News Archive - May 2006
Internet Phones: Clear Winners
May 31, 2006
With improved call quality and low rates, the best Net phone services may finally be ready to replace your Baby Bell. PC World ranks the VoIP service providers. Vonage is on top.
May 31, 2006
A liberalized long-distance voice market in India has not only spurred competition among domestic carriers, but is also attracting an influx of foreign carriers, including such big names as BT and AT&T.
Google Connection May Pay Off for Asterisk
May 31, 2006
The link between Digium's Asterisk servers and Google Talk required no formal agreement between the two companies, since Asterisk can support Jingle.
Vonage moves to reassure nervous investors
May 31, 2006
Vonage, tarred by a disastrous initial public offering last week, is scrambling to reassure investors, saying it would reimburse the bankers who handled the sale if any Vonage customers refused to pay for shares that were allotted to them.
Skype software to ship on Dell laptops
May 31, 2006
Skype's voice over Internet Protocol software that allows people to talk for free over the Internet will ship on Dell's new XPS notebooks.
Sources: Nortel Sizes Up Sylantro
May 26, 2006
Nortel is on the verge of garnishing its VoIP equipment business by taking a controlling stake in hosted VoIP systems specialist Sylantro, according to industry sources.
May 26, 2006
VoIP's sound may be iffy, but it's not going away
May 25, 2006
The sound of people chatting on Skype and other free telephony services is not what you'll want to hear if you're a company investigating VoIP technology. Skype audio quality just plain sucks.
Excise Tax Repealed - Finally!
May 25, 2006
The federal excise tax on long distance calling, put into place to help finance the Spanish American War in 1898, will be repealed and the IRS will refund three years worth of the taxes to consumers and businesses.
Yahoo, iBasis Team Up for International VoIP
May 24, 2006
Yahoo and iBasis have joined forces to offer the Yahoo Messenger with Voice, which will enable U.S. users to make PC-to-phone calls via iBasis' international network, which spans more than 180 countries.
May 24, 2006
The Vonage IPO got off to a rocky start Wednesday, with shares falling 12% in heavy trading.
EBay, 21 Others Sued by File-Sharing Firm
May 23, 2006
The firm behind Morpheus online file-swapping software is suing eBay Inc. and 21 other defendants in a dispute over the right to technology used to make telephone calls over the Internet.
Vonage, poised for IPO, has rivals at its heels
May 23, 2006
The article claims that as more people make decisions to go with bundled voice and data services, Vonage's run as the industry leader is likely to end.
Is the VOIP Privacy Genie Already out of the Bottle?
May 22, 2006
New CALEA regs from the FCC try to make VoIP open up to law enforcement, but those who wish to hide the contents of their calls still can.
May 22, 2006
RADVISION unveiled its next generation SCOPIA platform and iVIEW Suite management application as part of its comprehensive suite of solutions for the Unified Communications market.
May 22, 2006
Italian softswitch vendor and integrator Italtel SpA has reported a 21% increase in first-quarter revenues to US$129 million just days before it makes its debut on the Italian stock exchange in an IPO.
Polycom Delivers Industry's Most Secure Video Communications Platform
May 22, 2006
Polycom announced enhancements to its industry-leading line of video communications solutions that give customers the most secure platform in the industry for high-quality video communications within and between organizations, adding support for H.460-based firewall and NAT traversal, as well as comprehensive Security Mode, based on FIPS 140-2, for locking down systems.
Avaya, Cisco To Lead VoIP Market
May 22, 2006
Merrill Lynch analyst expects the VoIP market to grow 25% to 30% per year until 2011 and that Cisco Systems should continue to lead the market.
Encryption tool rekindles security debate
May 21, 2006
Phil Zimmermann releases 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.
Enterprise VoIP Adoption in North America Will More than Double by 2010
May 20, 2006
Email, IM, SMS, VoIP Further Complicating Record Mgmt Says ISF
May 19, 2006
According to the Information Security Forum (ISF), Record Management is becoming a costly legal and technology minefield that is further complicated by email and IM technologies along with the increasing business use of other forms of messaging such as mobile SMS and even VoIP.
