states that broadband ISPs (Internet Service Providers) want
to implement a tiered Internet because of concerns that VoIP calls
would consume their Internet bandwidth, costing them profits if they
had to increase capacity.
Written by ewriter on September 27th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Networks and Residential VoIP.
Voice over Internet Protocol, aka VoIP, is revolutionizing
telecommunications for many reasons. VoIP may have a few flaws compared
to traditional telephony, such as still lagging call quality, depending
on the provider. There is also no standard e-911 service, but some
providers have their own solutions. Still, VoIP has numerous benefits
for both the home user and the business user. Here are eleven reasons
you should use VoIP (aka IP telephony, IP communications, etc.).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Written by ewriter on September 26th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Skype and Software and Wireless and Business VoIP and Residential VoIP.
A recent study [via SDA Asia] by Keynote Systems indicates that the IP phone call quality of the twelve leading VoIP providers is better than that of regular telecoms. In general, VoIP quality has improved since last December. The study compares Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger (soft phone) against 11 VoIP providers from both pure play (adapter-based hard VoIP) and broadband (digital cable) categories.
The list of VoIP providers, based on subscriber numbers, consists of AT&T, Comcast, Lingo, Packet8, Skype, SunRocket,
TimeWarner Cable, TrueVoice, Verizon, Vonage, Vonics and the
aforementioned Messenger. A separate but related study compares
end-user experience of Messenger and Skype based on usage in New York
and San Francisco areas.
According to the first report, where VoIP seems to lag behind PSTN
is in audio delay. However, I think that as more powerful computer
chips and voice processing algorithms are employed, this will improve
as well, in all categories. The full report is available for purchase.
Keynote, by the way, has several free white papers
(registration required) on VoIP and voice data applications in their
resource library. A couple of the papers discuss "load testing" for
websites and web applications. I haven't read them yet, however, I've
quickly scanned the one entitled "Enterprise Load Testing for Web
Applications". While it is a technical paper in terms of topic, it
seems accessible to someone comfortable around computers and savvy
enough with some of the intracies of the Internet and web servers.
Proper load testing and load balancing on larger VoIP telephony systems
will definitely go a long way towards keeping call quality high. What's
more, load-balanced VoIP systems are less susceptible to DDoS
(distributed denial of service) attacks.
Written by ewriter on September 25th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Vonage and Software and Networks and Residential VoIP.
This is just a quick summary on the types of Internet service and the types of VoIP calling that result.
Types of Internet service:
- Pure play - offered by vendors such as Vonage and SunRocket.
- Broadband - includes cable, high-speed dialup. I suppose satellite goes here too, but some people may put it in its own category.
- 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:
- PC to PC. Typically free, but requires software download.
- PC to phone/ mobile. Requires software and usually a paid Call-Out type of plan.
- Phone to PC. Requires software and usually a paid Call-In type of plan, including a real phone number.
- 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.
- 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.
- Mobile to PC. This type of calling is prone to just as many problems as the one above.
- 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.
Written by ewriter on September 22nd, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Vonage and Wireless and Business VoIP and Residential VoIP.
News reports in Nepal are suggesting that the ISPAN (Internet Service
Providers Association of Nepal) is causing the loss of revenue to the
Nepal Telecommunications Authority and to the Nepalese government due
to ISPs allowing international calls via VOIP. The ISPAN denies this,
but given that this appears to be the case in other countries it
wouldn't be surprising if it's happening in Nepal. It's not clear from
this Nepal News
article whether VoIP is illegal, but ISPAN said that their ISPs cannot
be responsible for their own clients' misuse of services.
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.
Written by ewriter on September 15th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Business VoIP and Networks and Residential VoIP.
A new research study conducted by IDC revealed that households with home-based businesses are likely to adopt VoIP telephone technology in large number. Adoption rate among home business users is higher than that among residential users. At present, 39.1% of corporate home offices and 23.7% of independent home businesses in the US are planning to use VoIP in some way. This compares to just 10.8% of other households. IDC predicts that this trend will continue to develop over the next few years.
In another post, I had provided information about global IP phone sales. The post was titled as "Global IP Phone Sales Reach $500m".
Written by Sagar on September 8th, 2006 with no comments.
