News Archive - January 2009
Verizon Announces Pricing for the VoIP Hub
January 31, 2009
Verizon is making headlines this week with the termination of one VoIP service offering and the introduction of a new one. But, will people actually be willing to pay the high cost of this new service?
January 29, 2009
Nortel killed its mobile WiMax OEM deal with Alvarion less than nine months after the deal was publicly announced, saying the company wants to narrow its focus in wireless area so as to "help position the company for long term success."
VoIP Security Predictions for 2009
January 29, 2009
The VoIP security mess just continues this year, no real improvements are in sight, it's rather getting worse. Here are Marc Collier's VoIP and Voice security predictions for 2009, limited to just a few key predictions.
Verizon to Shut Down Internet Phone Service
January 28, 2009
Verizon told customers it is shutting down its VoiceWing Internet-based phone service to focus on other technologies. VoiceWing will be permanently shuttered on March 31. And, we assume they will be encouraging customers to move over to the new Verizon Hub?
Verizon's wireless biz keeps earnings strong
January 27, 2009
Despite the troubled economy, Verizon managed to post a 15% increase in profit for the fourth quarter of 2008, thanks once again to growth in its wireless business and new fiber to the home services.
Sprint Nextel to eliminate 8,000 jobs
January 26, 2009
Sprint Nextel is eliminating about 8,000 positions in the first quarter as it seeks to cut annual costs by $1.2 billion. The cuts represent roughly 14% of its employees.
Verizon Wireless Launches Internet Phone
January 23, 2009
Verizon is readying a new product that will marry its wireless phone service with an Internet home phone that uses a broadband network to make calls.
Skype Passed 15 Million On-Line User Mark
January 22, 2009
On January 12, 2008, Skype passed the 15 million on-line user mark. Over the past year, Skype has been constantly breaking new records as more and more users are utilizing the service.
Ericsson Soars on Strong Q4, Outlook
January 22, 2009
Ericsson gave the telecom equipment sector a much needed boost Wednesday by reporting strong fourth-quarter results and remaining positive about the resilience of the mobile infrastructure sector in the coming year.
January 22, 2009
Ericsson said it will cut 5,000 jobs after witnessing a 31% drop in fourth-quarter net profit year over year. — Firing employees when still making a profit? That is absolutely horrible given the current state of the world economy.
Polycom Reports Strong Earnings, Great 2008
January 21, 2009
Perhaps it is videoconferencing that helped boost Polycom in 2008, as the company passed the $1B revenue mark at the end of the year. Indeed, 67% of the company's revenue for the fourth quarter came from video-related products.
Why We Should Not Question Moving To VoIP
January 20, 2009
People are still asking the question of whether they should or should not move to VoIP. That is the wrong question to ask. Of course you should move to VoIP, and you should do it quickly. The technology is now firmly rooted in the industry and is viewed as the only technology going forward to provide voice and video communications to enterprises and end consumers.
Is Comcast Discriminating Against VoIP Providers?
January 19, 2009
After a year of back and forth over Comcast's network management practices, the cable provider is now under fire for allegedly giving priority to its own IP-based digital phone service over that of competing VoIP providers. — Yes, they are. However, this is the nature of the Internet. It is not possible for Comcast to differentiate a customer's voice traffic from other kinds of traffic. But, its own phone service is easily differentiated due to the technology employed. Comcast does not deserve punishment for this one.
January 17, 2009
Vonage is being sued in a class-action lawsuit over problems related to fax transmission. But, this lawsuit highlights a more serious issue that many do not understand. That is, most, if not all, of the legacy technologies that were used on the PSTN, like fax, security alarms, and point-of-sale systems, need to be replaced with newer technologies that are designed to work over the Internet.
Verizon: No Plan to Go All-VoIP in Seven Years
January 15, 2009
VoIP may be very much alive, but that doesn't mean Verizon is aiming to kill off its traditional copper PSTN network anytime soon.
Motorola plans another round of layoffs
January 14, 2009
Motorola announced that it plans to cut another 4,000 jobs, or about 6 percent of its workforce, and warned that weaker-than-expected handset sales would lead to a fourth-quarter loss. Motorola said 3,000 jobs would be eliminated from its handset unit, while another 1,000 jobs would be cut from the rest of the company.
Nortel Files for Bankruptcy Protection
January 14, 2009
Nortel Networks has filed for Chapter 11 protection in the Delaware bankruptcy court in an effort to sort out its financial woes.
Give me a Jingle (It's a Multi-Protocol World)
January 9, 2009
If you have not heard of Jingle, perhaps it is time you should. Jingle is a protocol that enables voice and video calls right from within you XMPP IM session. So, while H.323 still has the lion share of the market, followed by Skype, and SIP still trying to get footing, in comes Jingle. And, building on XMPP, it is likely to be a good option to consider!
VoIP Now Voice Over Internet Plumbing
January 9, 2009
VoIP vendors have yet to really highlight the differences VoIP makes for small businesses. Until they do, the old fashioned PBX dealers that now offer hybrid PBX-VoIP systems or whatever else they can sell to their loyal customers will keep winning competitive bids.
Skype Launches on Android Platform and Java-Enabled Mobile Phones
January 8, 2009
Skype announced the release of a lite version of Skype, a 'thin' client for Skype that can be downloaded on Android-powered devices, as well as more than 100 other Java-enabled mobile phones.
Glowpoint ends 2008 with record video call volumes
January 8, 2009
Glowpoint announced that the company's video call volumes more than doubled during November and December of 2008 as compared to the same period for 2007. This rapid growth in call volume was driven by a combination of both increased usage by existing customers as well as the addition of new customers during the fourth quarter.
LG GD910 Wrist Watch Phone at Consumer Electronics Show
January 8, 2009
LG introduced a new mobile phone wrist watch, perhaps trying to keep up with the Chinese competitors already playing in this space. The main features on the new watch phone include an MP3 player, 3G connectivity and an on-board camera for videoconferencing. The product is expected to ship in the second half of 2009.
January 6, 2009
Cisco introduced a free application, available from Apple's App Store, that lets iPhone users participate in WebEx virtual meetings. Users can participate in the audio portion of the meetings, use text chat and see presentations, applications and PC desktops that are shown as part of a meeting.
January 5, 2009
"VoIP is Dead" rang out from the blogosphere shortly before the clock struck midnight on December 31, 2008, signaling the end of one year and the start of another. The call was led by Alec Saunders and Om Malik arguing that VoIP as a vision of radically transforming communications is dead, that instead we've basically replaced the PSTN with an IP-based clone.
XMPP: The Standard for Enterprise Instant Messaging
January 4, 2009
For nearly a decade, a battle has been waged over enterprise instant messaging. The question that had lingered for so long was whether any standard would emerge as the predominant standard, or whether we would all be crippled with proprietary solutions that only work within the confines of the enterprise. Well, the writing on the wall is pretty clear now, with XMPP coming out as the clear winner.