Nokia wins GSM network expansion deal in China
May 19, 2006
Nokia said it has won an order to expand the global system for mobile communications (GSM) network of Sichuan Unicom, a subsidiary of China Unicom.
Skype VoIP freebie could put Vonage on the ropes
May 18, 2006
The bare-knuckle bout for VoIP supremacy is still in the opening round, but Skype Technologies has thrown what could be a haymaker punch.
Acme Packet and Italtel Renew Commitment to Build NGNs
May 17, 2006
Acme Packet and Italtel announced that, after several of years of successful deployments and thirteen customer wins, the two companies have renewed their systems integration and distribution partnership.
Three VC firms back wireless broadband plan
May 17, 2006
May 17, 2006
BT has begun rolling out wireless infrastructure in six U.K. cities as the first phase of a wider project. Those cities are Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool and Westminster.
Linksys Launches 802.11g VoIP Phones
May 17, 2006
Linksys said that it has begun shipping its WIP300 and WIP330 802.11g IP phones.
May 17, 2006
Italian operator FastWeb SpA is known as a consumer triple-play pioneer, but it's also emerging as a player in the enterprise services market, a shift reflected in its first-quarter results.
AudioCodes Nabs Nuera for $90M
May 17, 2006
AudioCodes says it will buy Nuera for $85 million in cash, plus another potential $5 million if revenue targets are met.
Verizon Takes IP Services International
May 17, 2006
Verizon Business, which includes mostly services and resources of the former MCI, is taking IP network services that have been announced recently in the United States - Hosted IP Centrex, IP trunking and managed IP PBX, as well as an enhanced IP integrated access - and repackaging them for international business.
VoIP Eats Into Traditional Voice Service Revenue
May 16, 2006
Analysts: Skype Freebie Is Defensive
May 16, 2006
Skype says its offer of free SkypeOut calls for U.S. and Canadian users is a promotional event, but analysts say it's coming in response to growing competitive pressure from the "Big Three" IM providers.
May 16, 2006
Nortel today announced that it is full-on hot over metro Ethernet and that its short-term financials will be a bit of a disappointment compared to what Wall Street has been expecting of the equipment giant.
Demand for VoIP grows in Germany
May 16, 2006
Atmel Embeds RADVISION SIP In VoIP Chipsets
May 15, 2006
RADVISION announced that U.S.-based Atmel is licensing RADVISION's SIP toolkit to be used on Atmel's product line of wireless and wired VoIP processors.
Icann approves .tel top level domain
May 15, 2006
Cisco: Do-it-All Gateway on the Way
May 15, 2006
Scientific-Atlanta, a Cisco Systems company, is preparing a do-it-all residential gateway product that it plans to release later this year that will be outfitted with a 4-port Ethernet switch/router, two lines of SIP-based VoIP, an 802.11g WiFi access point, as well as the HPNA home networking standard for coax cable.
VoIP may be next for archiving regulations
May 15, 2006
IT chiefs were have been warned to prepare for the possibility of new corporate governance rules that would require them to keep records of VoIP conversations alongside email, instant messaging and other forms of communication.
VoIP tailored for mid-sized firms
May 15, 2006
Avaya is aiming to meet demand for IP telephony systems among medium-sized companies by offering an all-in-one product engineered for fast, easy installation and customisation by users.
China Banking Regulatory Commission Selects Polycom Video Communication Solutions
May 15, 2006
Polycom has announced the successful completion of a video conferencing network for the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC). The new deployment will facilitate better internal collaborative interactions and information sharing within CBRC while leveraging its existing network infrastructure.
Skype offers free calling to phones in U.S., Canada
May 15, 2006
Skype users can now make free SkypeOut calls to traditional landline and mobile phones in the U.S. and Canada until the end of the year.
Users mull over hosted VoIP option
May 15, 2006
Avaya has announced a set of subscription-based IP telephony, call centre and voice-mail services for businesses - an unusual move for a networking equipment vendor, since hosted VoIP is primarily the domain of telecommunications carriers.
Skype talks up on-the-fly call translation service
May 14, 2006
Skype has moved to offer on-the-fly translation services. The VoIP provider teamed up with Language Line Services to make it easier for businesses and individuals to translate from English into more than 150 languages.