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A few weeks ago, I had written a post titled "Growth of Residential VoIP Users" on consumer VoIP. Today, I will discuss another important aspect of residential or consumer VoIP. The adoption of consumer VoIP in the workplaces is gaining momentum. Most enterprises are now familiar with consumer VoIP. If you think on the consumer side of business, you will find that consumer VoIP products and services such as Web phone and Digital Phone Service have been adopted by business enterprises.
It has been noticed that customers hardly care about how and why something works or not. They just care about price, service and latest trends. Consumer VoIP is driving the business adoption much faster than the business VoIP. You should not be surprised over this. Most employees of companies today are not familiar with VoIP technology. They are just concerned with the benefits and enhanced productivity features.
Written by Sagar on August 23rd, 2006 with no comments.
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IPcelerate is proud of the work it has done at the Prairie Island Indian Community. The communications-based software applications provider has set up a VoIP network across all the 150 community member households in the community to allow easy access between all members and to the Prairie Island Police Department. The solution uses the VoIP applications platform IPsession to enable swift notification to all houses in case of an emergency, and the IPstudio that allows the recording of calls and also preserves voice mail. The community and IPcelerate engaged in an Application Discovery Workshop before coming up with a solution that would address the critical communications needs of the community. TMC Net reports:
Offering customers security is nothing new to IPcelerate. Just last month, the company launched IP Video Surveillance, a solution for recording and monitoring video sessions in an organization’s IP network. IP Video Surveillance is an add-on application server to IPsession.
Written by pushpa27 on August 12th, 2006 with no comments.
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News has it that VoIP service providers are reaping rich profits from the services they provide. Revenues have been found to double practically all over the world from North America, Europe to the Asia Pacific in the year gone by. It is also predicted that VoIP will continue to ride a HIGH till about 2010.
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.
Written by shiama on August 1st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Business VoIP and Residential VoIP.
Small Office Home Office or SOHO is an old concept. Basically it referred to people who had converted a small portion of their homes into offices and operated from there.
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?
Written by shiama on August 1st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Business VoIP and Residential VoIP.
The cost-effectiveness of VoIP services is forcing the players in the regular fixed line telecom industries to slash prices for their offerings. Verizon has reduced its monthly unlimited service rate to $35 from $60, while AT&T is offering unlimited long distance calling for $40 instead of $50.
But the big guns are not too worried, as they are coming up with other ways to keep the dollars flowing in steadily. The New York Times reports that customers who give up their landlines often sign up for broadband services or purchase a mobile phone connection. AT&T benefits either way, since the telecommunications provider provides broadband services and also owns Cingular, the wireless cell phone service provider, jointly with BellSouth.
These large organizations are also looking to usher in a tiered method of service for the Internet, where companies willing to pay more will be offered faster, higher quality services. This concept hits at the neutrality of the web, and smaller organizations fear they will be left behind in the e-commerce playing field.
But the larger telecoms argue that with the virtual space becoming more and more congested, it’s time something was done to bring some order to the cyber traffic. This proposal will allow those who have the capacity to pay to use the high-speed lane, while the rest will have to wait their turn for a free road.
The smaller fry have rallied support at SaveTheInternet.com where petitions are being signed to prevent discrimination amongst users of the Internet.
Written by pushpa27 on July 23rd, 2006 with no comments.
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That's what happened when a couple of Chinamen did a bit of reverse engineering. They cracked the Skype Internet Protocol. Skype could be in trouble with inroads being made into its IP even though they claim nothing will affect them. However, the competitors mean business.
According to Charlie Paglee, CEO of VOIP startup Vozin Communications, in Fremont, Calif., engineers at a small research outfit in China have cracked Skype's proprietary protocol to create a third-party application capable of connecting to Skype's 100 million users.
For Skype this means, they could have a competitor, especially, if the company chooses to leverage Skype to deliver advertisements. With features like free ads the third-party application would emerge as alternative. There’s more - "They have plans to add presence, instant messaging, and a host of other features. Their end goal is to create a client 100 percent compatible with Skype," Paglee said in his blog.
Skype enjoys its supreme status thanks to its architecture as a distributed system that relies on using Super Nodes. Super Nodes handle the address book, negotiate call establishment and in some cases relaying calls when a direct connection between two clients cannot be established.
