News Archive - May 2004
Cingular lags in high-speed wireless
May 28, 2004
Cingular said it will likely be 2006 or 2007 before they offer higher speed wireless access to customers.
India spices up 'push to talk' campaign
May 28, 2004
May 28, 2004
It appears that some local phone companies are beginning to realize that there is more profit in broadband than there is in local phone service.
WorldGate and Motorola's Ojo Personal Video Phone
May 27, 2004
Net phone company's answer to 911
May 27, 2004
VoIP Inc. has a U.S. patent pending for technology to redirect VoIP 911 calls back to copper landlines to be picked up by traditional emergency systems.
May 26, 2004
May 26, 2004
May 26, 2004
Cisco Systems is the #1 leader in IP PBX sales. Worldwide, the sales of VoIP equipment is on the rise.
May 26, 2004
Cisco delivers high-end telecom router
May 25, 2004
Realizing voice and video over IP networks for the masses requires power in the core. This new router from Cisco provides that much needed power. The backplane supports up to 1152 OC-768 interfaces.
Nokia forms bond with GlooLabs
May 25, 2004
Nokia arm has invested in GlooLabs, a start-up that develops software to facilitate wireless access to and distribution of multimedia content.
Vodafone launches 3G phones in Spain, Italy
May 25, 2004
Vodaphone has started selling third-generation (3G) videophone wireless services in Spain and Italy.
Analog Devices Focuses on Convergence
May 24, 2004
Sony Ericsson's new 3G videophone
May 24, 2004
The phone comes with two cameras. An external camera is used to capture images and videos, while the camera located under the display is used to capture images to be sent while in a 3G video call. — Note that 3G (3GPP) uses 3G-324M, a variant of H.324, and not SIP for video calls. Also note that H.324 is an antecedent of H.323.
May 24, 2004
Sony has a new video phone system called the PCS-11 which makes video calls over the Internet and can automatically adjust the amount of bandwidth needed depending on network congestion. — That's great but the latter feature has been in some videophones for almost a decade.
Lucent gobbles up VoIP company
May 24, 2004
Lucent Technologies will buy privately held Telica to boost its voice over Internet Protocol offerings.
May 24, 2004
VCON Adds Desktop Videoconferencing Software to Its High Definition Product Line
May 24, 2004
VCON introduces vPoint HD, the first desktop videoconferencing software to encompass H.264 videoconferencing standard.
Voice Over IP Goes Global, The DNS Way
May 22, 2004
Vonage finds another landline partner
May 21, 2004
A source said the company is close to announcing a deal with WilTel Communications that would expand Vonage's ability to use the traditional phone network. — Vonage sure doesn't stand still, does it? Hooray for them.
States, feds headed for VoIP clash
May 20, 2004
Regulators in large U.S. states are moving forward with Net-phoning rules, forcing an inevitable confrontation with federal regulators who believe the industry falls under their jurisdiction.
Chairwoman pulls Lucent back from the brink
May 20, 2004
Lucent has returned to profitability, but is there anybody left in the company who can develop the much needed new technologies? Can they catch up with everybody else?
Powell: Wireless vital to broadband future
May 20, 2004
The FCC is stepping up efforts to establish wireless as a viable broadband option to cable and DSL in order to make high-speed Internet access available to all Americans by 2007.
May 20, 2004
The Communications Workers of America announced that a 4-day strike involving 100,000 union employees of SBC in 13 states will begin at 12:01 a.m. local time in each time zone on Friday, May 21.
E-xpedient Selects MERA's Session Controller
May 20, 2004
E-xpedient, a USA-based service provider serving more than 29, 000 customers, has deployed the MVTS session controller.
TANDBERG Acquires Ridgeway Systems & Software Ltd.
May 19, 2004
Tandberg has agreed to buy Ridgeway Systems for US$16 million.
New York classifies Vonage as phone company
May 19, 2004
Handing a setback to emerging Internet phone services, the New York State Public Service Commission on Wednesday ruled that Vonage Holdings is a telephone company and thus subject to state regulation.
AT&T Wireless shareholders approve buyout
May 19, 2004
AT&T Wireless shareholders approved the $41 billion buyout offer from Cingular Wireless.
AT&T hangs up on some local plans
May 19, 2004
AT&T has stopped selling two local telephone plans in Ohio because SBC Communications, whose local phone lines it leases, won state approval to charge more for the privilege.
MPEG LA Announces Final AVC/H.264 License Terms
May 18, 2004
AVC (H.264) essential patent holders have agreed on final terms of license to be included in the AVC Patent Portfolio License scheduled to issue in June.
