News Archive - December 2005
Google is sued for patent violation over VoIP technology
December 31, 2005
Google is being sued by Jerry Weinberger, chief executive of Rates Technology Inc., who claims that it invented VoIP. — Yeah, right. This is precisely why patents are a bad idea. We could probably easily disprove his claims and others probably just paid him off to go away.
GNU Telephony Stack Opens Up VoIP
December 30, 2005
The GNU Telephony stack, implementing H.323, is out and aiming to provide users of proprietary VoIP stacks with a free software alternative.
Developer Perspective: The painful evolution of SIP
December 29, 2005
As this blog points out, the now 10-year-old SIP protocol is not what it is hyped to be... it is actually a very complex beast with a number of problems.
Transitioning to VoIP via Hybrids
December 28, 2005
Microsoft, Softbank in Japanese VoIP deal
December 28, 2005
Microsoft, Softbank BB and Japan Telecom announced a partnership to develop communication services that combine Internet telephony, e-mail, Internet access, instant messaging and other services.
Thomson Sets Standard for Wireless Voice over IP through Integration of Wideband Audio Functionality
December 27, 2005
Nortel Acquires Tasman Networks
December 27, 2005
Nortel has enhanced its ability to deliver end-to-end converged enterprise networks with the agreement to acquire Tasman Networks. Under the terms of the agreement, Nortel will pay U.S. $99.5 million in cash for Tasman Networks.
VoIP Ranking by Subscriber: Q3 2005
December 27, 2005
Option, Nortel First to Achieve 3.6 Megabits per Second Call With HSDPA
December 23, 2005
December 22, 2005
While the newly announced alliance between Google and Time Warner division AOL may be mostly about advertising in the near term, it also represents a large VoIP peering arrangement between two potentially game-changing voice providers.
VoIP Telephony: Benefits for Businesses
December 22, 2005
VoIP has been talked about for a number of years but is now being adopted by mainstream businesses in order to save money as well as deploy powerful new capabilities for end-users.
Vendors Sign BT 21CN Contracts
December 22, 2005
Months later than expected, half of the eight preferred vendors for BT Group's next-generation 21CN network have finally agreed to contracts that tie them to the US$17.4 billion project.
Get ready for the era of the virtual contact center
December 21, 2005
3Com anticipates growth in VoIP sales
December 21, 2005
3COM has targeted a 200% growth in sales of VoIP solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses in the next six months.
Cbeyond Reaches 20,000 Customers and Processes Four Billionth VoIP Minute
December 21, 2005
December 21, 2005
Unlike many of its counterparts around the globe, BT Group has embarked on a plan to use its ownership of UK's largest broadband network to challenge VoIP service providers such as eBay's Skype division.
LifeSize Secures $17.5 Million in Series C Financing
December 20, 2005
LifeSize announced that it has raised $17.5 million in Series C financing, bringing the company's total funding to date to $56 million.
IntraISP Lands Green on the Emerald Isle
December 20, 2005
VoIP beyond the enterprise LAN
December 20, 2005
December 19, 2005
VoIP pioneer Vonage has raised $250 million in convertible debt funding — a move that is likely to be its last major financing before it goes public or is acquired.
Texas to get broadband over its power lines
December 19, 2005
Jabber foundation publishes initial jingle protocol for VoIP
December 19, 2005
The Jabber Software Foundation published initial documentation of Jingle, which promises to simplify VoIP deployment for enterprises with Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol, or XMPP, infrastructure.
December 19, 2005
Mentions in consumer and business press are a signal that a new technology has entered the mainstream. Clearly, Internet telephony has. In addition to aggressive rollouts by Comcast and other cable players, Vonage has growing profile and Skype was recently bought by eBay.
December 19, 2005
VoIP is a technology that allows you to make telephone calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line.
December 16, 2005
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is proposing changes to the Telecommunications Numbering Plan to accommodate VoIP services.
Companies like VoIP but don't understand it
December 15, 2005
December 15, 2005
Google and the Jabber are releasing the Jabber specs used to add VoIP to the Google Talk IM client.
FCC chief backs Net phone taxes
December 15, 2005
Imposing new taxes on a wider swath of Internet phone users is likely to be one of the FCC's top priorities next year. — Taxes on top of taxes? Will they add phone taxes on top of broadband taxes?
Will U.S. carriers switch mobile standards?
December 15, 2005
North American telecom operators may end up shifting to the GSM mobile standard from the rival CDMA system. — Most already have switched, actually.
December 14, 2005
Google VoIP Apps Stare Down Startups
December 14, 2005
EStara made "click-to-talk" a Web reality long before eBay and Google expressed interest in the technology, but will there still be a place in the world for a small company like it once the big boys catch up?
SIP can revolutionise telephony networks but must overcome interoperability issues
December 14, 2005
It is well-known that there are just about as many SIP variants as there are SIP implementations. Will SIP ever be interoperable?
Vonage says it's E911 compliant
December 14, 2005
Vonage said it is now fully compliant with federal regulations requiring phone service operators to provide enhanced 911 services to their customers.
HP's Halo seeks to go post-videoconferencing
December 13, 2005
Hewlett-Packard launched a new videoconferencing product, marking its new ambition to become a leading player in the enterprise collaboration market.
Microsoft-MCI deal heats up VoIP market
December 13, 2005
Microsoft and MCI announced that they will work together to develop a network to allow people to place phone calls from personal computers to virtually any landline phone by using Windows Live software with its VoIP capabilities combined with MCI's global phone network.