The Chinese imitation of the Skype client refuses to act, as a Super Node in a Skype network, but it must still rely on other Super Nodes to achieve its goals. With increased users of the knock off Skype, Super Nodes could be overloaded and could bring down the system.
Super Node Technology: A Super Node acts as a relay between two distant Skype callers, currently, each Skype super node can handle about 10 simultaneous connections for a total of 200,000 connections or 400,000 users. There are 20,000 such super nodes on the Skype system.
Finally, about the quality of the imitators' call – Paglee says, it is not any where near the quality of Skype. The call got cut after ten minutes abruptly and there was some echo and you can bet they are trying to rectify all that soon.
Written by shiama on July 17th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Skype and Residential VoIP.
If you were to look at things from a crooks point of view, VoIP is the new area to target the innocent. However, you look at it, it makes sense. VoIP is cheap and you can be conned by someone half way across the globe!
With the spread of VoIP and reduction of cost per calls, it has become very economical for crooks reach you from anywhere in the world. Sitting across seas or even from another town, in the comforts of their homes and that too at the cheapest possible rates. It’ a match made in heaven – VoIP and identity thieves.
If you are not careful and you maybe answering calls that prompt you to reveal sensitive information pertaining to your bank accounts or credit cards. Let me warn you another point to note is that in most cases these crooks get away with a large chunk of YOUR money.
Difficult to trace: VoIP services allow phishers or vishers as they are called sometimes to cheaply add and cancel phone numbers that are harder to trace than conventional numbers. So even if there are fingerprinting algorithms smart enough to identify the phone numbers used in VoIP phishing attacks, it will not do any good.
The modus operandi of these VoIP scammers:
1. Pose as bank employees who email/phone unsuspecting customers
2. Direct them to dial a telephone number
3. Then phish the personal information needed to gain access
4. Use this data to siphon out all their money from the bank accounts.
VoIP services are reducing the costs associated with conducting such attacks, providing the perpetrators with a lower risk of discovery.
What can you do?
1. Do not dial phone numbers received in e-mails that appear to be from banks
2. Do not call up numbers received from automated messages from VoIP phones or even cell phones
3. Dial the numbers printed on your bank ATM cards always.
Written by shiama on July 16th, 2006 with no comments.
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“Sorry sir, there seems to be a problem with your bank accounts. Please call…for instructions to assist our managers to fix this problem†- alarming news received on your Skype phone. Panic sets in, you call up the number prompted and proceed to help the person trying to help you fix the problem...
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?
Written by shiama on July 11th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Security and Business VoIP and Networks and Residential VoIP.
“Sorry sir, there seems to be a problem with your bank accounts. Please call…for instructions to assist our managers to fix this problem†- Alarming news received on your Skype phone. Panic sets in, you call up the number prompted and proceed to help the person trying to help you fix the problem...
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?
Written by shiama on July 11th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Security and Business VoIP and Networks and Residential VoIP.
Though Internet telephony made its debut in India four years ago in 2002, it has gained immense popularity over the past few months. VoIP usage, which was recorded at 56 million minutes during the Q3 in 2005-2006, has registered a sharp increase to almost a billion minutes during Q4. The average international long distance (ILD) telephony market usage stands at a mere 600 million minutes per quarter.
The surge is attributed to various reasons, including the increase in bandwidth, courtesy broadband networks, a well-regulated license regime, permission to use VoIP for domestic calls, and the fact that users don’t have to pay access deficit charges (ADC) as in the case of ILD calls, which makes VoIP a quality, cost-effective option. But TRAI, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, reports that Internet telephony has always been widely used in India, but internet service providers (ISPs) are reporting the correct statistics only now.
When VoIP was introduced in 2002, over 120 ISPs were permitted by the government to offer their customers the service, but only 32 took advantage of the allowance. Other ISPs resorted to providing the service without paying license fees due to the government, hence the need to under-report the usage. But now, they are mandated to pay six percent of their annual revenues as license fees, which is why they report the right numbers that use Internet telephony.
Written by pushpa27 on July 10th, 2006 with no comments.
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The South Korean Ministry of Information and Communications is stirring up a hornets’ nest by denying access to VoIP services in U.S military bases in the Asian country. Internet telephony is the preferred mode of long distance communication as it is relatively inexpensive when compared to calling cards. The ministry claims that VoIP providers such as AT&T, Skype, Vonage, Lingo, and others do not comply with South Korea’s Telecommunications Business Act. IP Communications reports:
It was reported that military bases have already received notices about not being permitted to use non-Korean approved VoIP services. Korean VoIP minutes can reach up to more than ten cents.