China Mobile Picks Huawei Softswitch
May 18, 2004
China Mobile Guangdong Branch selected Huawei's softswitch for use with about 10,000 ports.
May 18, 2004
IBM and Cisco announced a broad-based initiative that will help organizations of all sizes integrate and implement converged voice, video and data systems.
May 18, 2004
Cox: VoIP ready for prime time
May 18, 2004
VCON Adds WebEx Data Conferencing Feature to IGC 2000 Audio Conferencing Bridge
May 17, 2004
VCON's upcoming release of IGC 2000 will add data conferencing to any audio conference using VCON's WebShare application or their hosted WebEx Meeting Center service.
Vonage cuts Net phoning prices
May 17, 2004
Vonage, which is among the largest and most recognized providers of VoIP on Monday slashed the price of monthly unlimited North American dialing from $35 to $30.
Cisco, IBM to team on Internet telephony
May 17, 2004
Cisco will provide IP telephones as well as IP switching and routing gear that will be used in the network infrastructure.
BellSouth Uses Nortel Softswitches
May 13, 2004
BellSouth has selected Nortel's softswitches for providing tandem switching functionality in its core network.
Vonage VoIP hits RadioShack stores
May 13, 2004
RadioShack has started selling Vonage's voice over Internet Protocol services in nearly 4,000 of its retail stores in the United States.
BellSouth Launches Corporate VoIP Services
May 13, 2004
BellSouth will offer VoIP over its existing Centrex service, which means customers won't have to buy new equipment, company officials said.
Nortel, Polycom Offer SIP Video
May 12, 2004
Nortel Networks and Polycom intend to offer a comprehensive, SIP-based solution for multipoint video communication services across multimedia desktop and group conferencing systems to the network core.
Microsoft Unveils Xbox Live Videophone
May 11, 2004
Skype allows regular phone calls
May 11, 2004
For a price, Start-up brings Net telephony to cell phones
May 11, 2004
Capellas: Net telephony is the future
May 11, 2004
MCI CEO says that IP convergence is coming.
Regulators dial in on AT&T prepaid calls
May 10, 2004
AT&T disclosed Monday that it had avoided paying more than a half billion dollars in regulatory fees by using techniques either banned or under review by federal regulators.
WiFi, VoIP, Security Hot at N+I
May 10, 2004
Cutting calling costs with Wi-Fi phones
May 10, 2004
Cell phones could use Cell phone shipments on the rise
May 7, 2004
Worldwide shipments of mobile phones grew in the first quarter of 2004 compared with the same period last year, buoyed by strong demand for camera phones and color screens.
Next Generation Network Standards to be Defined at ITU
May 6, 2004
Work on next generation network (NGN) standards has found a home at ITU following intense industry debate. ITU's standardization arm - ITU-T - is to create a Focus Group that will produce global standards for NGN.
VoIP, wireless could spur Baby Bell negotiations
May 6, 2004
With companies like AT&T and Vonage that offer consumer VoIP, the Baby Bells will have even more reason to strike deals with competitors.
May 6, 2004
With Sony's new "EyeToy: Chat" camera and a network adapter, you can turn your PlayStation 2 console into a videophone.
Canada's phone giants face Internet threat
May 5, 2004
Rivals offering VoIP services are posing a serious threat to the established telephone companies in Canada.
Qwest sues AT&T over Net phone fees
May 5, 2004
Qwest Communications said that it has sued AT&T, claiming it avoided tens of millions of dollars in fees for phone calls carried partly over the Internet.
May 4, 2004
Nortel Networks will sell Nuera gateways in order to provide equipment for cable VoIP networks.
AT&T to offer new IP-only service
May 3, 2004
KMV Technologies Announces Name Change to LifeSize Communications
May 3, 2004
KMV Technologies changed its name to LifeSize Communications, Inc. and announced the addition of three key executives to the management team: Bill Paape as CFO and Vice President of Finance and Alan Hagedorn as Vice President of Operations, both from Polycom, and Munira Fareed as Vice President of Marketing.
Companies team to provide voice over cable
May 3, 2004
Net2Phone, a voice over Internet Protocol specialist, and Level 3, a high-speed communications provider, announced a partnership on Monday under which they plan to market local phone services to cable companies.
VoIP: A Step Forward for the Deaf
May 3, 2004
IP-based telecommunication systems bring hope of having a universal standard for communications for the deaf, including voice, video, and text.