News Archive - September 2008

End of VoIP Hype in Germany
September 25, 2008

German technology magazine "Heise On-line" reports on a research survey conducted by InformationWeek and Steria Mummert Consulting that indicates the end of the VoIP hype at least in enterprises in Germany. 468 managers and security officers have been queried. Nearly 40% of them said that VoIP is not planned in their enterprise (2006: 33%). The fraction of enterprises that deploy VoIP already has basically remained constant (33%) for the past 2 years. Only 25% are still planning to introduce VoIP. Reason for reluctance being: fear of follow-up costs such as employee training and investment in network infrastructure change. VoIP security problems are said to be among the major hurdles; VoIP security concerns have more than doubled in the past year.
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Android on WiMax in 2009?
September 24, 2008

A new analyst report from ThinkPanmure suggests that Google Android devices could arrive on the Clearwire network sometime in 2009, backing up recent comments about the platform by the operator's CEO, Ben Wolff.
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Android: No VoIP for You — and Other Oddities With the Google Phone
September 23, 2008

Apparently, Google and T-Mobile have worked together to ensure that Skype will not work. What?!?! They deliberately took steps to block an application? Why? There can only be one reason: they want to maintain the old business model of charging by the minute for voice calls.
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T-Mobile G1 details, price, and launch date revealed
September 23, 2008

T-Mobile and Google just announced the first-ever handset with Google's new Android operating system. Called the T-Mobile G1, it has both full touch-screen functionality, a QWERTY keyboard, a trackball for one-handed navigation, plus access to mobile Web applications like Google Maps Street View, Gmail, YouTube, and more.
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Europe: Number of VoIP users quadruples
September 22, 2008

The number of VoIP users in Europe has quadrupled in two years, driven by aggressive pricing for bundled communications services. A report said that at the end of 2007, there were more than 25.3 million consumer VoIP "lines" in service in Western Europe. Aggressively priced bundles of voice, broadband, and video service were considered a key driver of growth.
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Cisco Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Jabber
September 19, 2008

Cisco announced its intent to acquire privately held Jabber, Inc., a provider of presence and messaging software. Based in Denver, Jabber will work with Cisco to enhance the existing presence and messaging functions of Cisco's Collaboration portfolio.
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UK: VoIP services provide 999 call access
September 18, 2008

All VoIP services that enable users to call regular phone numbers must also now offer emergency 999 and 112 access, thanks to new rules imposed by telecoms industry regulator Ofcom.
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8x8 Partners With Microsoft to Offer Packet8 VoIP Phone Service With Response Point Business Phone System
September 17, 2008

8x8 announced it has executed a technology partnership and marketing agreement with Microsoft to offer Packet8 VoIP phone service for Microsoft's Response Point small business phone system.
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Nortel to Sell Carrier Ethernet, Optical Biz
September 17, 2008

As Nortel stock plunges on expected lower earnings and widening losses, the company says it is to undergo a significant revamp in the coming months, part of which will be an attempt to sell its Metro Ethernet Networks (MEN) division, which supplies optical and Ethernet equipment to carriers and cable operators.
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Economic Crunch Spurs Cord Cutting
September 17, 2008

More than 20 million households in America have cut the cord and are going wireless for their home phone service, according to a Nielsen Mobile report. The reason is apparently people feel that a home phone service is no longer essential, whereas a mobile phone is.
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T-Mobile Android phone to hit stores on Oct 17, Sprint Android phone coming next year
September 16, 2008

Android, Google's new operating system for devices, will be officially unveiled as part of the HTC "Dream" phone launch on T-Mobile on September 23rd. The phone, to be officially called the "G1" will ship on October 13th and arrive in stores on October 17.
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At eBay, Is Skype There to Stay?
September 12, 2008

Josh Silverman is on the defensive. As the head of eBay's Skype unit, he's happy to talk about his company's more than 330 million users and six straight quarters of profitability. He also believes that devices like TVs can be turned into video conferencing devices — he shares a similar vision we have for H.325.
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German court bans VoIP on iPhone
September 11, 2008

A German court has sided with wireless carrier T-Mobile and banned the use of Voice over Internet Protocol on Apple's iPhone.
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Confirmed: iPod Touch Can Support VoIP Calls
September 11, 2008

Cult of Mac has confirmed the newest version of Apple's iPod Touch contains the hardware necessary to enable free or low-cost phone calls over wi-fi.
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AT&T gears up for APAC telepresence space
September 10, 2008

AT&T is gearing up for an imminent play in the regional video conferencing market, teaming with Cisco to deliver a managed offering. The service will be based on Cisco's telepresence solution using B2B links via AT&T's IP network and VPN capabilities.
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Is VoIP the way forward?
September 9, 2008

With all the technology we hold today; unified communications, interoperability amongst technologies, protocols spreading and sharing rules, an ever expanding phone and networked systems - are we really heading towards a VoIP only world?
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HSBC begins TelePresence rollout
September 8, 2008

Global banking giant HSBC will aim for big savings and to slash its air travel by millions of miles as it begins a global rollout of Cisco's videoconferencing system, TelePresence.
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US VoIP managers sentenced for Nitel bribery
September 7, 2008

Two former senior managers of ITXC (now Tata Communications) have been sentenced to a total of 10 years probation and fines of US$17,000 for attempting to bribe employees of Nigerian telco Nitel.
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Progress on the Advanced Multimedia System
September 7, 2008

ITU-T Q12/16 met the last week of August to make progress on H.325), the next-generation multimedia communication system that will enable users to communicate using a multiplicity of communication modes across any number of independent devices. The focus of this meeting was primarily on network architecture and requirements.
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Samsung agrees to sell Symbian stake to Nokia
September 4, 2008

Samsung Electronics has reportedly agreed to sell its investment stake in Symbian to mobile phone maker Nokia for $440M.
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