Written by pushpa27 on July 10th, 2006 with no comments.
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Customers always want the best deals for the money they pay. So it is not surprising to understand why VoIP that offers a method of calling practically anywhere in the world at much cheaper rates is catching on like wild fire. While there are lobbies that argue on the possible success or failure of VoIP in the days ahead one undeniable fact is that more users are switching to VoIP phones purely to tap into the cost benefits.
According to Henry Gomez, general manager of Skype, "People are going to look at voice communications as something they expect to get for free," Forcing the VoIP industry in that direction Skype is eliminating the charges that a US subscriber pays to make calls within the US and in Canada. In the process, Skype is not only making it very competitive within the VoIP market but also making it harder for companies to charge anything for a basic home phone line on its own. It is expected that by 2010 a quarter of the telephone users globally would have shifted to VoIP based phones.
Telecom companies are finding themselves with fewer options other than slashing their call charges if they intend to hold on to the their customer base. New York Times recently reported that Verizon and AT&T recently dropped phone service and long distance prices by significant percentages (in some cases close to 40%) to battle unprecedented competition in those areas.
The competition is also forcing certain telecom companies to lobby in Congress to set up a tiered network. Companies are proposing that in this tiered structure, companies offering faster, higher quality connections to companies and web entities can make their revenues by charging for the service provided. It is suggested that VoIP service providers should fall into this category.
Telcos may slash prices but it IP telephony costs lesser so VoIP has a definite advantage. Telephone prices will only fall further but it remains to be seen how far the telecom companies are willing to bend. Bend they might but Break, will they?? Lets watch!
Written by shiama on July 4th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Skype and Residential VoIP.
VoIP can be wonderful for businesses based at home or otherwise and yes it is the cheapest way to communicate. Employers are also finding that VoIP is also empowering employees and there are many factors that make it so. Net telephony allows workers to be more mobile in their own office even though you are still plugged-in.
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.
Written by shiama on July 3rd, 2006 with no comments.
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If you have ever been to Asia you may have seen the powers surges that can occur to any equipment most homes have a power stabilizer for all home appliances. However these power hikes also affect the telephony equipments and the problem is being more pronounced with VoIP being so popular.
Researchers at Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific, told ZDNet Asia that the region's enterprise IP telephony market is "picking up tremendously". Frost & Sullivan expects sales of IP-PBX systems here to post a strong compound annual growth rate of 16.7 percent to eventually reach US$3.2 billion by 2012.
Power surge problems have a new answer in Raychem Circuit Protection, which introduced its 2Pro device series, that features integrated overcurrent/overvoltage circuit protection technology designed to help prevent damage to telephony communications equipment.
The device's small footprint, resettable functionality and coordinated protection capabilities allow for use in a wide range of telephony and voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) equipment applications such as cordless phones, VoIP gateways, data modems, set-top boxes, security systems, main distribution frame (MDF) modules, analog linecards and integrated services digital network (ISDN) linecards.
Lightning can also cause huge problems for telephone networks be it the PSTN or VoIP network and this could lead to damages to equipment. The RoHS-compliant 2Pro device incorporates PolySwitch polymeric positive temperature coefficient resistor (PPTC) overcurrent technology with a metal oxide varistor (MOV). component into one innovative, thermally protected device to help provide current limiting during overcurrent events and voltage clamping during overvoltage events. This single-device approach to coordinated circuit protection helps reduce component count.
Popularity of VoIP in recent times is forcing providers to secure VoIP gateways at homes and businesses. With the implementation of the 2Pro device equipment manufacturers comply with UL 60950 and remain operational after specified lightning tests. It also helps equipment comply with surge tests per TIA-968-A, IEC 60950, and ITU-T K.20/K.21.
Written by shiama on July 2nd, 2006 with no comments.
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On last Thursday South Korea intended to put a block on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) usage by the resident American Military community. However in the latest turn of events South Korea has put on hold the same decision based on a request by the US forces there - to suspend Saturday’s deadline to begin blocking the service.
