VoIP Now

Cisco lands DoD contract

Cisco has been selected by the DOD to provide it with networking equipment for IP conferencing. The voice and video conferencing project will have the Cisco IP Video Conferencing 3540 Multipoint Control Unit for managing video conferencing and MeetingPlace for video, voice and Web conferencing. voipplanet.com reports:

The DoD award is the second major video-related announcement from Cisco this month. Earlier, it said it would pay $6.9 billion for set-top box maker and video networker Scientific-Atlanta.

Read More: Cisco Enlisted For DoD IP Conferencing

Click to call

Google is in the process of testing a click-to-call feature for Adwords. This will allow advertisers to connect with prospects on the net and on the phone. Select ads on Google are now carrying a small green icon of a phone, which upon clicking prompts the user to enter a telephone number. A “Connect For Free” button then links the advertiser and the searcher. At present the vendor providing the click-to-call functionality is not known Google is picking the tab for the phone call.

Skype announces GM for North America

Henry Gomez, who has been one of the foremost corporate communications and government relations executive at eBay, has been designated general manager of Skype North America. The job responsibilities will involve marketing, PR, business development, product integration, government relations, etc. voipplanet.com reports:

"Skype is tremendously successful around the world, and we now plan to bring greater focus to North America," Zennstrom said in a statement. "Henry's deep knowledge of the market and its consumers, as well as his expertise in building brands like eBay, makes him uniquely suited to lead our North American business."

Read More: Skype Takes Another EBay Exec

Vonage to continue marketing VoIP

Vonage intends to keep marketing its services even though it has failed to comply with the FCC deadline of November 28 regarding provision of E911 services. In its compliance report, Vonage has mentioned its capability to provide a callback number and a fixed location for 911 operations for all its users. However, only around 26% of Vonage’s one million customers have access to nomadic E911 service. Vonage has filed for a waiver of the ruling and has stated that by the first half of 2006, 97% of its subscribers will have E911.

Vonage has mentioned that it has 125 employees working toward E911 deployment and stated that it has put in more than $ 50 million in the project. In its waiver filing, Vonage claims that its efforts to provide nation-wide E911 services in such a short timeframe have been slowed down by the lack of precedent and insufficient resources to turn to for guidance.

VoIP to grow in 2006

The research firm Gartner has identified telephony as one of the six sectors that will influence business and drive growth in 2006. By 2010, VoIP and cellular phones could be the only type of telephony used by close to one-third of the homes in America. POTS, which has been around for nearly 125 years is witnessing regression and IP-telephony appears to be the way forward. voipplanet.com reports:

"To catch the waves of change at their early stages, vendors, users and investors in technology will need to look outside their industries to find early adopters that provide inspiration for how these trends translate into business value," said Daryl Plummer, group vice president and chief Gartner Fellow in a statement.

Read More: Gartner Predicts Key Tech Trends for 2006

Cable VoIP could flourish in 2006

The competition between cable companies, telecom companies, and other types of providers is increasing and VoIP could well turn out to be the deciding factor. Experts feel that in 2006 there could be a shift in advantage toward cable companies; currently independent hosted service providers have the upper hand in the VoIP market. Cable companies offering VoIP are mostly providing only voice service. However, the quality of voice service is high because they are using their own network and can promote voice packets over other data streams.

Hosted operators on the other hand are ahead in terms of innovation and are trying to integrate their service with other programs. Since they use a third party’s network, cannot prioritize their voice packets. Telecom companies are in a slightly tricky situation because if they go full-steam ahead with VoIP, they do so at the risk of eating into their existing POTS services. The advantage in the VoIP market will swing with the ability to offer packaged services for triple and quadruple play. The move by cable companies to tie up with Sprint Nextel is viewed by experts as a move to acquire capabilities to provide voice, video, and data services in a single package. voipplanet.com reports:

One example of the future of such offerings, Arden says, is Japan's SoftBank, which has had a broadband-focused business model from the beginning. "SoftBank really built everything on leveraging that broadband customer base, and that's why they've been really successful with VoIP," he says. "I think that's the business model that a lot of the cable guys have looked at."

Read More: Cable Providers Grab VoIP Advantage

Image problems for Skype

eBay’s acquisition of Skype has put the free P2P service in the limelight. However, not all this attention has been of the positive kind. According to the Canada-based Info-Tech Research Group big enterprises should refrain from using Skype as the service has some serious security and compliance shortcomings such that even a rookie hacker can pose a serious threat to a company’s network.

Butler Group, which is a UK-based analyst firm, has stated that computers on the Skype P2P network can be used as virtual PBXs. This will affect their speed, performance, and bandwidth consumption. voipplanet.com reports:

Recent releases do make it possible for network managers to turn off the instant messaging (IM) and file transfer functions in Windows Registry as a way to reduce peer-to-peer traffic over a company's Internet connection. But that's as far as it goes.

Read More: Skype: Big Bad Wolf?

The IP Multimedia Subsystem

VoIP systems can be integrated with the circuit-switched networks and with cellular networks. VoIP integration with cellular networks is achieved with the help of softswitches and the idea is referred to as the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). Several softswitch vendors have begun to incorporate IMS into their products.

The objective of IMS is to provide Internet connectivity to cell phone users. This opens the doors for a host of IP-dependent services such as VoIP, video-conferencing, etc. This requires that the carriers being used by two communicators be IMS-compliant. Thus, IMS opens up new opportunities for revenue for the vendors. IMS uses SIP. IETF has done valuable work in the development of IMS. For using IMS in cellular networks, the SIP servers such as registration and authentication servers have to be deployed inside the home network.

CAP from Converged Access Inc.

Converged Access Inc., which provides application performance management solutions for converged enterprise WANs, will be using its expertise in advanced traffic management and security for SMBs and remote offices that look to mobilize their workforce. The Converged Access Point (CAP) product can be integrated with the 802.11 b/g wireless LAN (WLAN). This allows SMBs and remote offices to provide business-class security and guaranteed performance to those who access VoIP, data, and other applications through either a wired or wireless network. CAP is a business class solution that simplifies management by integrating VoIP gateway, security, and critical routing functions.

An increase in the number of voice and data users should not come at a cost of application and security performance. VoIP and Voice over Wi-Fi should achieve toll quality performance standards. CAP provides a package that consists of a VoIP gateway, precise traffic management, firewall and VPN security, and an intuitive policy management solution. CAP provides business-class security and its connectivity to wireless devices such as PDAs, Wi-Fi phones, laptops, etc ensures that productivity does not get compromised due to worker mobility. CAP provides toll quality VoIP and bandwidth utilization in excess of 95%.

Cablemas to use ARRIS products

Cablemas, which is a Mexican Multiple System Cable Operator (MSO) will be using the ARRIS Cadant C4 CMTS, which will enable it to provide advanced voice (VoIP) and high-speed data service to its clients. Cablemas reaches more than 1.5 million homes in Tijuana, where the installation and activation of several C4 CMTS chassis has already taken place. The CMTS platform has an all-component redundancy and provides hitless sparing. Cablemas will also be using the ARRIS Touchstone(R) TM402G Embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapter (E-MTA).

VoiceEngine embedded technology from GIPS

Gemtek technology, which provides wireless broadband systems, is using the VoiceEngine Embedded technology developed by GIPS for its FreePP VoIP service. The VoiceEngine technology provides support for managing voice quality across the different platforms used for the FreePP service. Jitter, packet loss, delay, and echo are some of the problems that will be sorted with the help of the VoiceEngine Embedded technology. Different systems and platforms are used to provide global P2P VoIP services.

PMC-Sierra, VoIP device provider, uses the GIPS NetEQ for its MSP VoIP Processor family in order to obtain better sound quality and minimize jitter buffer delay.

VoiceConX ro use Edgewater products

VoiceConX, which is a hosted VoIP service provider, will be using VoIP products from Edgewater Networks for its business VoIP customers. Edgewater Networks will provide VoiceConX with customer premises products, network-based session border controllers and a VoIP-specific network management platform.

VoiceConX will be using the EdgeMarc device and EdgeView VoIP Support Systems for quality management at both the customer’s end and at the core network. EdgeView VoIP Support System will facilitate remote management of the ConX-IP subscribers. EdgeMarc improves VoIP service quality for real-time media. tmcnet.com reports:

Edgewater made news last month when it partnered with VoIP software supplier Atreus Systems to combine the EdgeView network management system, EdgeMarc converged network appliances, and EdgeConnect managed PoE switch with Atreus’ Multi-Service Provisioning Solution.

Read More: Edgewater Delivers ConX-IP

Level 3 and Acme to come together

Level 3 has selected Acme Packet as a participant in its (3) VoIP Technology Alliance Program (TAP). The objective of the program is to institute a formal relationship between Level 3 and selected vendors in order to facilitate speedy deployment of services that are interconnected with the Level 3 network. tmcnet.com reports:

Acme Packet's Net-Net family of session border controllers (SBCs) satisfies critical security, service assurance and regulatory requirements for voice, video and multimedia sessions crossing IP network borders.

Read More: Acme Packet Joins Level 3's (3)VoIP Technology Alliance Program

E911 availability not easy to achieve

According to Stephen Meer, co-founder of Intrado, it is not going to be easy for VoIP providers to achieve seamless E911 service delivery. One reason for this is the high service level currently available to the American public. tmcnet.com reports:

One of the critical issues relating to the deployment of VoIP E911 is the need to develop standardized coverage criteria. In discussions with the FCC, Meer has provided guidance regarding the elements required for nationwide VoIP 911 coverage.

Read More: E911 Expert Warns of VoIP E911 Issues

Report from Wainhouse Research

The quarterly WebMetrics research program from Wainhouse Research has found that of its panelists, 70% were of the opinion that Skype was acceptable for business calls. According to Andy Nilssen, Wainhouse Research, the consistent high quality of VoIP service delivered by Skype has resulted in increased acceptance of VoIP. tmcnet.com reports:

"While we're not likely to see enterprises adopt Skype per se, Skype will lead to VoIP adoption among both enterprise and small-medium business markets sooner rather than later."

Read More: Skype Showing Newfound Acceptance for Business

VoIP steals a march over legacy telephony

The commercial VoIP market is presumably stealing a march over the enterprise market. Enterprises are still at the stage of evaluating the market and readying themselves for deployment by first getting the network ready.

According to In-Stat, with the growth of integrated VoIP functionality in CPE such as modems, routers, and gateways, the market for VoIP ICs will grow to $ 1.3 billion by 2009. Another opportunity in the VoIP market is that of security products. A VoIP solution has to include traffic management and security solutions.

Security threats for wireless networks

Wireless networks are also exposed to the same security hazards as conventional wired networks. Sophisticated mobile devices can compromise wireless networks by exposing them to DoS attacks and interception attempts. The increase in adoption of wireless networks within enterprises and the use of mobile technology to aid business and personal work will lead to greater security concerns. This could result in infrastructure security becoming a key point in distinguishing service providers.

Since the nature of threats is diverse, it is not possible to cover all security angles with a single strategy. Service providers adopt a multi-layered approach to secure wireless networks. Aspects of security such as user authentication, encryption, policy controls, etc need to be managed in such a way that user experience is not compromised. The multiservice security gateway is a platform that enables security of wireless networks without compromising on the scalability and availability. securitypipeline.com reports:

To ensure data integrity and confidentiality for their wireless services, mobile operators must protect and secure the wireless transmissions to their network, and, more importantly, insulate and secure the core network infrastructure from potential security threats.

Read More: Three Security Perimeters Needed For Secure Wireless

Network elements for security

A network element forwards packets according to a network layer address for routers and a datalink layer address in the case of a LAN switch. The content of the packets is processed by the end systems. As a convention, the network elements have operated at Layer 3 and below. However, the network elements too can inspect content, which can even be dropped for reasons of security or traffic control. Content-based network security and monitoring carried out by the network elements is important as the security provided by firewalls using Access Control Lists is not sufficient against attacks that target vulnerabilities at the application layer.

Network elements allow IT administrators to quickly add a signature update if a new security threat occurs. The content processing abilities of the network elements provide the necessary time to update servers, mobile computing devices, etc against the threats. Content processing also facilitates traffic control as it enables the server load balancer to allocate a server for a request more effectively. XML routers and switches and P2P traffic managers manage traffic based on the content in the application layer headers and the payload. Content-based traffic control also helps to curtail costs by managing the bandwidth more efficiently.

Checking the content of the network traffic is also useful in IP service applications and billing. IP addresses are not a sufficient pointer for billing in the case of wireless networks. This is because several wireless boundaries are crossed while providing wireless services. The billing has to consider the bandwidth consumption and the applications used. securitypipeline.com reports:

The enterprise environment is not alone in its vulnerability to viruses and other attacks. User and network equipment in IP-based telecom networks, such as VoIP and wireless networks, face similar problems.

Read More: Maximize IP-based VoIP And Wireless Network Security

VoIP sales outstrip legacy system sales

According to a report by Merrill Lynch, the sale of VoIP systems, for the year ended in June 2005, were higher than those for traditional systems. Traditional voice systems registered a drop of 20% whereas VoIP systems sales grew by 31% for the year. The drop in sales of legacy systems has meant that the overall growth in the telecom market was just 2% year-over-year and amounted to $ 2.24 billion.

The two top VoIP vendors, Cisco and Avaya are adopting different product strategies in order to gain market share. The solution offered by Avaya allows a company to replace its existing telephony infrastructure in a gradual manner; the slow migration to IP enables companies to get a feel of IP telephony at every step of the deployment. Cisco deployments consist of new IP deployments and new IP telephones. For the quarter ending June 2005, Cisco’s market share for pure-play VoIP products increased 15% and that of Avaya’s hybrid VoIP products grew by 14%. VoIP vendors like Alcatel, Siemens, and Nortel are actively exploring the IP-telephony option.

Verso offers Skype-blocking software

Verso Technologies, which is based in Atlanta, has announced that it will be demonstrating its products at the GSM Africa Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, to be held this week. The company is looking to market its NetSpective M-Class content management solution in the African telecom market. Verso will be partnering Taide Networks, which is a Norwegian company and has a presence in Africa. Interest in Verso’s products has grown ever since the company made an announcement regarding a trial of its Skype-blocking solution in China.

