News Archive - March 2009
Amazon-Based Unified Communications Demoed By Siemens
March 31, 2009
It's only a demonstration for now, but Siemens showed off its OpenScape unified communications software — including VoIP — running on Amazon.com's EC2 cloud computing platform.
China Unicom Plans Massive Capex Hike
March 31, 2009
China Unicom plans to increase its annual capital expenditure by 56% this year, taking its total outlay to US$16.2 billion. The funds are to facilitate the rollout of its 3G network and its investment in broadband and data equipment.
Skype Available on Apple App Store
March 31, 2009
Skype announced that its highly anticipated application, Skype for iPhone, will be available on the Apple App Store beginning today. The app also adds Skype calling and instant messaging to any second generation iPod touch with a compatible headset and microphone.
Skype's share of the international long-distance pie on the increase
March 24, 2009
New data from TeleGeography show that international voice traffic continues to rise, despite the availability of an ever-broader range of substitutes for standard telephone calls. Cross-border telephone traffic grew 14% in 2007 and is estimated to have grown 12% in 2008, to 384 billion minutes. Of that, Skype accounted for 8% of the traffic.
New Carrier Promises Unlimited 3G Data, VoIP
March 12, 2009
A brand-new mobile-phone carrier, Zer01 Mobile, said that it can give users truly unlimited voice and data on smart phones for $69.95/month, without a contract, on a network as broad as the one owned by AT&T.
March 12, 2009
eBay said that it is targeting $1B in revenue for Skype in 2011. When it acquired Skype in 2005 for $2.5B, revenues were roughly $100M for the year. That is a significant accomplishment, but one that seems quite doable given the continued growth the company has seen. On any given day of the week, there are more than 15M users logged into Skype worldwide.
Comcast's VoIP Makes It a Top 3 Telco
March 11, 2009
In just over three years, Comcast has grown to become the third-largest residential phone service provider in the U.S. Comcast now has 6.47 million subscribers to its VoIP service, available in 39 states, giving the cable operator more residential customers than Qwest.
AT&T Boosts 3G, Adds 3,000 Jobs
March 10, 2009
Despite a capex cut of up to $3 billion this year, AT&T made it clear that it intends to spend to improve and expand its 3G network — adding 3,000 jobs in the process to support "mobility, broadband, and video."
4G race gaining speed, data says
March 6, 2009
Twenty-six operators are committed to the long-term evolution (LTE) 4G standard. While the forum for GSM and 3G suppliers worldwide decidedly has a stake in promoting LTE, the number indicates growing momentum for the standard, which promises download data rates of at least 100Mbps.
Vidyo Secures $15 Million to Expand Leadership in Personal Telepresence Market
March 5, 2009
Vidyo announced a $15 million third round of financing, bringing the total amount of capital raised by the company to $38 million since its inception in 2005. The additional funding enables Vidyo to expand its sales, marketing and product development efforts as well as better support its growing customer base and partners.
Clearwire stays the course despite losses
March 5, 2009
Despite heavy losses, Clearwire is sticking to its plans to expand its WiMax wireless service to as many as 120 million people by the end of 2010.
March 3, 2009
Skype plans to provide its SILK wideband voice codec to third party software and hardware developers with a royalty-free license. This is the audio codec used in Skype 4.0 when calls are placed between two users. It encodes audio between 70Hz and 12KHz and is designed to scale from 6Kbps to 40Kbps.
Smartphone sales pick up steam in U.S., Prices Drop
March 3, 2009
Roughly 23% of all handsets sold in the U.S. during the fourth quarter were smartphones. But as sales soared, prices for these advanced phones dropped. In fact, the average price of a smartphone during the quarter dropped by 23% from $216 in the fourth quarter of 2007 to $167 during the fourth quarter of 2008,
VocalTec Buys Its Shares Back from Cisco
March 2, 2009
VocalTec bought 1,673,549 of its own shares from Cisco, which represented approximately 22.7% of the issued and outstanding share capital of the company. The shares were bought for $0.40 per share, for a total aggregate purchase price of approximately $669,000.
Nortel Loses Billions & Plans Bonuses
March 2, 2009
Nortel Networks unveiled fourth-quarter and full-year financial results that, not surprisingly, showed marked declines in year-on-year sales for a bankrupt company currently restructuring. The company is lining up bonus payments for some of its senior executives and staff in North America.