Coming Soon: In-Flight VoIP Calling
May 12, 2006
Tackling the Voice Security Threat
May 11, 2006
There is no denying the benefits of voice and data integration - cost reduction, bandwidth efficiency, enhanced scalability and improved productivity to name but a few. However, the convergence migration process opens networks and applications to new threats.
It's Time to Take VOIP Seriously
May 11, 2006
VoIP and security top enterprise IT priority lists
May 11, 2006
Convergence and security top the list of "hot" technologies that will have the greatest impact in 2006, according to the results of a new poll.
Microsoft Select Verizon for VoIP
May 10, 2006
Microsoft has selected Verizon to provide its VoIP services for users of its new Windows Live Messenger 8 software.
May 10, 2006
Project Lightspeed, AT&T Inc.'s new fiber-based services bundle, will launch in San Antonio next month and will contain broadband and video service — but VoIP won't be a part of the launch. — Because? Blame it on something called IMS.
Net2Phone Selects BridgePort Networks To Provide MobileVoIP Convergence Solutions
May 9, 2006
Net2Phone and BridgePort Networks announced that Net2Phone selected BridgePort Networks' MobileVoIP convergence architecture for its telecommunications partners.
May 9, 2006
This is an interesting story of a person who switched to VoIP because of problems with the PSTN line. Interesting! Apparently, the decision to switch to VoIP was worth it.
May 9, 2006
T-Mobile appears to have married its launch of an HSDPA data card and new "all you can eat" professional tariff with a ban on VoIP or IP messaging over its network. — Update: Ban is out of "quality" concern for customers? That's silly. If it does not work (and likely will not with today's wireless infrastructure), customers will not use it. But ban it?
Chambers' Telepresence Vision Sign Of Demand For Collaboration
May 8, 2006
Video meetings have been promised for decades, but they're still pretty much limited to occasional business functions. The broadband network, however, is ready to handle videoconferencing now.
VoIP regulation decision overturned; Canadian telcos to benefit
May 8, 2006
Canada's new Minister of Industry has overturned the CRTC's VoIP regulation decision
Vonage reserves IPO shares for customers
May 8, 2006
Internet telephony provider Vonage said that it will set aside shares of common stock for eligible customers participating its initial public offering.
Rogers criticized as anti-competitive
May 6, 2006
Demystify VoIP phone, experts say
May 6, 2006
The message experts told about 150 people gathered at Rochester Institute of Technology for the second annual conference on VoIP was that companies need to demystify VoIP technology before consumers completely embrace it.
Federal cabinet tells CRTC to reconsider year-old VoIP policy framework
May 5, 2006
The federal cabinet, responding to an appeal launched by Canada's biggest phone companies, has instructed the CRTC to reconsider a controversial year-old policy framework for VoIP phone services.
Miller To Boost AOL Through Free VoIP Service
May 5, 2006
AOL is hoping at least some of its 61 million AIM users will fork over the $14.95 the company will charge to make outgoing calls from the computer to telephones. — Surely not. Skype is far cheaper. $14.95!?!
Appeals court takes dim view of Net-tapping rules
May 5, 2006
federal appeals court suggested on Friday that government regulations levying extensive Internet wiretapping requirements on universities and libraries may go too far. — I'd say they went to far to require it of enterprises or even broadband providers that merely act as an access provider.
May 4, 2006
Among the questions facing Intel in its biggest reorganization in years: What to do with all these networking products?
Why VOIP is headed for your cell phone
May 4, 2006
For millions of users, VoIP is lowering phone bills for calls they make from their PC or land-line phone. But soon VoIP could cut cell-phone bills, too - most of all for international users.
EarthLink, GE fund broadband over power line provider
May 4, 2006
Microsoft and Qualcomm enter smart phone pact
May 4, 2006
Microsoft said it struck a deal to enable its Windows Mobile operating system to work with Qualcomm's mobile phone chips, helping Microsoft expand in wireless.