Verso is targeting enterprises and carriers for NetSpective, which blocks P2P traffic. There are approximately 150 enterprise customers for NetSpective in the US. The device assiduously filters network traffic and is compliant with the federal mandates regarding filtering. The phenomenal success of Skype has led several existing telecom carriers to take steps against it in order to protect their own business interests, particularly the revenue generated from long distance calls. Carriers in Oman and the UAE have banned Skype and other VoIP products and Costa Rica plans to do the same.

The market for NGN networks

The market for NGN equipment continues to grow as carriers and service providers seek to increase the deployment of advanced network services. Sales of NGN equipment saw a rise of 70% in the last quarter. Media gateways, VoIP ports, and softswitches saw a major boost in sales and added up to 27.3 million pieces of equipment. Globally, the revenues increased by 49%. Revenues from VoIP touched $ 609 million in the third quarter. Apparently, the trend will continue as carriers look to upgrade their packet networks.

Huawei Technologies from China, Nortel, and Siemens continue to be the dominant players in the field. The Asia Pacific market grew by 202%, the Caribbean and Latin American market registered a growth of 81%; however, the American market reduced in size by 12% due to network consolidation.

VoIP for the contact center

VoIP makes the implementation of a single, integrated voice and data network a far cheaper proposition than implementing separate networks. This also reduces the complications that would otherwise arise if separate networks to be integrated.

A major advantage that VoIP offers is the integration of separate functions and the range of functionalities that it offers. IVR in a VoIP environment is less expensive to implement, voice to text translation, multimedia queuing and routing, and IM make VoIP an attractive enterprise application, particularly for contact centers.

The true scope of VoIP will be leveraged when it starts getting used as a platform for supporting a virtual contact center. This will enable the distribution of the contact handling to anywhere in the organization; thereby ensuring that the right person with the right skill set handles the calls. Experts feel that even though having a central point of contact has its advantages, a distributed point of contact could lead to efficient and effective call handling. It may however lead to increased training costs.

Even though VoIP has existed for around 10 years, it has managed to make an impact on the contact center industry fairly recently. Adoption of VoIP has resulted due to the drop in systems prices, sophisticated voice recording and analytics enable contact centers to learn from each call, these features are further boosted by a reporting function.

VoIP market in America

JupiterResearch has released a study of the market for VoIP in America. The study is titled U.S. Broadband Telephony Forecast 2005 to 2010 and is available for $ 750. The report states that VoIP subscriptions will grow to 20.4 million by 2010.

VoIP security solution from Juniper Networks

Dynamic Threat Mitigation is a VoIP security solution developed by Juniper Networks. It consists of routers, IDP systems, and SDX software. The solution offers security against SIP attacks, worms, and DoS attacks that can harm SIP-based voice services.

The solution will enable service providers to tackle attacks as they occur on an application. Attack prevention is achieved by enforcing policies and exercising dynamic policy control. The solution identifies the intrusive traffic and intimates the IDP Manager.

Upon being informed by the IDP manager the SDX system implements the policy defined by the service provider in order to control the flow of traffic. A VoIP subscriber infected with a worm can be quarantined to a captive Web-page and is provided with links that help in remedying the situation.

Solution from MetaSwitch

MetaSwitch has introduced the VP2510 softswitch, the MG2510 media gateway, and the SG2510 signaling gateway. The solution is meant to be deployed in large networks and can be used while migrating to IMS networks.

The softswitch which also supports up to 15,000 subscribers can be configured with an integrated call agent, media gateway, media server, etc. The price of the solution will vary with the configuration.

iPhone from Teledex

iPhone IP is an SIP-based phone released by Teledex. The company has also released iPhone Hybrid, which is an analog phone that can be converted to IP by means of an upgrade. The phones are meant for the hospitality industry and are similar in looks. Both models have an interactive color touch screen. The phones are expected to hit the market in the second quarter of 2006.

The J7844A

Agilent Technologies has launched the J7844A, which is a VoIP call trace signaling analyzer. It is used for identifying signaling inconsistencies between ends. It can be used with voice technologies such as VoIP, 2G, 2.5G, 3G, etc. It facilitates quick detection and resolution of issues because of its real-time call trace functionality. The J7844A will cost $ 11,000 and will be in the market in December.

The Wildcard TDM2400P

The Wildcard TDM2400P is a 32-bit 33 MHZ card that is PCI 2.2 compliant. It has been released by Digium. The card can be scaled to support up to 48 ports. The card makes a separate channel bank and T1 interface cards redundant. The Wildcard is meant for use by SMBs and SOHOs. It will be available in the month of December.

Connection Central in North America

Connection Central, which is a networking device developed by Lake Communications, will be distributed by Sprint North Supply in North America. The device is aimed at the SOHO market and can integrate a DSL modem, router, PBX, VoIP, voicemail, etc. Connection Central consists of 2 POTS lines and 2 VoIP lines. It also has four wire extension ports and can support up to four wired extension LAN ports.

CRTC directive

The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has stated that all local VoIP service providers in Canada have to inform their existing and prospective customers of the status of 911 and e911 services as provided by them. The providers can use radio, television, print, internet, etc to communicate with the people regarding the status of e911 and 911, by January 18, 2006.

Signaling gateway from Stratus

The Inter-Network Services Signaling Gateway, which has been developed by Stratus Technologies, is used for allowing traffic to pass between SIP, legacy, and 3G networks.

TR1000 media processing board

A quad density T1/E1 version of the TR1000 media processing board developed by Brooktrout Technology is now available. TR100 is also available in versions for analog, BRI, and single/dual T1/E1. This latest board release is compliant with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances directive.

Phreaking on VoIP

Experts feel that hackers or phreakers may succeed in making free calls by manipulating the data that is switched through hybrid TDM-VoIP networks. The hacking can be carried out by tricking the system into believing that the call is no longer connected whereas the call is still continuing in reality. The billing software logs the call as disconnected and does not charge the call. The incidents of VoIP hacking are on the rise due to increased usage and people getting familiar with the technology.

The term phreaking evolved with the advent of hackers who concentrated on telecom systems to make free calls and gather information on the telecom infrastructure in order to manipulate it. The Asterisk SIP server, which is downloaded close to 1,000 times every day, is not vulnerable to phreaking attacks when the default is implemented.

VoIP in Asia

According to In-Stat, the market for VoIP in Asia is expected to grow at the rate of more than $ 1 billion every year and will be worth more than $ 10 billion by 2009. The number of users will double by then and will be more than 20 million. By the end of 2004, there were 8.7 million local VoIP lines in Asia. The growth of VoIP is being fostered by the discounts that service providers are offering their customers if they shift to IP for their long distance calls.

According to In-Stat, this is the reason that revenue from long distance calls accounts for 85.4% of all VoIP revenue. South Korea and Japan are the two developed VoIP markets in Asia. The growth of local VoIP service has not yet picked steam because of resistance from the existing telecom companies that are invoking regulations to slow down the spread of VoIP. Telecom companies in China are actively seeking to block service such as SkypeOut that offer a cheaper alternative for long distance revenue.

Integrated Research partners T-Systems

Integrated Research has announced a partnership with T-Systems, which is a part of Deutsche Telekom. The partnership is for a VoIP deployment Germany. tmcnet.com reports:

“We had committed to open the new European office in Frankfurt and this new partnership with T-Systems has reinforced our decision,” said Keith Andrews, CEO of Integrated Research.

Read More: Integrated Research, T-Systems VoIP Partnership

Fonix extends services in US states

Fonix Telecom has made available residential and business VoIP services in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, and Utah. tmcnet.com reports:

High-speed Internet subscribers in these three states can purchase Fonix Telecom's Fonix Fone(TM) VoIP service starting at $16.95. Fonix Fone offers local and long distance calling, including features such as call waiting, call forwarding, E-911 and voice mail.

Read More: Fonix Telecom Launches Residential and Business VoIP

Global IP Sound and InterObject

Global IP Sound will be integrating InterObject’s MPEG-4 and H.264 video encoding and decoding technology with its own technology. InterObject undertakes turnkey outsourced software development projects. tmcnet.com reports:

Global IP Sound, whose voice processing tools enable real-time communication over packet networks and are integrated in such VoIP software products as Skype, has chosen to embed InterObject’s technology within the foundation of its VoiceEngine Multimedia.

Read More: InterObject and Global IP Sound

The RTC market report

The report A Market in Transition For Vendors and Users of RTC Technologies by David Coleman has studied market growth and the trends that are prevalent in the RTC market. tmcnet.com reports:

If you are a real-time collaboration (RTC) vendor, selling audio, video, or data conferencing technologies or are an RTC reseller, you are probably aware of the profound changes that have occurred in this market place over the last two years.

Read More: Market for RTC Almost Makes the $13 Billion Mark

MEGACO/H.28

The MEGACO/H.28 standard was developed by the IETF and the ITU-T. It is used for facilitating communication between the media gateway and the media gateway controller. It has a distributed gateway architecture and it assumes that the intelligence for processing calls is present in the media gateway controller and that access to the media streams is managed by the media gateway. As against MGCP in which the commands are applicable to the connections, in MEGACO the commands are applicable to the Terminations that are related to a Context.

The Termination, which can also be multimedia, sources and/or sinks either single or multiple media streams. The Add, Subtract, and Modify commands can be used to alter the Contexts. A Connection is required when two or more than two Terminations are placed in a common Context. The MEGACO commands include Add, Modify, Subtract, Move, AuditValue, AuditCapabilities, Notify, and ServiceChange. Unlike MGCP that is defined specifically for UDP/IP transport MEGACO supports UDP/IP, TCP/IP, or ATM.

SessionSuite Architecture

A major concern for traditional PBXs employed in an enterprise is the development of products developed by companies such as Skype and BlueNote Networks. Skype has not targeted the enterprise market and it does not support the SIP and SOA. The application developed by BlueNote is called the SessionSuite Architecture and does not require any hardware to be installed. It was a result of interest shown by the company as well as a prospective customer.

The SessionSuite Architecture consists of seven software modules that execute functions such as delivering the GUI. It supports SOA and could well enable the integration of enterprise applications with telephony. Industry watchers feel that if Skype has to grow in telephony it has to start supporting the SIP protocol soon.

D-Link to launch solution for SMBs

D-Link is launching a VoIP solution for the SMBs. The solution will have an IP PBX, trunk gateway, and a VoIP phone. The solution is called the D-Link xStack IP Telephony Solution for Small Business. The DVX-1000 is an SIP-based device offering functionalities such as voicemail, call hold, call forwarding, etc, it can support 25 extensions.

Conferencing is enabled by a web-based interface. Security is provided by an integrated firewall and an MD5 SIP authentication encryption coder software. The DVG-3004S SIP Analog Trunk Gateway connects to the PSTN and it has one LAN port and four RJ-11 ports.

The company feels that a pay-as-you-grow pricing structure is ideally suited to foster adoption by SMBs. The solution can be upgraded to a 25-user license. Another driver for adoption by SMBs is easy implementation, maintenance, and ideally round-the-clock support from the vendor.

Unlicensed mobile access

Sweden-based TeliaSonera has stated that it has successfully executed the first phase of its pilot of the unlicensed mobile access (UMA). The pilot was carried out in Denmark. The UMA consists of mobile and IP calls in a single solution. tmcnet.com reports:

Technical testing of the UMA concept is now also being carried out in Sweden in cooperation with Ericsson, the company said.

Read More: TeliaSonera says Danish IP telephony successful

NTC ruling in Philippines unwelcome

The NTC Philippines has released the rules to be implemented for VoIP. Leading telecom companies have threatened to take the regulator to court over the rules. tmcnet.com reports:

The NTC ruling requires non-telco providers and resellers to ride on the infrastructure of telcos in providing VoIP, as mandated by Republic Act 7925. The order is set to take effect immediately.

Read More: Telcos threaten to sue over voice over internet protocol rules

VoIP vendor profile

In the early years, getting started with a VoIP business required little more than some capital, a website, and customers with an Internet connection. However, federal regulations and the entry of large companies has altered the profile of VoIP vendors.

Verizon, which is the largest local phone operator in America, should not face any problems from the FCC regulations regarding E911 implementation. However, most startup VoIP vendors will face problems in complying with the November 28 deadline and will not be allowed to canvas for new customers.

Quality management software from Xelor

Xelor Software Inc. has introduced an automatic service quality management software that identifies the voice-enabled devices on a network and manages network traffic to ensure call reliability. It jettisons packets when the network bandwidth is exceeded and does not let the service level go down. eweek.com reports:

Citizens in remote parts of the countryside will be able to present documents or seek help with tax forms or benefits applications via video phone.

Read More: Xelor Rolls Out QOS Tool for IP

Wi-Fi phones releasing shortly

Even as there is an increasing excitement regarding phones that will be able to roam between wireless LANs and cellular networks, there are several developers who are concentrating on improving the quality of voice over Wi-Fi.

SpectraLink will soon launch a handset that will support the IEEE 802.11a standard. Currently, the Wi-Fi phones supplied by SpectraLink work on 802.11b and operate on the 2.4GHz radio band. Appliances such as microwaves also operate in the same band. The chances of interference are reduced with 802.11a as the 5 GHz band in which it operates is less crowded.

Symbol Technologies Inc. is working on a PDA/phone, the MC70, which will support 802.11a, b, and g. The instrument is due in the first quarter of 2006 and will be equipped with a quad-band radio. This will enable it to function with GSM networks around the world. The MC70 is an improvement in terms of greater radio support and durability.

Categorizing VoIP security threats

VoIP security threats can be categorized on the basis of their objectives. Attacks can either aim to compromise service availability, impact the integrity, and to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Service availability is critical for maintaining the QoS as VoIP conversations are carried out in real-time. Thus, a DoS attack will have serious repercussions on a voice network. Virus- and worm-based threats usually target applications like end-user phones, call managers, and billing applications. Buffer overflow attacks concentrate on SIP servers. Service availability can also be compromised by threats such as zero-day VoIP worms. If the service availability is compromised, it can disrupt vital services such as E911 and also result in production loss, system downtime, and increased maintenance costs.

Attacks that concentrate on undermining the integrity of the network usually occur in the form of toll fraud, identity theft, etc. Service providers need to be particularly wary of such threats as they can undermine the confidence of the user in the network and inaccurate billing can invite court cases. VoIP features such as caller ID, three-way calling, etc can be used for executing phishing and SPIT attacks. The increased mingling of the PSTN and VoIP networks may open up further avenues for attackers.