Telchemy Ships Over 2 Million Units of VQmon VoIP Analysis Software
December 13, 2005
Telchemy announced that it has licensed more than 2 million units of VQmon VoIP performance management software. License revenues for VQmon have more than doubled for the first three quarters of 2005, compared to the same period last year, and the Company forecasts this growth rate to continue in 2006.
BellSouth Launches Residential VoIP
December 9, 2005
BellSouth has launched a residential VoIP service by reselling 8x8's Packet8 service. The service is called "BellSouth Digital Phone Service" and has already been launched in one market.
BT to spend £££s plugging VoIP
December 9, 2005
BT plans to spend millions plugging its broadband telephony service next year as it looks to ramp up its investment in VoIP.
Yahoo!'s VoIP Could Reach 'Critical Mass'
December 9, 2005
Yahoo's VoIP service was well-received by Wall Street, as people believe that its huge user base of more than 400 million unique users and 191 million active registered users, combined with its aggressive pricing (half the price of Skype for calls to the U.S.), give the company a solid base upon which to start building a critical mass in this service.
December 8, 2005
The current world order in the telecom world is under threat, with the carriers under pressure from the online upstarts and vendors in danger of being usurped by more traditional IT firms. — And IMS is a concept that will never be able to enable a service provider to realize anything more than what small players can whip up during a long weekend.
December 8, 2005
Yahoo is ready to announce a new VoIP service, say company officials. With the new service, callers will be able to make calls to, and receive calls from, regular wireline telephones.
December 7, 2005
Telecoms provider Thus warned today that some consumer VoIP products use a peer-to-peer model which results in bandwidth being used to carry other individuals' voice and data traffic without the user's consent or knowledge. — Skype, Skype, Skype, Skype... and now there is a P2P activity in the IETF for SIP!
December 7, 2005
December 6, 2005
The materialisation of consumer VoIP services in 2005 has seen more than 50 million people register for a service across the globe. However, with all the advantages that come with a VoIP service there can be drawbacks when a consumer VoIP service is used in a business environment.
December 6, 2005
AT&T announced it has won a three-year, $1.8 million networking contract from Littelfuse Inc., one of America's leading manufacturers of electrical components and circuit protection products.
December 6, 2005
Cingular Wireless launched its third-generation network, which it says will give mobile customers high-speed Internet access while on the road.
Packetizer APAC Announces PacPhone Beta Availability
December 5, 2005
Packetizer APAC announced the immediate availability of the Public Beta release of PacPhone, an advanced Windows softphone, enabling companies to communicate securely, through firewalls, and with other vendors' equipment.
Time Warner Cable's VoIP Service Tops One Million Subscribers
December 5, 2005
Time Warner Cable said the number subscribers to its Internet telephony service has topped one million, with 75 percent of them also getting the company's digital cable and broadband services.
Cingular Finally Joins Push-To-Talk Party
December 5, 2005
Cingular Wireless, the largest mobile operator in the U.S., said that it will finally offer push-to-talk (PTT) service, claiming its service has several advantages over its competitors.
December 5, 2005
After a healthy amount of skepticism, Cisco is embracing the idea that carriers want to migrate their networks towards IMS. — Some carriers, anyway... there are a few who recognize that IMS is, well... a boat anchor.
Cisco Integrates Session Control
December 5, 2005
Cisco plans to announce it's adding a SBC to the XR 12000 router, the edge router based on the new IOS XR operating system. The technology, which will be available to all XR 12000 models, is in trials now, with production shipments slated for the first quarter of 2006.
December 5, 2005
The VoIP consumer mass market has different needs, requirements, and interests that weren't crucial to the early adopters with their high geek-factor quotient.
WiBro to get a workout at Turin Olympics
December 5, 2005
Telecom Italia has signed a deal with South Korea's Samsung Electronics to run trials of new WiBro mobile technology at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Brix Networks has announced an enhanced IP video quality algorithm
December 5, 2005
Brix Networks announced an enhanced IP video quality algorithm — the Brix Video Quality Index (Brix VQI) — that ensures providers' success with their IPTV rollouts.
Message to FCC: Stop Hurting VoIP
December 1, 2005
Nortel chief makes room for new blood
December 1, 2005
Nortel Networks' new chief executive officer, Mike Zafirovski, cleaned house this week, as two longtime executives left the company.
Nokia expects continuing mobile-market growth
December 1, 2005
Nokia expects global handset sale volumes to grow by more than 10 percent in 2006 compared to this year and sees slight to moderate growth in mobile networks.
December 1, 2005
The IMS revolution needs the support of the world's IT solutions companies and applications developers if it is to deliver the full potential that telecom carriers are looking for, believes Malcolm Wardlaw, one of the most senior next-generation networking executives at BT.
Is VoIP's Main Value Cutting Costs or Generating Revenue?
December 1, 2005
The answer is that right now it is mostly about cost cutting, but that is beginning to change.
UK: VoIP for Business Event Expected to Grow 50%
December 1, 2005
December 1, 2005
With E911 deadline past, what's next for VoIP firms?
December 1, 2005
The deadline for Net phone providers to have their customers outfitted with enhanced 911 capabilities has come and gone. So what now?
December 1, 2005
Skype, which is being acquired eBay for US$2.6B, is to offer video calls as part of the latest version of its internet telephony software.