News Archive - January 2008
Are You Getting Ripped Off?: Hidden VoIP Fees
January 30, 2008
While it has been noted that VoIP taxation is getting out of control, it seems that others are now discovering that there are a lot of hidden and unnecessary fees charged by VoIP service providers today.
17 Ways VoIP Has Improved My Gaming Experience
January 30, 2008
Today's games give players realistic avatars, believable backgrounds and the ability to use the Internet to connect to millions of other gamers all over the world. One of the best additions to this new era of gaming has been integration with VoIP, which has made multiplayer games more fun and exciting for many gamers.
Orange has over 3.5 million VoIP customers
January 30, 2008
Orange had 3.57 million VoIP customers in four countries as of June 2007, plus 71,000 subscribers in Poland. It is believed to be the largest VoIP provider in Western Europe with an estimated 14% market share.
Sprint, Clearwire revive talk of WiMax venture
January 29, 2008
Sprint Nextel and Clearwire have revived talks to form a joint venture to build a high-speed network using WiMax technology. — And this is great news! We might actually have a better alternative for high speed mobile wireless communications at last!
Ribbit injects phone, voice mail features onto Web
January 28, 2008
Ribbit, a Silicon Valley start-up that lets software programmers embed phone-like voice features in everything from Web sites to computers to phones themselves, unveiled its first product for consumers.
Cisco's Emerging Collaboration Strategy
January 28, 2008
More than just a way to eliminate some face to face meetings, collaboration technology ranging from wikis to pricey telepresence systems will reignite productivity.
Vonage chief stays sunny about the future
January 27, 2008
Ticking off a list of financial achievements, including 22 sequential quarters of revenue growth, Vonage's interim CEO, Jeffrey Citron, says he's more hopeful than ever, in fact. "I'm very encouraged about the future."
January 25, 2008
Wireless Internet is rapidly taking to the airways and that leaves some people wondering whether VoIP services on planes will make en-route calling a possibility. Airline carriers are attempting to adapt to the varied needs of all of their customers by allowing in-flight wireless connections but are considering limiting those connections to reduce hassles on their flights. One of the wireless services that might be cut from the list of services is in-flight VoIP.
Olympics powered by HD communications
January 25, 2008
China will adopt a high-definition video communications system during the Beijing Olympic Games in August - the first of its type in Olympics history. Cisco signed a deal with China Netcom to implement Cisco's TelePresence 3000 system during the Games.
Burning questions about Asterisk open source PBX platform
January 24, 2008
The Asterisk PBX platform has been around for nine years and has drawn interest from a wide range of end users as well as businesses looking to expand on the basic software or add peripherals to make it more attractive to potential users. But, the burning question is how useful is an open source PBX to businesses?
Verizon Business Rolls Out High-Definition Video Conferencing to Enhance Global Collaboration
January 24, 2008
As part of its ongoing effort to help organizations communicate more effectively around the globe, Verizon Business announced the rollout of video conferencing in high definition.
VoIP Over 3G Wireless Gets Real
January 23, 2008
Mobile providers are expected to shift toward delivering VoIP over 3G wireless networks in 2008. More specifically, there are plans to deploy IMS, which is a bloated SIP-based architecture that, in spite of popular reports, essentially delivers nothing new to the customer.
January 18, 2008
Sprint Nextel said it will cut about 4,000 jobs and close about 8 percent of its stores, predicting further pressure on its ability to attract subscribers and turn a profit in 2008. — Well, WiMax might have helped, but they apparently got cold feet. Honestly, what do they have to offer if they don't go for something different?
Nokia to cut up to 2,300 staff
January 15, 2008
Nokia said it plans to close its plant in Bochum, Germany, by mid-2008 and may cut up to 2,300 staff as it moves production to lower-cost regions.
Apple, China Mobile call off iPhone launch talks
January 14, 2008
Apple and China Mobile have called off talks to launch the U.S. firm's popular iPhones in China, dashing investor speculation that the device will hit store shelves soon and sending China Mobile shares down.
Google sees surge in iPhone traffic
January 13, 2008
On Christmas, traffic to Google from iPhones surged, surpassing incoming traffic from any other type of mobile device, according to internal Google data made available to The New York Times.
3.5G driving rapid mobile broadband growth
January 10, 2008
The wireless network technology known as 3.5G is driving mobile broadband growth around the globe, accompanied by rollouts of an increasing number of commercial networks using the 3.5G transmission protocol.
January 10, 2008
Skype sees the mobile market as the next frontier for its service, but economic realities in the voice market—coupled with mobile operators who feel threatened by Skype—could put the kibosh on large-scale adoption for some time to come.
WiMax seen growing fast globally
January 8, 2008
An emerging long-range, high-speed wireless technology is expected to spread quickly and be available globally within two years, a key backer of the so-called WiMax technology said. WiMax truly does represent a major step forward for wireless broadband that will usher in significant changes in how we communicate.