Eavesdropping is employed by attackers to alter information by engineering man-in-the-middle attacks. The signaling and media paths are eavesdropped upon and the attacker can gain access to sensitive information by using the SIP messages and RTP packets. Activities such as registration hijacking, impersonation, and replay are similar to eavesdropping and are a source of worry for banks and government organizations.

Product partnerships to further growth

The recent product partnerships that Skype has entered into confirm the company’s objectives to move into embedded services. eweek.com reports:

This is Skype's second partnership, coming on the heels of the announcement last month that it had teamed with IPEVO, a Silicon Valley-based subsidiary of PCHome Online, to offer Skype devices in the United States through IPEVOs Web site.

Read More: Skype Thinks Outside the PC Box with Partner Push

Security concerns regarding P2P communication

The rise in security concerns regarding peer-to-peer communication has prompted IT administrators to block services such as Skype while vendors are beginning to focus on the security issues. The Cisco Security Agent is just one of the many applications that companies are deploying in order to detect and block the use of Skype. Further information regarding security with Skype is available here.

Skype has made it clear that its VoIP tool is not enterprise grade. Its proprietary technology used for traversing NAT is not considered safe by experts. However, Skype maintains that it does not have any immediate plans of changing the technology which has facilitates easy VoIP communication without having to reconfigure routers and firewalls. Even though Skype offers few monitoring and auditing options for businesses, it can be used for reducing long-distance communication costs, especially to places where the IT infrastructure is better than the telecom infrastructure.

An alternative to Skype’s proprietary solution is the ICE method which employs Simple Traversal of UDP through NATs (STUN) and Traversal Using Relay NAT (TURN) protocols. ICE is being considered by IETF and has found favor with Microsoft Corp and Cisco.

Skype Faces Legislative Issues in China

Skype's rapid growth throughout the world has been propelled in large part because the platform requires little to no specialized equipment and simultaneously offers users access to both domestic and local calls which are almost always much lower than that over land lines.  This isn't news to anyone.

What is news, however, is the way Skype is affecting the Chinese regulatory state.  China has long been very guarded in the way that they approach internet usage, maintaining strict controls on the flow of information.  It appears that they are now taking a similar stance on internet telephony as evidenced in a recent report on VoIP in China.

Skype-certified Bluetooth headset

Motorola and Skype have announced the release of a Skype-certified Bluetooth headset solution. The solution has been released in America and is called the Motorola Wireless Internet Calling Kit. tmcnet.com reports:

To experience wireless communications, users plug in the Motorola PC850 PC Adapter to equip traditional laptops and PCs with Bluetooth technology, load the required software onto the PC and follow a simple, step- by-step procedure to establish the cordless connection between the PC and Motorola H500 headset.

Read More: Motorola and Skype Bring Mobility to Internet Voice Communications

Carrier VoIP products sell very well

During the third quarter of 2005 more than 27.3 million media gateway, soft switch and integrated VoIP ports were shipped. The market for carrier products grew at a rate of 67.8%. tmcnet.com reports:

Huawei Technologies dominated the quarterly results shipping 12.36 million VoIP ports and displacing Nortel the consistent leader until now. Siemens maintained its second place gaining 16% of global market share. Nortel Networks slipped down to the third place with 13% of market share.

Read More: Carrier VoIP Soars

One IP Voice Hosted VoIP

Farmstead Telephone Group Inc. will be introducing the One IP Voice Hosted VoIP service in Tier 1 cities across the US. The company expects to do so by January 2006. tmcnet.com reports:

The service provides local, long distance and internet service, along with fully bundled hosted solutions, to small and medium sized businesses.

Read More: One IP Voice Completes Build Out in the U.S.

Growth of VoIP ICs

According to the report "VoIP ICs – Building a Foundation for the Future," the market for VoIP ICs has the growth potential to reach a value of $ 1.3 billion by the year 2009. According to In-Stat, wireless and wireline IP phones will represent a major portion of the telephony market by 2009 and the new breed of wireless handsets will have VoIP integrated into it. The main drivers of the growth of IP-telephony will be the dual-mode wireless handsets and IP PBX/hosted PBX phones for businesses.

VoIP adoption rate not impressive

The main benefit of VoIP to businesses is the cost savings resulting from using an IP connection to communicate. VoIP can also enhance business communications by enabling video conferencing, audio conferencing, unified messaging, etc. According to the report "2005 Telecommunications Report," which gathered information from over 300 businesses in the US, 91% of the businesses were familiar with VoIP but only 10% had deployed it in some measure. The report was released by Harris Interactive in October 2005.

Given the interest that VoIP has generated, the 10% adoption rate may appear to be low. One reason is the reluctance of the SMBs to embrace the new technology; these have chosen to adopt a wait-and-watch policy. However, this stance could result in a competitive disadvantage for the SMBs that do not adapt. By the year 2008, more than half the number of contact centers will be using VoIP to avail the competitive advantage that it brings.

Industry experts feel that the decision of deploying VoIP should be taken considering the capacity to implement it successfully over a period of time because the IP-based technology comes with its own set of problems such as jitter and delay. The ability of the phones to communicate with the servers, voice quality, configuration of the switch ports, etc are aspects that require careful consideration. Enterprises should consider deploying VoIP-enabling productivity tools that can result in increased employee efficiency.

Skype targets SMBs

Skype is looking at furthering its presence among SMBs. It states that around 30% of its users are already using the tool for business communications. SMBs in countries such as India and China are adopting networking tools rapidly and Skype wishes to target this market. By the year 2008, these SMBs are expected to spend $ 200 million over networking gear.

According to Skype, regular use of Skype by enterprises can help bring down telephony costs to an appreciable extent. In order to promote its premium services, Skype has launched Skype Groups; this service allows an individual to purchase and sell the premium service to other Skype users.

VoIP checklist

Before deploying VoIP, it is imperative to verify that the wall jack, patch cable, switch ports, etc are working; power should flow from the switch to the phone; communication between the phone and server should be consistent; and baseline metrics should be established.

Once a network is deployed, the conversation between the phone and the network should be monitored; the call setup time should be assessed; QoS scores should be compared with objectives; and the baseline performance should be measured.

Worm in AOL

Malware originating in the Middle East is being used to spread a worm on the AOL IM network. internetweek.com reports:

FaceTime Security Labs, which identified the worm late last month, said it has found a rootkit-linked ster.exe file that contains six additional files that give the attacker the ability to upload, download, and monitor the infected host PC.

Read More: AIM Worm Linked To Middle East Group

EdgeForce M Series

ServGate Technologies has released the EdgeForce M Series, its latest platform for network perimeter defense solutions. tmcnet.com reports:

The M Series comprises five new products in the UTM category that will set new levels of affordability and establish new standards in terms of best-of-breed third-party integration.

Read More: ServGate to Unveil VoIP-Friendly UTM Platform Line

Cisco to acquire Scientific-Atlanta

Cisco will be acquiring Scientific-Atlanta for a sum of $ 5.3 billion. Scientific-Atlanta is one of the largest manufacturers of set-top boxes. The acquisition should help Cisco to further its objective of transmitting data, voice, and video traffic over one network. tmcnet.com reports:

Now the trend is finally making its way into the home, as cable companies and phone companies start offering customers a triple play of services that includes high-speed Internet access, telephony and, finally, video-all over an IP network.

Read More: Cisco's IP vision becomes reality

Mobile Internet calls with Plenware

Plenware, which is a Finland-based company, has developed a Symbian-based application for making mobile Internet calls. The Plenware VoIP application uses Bluetooth for establishing a connection with the Plenware PleNet VoIP server. The application is available with the Nokia 6630 phones.

ADSL VoIP in Italy

Teleunit S.p.A, which provides services such as fixed line telephony, wireless broadband, etc in Italy, has launched GoVoIP. The service is an ADSL VoIP service intended to address communication requirements of residential and SoHo markets. The service is available online and through resellers. GoVoIP enables users to make VoIP calls over an ADSL line without having to purchase extra equipment. The facility covers a range of bandwidths. ccnmatthews.com reports:

"The launch of GoVoIP is another example of our innovation, capitalizing on an existing technology to offer new and exciting services to potential new customers. VoIP now represents a viable alternative for SoHo and residential users to make economic savings by placing voice calls over the Internet."

Read More: Teleunit Launches GoVoIP to Further Strengthen Fixed Line Division

VoIP news round-up

Patriot Media, New Jersey, and Level3 Communications have come together in a multiyear agreement. Patriot Media launched its digital phone service last month and Level3 Communications will provide its (3)VoIP Enhanced Local service.

Intrado Inc. is using the Net-Net session border controllers developed by Acme Packet for routing VoIP 911 calls to the 911 network. tmcnet.com reports:

"Intrado remains focused on helping our customers address the changing demands new technologies are placing on the nation's 9-1-1 system," noted Stephen Meer, Intrado chief technology officer.

Read More: VoIP Big Guns

VoIP Telephony with Asterisk

The second edition of the book VoIP Telephony with Asterisk, written by Paul Mahler is now in the market. Readers can learn about the process of creating a reliable VoIP telephony system by using Asterisk and Linux-based computer hardware.

The open source software, Asterisk is a PBX that is interoperable with all standard telephony devices. Both American and European standards for signaling types are supported by Asterisk.

Skype to retail with RadioShack

Skype Technologies and RadioShack have come together in a partnership under which the consumer electronics chain will offer Skype Starter Kit to customers through its outlets that number more than 3,000. The kit will enable users to use Skype; it comes with a headset, and 30 minutes of SkypeOut. The deal should help Skype in introducing its service to the mass market. Till now, users could obtain the Skype software by downloading it from the Internet.

The success of Skype, which has around 66 million users and adds 180,000 everyday, has led to the entry of several big companies into the VoIP market. Sony has recently announced a Web-based phone service. Yahoo has been offering PC to PC phone service for quite some time.

Skype’s entry into retail should enable it to change customer behavior and introduce them to the benefits of Internet telephony.

Knesset to deploy VoIP

The Israeli parliament, Knesset, will deploy an advanced IP telephony network provided by Nortel. The network will enable users to enjoy services such as long-distance calls, voicemail, and unified messaging. The deployment will also bring down the cost of operations for Knesset. Taldor, which is Nortel’s partner for this project will deploy 400 lines by the end of 2005. 1600 lines will be deployed in all.

The network will also have the Nortel Switched Firewall for protection against worms and viruses. Users will be able to access voicemail, email, and fax messages in a single mailbox by using either their phones, PCs, or any email enabled device. This feature is made possible by the CallPilot unified messaging product.

How Does SMS Service Actually Work?

Short message service (SMS) is a wildly popular feature available on most digital mobile phones. SMS allows users to send short messages to other cell phones. These short messages are called text messages. SMS was invented by a Finnish civil servant named Matti Makkonen. Many people understand what SMS is, but few understand how it actually works.

In SMS, messages are sent with a “store-and-forward” mechanism. The messages are sent to a Short Message Service Center (SMSC), and then relayed to the intended recipient. If the messages do not reach the recipient upon the first attempt, then the SMSC will try again. It is important to understand that SMS delivery is not guaranteed. Many messages cannot be delivered, but the delivery is called “best effort.” The amount of attempts to send a text message varies with the company.

SMS messages are transmitted via SS7 within the standard GSM MAP framework. SMS messages have a certain payload length. The signaling protocol is precisely 140 bytes. In simple terms, SMS messages have very constrained character limits. This is why messages are sent in “txt speak.” Text speak is the practice of shortening words and phrases in order to fit messages into the allowed amount of bandwidth. SMS messages cost different amounts in different countries. In the United States, the average message costs 10 cents.

Text messages do not always have to be sent from mobile phone to mobile phone. AOL Instant Messenger has an option that will send instant messages to a cell phone. Additionally, there is a widget available for Mac OS X Tiger that will allow a user to send text messages to a cell phone from the dashboard. SMS messages can also be utilized to give news alerts. Additionally, SMS messages can be used to give sports updates and statistics. In this way, SMS messages are very versatile.

Technology is constantly evolving. SMS services prove that communication is becoming broader and easier. Technologists predict that SMS service will advance such that the service will be more reliable, and be able to store more data for the purpose of transmission.

Joe Macon writes about a variety of technology topics, with a focus on SMS technology. For mobile SMS he recommends http://www.clickatell.com/

Universal Service Fund

Lawmakers in the US contend that the Universal Service Fund can be utilized for financing broadband access in rural areas. The USF contribution fund was originally created to foster the penetration of telephone service in rural America.

Local and long distance companies, paging companies, wireless providers, and payphone firms have been contributing to the USF since 1996. However, neither cable companies nor VoIP providers contribute to the USF. The payments to the USF are directed to the subsidizing telephone rates in high cost areas.

Gaim

Google has been accused of influencing the development of Gaim and ignoring the inputs of several open source developers. voipplanet.com reports:

The search giant hired Sean Egan, the lead developer of the Gaim open source instant messaging project, several months ago to make it easier for other IM clients to use Google Talk's voice features.

Read More: Is Google Calling Gaim's Shots?

VPF

Very often when VoIP users are connected over different networks, their calls have to use the PSTN. Even though IP trunking is a standard feature with most VoIP equipment, frequently VoIP networks are not connected with each other. One solution that can help VoIP networks to completely bypass the PSTN involves the creation of exchanges that will enable multiple carriers to peer with each other.

Voice Peering Fabric (VPF) was launched by Stealth Communications in June 2005. VPF is an opportunity for VoIP providers to interconnect with each other. VegaStream and XO Communications are two new members of VPF. XO Communications is a major CLEC in the US. It chose VPF in order to gain access to a mature customer base and the opportunity to peer with a large number of carriers and enterprises. The VPF ENUM registry enables members to exchange VoIP calls with other VPF members without having to route calls through the PSTN. This leads to a reduction in operating costs and an increase in revenues. VPF also offers facilities such as the VPF Minutes Market that allows members to transact wholesale voice origination and termination services. Members can access CNAM, LNP, and other TCAP services with the help of the VPF ASP Market.

Organizations can use products from VegaStream to VoIP-enable the legacy PBXs. The companies can work with their existing infrastructure and connect with the VPF. Equinix and NeuStar have come together to initiate a VoIP peering effort. Equinix operates 15 IBX data centers that can be interconnected with every major global network for peering. NeuStar is developing SIP-IX application peering services that will offer addressing directory services and policy-enabled shared routing among other things. voipplanet.com reports:

While most IP-PBX vendors and VoIP services offer SIP peering on their own network or product, the NeuStar effort, like the VPF, is aimed at creating a wider peering capability.