In keeping with the country's Telecommunications Business Act, major telecom and Internet providers wanted to ban services that could be used by the 12000 strong US customers. Now after deciding to hold back the date from which the block will come into force, what will happen in the future will become clearer only after talks between the Korean Officials and the US Forces Korea (USFK) are over.
The issue came to light Thursday when base Internet customers received notices stating they would no longer be able to use some of the most popular VoIP companies, including Vonage, AT&T CallVantage and Lingo.
The USFK request came purely because it wanted to ensure that the interest of the American soldiers and families far away from their homelands were protected. Not being able to use the VoIP such as Vonage, AT&T CallVantage and Lingo would have meant resorting to regular phone calls, which are an expensive proposition.
The US forces in Korea depend on a company called SSRT to provide Internet services, which in turn buys its Internet time from Dacom. In the interim SSRT has informed the American customers that if the block becomes effective, the way around would be to use authorized South Korean VoIP companies: Hanaro, Dacom, Onse, Korea Telecom or Anyusernet. The downside with that option if it came to that would be that the call charges would be at par with making regular landline calls.
Putting a stop to what is considered the troops lifeline during the year will have an effect on their morale overseas don't you think?
Written by shiama on July 2nd, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Vonage and Skype and Residential VoIP and Lingo.
We all know someone who has a web phone service by now, right? Everybody wants to give it a try and not surprising as the number of people turning to VoIP as a low-cost alternative to traditional phone service has nearly doubled in the past year, and the industry has struggled to keep pace, according to PC World. We are also by now familiar with some complaint or the other about the services of their web phone.
Though there are growing number of complaints about the VoIP service, it is not doing much to dampen the heightened curiosity towards Internet telephony. Among the hundreds of complaints regarding VoIP service that are filed to state public-utility commissions, the most common involve dropped phone calls, poor sound quality, problems with transferring numbers from standard phone companies to VoIP providers, and long wait times for customer service.
Did you know that by replacing landlines with Net phones, you may be not be able to access your 911 emergency services? FCC regulations require VoIP firms to inform customers of the important differences between calling 911 using a Net phone and doing so with a traditional landline phone. However this is often not passed on to the consumers despite the regulation.
Then there are the “drooped call†complaints and hundreds of people have had their conversation cut short abruptly much to the annoyance of many consumers. There are problems with the sound quality and also consumers who have had to give up their old numbers when it would be so much easier for VoIP providers to have a liaison with standard phone companies to enable users to keep their numbers.
Finally, there is a lot of fine print you may be missing: low usage fees, early termination fees, and mandatory shipping costs for returning faulty equipment to name a few. You could be called a business account if you receive 75 percent or more of the calls on your account, or make 75 percent or more calls and that translates into huge hikes in rate. What's your experience?
Written by shiama on June 28th, 2006 with no comments.
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Instant messaging services, the new turf for the VoIP war sees the launch of Internet giant Microsoft’s live messenger service following Yahoo Beta’s foray. Everyone wants to have a piece of the VoIP pie and why not? We already have AOL and Google already offering internet telephony with their services.
So what’s new in Microsoft's latest version of Windows Live Messenger? It comes with a new feature called Verizon Web Calling that lets users place local, long-distance, and international calls from their computers to almost any phone, including cell phones. The Verizon partnership is new and if you remember Verizon has sued Vonage for patent infringement. Now is this a clear taunt by Microsoft to competitors Skype and Vonage?
The charges for North American calling, as well as calls to the U.K., France, Germany, and several other nations for 1.9 cents a minute. As with SkypeOut, you buy credits in advance. Available call credit packages are $5, $10 and $25, all of which you can charge to your credit card. The only hitch in the Windows Live Messenger is that you cannot cannot receive incoming calls and which should in time be rectified.
All said and done there is still the problem of IM’s security risk as MSN, Yahoo and AOL with their large consumer base can tempt even the business community into internet telephony through IM and that could be a security problem for businesses. How can IM security risks be addressed?
For now Skype need not be worried they have been pioneers and have huge consumer base that are loyal. AOL’s AIM users are complaining about the irritating ads that come during calls and let’s not forget the user fees AOL charges for their service – All factors that make Skype sit pretty for the time being. What do you think?
Written by shiama on June 21st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Vonage and Skype and Business VoIP and Networks and Residential VoIP.