Secure VoIP - an achievable goal
May 3, 2006
The fusion of computing and communications technologies has made VoIP possible. But converged networks are also the source of its potential weaknesses. VoIP is a combined target for the different kinds of attack that are faced by both computers and phone systems.
U.S. to VoIP, broadband: we can't track the terrorists so now *you* gotta pay
May 3, 2006
The FCC ruled unanimously that VoIP phone companies, broadband providers, large enterprise networks and universities will have to get the tab for building in mandatory wiretap access for police surveillance. — Bush wants to catch those "turrists" (as George W. Bush calls them).
Skypecasts mean VoIP conversations for big groups
May 3, 2006
Web phone-calling company Skype is bringing social networking to crowds as it unveils a service for groups of up to 100 people to hold spontaneous conversations online.
Skype Introduces New Edition Of Its Internet Calling Software
May 3, 2006
Skype released a new version with some very cool features and, additionally, Skype introduced an new version of Skypecasts, which allows up to 100 participants to attend a moderated conference.
Consumers liking bundled telecom services
May 3, 2006
Time Warner CEO says that customers like the tripple-play bundle it offers, saying that in the last quarter the company added 241,000 digital video customers, 346,000 high-speed Internet subscribers and 270,000 digital phone subscribers.
FCC approves Net-wiretapping taxes
May 3, 2006
FCC says that broadband providers and Internet phone companies in the U.S. will have to pick up the tab for the cost of building in mandatory wiretap access for police surveillance.
May 2, 2006
Vonage has changed its corporate look and expanded its service by offering free calls to France, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Avaya VoIP Linux Style to The SMB
May 2, 2006
Avaya is now targeting its VoIP efforts at the small- to midsized-business (SMB) market with a new series of Linux-powered initiatives.
Skype-Polycom Partnership Pumps Up Enterprise VoIP
May 2, 2006
Old school business meets new school technology in the partnership of corporate speakerphone giant Polycom and VoIP provider Skype, which has produced a portable speakerphone featuring high-quality voice communication and audio functionality.
NeoAccel Unveils Industry's First Accelerated, All-in-One SSL VPN Network Security Appliance
May 2, 2006
NeoAccel announced Version 2.0 of its flagship SSL VPN-Plus Enterprise Edition, the first network security platform to combine an extremely high-performance, enterprise-class SSL VPN with integrated Network Access Control. SSL VPN-Plus eliminates the latency and overhead that keeps SSL VPNs from broad adoption by enterprises that rely on online business applications and/or VoIP, video conferencing, media streaming and other real-time applications.
Secure SIP protects VoIP traffic
May 1, 2006
The article claims that SIP has become the call control protocol of choice for VoIP networks because of its open and extensible nature. However, the integrity of call signaling between sites is of utmost importance, and SIP is vulnerable to attackers when left unprotected. — What is not understood is that the "open and extensible" nature of SIP means that every vendor and every product implements SIP differently. What a nightmare.
Cisco Overhauls Router Line To Improve VoIP, Security
May 1, 2006
New modules for the 7200 promise performance improvements for aggregation of services such as security and VoIP from branch offices, and the router line now scales up to OC-3/Gigabit Ethernet speeds.
Lots of options available to VoIP users
May 1, 2006
The Internet phone industry is growing at an exponential rate and today boasts more than 4 million users, more than doubling in the past year. But as the number of users increases, so does the number of providers.
Standard Extends Use of Legacy Equipment for Deaf in IP-Networks
May 1, 2006
A new standard extending support of a key communications tool for the deaf and hard of hearing to IP-based networks was consented at a recent meeting of ITU-T's Study Group 16. See ToIP.
IMTC and ITU Conference: H.323, SIP: is H.325 next?
May 1, 2006
The rollout of NGN will bring with it in a new era of multimedia communications and with that a need to consider updating or replace the currently used H.323 and SIP multimedia protocols. Conference dates: 9-11 May 2006.
Distributed, Globally Scalable VoIP Communication
May 1, 2006
H.323 and SIP both have their roots dating back to 1995 and 1996. Today, H.323 is still one of the most widely used protocols for VoIP and the most widely used videoconferencing protocol. This document talks about building globally scalable communication systems using