Read More: VoIP Peering Market Pairs Up

Redback Networks

The SmartEdge Service Gateway platform from Redback Networks has been selected by Covad to boost its network capacity and make its IP-based services more resilient. voipplanet.com reports:

San Jose, California-based Redback Networks was founded in 1996 and claims a global customer base of over 500 service providers and carriers. Financial terms of the deal with Covad were not publicly disclosed.

Read More: Redback Provides Covad with Smart VoIP Edge

Security with Skype

Skype offers a range of services that include PC-to-PC calling, voicemail, call forwarding, etc and is highly popular. However, its presence behind the protective firewalls of an enterprise is becoming a cause of concern for IT administrators. voipplanet.com reports:

VoIP packets, the Internet Security Intelligence Briefing (ISIB) noted, lack clearly-recognized signatures that allow administrators to distinguish it from data packets carrying trojans.

Read More: Researchers: Skype, VoIP Are Hot And Risky

VeriSign Wireless Commerce Suite

The VeriSign Wireless Commerce Suite introduced by VeriSign will enable wireless carriers to provide converged services in a quick and efficient manner. tmcnet.com reports:

The VeriSign Wireless Commerce Suite creates an order-to-cash system for provisioning, billing, content delivery and settlement of wireless services. It provides the ability to combine post- and pre-pay functionalities for voice, data and content, which helps carriers offer consumers pay-per-use and pay-in-advance options.

Read More: VeriSign Wireless Commerce Suite

Pingo

Pingo has lowered call rates to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. tmcnet.com reports:

"Pingo's combination of very competitive rates, great convenience features, and opportunities to earn bonus calling time make it a terrific deal.

Read More: iBasis Lowers Central America Call Fees

IVE

Sony Electronics and Glowpoint Inc. have come together to launch a new version of Sony’s Instant Video Everywhere (IVE) service. Users will be able to access free unlimited video and voice service anywhere in the world. The service will allow an audio or video conversation with up to six participants.

SmartNode

The SmartNode VoIP routers developed by Patton Electronics Company will now be able to offer triple play services by means of IGMP and IP-multicast in SmartWare release 3.20. Operators offering several services can make use of the new SmartWare to incorporate triple-play services to their existing offerings without making any further investments in the Patton customer-premise equipment.

The new SmartWare can be downloaded to the CPEs and will enable carrier-providers to deliver packet-based video-on-demand, IPTV, etc to a set-top box like the Aminet 110. SmartWare also reduces network congestion that operators face with unicast Video-over-IP. A single stream of video packets is transmitted to the hosts that request it, thereby eliminating duplication. tmcnet.com reports:

Because SmartNode offers converged-network solutions for both POTS and ISDN telephony, IGMP multicast in SmartWare makes SmartNode the first and only line of triple-play CPEs for the world's ISDN carriers and networks.

Read More: Patton’s SmartNode VoIP Routers Now Support Triple Play Via SmartWare

FCC deadline not to be extended

A federal appeals court has refused to grant a stay order on the FCC deadline for IP telephony providers to supply E911 services. Internet telephony providers will be barred from providing services in areas where the E911 service has not been fully provisioned after the deadline of November 28. voipplanet.com reports:

Last month, VoIP provider Nuvio of Overland Park, Kan., filed a motion for a temporary stay of the FCC order, contending the mandate is impossible to meet and will be financially disastrous for the emerging industry.

Read More: Court: VoIP E911 Deadline Stands

Network management

In order to deploy VoIP successfully it is important to have a long-term management plan in place. The plan should encompass factors such as tracking, supporting, and maintaining reliability across the network. A management plan should consider technical as well as personnel issues.

VoIP management at a basic level can be achieved by following the standard network management practices. VoIP management is related to successful management of the network resources. VoIP QoS has to measure up to the standards set by traditional telephony over the years. This requires effective monitoring of bandwidth utilization, CPU utilization, memory usage, etc.

SNMP, RMON, and Syslog are tools useful for managing a converged voice and data network. These tools notify in case of errors and yield performance related statistics. Enterprises can maintain network stability by acting upon the information provided by these tools. Adequate change control should be available to prevent voice outages and to resolve the issue should an outage occur. A network running on a single system is easier to manage than one that uses multiple operating systems. Standardized software and hardware also facilitates network documentation management.

In order to maintain a QoS, it is important that the network equipment facilitates traffic distinction. Data packets can be detected and prioritized using marking methods like CoS, port number matching, Differentiated Services code Point, etc. Ideally, the marking configurations should be standard across the network so that the management process does not get too complicated. It is important that the VoIP network be monitored consistently after being deployed successfully. Network traffic analyzers should be deployed to detect and rectify VoIP problems such as call-setup time, jitter, and delay. Products like Observer and Sniffer voice modules enable the capturing of voice data and decoding of voice protocols. Prognosis is an application that is capable of in-depth VoIP monitoring by calculating a MOS for each call.

Although, MOS values are subjective they help to devise baselines for quality standards. The baseline metrics can also be updated based on the information provided by these monitoring devices. Certain products generate simulations of different traffic conditions that can be used to test the readiness of the network before deploying VoIP or adding features to it.

The 2005 Technologically Advanced Family

The 2005 Technologically Advanced Family (TAF) survey by the Yankee Group has shown that the consumer VoIP market has still some way to go before attaining maturity. The average consumer still does not have a clear understanding of VoIP technology. The survey has led the group to conclude that almost 38% of the families that are aware of VoIP believe that VoIP provides a better set of features as compared to traditional telephony. However, almost 35% of the VoIP-aware families in the US did not know that VoIP can be used with a regular telephone. tmcnet.com reports:

"For instance, cable companies are positioning their VoIP telephony service as the same as regular phone service which diminishes the need for awareness as a prerequisite to adoption," noted Yankee Group's news release.

Read More: Yankee Group: Consumers Might be Confused About VoIP

Georgia Aquarium

BellSouth will be providing Georgia Aquarium with all its communications solutions. The aquarium will open on November 23 in Atlanta and will be the world’s largest. tmcnet.com reports:

BellSouth has implemented custom voice, data and Internet solutions as well as a network that supports the advanced life support and security systems at the aquarium facility.

Read More: BellSouth Provides Communications Infrastructure

iGLASS Networks

iGLASS Networks and QoVox Corporation have come together in a strategic partnership that will lead to the integration of the QoVox Network Assurance System and the iGLASS Status Monitoring service. The companies intend to develop a “best in class” QoS product. tmcnet.com reports:

A major issue for service providers is maintaining high-quality services while minimizing the need to dispatch technicians to investigate and troubleshoot problems, commonly called "a truck roll," an often costly proposition.

Read More: iGLASS and QoVox Team to Assure VoIP Service Quality

VoIP security

VoIP users have not been exposed to the kind of security threats that IP networks have encountered and grown wary of over the years. The primary concerns of VoIP end-users are QoS and accuracy of billing. networkworld.com reports:

Historically the endpoints of communications have been dumb. One lesson the IP world has learned is that complexity breeds insecurity; dumber is securer.

Read More: With VoIP, it's déjà vu all over again

Verso Technologies

A Chinese telecom company has begun a paid trial of software, the NetSpective M-Class filter, developed by Verso Technologies, Georgia. The NetSpective M-Class filter will keep out VoIP calls made by using Skype and other such P2P networks.

In China, Skype is not allowed to be used and VoIP usage is strictly regulated. If the trial is successful, the Chinese telecom operator may buy the application before the end of 2005. China Telecom has been blocking Skype calls made by using Skypeout in the city of Shenzhen.

Verso has labeled its solution as “carrier grade Skype filtering technology” Skype has responded to the sensitive situation by making available a version of Skype in Chinese. This version has been made available in partnership with Tom Online and it does not support Skypeout.

VoIP in the enterprise

The selection of a VoIP vendor depends upon the deployment requirements and services offered by the vendor. VoIP deployments can be carried out successfully by referring to layout and design models for integrating VoIP and data networks. Also, by following vendor-neutral protocols voice traffic can be separated for ease of management.

VoIP can be deployed in a centralized or a distributed manner. A centralized model uses one or multiple PBXs for call setup and teardown. Call setup and teardown in a distributed model are performed from multiple locations. A distributed model is useful for sites that are similar in size and have predominantly local traffic. Links are established to ensure connectivity between the sites.

Centralized models offer the advantage of PSTN and hardware consolidation. Usually, more than one VoIP server is used in a centralized model in order to manage the load and to have redundancy in the network. The servers should be backed up with a UPS to counter brownouts and blackouts. Centralized models are appropriate for corporate headquarters or multiple small remote locations that can be connected by a WAN. WANs also enable the administration of the voice communications as well as call setup and teardown. Redundant WAN links are an added cost but they have to be present in order to ensure connectivity with the central site. Failover options help to bring down the cost of redundant WAN links.

Distributed networks can be managed with less redundant capacity. The multiple sites use VoIP servers present on location and communicate with each other by means of trunk lines. However, a distributed model is complex in design and can lead to high hardware costs. The design of the network equipment will have significant bearing on the successful integration of VoIP with another network. VLANs allow enterprises to segregate voice and data traffic and yet have them on the same medium. VLANs also facilitate the monitoring of the different traffic types.

The Layer 2 and Layer 3 headers in the data packets are used for establishing the QoS. With 802.1p, Layer 2 QoS is achieved by enabling multiple levels of prioritization to the traffic that enters the port. WAN links are examples of Layer 3 links in which the QoS is used for matching fields within the IP headers for the purpose of prioritizing traffic. The functioning of QoS processes is affected by the manner in which the bandwidth is distributed for voice traffic, data, and call setup/teardown activities. The quality of communication between sites depends upon the QoS policy implemented.

Compression helps to utilize the available bandwidth in a better manner by shirking redundant information. Usually, in voice packets, the headers are compressed. The choice of codec will affect the number of calls made with acceptable voice quality. G.711 is a high-quality codec that leads to high per second bandwidth rates. G.711 requires bandwidth at the rate of 90 Kbps for a one way call; as against this the G .729 uses 90 Kbps but it has a lesser sampling rate that result in low call quality.

A resilient VoIP network is critical for achieving a reliable service. In order to ensure the success of the deployed solution, the network should have redundant hardware and sufficient UPS backup. In case power over Ethernet (PoE) is used, backup should be provided for the local network switches that transmit the power to the individual telephones.

IAX

Analog telephones are easy to deploy and use as they already have fixed standards and an infrastructure in place. This is not the case with IP telephony. VoIP protocols are not very easy to configure and this hinders the smooth deployment of VoIP phones.

IAX is a protocol created with the objective of reducing bandwidth consumption for signaling and facilitating transparent NAT. IAX employs UDP instead of RTP over Port 4569 for the transmission and receipt of signals and media. IAX enables easy traversal of firewalls with reduced overhead. It uses binary-only data instead of parsing text commands.

IAX devices are apt to recognize a dead line quickly because the protocol responses do not have to negotiate a foreign IP address. They are returned directly to their point-of-origin. A Layer 2 data link layer is used for signaling. The header size of the audio packets is not more than 4 bytes, this helps to conserve bandwidth. IAX trunking combines the data from several channels into one packet and reduces the number of headers as well as the number of packets. This attribute is useful with wireless networks.

An analog terminal adapter is used for implementing the IP stack, IAX, stack, TDM interface, echo cancellation, and caller ID generation. The IAX ATA device can convert an analog phone into a VoIP phone. The acceptance of IAX is expected to increase with a documented standard. The protocol is also going to include encryption and intercom functionality.

VoIP deployment

Enterprises are increasingly beginning to recognize the benefits offered by VoIP and are looking to deploy it. Before implementing VoIP, an organization needs to understand the manner in which the voice service is to be integrated with the data services and the infrastructural changes that are required.

If an enterprise already has an IP network in place, it can deploy VoIP technology to transfer voice traffic. Even though VoIP enables a company to make use of its existing network, a complete assessment of the network infrastructure that includes routers, switches, firewalls, etc is required. This helps to assess the capabilities of the existing equipment for providing the necessary QoS with VoIP and also if the existing switches can segregate the voice and data networks into separate VLANs.

The existing hardware may need to be boosted in terms of resources such as memory in order to fulfill the minimum requirements for smooth delivery of voice and data. Before investing in additional hardware and bandwidth, bottlenecks, sources of errors in the network, and average bandwidth consumption should be considered. VoIP can be deployed in two ways; one way is to shift to VoIP in a staggered manner and the other is to shift completely by a cut-off date. A staggered migration allows enterprises to test their VoIP deployments but it requires that the VoIP system be connected to the existing network.

By connecting legacy phones with VoIP by using WAN companies can test the VoIP system and also save on long-distance costs. The linking of VoIP and the existing system can be made easy by using a dial plan with non-overlapping numbers. Interoperability between systems is achieved by emulating a station-side or trunk-side connection. It is therefore important that the signaling types supported by both systems be verified before large-scale roll-outs. A VoIP system should also be able to support standalone voicemails being used by the legacy systems. This may not be possible with every VoIP system as voicemails use specific messaging protocols not supported by every VoIP solution.

VoIP solutions are designed to work with most telephone circuits. This is of significance because companies, both large and small have Primary Rate Interface (PRI) circuits for outbound connections. An ideal solution will enable the unplugging of the exiting circuit from the PBX and connecting it directly to the VoIP gateway. Framing and line coding also influence interoperability. If an enterprise wishes to use both VoIP and the legacy system at the same time, it may require separate PSTN lines for each.

VoIP call costs

The popularity of IP telephony is driving down the costs of calls. Charging by the minute will soon be impractical and companies may have to look at other sources of revenue such as advertisements and transaction fees. However, some analysts believe that even though the pricing system based on time and distance is undergoing changes, per-minute rates will still be used by telecom providers although to a lesser extent.

VoIP also offers the attraction of multiple services bundled together; for example, Sprint Nextel has signed a $ 200 million deal with cable companies that will offer data, video, mobility, and voice to its subscribers. Voice services could soon operate with a new business model in which voice is the loss leader and the revenue is generated by advertising. The growth of VoIP will also be influenced by the stance that the telecom industry takes. Already, companies such as Vodafone and Comcast are taking an interest in the VoIP-blocking software provided by Narus, which is based in Mountain View, California.