$4.1 billion dollars is what eBay paid to buy Skype out. There are competitors and more competitors but now despite all that the industry is beginning to wonder if the entire VoIP industry is a big hype - a bubble waiting to burst? This is what a recent article had to to say - Skype as an investment was a bad one for eBay and also points a finger at the Vonage IPO debacle as another reason to believe this.
Offering free VoIP calls without a business plan is what is said to ail Skype since eBay took over an the auction giant really did not have a plan after takeover. Vonage investors also got taken for a ride as the IPO went out at $17 a share and today it is under $10!
Talking of the VoIP sector it goes on to say that it is indeed a great technology but will not make fast money. So, why won’t VoIP make quick money for providers?
An LA Times article comes out with an answer to the fast money question though totally unrelated to eBay's business plans. Cheap Internet phone calls could get more expensive under provisions added to federal legislation. An amendment to the first major telecommunications legislation in a decade would give states authority over payments to state universal service funds and over rates that Internet phone companies pay to complete calls.
Internet calling companies estimate that a $25 monthly bill would raise $1.77 with the universal service fund fee. They did not estimate what state access charges could be, though they said the average cost is 5 cents a minute and can go as high as 34 cents.
Telecom experts say Vonage and other Internet calling companies, including cable providers that offer phone service, have to start shouldering some of the burdens that wireless and landline phone companies have long had. So there’s trouble ahead for VoIP even though there is no dearth of newer companies wanting a piece of the VoIP pie.
Written by shiama on June 17th, 2006 with no comments.
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Skype is no doubt a name to reckon with in the VoIP industry. Competition has been there and now another company called Fusion Telecommunication is set to launch its brand of VoIP services. New York based, Fusion Telecom believes with the launch of its Efonica service, it will have an edge over Skype.
Efonica will introduce the world's first worldwide Internet Area Code (10), which is dialed ahead of your standard phone number. This is to be used instead of a new number or user name when connecting via the VoIP service. With voice processing technology that can withstand up to 30% packet losses, Efonica should prove to be a better solution for use in countries where broadband is not so prevalent.
The company also claims that it took more than 5 years to develop a new IP telephony architecture termed DSP technology (Directed SIP Peer-to-Peer). According to the company sources this can "substantially improves upon current methods of delivering VoIP calls" Unlike Skype that eats into much of the users machine resources and bandwidth, Efonica will leverage more on Fusion's carrier-class network and back-office infrastructure.
The company's website also claims that with DSP, it will greatly reduce exposing a subscribers computer to allow it to be used as temporary transit points thereby making it relatively safer -"This not only uses the computer and network resources without the explicit knowledge of the subscriber, but also creates an enormous network security risk for enterprise networks".
Efone plans to focus its attention in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean where use of broadband is rather low. To start with Efonica services will be available in 3 forms - Efonica FREE, Efonica PLUS a paid service, and Efonica PRO for business users.
Efonica no doubt promises the best and with Call Waiting, Caller ID with Name, Call Hold, Call Transfer, Call Forwarding, and Do Not Disturb. All for free! It remains to be seen if they will have a defenite edge over Skype.
Written by shiama on June 17th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Skype and Business VoIP and Residential VoIP.
Residential VoIP subscribers are increasing day by day. According to reports, the number of subscribers will reach 44 million in 2010 from the existing 10.3 million. The report has been released by the market research firm IDC. It also has been predicted that VoIP will be used in 62% of broadband household by 2010. The growth will be accelerated by increased broadband penetration. Consumers are increasing becoming comfortable with VoIP technologies and they are adopting it in large numbers. CRN has published an article on the Same Topic.
Trends driving VoIP adoption will be mobility, simplicity, and a need for on-demand telephony, the report says. Simple setup requirements will make consumers more comfortable with the technology, and the ability to access IP telephony not just at home, but while traveling will be a driver as well.
Written by Sagar on June 15th, 2006 with no comments.
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Before you jump the gun and label this article as Trash or Nonsense let me tell you the answer is Yes! Thanks to Intel. Intel Corp. during the Computex 2006 Exhibition in Taipei revealed a product, which will allow you to make VoIP calls using your existing telephones.