SoftGnome

PhoneGnome is an appliance from TelEvolution that connects to other SIP devices by using SIP signaling and converts into VoIP. TelEvolution has devised several attractive plans for VoIP service providers to manage calls that have to be routed through the PSTN. TelEvolution now provides SoftGnome along with PhoneGnome. SoftGnome is a service that is charged at the rate of $ 4.95 per month. It allows a user to make calls remotely; the calls appear as originating from the home phone. voipplanet.com reports:

Unlike common analog telephone adapters (ATAs), which it superficially resembles, this heavily engineered system is like an object-oriented programming language, according to Beckemeyer. "Our system puts those building blocks together in different ways to get different results," he said.

Read More: PhoneGnome Shows Its Softer Side

Telecom news

The Competition Council in France has fined France Telecom 80 million Euros for maintaining a monopoly on the ADSL broadband service from 1999 to 2002. According to the council, France Telecom used its position in a manner that proved detrimental to the country’s economy. Orbital sciences have sold a satellite to Measat Global. The satellite will enable telecom coverage of Malaysia, Indonesia, and even the Middle East. tmcnet.com reports:

A report in Malaysia's Edge Daily said Friday the transaction for the Measat-1R spacecraft was "valued at nearly $70 million" and would give Measat C and Ku-band coverage and 36 Megahertz of bandwidth for 15 years.

Read More: Telecom Weekly Roundup

WiMax deployments by Intel

Intel is making heavy investments to develop its idea of WiMax that will cover large areas. Mobilize Taiwan (M-Taiwan) is a project worth $ 1.12 bn between Intel and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan. The ministry will extend its support in conducting field trials and help businesses that wish to participate in the process of deploying WiMax.

Intel is also deploying WiMax in 13 locations in Europe, North America, and South America. Intel is being assisted by companies like Alcatel in the process of deploying WiMax. The Intel PRO/Wireless 5116 broadband interface processor is used for the equipment. WiMax is already being employed for high speed Internet telephony and linking educational institutions and work places in countries such as Austria, France, Finland, etc. Intel plans to deploy WiMax broadband networks in Southeast Asia as a part of its Asian Broadband Campaign. Philippines and Thailand will conduct trials by the end of 2005.

According to Intel, WiMax can be an alternative to connect remote areas that have not been covered by DSL and cable. If a base station is in line-of-sight, WiMax can offer a range of 31 miles. Companies such as Samsung, Fujitsu Electronics, and Cisco are also in favor of the 802.16 standard.

Assessing network capacity

Network capacity can be expressed in terms of the amount of traffic that it can manage. With VoIP, network capacity is measured with respect to the number of simultaneous calls that it can process.

VoIP capacity planning for a network should be based on the peak load that the network will be called upon to handle. Factors such as LAN/WAN design, existing data traffic load, type of voice codecs, hardware capabilities, redundancy in the network, etc need to be considered. The first step in implementing VoIP is to have knowledge of the bandwidth capacity of each link in the existing network as this helps in identifying the potential bottlenecks. VoIP deployment on a single-site network that has a high-speed infrastructure is not likely to be encumbered by network capacity; instead it is the network layout that may result in bandwidth-related issues.

VoIP communications on WANs can suffer as bandwidth bottlenecks are created on the serial-based connections that work using the T1 or fractional T1 lines. VoIP QoS guidelines state that voice traffic be prioritized but if this is followed, then data traffic will slow down during peak traffic hours. If standard PRI or voice T1 lines are used, it may not be possible to place additional VoIP calls once the available channels are used. If the number of VoIP calls is more than what the network can handle, users will face operator error or fast-busy messages. The voice quality will drop even if data is compressed and QoS standards are in place.

The mix of PSTN connectivity and additional bandwidth can be arrived at by evaluating the average and peak usage for each connection. The decision to either increase the speed of existing circuits or add more lines is influenced by the number of users in each location and peak usage. The increased use of services such as Metropolitan-area networks (MAN) will make the addition of higher bandwidth lines a cheaper alternative.

Bandwidth monitoring techniques should be employed to study the effect of VoIP traffic on bandwidth utilization. VoIP-specific tools are useful for recreating voice traffic scenarios, checking for errors, and monitoring for problems like jitter and delay. Call loads vary with the sampling rates provided by different codecs such as G.711 and G.729. Compression and call loads should be tested in real-time. Remote locations can either have PSTN connectivity or they can be managed from a central location by using a WAN.

Centralized PSTN connectivity helps to reduce deployment costs and increase network redundancy. The hardware should be able to cope with the increased overall traffic; the distribution-level points should not turn into bottlenecks. Almost all current Ethernet hardware supports a 100 Mbps connection to the phone. Modular network hardware allows users to increase the port density while using the existing equipment.

Shaw Trust

Shaw Trust, a charity in the UK that assists the handicapped to obtain work, is tying up with virtual network operator (VNO) Sirocom. The £2.5 m deal is for a period of four years and will link around 200 work-from-home employees and 1,300 office workers. The charity may also move its intra-company communication traffic to VoIP. Currently, it is using the PSTN. The charity is growing at a rapid rate; the deal with Sirocom has resulted in savings and also improved its ability to scale. The move is also significant as the UK government has stated its desire of curtailing its contribution to the incapacity benefits. Currently, the government expenditure on incapacity benefits is approximately £12.8bn.

CrystalVoice

The VoIP-based Internet phone service initiated by NetZero is using the IP voice communications software developed by CrystalVoice. United Online, which Internet subscription services to consumers, uses the software to make Internet services available over both dial-up and broadband.

The software is capable of making adjustments according to the bandwidth available so that data and voice transmission occurs smoothly. The CrystalVoice Acoustic QoS solution offers scalability and is architecturally secure. The NetZero offering is available to users in five voice calling plans independent of the ISP their ISP. The plans range from no cost to $ 14.95 per month.

CrystalVoice is also partnering Datacraft Asia. Datacraft Asia is to use the CrystalVoice Click-to-talk system in its offices and conduct marketing and installation the CrystalVoice Acoustic QoS software solutions in the Asia Pacific.

Brightpoint Inc.

Brightpoint Inc. will make available ECCB devices that will include Skype-certified Simply Phones. These phones are USB handsets that enable users to make VoIP calls without using a headset. According to the understanding between Brightpoint and ECCB, the products will first be distributed in the Americas.

ECCB has chosen Brightpoint as its distribution partner because of the well developed distribution network that Brightpoint has in the Americas. The objective of this deal is to promote Skype in the Americas and make people aware of the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of VoIP telephony via Skype.

Net2Phone

Net2Phone is one of the leading providers of turnkey-hosted VoIP services. It has serviced over 100,000 users in both the US and outside. The services it provides include VoIP PacketCable, SIP, and wireless solutions globally. tmcnet.com reports:

In the meantime, Net2Phone requests all its stockholders to defer making any determination with respect to the tender offer until the Independent Committee of Net2Phone's board of directors has made its recommendation.

Read More: Special Committee of Net2Phone

VoIP news

Enterprises are increasingly moving toward an all-IP telecommunications network and assisting them in this endeavor are companies such as Avaya, AT&T, and Alcatel. AT&T will be providing Aegis Communications Group Inc. with an IP VPN network.

AT&T has landed a five-year $ 17 million contract with Aegis under which it will provide Aegis with an IP VPN system using MPLS technology. KONE, which is a leading escalator and elevator company, has employed AT&T for consolidating the communication networks in its 450 locations throughout the world. tmcnet.com reports:

Business communications applications provider Avaya Inc. announced on Monday it was chosen by FTD, a flower delivery service based in Sherwood, Ark., in order to integrate Internet telephony into its contact center operations.

Read More: VoIP Week in Review from TMCnet

Skype in the enterprise

Even though Skype has never stated that it is a product meant for the enterprise, many companies have started using it since it is free. In doing so, they offer their machines as supernodes for Skype. silicon.com reports:

Which brings us to the deeper trend at play here - something IT directors have every reason to be cautious about: the migration of software into the enterprise that was never designed for the enterprise.

Read More: Give Skype a break

Security with Skype

According to Info-Tech Research Group, voice over IP applications like Skype may not be fully secure for use in businesses. Awareness of the security implications regarding Skype is quite low. Skype can bypass firewalls and has shortcomings that can be exploited by hackers. Skype is gaining popularity in the same way as IM once did. Its threat potential may not be any greater than that of email or IM but the fact that it is a new technology may make setting up defenses a little tricky. Post acquisition by eBay, Skype may offer more VoIP products. This necessitates a greater attention to security than before.

Now that eBay has bought Skype, it is expected that the company will offer more VoIP products, so the need for heightened awareness of Skype security is even more vital than before the acquisition. File transfers using Skype should be discouraged. Verso Technologies, US, is providing a product that regulates Skype usage.

Sirocom

Shaw Trust, a charity in the UK that assists the handicapped to obtain work, is tying up with virtual network operator (VNO), Sirocom. The £2.5 m deal is for a period of four years and will link around 200 work-from-home employees and 1,300 office workers. The charity may also move its intra-company communication traffic to VoIP. Currently, it is using the PSTN.

The charity is growing at a rapid rate; the deal with Sirocom has resulted in savings and also improved its ability to scale. The move is also significant as the UK government has stated its desire of curtailing its contribution to the incapacity benefits. Currently, the government expenditure on incapacity benefits is approximately £12.8bn.

Citrix Systems, Inc.

Citrix Systems, Inc. has released Citrix Application Gateway 6.0, which heralds the arrival of its new Smart Agent technology. Smart Agent enables more than just IP telephony via a computer. The integration of computers and telephones has met only limited success due to the difficulties in systems integration.

Click-to-call was the first application by Citrix that made use of the Smart Agent technology. It enabled calling up desk telephones by clicking on the linked telephone numbers in Web applications. The Hospitality Voice Services introduced by Citrix at the end of October were targeted at hotels. The features in the service enabled the hotel to advertise and present current information on their phones by integrating the phones in the guest rooms with property management systems. The Smart Agent technology is simple to deploy and use for the administrators and the end-users. It uses an auto-updating client that is easy to upgrade. tmcnet.com reports:

Citrix Application Gateway is an appliance for organizations with IP telephony systems that delivers converged voice and data applications to the screens and speakers of their IP telephones. The Application Gateway also can transform existing Web-based applications for the screens of IP phones and any wireless device.

Read More: Citrix's Smart Agent Released With Application Gateway 6.0

Broadband over Power Lines

Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) has been around for ten years. It is now being looked upon as an alternative to DSL and cable for broadband Internet access. BPL can be used to transfer radio frequency across power lines and its biggest advantages are its reach and an already established infrastructure.

More than 100 trials and pilots in 40 countries in Europe have attested to the feasibility of BPL. Germany and Spain already have commercial BPL networks. Pilots and tests at a commercial level are taking place in the United States. The acceptance of BPL will be affected by the absence of uniform standards and the chances of bandwidth and radio interference. Energy leakage in the power lines can lead to noise. BPL providers have to try and limit the interference so that it conforms to the levels allowed by the FCC.

BPL can be of help in enabling the rural population to access broadband who are currently dependent on dial-up. However, this entails setting up an infrastructure, which will incur costs that can only be met with government subsidies. In urban markets, BPL faces stiff competition from already established players. Being a new entrant, it is possible that BPL has not yet identified all the impediments that it may face while trying to gain mass acceptance.

MontaVista Linux CGE development platform

The MontaVista Linux CGE development platform by Artesyn Communication Products is compliant with the Service Availability Forum (SA Forum) Application Interface Specifications. tmcnet.com reports:

The KosaiPM modules can act as a control plane processor for optical and wireless infrastructure, and may also be used for augmenting packet processing and routing performance in voice gateways.

Read More: Artesyn Supports MontaVista Linux for KosaiPM AdvancedMC Modules

MOPH

The MOPH Service Foundation has selected the on-demand solution by Five9 Inc. for a 15-week training program for war veterans. tmcnet.com reports:

In addition to using the VoIP-based Virtual Contact Center for training, the MOPH Service Foundation will also use the service to manage its donors.

Read More: Veterans Trained For Call Centers

Customer Respect Group

A study by the Customer Respect Group (CRG), to be released on November 14, 2005, has compared companies on the basis of the treatment of their customers. tmcnet.com reports:

Based on a perfect score of 10, the telecom sector was given a CRI (Customer Respect Index) rating of 6.7 for the third quarter. This is down from 6.9 in the second quarter. The telecom industry has now lost its top-industry rating to Retail, which scored 7.0.

Read More: Do Telecom Firms Respect Customers?

ICE

Microsoft Corp. has joined hands with Cisco Systems Inc. to incorporate Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) to Microsoft software programs that will be released from 2006 onward. ICE will presumably help in solving the problem of NATs in firewalls. NATs change the IP address of a machine which makes VoIP communication difficult. ICE enables the VoIP software to know the new IP address of the machine.

RangeMax 240

Netgear is introducing RangeMax 240 routers and adapters that use MIMO technology developed by Airgo. The equipment is designed to increase the transmission speeds of wireless LANs to 240 Mbps. This allows concurrent use of VoIP, streaming audio, and video. The range and throughput achieved with this equipment is almost five times greater that that achieved by deploying the 802.11g wireless networks. It enables users to access data at high speed anywhere in the premises.

Businesses can use the RangeMax 240 to replace wired Ethernet networks and be able to hold a video conference anywhere in the office. According to Airgo, the True MIMO Gen 3 chipset is twice as energy efficient as the Intel Centrino chip. It consists of one processor and two integrated radios. MIMO technology employs multiple antennas at the two network points. This curtails latency and boosts bandwidth.

OfficeServ Wireless

The OfficeServ Wireless is a VoIP communications application developed by Samsung. It works with the company's iDCS 500, iDCS 100, and OfficeServ 7200 platforms.

A wireless line interface card and a wireless access point are some of the major components of the application. The application runs on the 2.4-GHz band and can support 240 wireless handsets concurrently. OfficeServ offers the advantage of mobility to its users and clarity of sound even during peak data traffic.

FACT-SIP

Motorola plans to integrate its FACT-SIP software package with MicroTCA and AdvancedTCA hardware in order to develop VoIP Open Application-Enabling Platform families. The ComStruct packet voice resource hardware by Motorola uses the FACT-SIP, which sends SIP commands across an IP socket. This facilitates the creation of VoIP-enabled applications like VoIP access gateways.

Motorola is focusing on integrating packet voice resource boards with SIP software to develop voice-enabled SIP applications that does not require low-level code. FACT-SIP consists of SIP protocol software and a management interface that enables the reconfiguration of a packet voice resource board by using a web browser. FACT-SIP is expected to be available by the first quarter of 2006.

VoIP and SMBs

According to a new study by CompTIA, even though several SMBs are not satisfied with the level of security available in VoIP applications, the number of SMB customers for VoIP telephony is expected to grow steadily for the next 18 months. The study, which interviewed 300 US businesses having 20-500 employees found that 76 percent of the respondents were concerned about the level of security offered by VoIP. Significantly, 36 percent feel that VoIP security will improve in the next 12 months.

The report suggests that if vendors are going to market a new telephony system, they should also be able to sell its security features. 70 percent of the interviewees stated that service disruptions on voice and data networks lead to material losses. voipplanet.com reports:

SMBs do recognize the value in converged solutions, such as unified messaging and integrated voice and data applications. Twenty-five percent of respondents, when asked about unified messaging systems, indicated that they have already deployed unified messaging and felt it provided "good business value." Another 41 percent have not deployed unified messaging but said they recognize it would provide good business value.

Read More: Will Security Concerns Hold Back SMB VoIP Adoption?

VoIP usage

According to a report by In-Stat the integration of cellular, Wi-Fi, and VoIP will help the growth of IP telephony. The report stated that savings and innovative features will be the main drivers of growth of IP telephony. According to the report, by the end of 2004, there were around 1.3 million broadband lines in the U.S. In-Stat expects the number of lines to grow to 3.9 million by the end of 2005. Customer concerns regarding security, E911 connectivity, and connectivity in the event of an outage are some of the issues that service providers will need to address.

Is VoIP ready for the enterprise

The hype surrounding VoIP can make IP telephony sound as the right choice for every company; however, this need not be the case. In fact, even the companies that are opting for VoIP are not doing away entirely with their traditional telephony setup. Companies that rely too heavily on telecommunications should consider the impact of VoIP on their business. Medical clinics and sales persons cannot afford dropped calls and poor voice clarity.

Cost savings do not always justify making a switch in technology. The quality of VoIP service may vary from one market to another and also between providers. Cable companies and phone companies offer better voice quality in their VoIP services as compared to that offered by startups. The dependence of VoIP on high-speed connectivity and the availability of power can affect its reliability. Even if high-speed connectivity and broadband are available, if the bandwidth is already being used for other purposes, VoIP may suffer.

Even though the number of features provided by VoIP is increasing, a VoIP system may not be able to offer all the features that are required by an enterprise, most prominent being E911. VoIP offers long-term savings but has a high initial cost including that of the IP-based PBXs. Also, wiring up a building for high-speed Internet can be expensive.

Linksys CIT 200

The Linksys CIT 200 Portable telephone allows users to make Skype calls without using a PC. It was a little odd to be interrupted mid-conversation by my familiar email notification. The person on the other end doesn’t hear it, but if you don’t want your pc bleating at you while you’re on the phone, you might want to disable sounds coming from various running programs.

Ericsson and cellular operator TeliaSonera will test UMA technology, which facilitates seamless handoffs between cellular and wireless LAN networks. This allows users to access wireless VoIP and cellular networks from a single instrument. Nokia too has been conducting tests with UMA.

Ingate Systems

Ingate Systems has developed the SIParator, which enables firewalls to recognize SIP and communicate with it. The SIP protocol is used for IM, video, VoIP, etc. The Firewall 1450/1450+ and SIParator 45/45+ provide a solution for the NAT issues that are present in SIP. The two offerings enable corporate networks to extend their SIP capabilities to remote employees. commweb.com reports:

The Ingate Firewall 1450 has four ports and offers a 180 Mbit/s throughput. For companies needing more capacity and higher throughput, Ingate offers the Firewall 1450+, which has a throughput of 285 Mbit/s and can, for example, handle more concurrent RTP sessions than the 1450.

Read More: New Firewall from Ingate

HickoryTech Corporation

HickoryTech Corporation, headquartered in Mankato, Minnesota, is a 108 year old company that provides a wide range of telecom products and services to its customers. The services include broadband, DTV, IPTV, etc. The live webcast of the company’s conference call regarding its acquisition of Enventis Telecom will be held on November 10 at 9 am EST and can be accessed at www.hickorytech.com.

HKBN

HKBN, which is the largest alternative residential voice and broadband service in Hong Kong, is planning to increase its capacity by 1 million subscribers by upgrading its VoIP network. HKBN had launched its 2b broadband phone service by deploying the Nortel Communication Server (CS) 2000-Compact along with other solutions. tmcnet.com reports:

HKBN's 2b Broadband subscribers will now be able to enjoy VoIP with advanced multimedia services such as secure instant messaging, video calling and broadband access rolled out to subscribers in Hong Kong, North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Read More: Hong Kong Broadband Network

XO Communications Inc.

XO Communications Inc. has reported the financial and operational results for the third quarter of 2005. For the quarter ending September 30, 2005, the company had revenue of $ 358.7 million. The revenues for the same period in 2004 were $ 391.9 million. The consolidated net losses for the third and second quarter 2005 were $ 30.6 million and $ 29.5 million, respectively. tmcnet.com reports:

Consolidated adjusted EBITDA(1) for the third quarter of 2005 was $34.0 million compared with consolidated adjusted EBITDA of $36.4 million in the second quarter of 2005 and a $20.5 million consolidated adjusted EBITDA loss in the third quarter of 2004.

Read More: XO Communications Reports Financial Results for Third Quarter 2005

inContact™

UCN, Inc, which provides on-demand contact handling software and business telecom services over the UCN national VoIP network, will be providing its inContact™ to the SCO group for the management of inbound calls to the customer support teams. The SCO Global Services support clients such as NASDAQ, McDonald’s, and several SMBs. tmcnet.com reports:

"In terms of our call handling equipment, we had a huge, old Aspect ACD and a large Nortel PBX. Just to move the ACD system and re-program it for our new operation, we were looking at a $30,000 cost," explained Mark Colley, Director of Information Technology for SCO.

Read More: SCO Selects inContact(TM) From UCN for Global Service Department

IPtimize

IPtimize, which is a Managed VoIP Solutions Provider catering to SMBs will merge with Simmetech, Inc. tmcnet.com reports:

Upon closing of the proposed merger, which is expected to occur shortly, the continuing entity shall be known as IPtimize, Inc., a publicly traded entity (new ticker symbol to be determined) possessing core operations as a Managed VoIP Solutions Provider.

Read More: IPtimize to Merge with Simmetech, Inc.

Occam Networks ® Inc

Occam Networks ® Inc, a global supplier of Ethernet and IP based loop carrier equipment will be providing its Occam BLC 6000(TM) System to the West Kentucky Rural Telephone Cooperative. The Occam BLC will replace the DLCs and facilitate the offering of Triple Play services. tmcnet.com reports:

"Occam has a very strong and growing portfolio of customers who attest to their expertise. We were able to visit multiple Occam customers and saw the BLC 6000 delivering video services to paying subscribers. They can truly deliver what they promise, today."

Read More: West Kentucky Rural Telephone to Deploy Occam BLC 6000

Hyatt Select LLC

Hyatt Select LLC has awarded a $ 4.8 million networking contract to AT&T. AT&T will provide data, voice, and Internet services to 146 locations in the US. tmcnet.com reports:

"AT&T offered us a high-quality solution that complied with our aggressive network integration plan and timeline for Hyatt Place," said Tom O'Toole, senior vice president, strategy and systems for Global Hyatt Corp.

Read More: AT&T Connects Hyatt's 146 Properties for $4.8 M

Belkin Corporation

Belkin Corporation is offering a full refund to customers who are not satisfied with the throughput rate offered by the Belkin Wireless A+G networking products. The refund is being offered as a part of a nationwide program undertaken to assure users of the quality of the Dual-Band Wireless A+G networking products. tmcnet.com reports:

In an effort to provide Belkin customers a clear expectation of actual speeds and coverage, new packaging for these products will explicitly note that actual throughput rates obtained by consumers will be lower than the stated industry standard depending on network conditions and environmental factors such as volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, and network overhead.

Read More: Belkin Offers Money-Back Guarantee

IPTV system

Nortel has launched a new IPTV system that service providers can deploy. The system delivers services such as television and video by using the broadband network of the service provider. IPTV enables users to communicate by voice, video, IM etc by using their televisions. tmcnet.com reports:

"Nortel strives to provide more than a superior IPTV network for our customers. Our goal is to enable new and exciting IPTV applications that give our customers a competitive advantage to win and retain IPTV subscribers," said Walt Megura, general manager, Broadband Networks, Nortel.

Read More: Nortel Powers IPTV for Service Providers

FCC ruling

FCC has ruled that Internet telephony providers will not be required to cut off their subscribers in the US even if they are unable to provide them with enhanced 911 emergency services. However, VoIP telephony providers will no longer be able to market their services in areas where they are not able to connect 911 calls to a subscriber’s location.

VoIP providers have filed a petition in the U.S Court of Appeals stating that offering enhanced 911 services requires overcoming several impediments. VoIP providers fear that restrictions on their marketing activities will actually slow down their VoIP deployment and offer an open field to their competitors.

MetaSolv Software

MetaSolv Software, which provides comprehensive operational support system solutions, will be displaying the Catalyst work project at the TeleManagement World Conference in Dallas. The project is being supported by BellSouth, EMBRATEL, Pantero, and other companies. lightreading.com reports:

This expert solution addresses the process for providing consumers with Voice over IP (VoIP) services with immediate service activation. The Catalyst solution scope is architected using the TMF's eTOM process framework, including the Fulfillment processes.

Read More: OSS Firms Demo VoIP

VoX Communications Corp.

VoX Communications Corp., which is the wholesale and retail wing of eLEC Communications Corp for VoIP services, will use its network for marketing and reselling VoX VoIP services. lightreading.com reports:

Under a wholesale agreement, VoX will enable MTP to meet growing customer demand for a top quality VoIP service that is both affordable and highly reliable.

Read More: MTP Resells Vox VOIP

Time Warner

The spate of mergers in the telecom industry has led enterprise customers looking for different vendors to approach Time Warner. This has boosted the company’s enterprise business, which has grown to $ 15.8 million. lightreading.com reports:

Time Warner reported total quarterly revenue of $177.8 million, an 11 percent increase from last year's $160.6 million. Officials attributed the upswing to a 31 percent increase in data and Internet revenues.

Read More: Megamergers Don't Scare TWT

Microsoft a contender for AOL stake

Microsoft and Google are two of the companies that have shown a strong interest in acquiring a stake in AOL. Microsoft has emerged as a frontrunner in the process and if the company is to become a stakeholder, it will merge its MSN service with AOL. nytimes.com reports:

One is whether such an alliance would represent yet another new and unproven partnership for Time Warner, a company that has spent much of its energy in recent years trying to simplify its business.

Read More: Many Suitors, and Pitfalls, as AOL Seeks a Partner

Rogue APs

Companies that deploy wireless networks have to guard against rogue access points (AP). The first step to guard against unauthorized access is to have a policy in place. Rogue access points that originate within the office premises are generally not malicious in nature even though they offer unauthorized access to a company network. An “evil twin” AP impersonates a genuine AP and can trick unsuspecting employees into parting with their user IDs and passwords and also critical company data.

Overlay systems can be deployed to sniff for rogue SSIDs. In-built systems in enterprise APs sniff for rogue APs by comparing the MAC addresses with a database that lists the authorized APs. Companies that invested in wireless networks during the early days may not be fully equipped to handle rogue APs. Also, there are enterprises that have an environment of wired and wireless network. Such companies should ideally invest in intrusion protection systems (IPSes).

CommuniGate Systems and Pingtel

CommuniGate Systems has launched CommuniGate Pro version 5.0, which is a solution that enables messaging and VoIP. The company also delivers the CommuniGate Pro version 5.0, which enables companies to host millions of subscribers. The server aims to integrate voice applications into the existing SIP infrastructure of a company. It performs functions such as call queuing and acts as an auto-attendant server. The solution enables the user to get services such as voicemail and email from a single mailbox.

Pingtel, which uses open-source code developed by SIPfoundry, has released the SIPxchange Enterprise Communications Server (ECS). The ECS includes an integrated presence server and support for additional SIP phones. Pingtel is making a conscious shift toward real-time communications and is looking to incorporate IM, video, and pure SIP applications as well. The company now has the architecture to manage independent components running on different servers.

MGCP

The physical and logical sides of a softswitch need to be interconnected in order to establish communication between the media gateway and the media gateway controller. The media gateway protocol sends commands to the media gateway under the master/slave arrangement by using two protocols. One protocol is the MGCP, which was developed by the IETF and documented in RFC 2705; it is documented in its updated version in RFC 3435.

Gateways that can employ this protocol include trunking gateways present between telephone and VoIP networks; voice over ATM gateways; residential gateways that provide a RJ11 interface to a VoIP network; and other such gateways. The information between the media gateway controller and the media gateway can be categorized as either events or signals. The two categories are supported by endpoints such as telephone or video systems. MGCP commands are used for used for the communication between the call agents and the gateways. The commands include EPCF, RQNT, NTFY, CRCX, MDCX, DLCX, AUEP, AUCX, and RSIP.

Security in wireless networks

The increased use of wireless networks has necessitated security of the back-end as well as the front-end. The concept of end-to-end security makes it necessary that companies first define their security objectives before allocating resources for the deployment of firewalls, encryption, anti-spam, anti-viruses, etc.

The continuous merger of technologies enables interoperability and allows employees to stay connected. At the same time it also increases the possibilities for the transfer of viruses. A comprehensive security policy should be implemented. The policy should cover issues such as permissions, upgrades, access, breaches, etc.

802.1x technologies offer security because access to the WLAN possible only if the user possesses an authentication key. The technology works in environments that have both wired and wireless networks. Encrypting data like customer information, company data, etc helps to maintain privacy even if a mobile device is stolen or misplaced. For highly critical data, a 128-bit encryption key is preferred in the industry. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) should be used with the VPNs in order to authorize access to sensitive applications. Thus, as marketing personnel do not need to know customer credit card numbers, their access to the credit card database can be blocked.