More about the Product:
Labeled Intel 600SM, it is PCI phone adaptor which is basically a add-in card that allows phone interface. With it comes the software, called the SoftPhone agent. Once configured this phone will allow you to not only call regular landline numbers as before but also cell phones using various services, including engin (an Australian VoIP provider), Packet8, Skype or yak. This new adaptor will definitely make it easier for those who are reluctant to change over to the special phones required to make VoIP calls. Additionally it will also reduce the phone bills as well. It will also greatly enhance voice quality.
With Skype being the only real universal VoIP provider till date it seems like most people will have to depend on its service to make VoIP calls except in places where local providers exist. The downside of this is that you may not be able to make any emergency calls as Skype does not support it. It means if you want to make emergency calls you will have to have a regular phone in addition to your converted phone to make your distress calls.
Should you buy it?
You have to ask yourself two questions then: Do I change over to a VoIP connection buying the Intel 600SM and save a few bucks on my phone bills or Is my neighborhood generally unsafe warranting the need for distress calls often? In there, lies the answer to whether you should go for it or not.
Written by shiama on June 7th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Skype and Business VoIP and Hardware and Residential VoIP.
How prepared are we for a pandemic? Now before you go “not another pandemic scareâ€, stay with me, as reading up about the pandemic has brought me back to my topic of VoIP. The connection came when the Washington Post recently carried the article on how a large number of businesses believe that we would be facing a pandemic in the next 3 years.
While we have been told on numerous TV shows on what is to be done and what to stock up and what medicines to keep and all those handy tips for our home, not much have been said about how businesses will face a pandemic. For businesses and employees VoIP may be the answer to counter absentees that don’t turn out for work out of fear and with a broadband connection and computer with VoIP you are all set to work from home.
The prognosis is grim if you look at the flu outbreak of the past are taken as a basis for analysis. It is predicted that should we have a pandemic at least a third of the population is likely to become ill in each wave of attack, with peak absenteeism somewhat higher, about 40 percent of the workforce. Depending on the strain's virulence, 900,000 to 10 million people might be hospitalized, and 200,000 to 2 million might die. More:
Imagine being quarantined in your home if there is a suspected outbreak in our area – worries of loss of pay and even loss of job could haunt employees and VoIP could solve such problems for the enterprise and its inexpensive and easy to maintain. Tommy G. Thompson, who heads the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions in Washington, estimates that only one in five U.S. companies "are in good position in terms of being able to react -- and even those are going to have to restructure and improve their plans." So, are businesses getting VoIP for employees?
Written by shiama on May 25th, 2006 with no comments.
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Post 9/11 the need for surveillance of phone networks and other electronic media has gone up from the government’s point of view. So, since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) now has regulations in place to force VoIP providers to incorporate the wiretaps and also pick up the bill, the questions of privacy loom large in the minds of people.
Encryption technology is probably the answer to this worry and this can be a problem for the government now in its fight to stop terrorism. However, there is software that can encrypt your calls and it is available free from a website to download. The question remains what will the government do will it stop free encryption?
Phill Zimmermann, who started PGP INC., on Sunday, released a free Windows software program, Zfone that encrypts a computer-to-computer voice conversation so both parties can be confident that no one is listening in. It became available earlier this year to Macintosh and Linux users of voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP).
Zfone is different from similar systems in that it does not require a web of computers to hold the keys, or long numbers, used in most encryption schemes. Instead, it performs the key exchange inside the digital voice channel while the call is being set up, so no third party has the keys.
Easily available encryption can be a headache for F.C.C. but for now its regulations exclude programs that operate directly between computers, not through a hub. Zfone can capitalize on this loophole for now even though heated debates are expected. Zimmerman is however, no stranger to locking horns with the government and has won a case for his email scrambling unscrambling service – Pretty Good Privacy!
Zfone can automatically encrypt any call between users of freely available VoIP software programs like X-Lite, Gizmo or SJphone. It can be downloaded at www.philzimmermann.com and it does not work with Skype as Skype has its own encryption service. Zfone has not been tested on Vonage and is free now in the hope that VoIP providers will license his technology in their service. Free encryption’s great right?
Written by shiama on May 22nd, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Security and Business VoIP and Residential VoIP.
It has been reported that there are over 1100 voice over IP providers in the world today and the growth rate is impressive and no one can deny it. Voice over Internet Protocol is creating a revolution and a great way for businesses to communicate in a cost-effective manner.