Endpoint scanning technology is useful for recognizing the wired and wireless devices accessing a network. Remote devices trying to access an enterprise network may introduce viruses into the network. This is because very often the devices are owned by individuals who may use them without security protection and in doing so may pick up viruses. Wireless devices should have some kind of challenge to offer, such as PIN or password or both, before granting access. A two-step authentication provides greater security for larger organizations.

Security should be tested regularly and remote devices should be used to make hack attempts. Security efforts should be monitored for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley. Security managers need to stay updated regarding the latest developments in network security.

Security in a wireless network

Many outlets such as the Coffee Society based in Campbell, California, offer free wireless access to the customers. Free wireless connectivity entails added security such as that offered by firewalls. If the store has multiple branches, they may have to be connected for running the operations better. mobilepipeline.com reports:

Today, Flynn is preparing to open two more shops, both that will offer free wireless Internet access to patrons. The current stores are getting technological updates as well: Flynn can now remotely monitor sales of his stores, as well as customer buying habits throughout the day; and through video surveillance, he can observe his employees as well as his customers.

Read More: Free Wireless Access: Is It Secure?

VoWLAN-2

The Seamless Converged Communication Across Network (SCCAN) is an industry organization supporting the emergence of open specifications for technologies that facilitate seamless converged communications. According to SCCAN, the future of VoWLAN is bright but it requires heavy investment.

A VoWLAN setup as envisaged by SCCAN includes a WLAN gateway, an access point and PBX from Avaya required for connecting to the CN620 handset from Motorola. The W310 WLAN Gateway with W110 WLAN access point is a wireless controller. Proxim resells it through Avaya. W310 WLAN Gateway is a 16-port Ethernet switch that powers the access points connected to it. The PBX for the system is provided by Avaya. It consists of media servers, module media gateways, and Communication Manager software. The Communication Manager software is compatible with SIP call processing and is capable of handling more than 700 enterprise telephony features. The CN620 costs $ 720 and weighs as less as 5.2 ounces. It has two radios and six antennas inside. It has an 800-mAH battery and is capable of eighty hours of standby and three hours of talk-time. The handset offers Wi-Fi on 2.4- and 5-GHz frequencies.

The Wireless Services Manager (WSM) offered by Motorola operates on Solaris and integrates VoIP and cellular networks. The organizations that are making an effort to develop VoWLAN include IEEE 802.21, which is concentrating on a Media Independent Handover (MIH) support for networks such as wired and wireless 802 networks. MobileIGNITE is a group comprising SIP and wireless infrastructure vendors among others. It releases pretested products in the market. The MobileIGNITE program was initiated by BridgePort, which is a mobile convergence vendor. UMA, which stands for Unlicensed Mobile Access, is made up of companies such as Alcatel, BT, Ericsson, etc. UMA is not based on SIP and concentrates on enabling traditional mobile technology to integrate with IP networks.

VoWLAN-1

According to the Infonetics and Synergy Research Group, approximately 150,000 VoWLAN phones were sold in 2004. The research group predicts that in 2009, around 17 million VoWLAN phones will be sold and up to 100 million dual-mode handsets will be sold. In 2010, around 1 billion cell phones will be shipped. This means that even five years later, VoWLAN phones will still not have a major share of the mobile phone market.

Healthcare, retail, warehousing, and hospitality are four industries that have adopted VoWLAN. The standards-based wireless communicator from Vocera has enabled health-care workers to increase productivity, mobility, and accessibility. A VoWLAN solution, such as the one offered by SpectraLink, facilitates real-time inventory management by enabling communication between the truck-loaders and the warehouse staff. VoWLANs also improve customer care as a mobile staff can offer on-the-spot assistance. Hotels are using their Wi-Fi networks to allow guests to access the Internet and also to communicate with the housekeeping.

Improved QoS, greater deployment of Wi-Fi networks, and inexpensive handsets will further the acceptance of VoWLAN. Another obstacle to pervasive wireless deployments is the difficulty in transporting voice through wireless networks. By using an existing wireless LAN, a VoWLAN helps to improve the in-building coverage even in the sub-basement area. It helps to improve the cellular reception and does not require the installation of cellular repeaters. Even though dual-mode VoWLAN services can yield savings in mobile carrier charges, deploying a VoWLAN can be expensive.

A Wi-Fi handset costs upward of $ 400 and the existing wireless network in a company may require additional work before it can be deployed for VoWLANs. Frequently, the existing wireless network has to be replaced as a VoWLAN network requires dense and seamless RF coverage to enable access in places such as lifts, staircases, closets, restrooms, etc. VoWLANs allow users to access a single voicemail regardless of location and also to avail features such as four-digit dialing.

It is better to have an overlapping network while using VoWLANs in order to maintain the voice quality while roaming between access points. This is because the power output of a VoWLAN is not very high; it is between 20-50 milliwatts. It is not easy to maintain voice quality while roaming in VoWLAN deployments. In a cellular network, it is the cellular base stations that control the roaming behavior of a handset. This allows successful handoffs in the GSM and CDMA networks. In 802.11 wireless networks, the success rate of handoffs is not very high because the roaming is controlled by the handset.

Handsets that have not been optimized to work in a wireless network can lead to interruptions in the communication due to the roaming times. The 802.11k standard will allow handsets to access an AP table for looking up information regarding usage load, signal strength, and service set ID (SSID). The 802.11 standard impacts the number of calls supported by an AP. The 802.11b standard has a link rate of 11 Mbps and a throughput rate of around 6 Mbps; this allows it to support up to seven calls concurrently.

In order to overcome the capacity constraints, it is important to realize that different bands have different properties. Also, reducing the cell size is an option. However, this may result in a complex network design with increased overlaps and a possibility of increased co-channel interference. SpectraLink gateways provide a call-control mechanism for managing the number of calls on an AP. Meru Networks provides a similar mechanism called the voice services module (VSM) in its wireless infrastructural equipment. The VSM is an optional device.

The SpectraLink Voice Priority (SVP) is a proprietary standard that prioritizes voice packets over data packets. In the absence of appropriate QoS standards for wireless networks, packet loss, jitter, etc can affect voice quality even if the network is not heavily loaded. The 802.11e standard deals with QoS for wireless networks. Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) is a component of 802.11e and enables multilevel priority support, admission control, and auto power-save delivery. Multilevel priority support helps to prioritize traffic, Admission control enables the APs to accept or reject calls depending upon their capacity status. Automatic power-save enables a sleep function that allows handsets to wake up in time to receive the voice packets instead of being on power all the time.

As wireless handsets do not have a high processing power and they do not support the commonly used operating systems, they cannot be provided with internal Layer 3 security, which is possible with the existing VPN infrastructure.

VoWLAN location-discovery solutions as provided by companies such as Ekahau are not on par with the location-based telemetry or GPS solutions used by cellular networks to provide E911 services. The AP being used by the wireless handset can be made known to the public safety answering point (PSAP) by using ANI/ALI. High battery life is one of the main requisites for converged devices. Handsets are available with three days of standby and three hours of talk-time. Chipsets developed by companies such as Atheros and Texas Instruments have resulted in handsets that can function for longer periods between charges.

XO Communications

XO Communications, Inc will raise $ 700 million from the sale of its national wireline telecommunications business in order to finance the creation of a broadband wireless service for businesses and service providers. The company will retain ownership of the fixed broadband wireless spectrum assets and will hold licenses for the 28 GHz-31 GHz spectrum range that covers several major markets in the U.S. tmcnet.com reports:

"The action we take today will create a pure-play fixed broadband wireless provider that combines significant resources with in-depth industry expertise to meet the growing demand for high-bandwidth broadband wireless services," said XO CEO Carl Grivner.

Read More: XO Communications Announces Agreement

SBC Communications Inc

During the course of a two-month field trial, SBC Communications Inc, successfully delivered IPTV, VOD, etc to residences in San Antonio. The objective of the exercise was to test the IP-video network technology under real-life conditions. iapplianceweb.com reports:

Project Lightspeed is the SBC initiative to expand its fiber-optics network deeper into neighborhoods to deliver SBC U-verse(SM) TV, voice and high-speed Internet access services.

Read More: SBC tests IPTV, high speed Internet services

Santa Cruz Networks

Start-up Santa Cruz Networks Friday announced an update to its Festoon video plug-in software so that users of Google's IM service can see who they're talking to. The plug-in for Google Talk will allow users to hold video voice calls on a one-to-one basis or with groups as large as 200 people, as well as to share photos and applications with whoever's on the calls, according to Santa Cruz Networks. networkworld.com reports:

The start-up already provides Festoon for the Skype free Internet telephony service now owned by online auction site eBay. The plug-in for Google Talk is designed to also work with Skype, Santa Cruz Networks said in the release.

Read More: Santa Cruz Networks adds video to Google Talk

SNET DG

SNET DG will be introducing the new Switched IP Services portfolio in December. The portfolio will enable public and private termination of international and domestic VoIP traffic among other services. xchangemag.com reports:

Dave Ioime, senior product manager for IP switching applications at SNET DG, has been leading SIPS product development for about a year. He says SIPS is a “nice fit” with services the carrier already provides, such as its SuperTandem Switch Network solution, which aggregates traffic at the company’s tandem switches in Connecticut. “Our SuperTandem does TDM. Now, we can take calls over IP.”

Read More: SNET DG Quenches VoIP Thirst With SIPS

AT&T and the InterContinental Hotels Group

The InterContinental Hotels Group has commissioned AT&T to deploy an IP VPN for the Candlewood Suites Hotels. tmcnet.com reports:

The project will enable the 76 Candlewood Hotel locations to now access the core hotel operating system over a secure, privately managed net with a lower equipment and maintenance cost.

Read More: AT&T IP Connects InterContinental's 76 Hotels

FCC regulation for tapping VoIP calls

Opponents of the FCC’s demands for a phone-tapping law for VoIP and other broadband networks maintain that the demand is beyond the scope of the original law and it involves additional expenses for the network owners. tmcnet.com reports:

Authorities are justified in trying to reduce the ways that technology helps dangerous people operate in the shadows, said Daniel Solove, author of "The Digital Person." But a parallel concern is that technology can end up increasing the government's surveillance power rather than just maintaining it.

Read More: Fight over surveillance law won't end technology-government clash

VoIP peering

The charges of long-distance telephony will plummet steadily as peering networks grow. As enterprises and government agencies join peering networks, the benefits to be had from peering will increase. tmcnet.com reports:

That is where VoIP 2.0 comes in. The companies who make a living in communications tomorrow are going to have to be 100% committed to coming up with new applications that consumers and businesses will pay for.

Read More:Wake Up RBOC

Interstar Technologies

Interstar Technologies, which is a Canada-based vendor of fax capabilities for IP networks has become a member of the Avaya DeveloperConnection program. The program already has more than a 1000 members. tmcnet.com reports:

Interstar will be joining the more than 1,000 members of the Avaya DeveloperConnection program. Some of Interstar's products include the LightningFAX enterprise fax server; and the XMediusFAX, a software-only, real-time T.38 fax system that operates without traditional fax boards on a voice over IP network.

Read More: VoIP Week in Review

Yahoo! Maps

Yahoo! uses Flash for Yahoo! Maps, which makes the service eye-catching and faster. Google uses AJAX for Google Earth. tmcnet.com reports:

VoIP is more than just a way to save money. It is becoming the fuel powering Web 2.0 application engines! It seems every few weeks that VoIP becomes the enabler for another successful business model.

Read More: VoIP Fuels Web 2.0

Covad Communications

Covad Communications Group Inc. has been selected by INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine as the best Hosted VoIP Provider, Best SMB Provider, and Top 100 VoIP Provider at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and Expo Fall at Los Angeles 2005. tmcnet.com reports:

Covad was distinguished with three separate awards for its continued excellence in business-class VoIP.

Read More: Covad Communications Recognized with Multiple Excellence Awards

Telephony in the Asia Pacific

For IP telephony in the Asia Pacific region to take off, the enterprise telephony vendors need to make the end users aware of its advantages over TDM regarding cost, features, compatibility with other technologies, user experience, etc. According to Frost and Sullivan, the revenues for the telephony market for the second quarter of 2005 were $ 612 million and IP telephony provided $ 279.8 million.

Japan accounts for 43.5% of the revenues in the Asia Pacific zone. Greater China has registered a 20% growth in the second quarter. The demand for enterprise telephony in China is driven by sectors such as banking, multinationals, hospitality, etc. Broadband acceptance in China is expected to fuel the growth of telephony in the Asia Pacific region.

More than 75% of South Korean homes have broadband; the figure is more than 50% for Singapore and Hong Kong. Broadband penetration in China is not very high but broadband Internet services in China will cater to 176 million homes by the year 2010, which will be around 64% of all the broadband users in the region. End users are laying emphasis not only on costs but also on user experience. In order to meet the increasing consumer expectations, vendors are getting into partnerships with application developers to provide improved communications with IP-based productivity tools.

VoIP information for SMBs

It is important that SMBs know the basics that govern VoIP voice quality before they implement VoIP. A handset affects voice quality. An IP handset or an analog telephone adapter should be from a trusted vendor. There are several websites that present information and user reviews on VoIP equipment. Pre-release firmware should be avoided as it can result in problems such as dropped calls and poor audio quality. A handset should ideally support at least two codecs.

Codecs that need greater bandwidth are less of a strain on the CPU. Larger offices connected to a PABX or a local LAN whereas SMBs use Internet broadband. A full-rate codec like G711 can be used with a local LAN where there are no bandwidth constraints. A codec such as G729 is useful where some amount is compressing is required. The traffic should be routed such that voice traffic gets higher priority. This can be achieved by setting routers so that they accord the highest priority to traffic meant for a given IP address and port number. Handsets with a static IP address allow prioritization by using an internal IP address. Smart devices that connect between the modem and the router do not require configuration and can prioritize voice traffic automatically.

Sprint and the cable companies

The deal between wireless carrier Sprint and cable companies Comcast Corp, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications Inc, and Advance/Newhouse Communications Inc will integrate their capabilities. Sprint is contributing $ 100 million for R&D and the four cable companies are pooling another $ 100 million in seed funding. Other cable operators may also be able to join the venture.

The venture offers “quadruple play” services that include wireless calling, landline calling, high-speed Internet, and cable television. Services for the future include unified messaging capabilities, delivery of video content on mobile devices, etc. The services will be made available in early 2006. The arrangement will also enable the participant to offer their networks for consumer services. This would enable users to access all their voicemails and emails from a single account and switch between calling platforms like PSTN and VoIP.

VOW

Corporates are adopting WLANs enthusiastically hoping to enjoy greater productivity benefits by staying connected at all times. However, voice over wireless LANs are not easy to deploy as wireless networks are not very developed and VOW clients are available in limited types. VOW adoption should increase with the increase in availability of Wi-Fi enabled devices. eweek.com reports:

During the next year, we expect to see a sharp increase in the number of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)-based VOW devices available in the United States. We also expect to see broader standards support: The current batch of devices supports only the slower IEEE 802.11b wireless standard.

Read More: Don't Put Voice over Wi-Fi on Hold

Media Gateway architecture

A softswitch architecture enables the separation of the logical and physical switching functions, thus enabling these to reside in geographically separated devices. The physical connection to the LAN or the WAN is established by the media gateway that resides in the transport plane. The logical functions are managed by the call agent.

According to the ISO, a gateway converts protocols from one system to protocols for another system and can function at all of the seven layers of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. A gateway has two interfaces that may have to communicate with the cellular or circuit switching network on one side and a packet switching network on the other side. The gateway establishes the physical connection and also manages the speed accordingly. The gateways also convert the information present in TDM systems into packets used with IP networks. They contribute toward maintaining the QoS of the service by canceling line echoes and managing the jitter buffer.

Vonage IPO

Vonage Holdings Corp. is aiming at raising $ 600 million by means of an IPO and hopes to garner around $ 2 billion by sale to a bigger organization. Bain Capital, 3i Group Plc, Meritech Capital Partners are some of the venture capitalists. The investment by all the venture capitalists comes to $ 408 million.

Vonage is exploring the opportunity of sale with companies like Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA. The company’s value has received a boost following the acquisition of Skype by eBay.

Spendings by companies

According to CCMI, small businesses spent around $ 10,000 per month on telephone services whereas on an average, the enterprises spent around $ 175,000 per month. eweek.com reports:

Sprint led the way in April, according to CCMI's DealWatch, a Web-based publication, with 174 new negotiated deals, while SBC had 62 such deals, and BellSouth had 44 such deals.

Read More: When Telco Pricing Info Dries Up

EarthLink

EarthLink will be deploying the media server, application server, and unified messaging products developed by IP Unity for its trueVoice and Line Powered Voice. The collaboration will enable EarthLink to provide further value-added services like audio, video, video mail, etc. voipplanet.com reports:

The Mereon 6000 Media Server enables EarthLink to scale its activities to twice its present capabilities. The beta version of EarthLink’s free soft client Vling was released in June; this was followed by the release of the ATA-based trueVoice in October. Line Powered Voice, which is slated for release in December, will ease the switch to a VoIP environment. Line Powered Voice will allow the user to interface with the existing phone instrument and at the same time enjoy the benefits offered by VoIP. Since the service draws its power from a line, it remains functional even during a power outage.

Read More: EarthLink and IP Unity Enable VoIP

NetSuite Inc.

NetSuite Inc. and Five9 Inc have launched Click-to-Call, which is an on demand application service. NetSuite has graduated from delivering web-based accounting services to SMBs to providing integrated enterprise business application services such as CRM and ERP. Their clients do not have to invest in the installing and maintaining the equipment.

Five9 provides support for outgoing telemarketing operations and incoming call center operations. Their clients are not required to spend on switches and servers. A PC with broadband connection is all that is required to access these services. The collaboration between the two companies is aimed at enabling companies to avail a seamlessly integrated low-cost business application.

Click-to-call is compatible with all phones and does not require USB headsets. VoIP users have their calls routed through the Five9 servers that initiate a PSTN call with the recipient. Clicking on an online number results in the phones ringing at two ends, the caller’s as well as the receiver’s. This means that the caller is actually paying for two calls. This is not the case if USB headsets are used. voipplanet.com reports:

"Traditional IT people think of telephony for CRM applications, but it's valuable even for back-office activities. For example customers that are doing collection calls—you know the finance department typically handles those—but they have a need to be able to quickly run through a call list and just dial through," Pieris pointed out.

Read More: Partnership Voice-Enables On-Demand Business Apps

SiteScape

SiteScape has now announced the release of Forum ZX, which brings together the features of Forum and Zon, which is a real-time collaboration package, developed by SiteScape. Forum uses a workflow engine that delineates the work, assigns tasks, reports the current status, etc. The workflow is menu-based and uses HTML forms. The workgroups can share and edit content in the context of the team; check-in/check-out control is used for this activity. The history of a document is recorded by the document management system and can become a part of the knowledge management system. voipplanet.com reports:

Fox went on to explain that with common presence-enabled applications, like IM or peer-to-peer VoIP, you accumulate a buddy list of people you talk to all the time, but when it comes to expediting business processes, who you talk to all the time usually isn't the right list to work from.

Read More: Synchronous and Asynchronous Collaboration

Microsoft acquiring VoIP vendor

Microsoft intends to add VoIP to its Office products and to that end is in the process of acquiring the Switzerland-based software company, media-streams.com, which specializes in VoIP applications. The deal should enable Microsoft to increase the functionality of its Office Live platform. The platform currently supports IM; its real-time capabilities will increase with the addition of VoIP.

Office Live, the beta version of which will be available in early 2006, offers website and email hosting, collaborative file sharing, etc for SMBs. Microsoft aims to integrate the different communication technologies so that users can use a unified, Web-based platform for all their voice communication needs.

Reviews of Skype

We talk a lot about Skype here--but how much do consumers like it? A few reactions:

VoIP Reviews Online reviews Skype and compares the top 3 VoIP providers
Skype's not yet up to all the hype @ SFGate.com

ASUREcall

OfficeMate Eyecare Business Solutions DBA Marchon Software Solutions, which is a subsidiary of Marchon Eyewear, will deploy the ASUREcall VoIP solution developed by NetWolves Corp. Marchon Software Solutions has already deployed the solution to link its head office in Irvine, California with another location in Ohio.

The ASUREcall solution consists of VoIP gateways, remote monitoring equipment, etc and allows international companies to minimize their telecommunication costs. The solution facilitates a smooth transition to a VoIP environment without disrupting the existing installations and in a cost-effective manner. The QoS delivered by the solution ensures uninterrupted toll-quality voice and optimum network performance. In fact, the QoS application is important for controlling the voice traffic over the data circuits. The application uses techniques such as bandwidth capping, flow queues, etc to manage the direction and breakup of network traffic.

NetWolves delivers a solution that is transparent to the user and enables the user to access the most up-to-date telecommunications technology without having to install software-based phones. The end-user does not require any special training. The monthly billing system helps to reduce the cost of ownership by eliminating variable expenses. The solution provides services such as voice and energy detection. It can support up to 1,000 users per gateway simultaneously and can be used with DSL, cable broadband, frame relay, etc.

On Demand Service

The high costs involved in setting up a call center are resulting in a switchover to hosted alternatives. This implies that the hardware, software, maintenance etc that is required for running the VoIP, ACD, call recording services is managed by a third party. tmcnet.com reports:

Of course, such changes won't happen overnight. Only the very brave will abandon overnight the tradition of hosting hardware and software onsite. Rather, companies will test the waters gradually. Applications such as Workforce Management (WFM), in particular, are ideal for the on demand model.

Read More: Customers Are Demanding On Demand

Voice Print International

Voice Print International has appointed ePlus Technology, Inc as one of its key distribution associates for its interactions recording and performance optimization solutions. This should help Voice Print to further strengthen its distribution networks in the US. ePlus, which is a public company, has registered growth for the past 15 years. The company has been involved in the buying and selling of goods and services worth more than 2 billion dollars.

The coming together of these two companies should augur well for the commercial, municipal, government customers who can avail the solutions developed by ePlus and the cutting edge contact center technologies developed by Voice Print. The solutions developed by ePlus are flexible and easy to deploy. These include eProcurement, Lease Process Automation, Asset management, etc.

Activ! Voice IP, which is designed by Voice Print, enables evaluation and analysis of multimedia interactions over convergent networks. This facilitates a smooth transition from legacy PBX to VoIP networks.

Voice over Wi-Fi with SIP

SIP facilitates the deployment of Wi-Fi by companies as it provides more alternatives in terms of hardware and other technologies that mobile users can avail.

With Wi-Fi deployments, companies do not have the options that are available with the wired VoIP implementations where client devices provided by the vendor enable interoperability. Even though SIP enables companies to compare products from a number of vendors, it is possible that these phones may not have certain features provided by proprietary phone solutions. However, dial tone, caller ID, redial, transfer, etc are core features that are present in SIP-enabled phones.

SIP can be used for more than just voice services because it is a signaling protocol used for call setup and teardown and is not involved in the actual delivery of the content, which can occur in a peer-to-peer fashion. Push-to-talk and MMS are just two of the many applications that can make use of SIP. The technology that enables the establishment of user presence by using SIP is explained in RFC 3586. SIP allows mobile users to register with the SIP server and obtain connectivity regardless of the network. Thus, SIP can facilitate roaming between cellular and Wi-Fi networks.

SDBot in IM networks

The “lockx.exe” rootkit file was found bundled with a variant of the W32/Sdbot Trojan in the most recent attack on the AIM network. This is the first time that SDBot has been found in an IM chat network. eweek.com reports:

"The situation is ripe for a fully automated worm to cause some serious damage," said Jose Nazario, senior software engineer at Arbor Networks Inc., a network security firm based in Lexington, Mass.

Read More: Researchers Say Automated IM Worm Is Inevitable

Brekeke Software Inc.

Brekeke Software Inc. has completed the compatibility testing of its OnDO PBX with the VoIP-based calling services provided by Vonage. The OnDO PBX can be downloaded to create a PBX system that enables connectivity with SIP-enabled phones. tmcnet.com reports:

When combined with the local and long distance calling services of Vonage, the PBX functionality of OnDO PBX would create a tool for users wanting a phone system equipped with voicemail, call forwarding, and call conferencing.

Read More: Brekeke OnDO PBX Now Vonage-Compatible

SoftGnome

TelEvolution has introduced SoftGnome, which is a virtual device that enables PC’s and Wi-Fi handsets to be connected to PSTN landline telephones. tmcnet.com reports:

"SoftGnome is an extension of PhoneGnome that you can use virtually everywhere," said David Beckemeyer, founder and CEO of TelEvolution.

Read More: TelEvolution Intros Internet Telephony Softphone

Zingo Inc.

Zingo, Inc., which is one of the leading global IP communications service providers, has conducted a successful marketing campaign with the help of Internet portals, Yahoo and Google. tmcnet.com reports:

ZingoTel most recently announced that its services will be used by the United States Federal Government. The emergency phone system is identical to the systems being offered to the general public, stated ZingoTel's consumer department this week.

Read More: Zingo, Inc. Announces Record Sales

Wireless VoIP Phones Reviewed... mmm

I've been keeping up with a new site called VoIP Phone Reviews--otherwise I'd fall behind with all the new products coming out. Some of their wireless VoIP phone reviews are making me drool...

MGC

Telephone calls made using either PSTN or a VoIP network need to have end-to-end reliability and the establishment and severing of end-to-end connections should be possible.

A fair amount of network intelligence resides in the Media Gateway Controller (MGC) as it enables the above mentioned functions. The MGC provides call routing function and control of the connection and the network resources. The execution of these functions involves activities such as managing the origination and termination of signaling messages between end user stations, external networks, etc. The MGC also maintains call state information for calls on the Media Gateway. It also functions as a channel for negotiating media parameters such as audio/video codecs that may affect bandwidth consumption.

Ports on the Media Gateway and the network bandwidth availability are managed by the MGC. MGC manages access capabilities and permissions for endpoints. According to the IPCC architecture, there are two additional functions meant to be performed by the MGC. These include the Call Agent Function and the Interworking Function. The call control and call state maintenance operations are provided by the Call Agent Function. This function uses the SIP or H.323 protocol among other protocols. The Interworking Function is used to provide H.323/SIP or IP/ATM network connections.

IPCC

The International Softswitch Consortium was founded in 1998 to further the deployment of next generation switching and VoIP technologies. The consortium is now known as the International Packet Communications Consortium (IPCC) and covers video over IP and services accessed through wireless and wireline networks. The IPCC works to facilitate VoIP and softswitch deployment by utilizing the services of service providers, system integrators, etc who define reference architectures and management systems.

One of their key contributions of IPCC is the Reference Architecture, available here. There are four functional planes referred to as Transport, Call Control and Signaling, Service and Application, and Management. These define the functions of a VoIP network.

The transport plane provides functions such as call setup and call signaling. The technology used for ferrying the media may vary. Packets are transported across the VoIP network using IP Transport Domain that holds devices like routers and switches. Signaling gateways, media gateways, and interworking gateways make up the Interworking Domain, which interacts with networks outside the VoIP network. Access or residential gateways connect non-IP terminals such as ISDN or mobile phones to the VoIP network.

The establishing and tearing down of media connections in a VoIP network is handled by the Call Control and Signaling Plane. The media gateway controller or the call agent functions in this plane.

Devices like the application server and the feature server are present in the Service and Application Plane. This plane enables the control and logic functions that can be availed on the VoIP network. The Management Plane co-ordinates with the other planes using the SNMP protocol. It enables services necessary for service provisioning and billing.

VoIP market set to grow

According to IDC, the US market for VoIP and WLAN equipment is set for growth till 2009 at a CAGR of 20%. The retail sector will see a growth in IP PBX spending at a CAGR of 7.6%. voipplanet.com reports:

Dan Corsetti, senior analyst in Vertical Market Research, explained that spending on IP PBX equipment by retailers is in an effort to improve communications between branch locations and headquarters, between branch offices, and with suppliers, in order to address difficult inventory management issues.

Read More: IDC: VoIP and Wireless LAN to Grow through 2009

Avaya for ABN AMRO and Allstate Insurance

Avaya will be using its VoIP expertise to implement IP telephony for Allstate Insurance and ABN AMRO. voipplanet.com reports:

Allstate already has a relationship with Avaya, which under the new deal will be expanded to additional locations in the U.S. and Canada. Allstate is using Avaya's Customer Interaction Suite IP-based contact center application to manage calls and handle intelligent call routing.

Read More: In Good Hands with Avaya