When you just pay US$0.02 per minute for a call overseas – now that’s BIG on value especially as geographic barrier no more limit us from doing business internationally.
Getting back to the topic of VoIP and its availability on cell phones we have unearthed that there are companies who have made such phones available. There are also other applications that can let your current phone convert to a VoIP one. Read:
So, just as soon as we mentioned this there are developments saying you better check with your cell phone company before you upgrade to a better instrument. T-Mobile International, which has mobile phone operations in Europe and the United States, is among the first companies to ban the use of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol, or Internet-based telephone service) over its networks. Its Web 'n' Walk professional service expressly prohibits such usage, and the company reserves the right to terminate contracts.
Therefore, if T-Mobile can do this soon you may have other cell phone companies following suit so check with your cell phone company. This can go on till I’m sure companies like T-Mobile find ways to get a piece of the VoIP pie themselves. And the competition is only heating up with VoIP being offered on cell phone is now being focused on more.
Sunnyvale, California, company launched one of the world's first commercial VoIP-over-mobile services, offering fees as low as US$0.02 per minute for international calls. Obviously that’s a really good price when we end paying $1 per minute to make international calls.
More providers are hopefully going to join in and even as I write this I’m thinking of resurrecting my shopping site wherein I can personally call up my customers and guide them through their purchases! What’s your plan with VoIP?
Written by shiama on May 20th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Wireless and Business VoIP and Residential VoIP.
AOL offered VoIP with its AIM and here isthe ripple effect from competitors. Skype has announced free calls to landlines and mobile phones until the end of the year in the US and Canada. So competition heats up between PC based VoIP providers and non-PC bases ones.
It is true what one wise reader has pointed out to an earlier post about IM popularizing VoIP - that most of AOL users are not tech savvy. The survey conducted by Microsoft also proved that - only one in three Americans knew what VoIP stands for. But, what are the other reasons people are waiting and watching? Let’s have a look…
The first problem for a user is getting round to having a headphone attached to their personal computers. It does seem a little too much to be bothered about but again the trump card is the cost of VoIP calls that will make people give it a try. Though, I really don’t see my folks making it a habit at their age.
However, the target market for VoIP, which is new and young, is the tech savvy ones and the not-so tech savvy Internet user. I agree.
The other problem is that to receive calls you have to keep your computer switched on all the time. This is again something most American consumers are really not keen on doing. You can have your call routed to your cell phone if you don’t like leaving your computer on and this can be done if you pay for the service.
Let's look at the marketing tactics: While AOL's service lets subscribers get free incoming calls from regular phones it charges a monthly fee to make calls to regular phones or cell phones. Skype now is trying to go a step further with its free outbound calls in the US and Canada. So, it’s a race to net the most consumers. Yahoo and AOL are using instant messaging and Skype is using free outbound calls. Who do you think will rule finally?
Written by shiama on May 16th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Skype and Residential VoIP.
You ask the average American about VoIP and you’ll probably get a blank look. This is what is shown by a Microsoft-sponsored survey. One in three U.S. adults aren't sure how to describe voice-over-IP! Startling and unsettling for providers and all the more reasons for writers like me to spread the word about this don’t you think?
The USP of VoIP are the obvious cost differences in phone calls vis-Ã -vis the traditional kind and money is the language most people understand and this is the area where VoIP providers should focus on to educate people about this technology.
While Skype, Vonage and Internet portal providers MSN and Yahoo are all in the fray, it looks like AOL is going to be the first to really entice its vast consumer base to VoIP. With 41.6 million subscribers in its instant messaging market that’s a huge chunk of converts they are hoping will sign-up for VoIP.
AOL’s AIM’s new VoIP feature:
1. It will be available as an ad-supported free service for making PC-to-PC calls
2. You can receive calls from traditional phones
3. You can join the paid service in order to make calls to a landline or wireless network.
4. You also get a free local telephone number, which you may choose to keep on the move across cities.
5. Also voicemail that's accessible through the PC.
The paid service, called AIM Phoneline Unlimited, is expected to cost $9.95 a month for a limited time after which it could go up to $14.95 a month. This however is mainly attractive to home and small businesses.
So should Skype and the rest be worried? Absolutely, as they charge for all communications other than between PCs and none of them have a huge consumer