Current News from IPTelephony.org January 30, 2012

 VoIP News  No Responses »
Jan 302012
 
  • Top Stories of the Week – January 28, 2012

    Econet launch VoIP service in Africa

    More than three million Econet Wireless Zimbabwe Ltd subscribers will now be able to make the cheapest international calls using phones, tablets and computers through the Internet after the telecommunications company launched VoIP services recently. VoIP is a technology that allows telephone calls to be made over computer networks like the Internet.

    Speaking at the service launch the company’s commercial director, George Barbaressos, said the country currently has six VoIP service providers that include PowerTel, Gigatel, Econet, Brodacom and Africom.

    read more

  • AT&T launches unified communications services with cloud technology

    Leveraging its expertise in cloud computing, mobile and voice services and IP network connections, AT&T makes available to companies of all sizes, the full benefits of unified communications (UC) through a simple and reliable service. The company’s unified communications services helps organizations control costs and eliminate unpredictable expenses. The new unified communications’ functionality reduces complexity and simplifies access.

    read more

  • ESET Launches Mobile Security for Android

    ESET announced the launch of ESET Mobile Security for smartphones with Android operating systems. Their solution for smartphones is now available for Android OS computers.

    The solution for mobile devices ESET, previously only available for computers running Windows Mobile and Symbian, can now run on Android operating systems and is capable of protecting 70% of smartphone users against known and unknown threats.

    read more

 Posted by Jon Paul, VoIP Facts: The Blog at 10:30 am  Tagged with: , , ,

Current News from IPTelephony.org January 23, 2012

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Jan 232012
 
  • Top Stories of the Week – January 21, 2012

    Integra expands multisite business push with nationwide voice service capability

    Integra has made yet another milestone in its journey to serve larger business customers by making its voice services suite available on a nationwide basis.

    Large enterprise SIP trunking customers that have wide area networks (WAN) laid out across multiple U.S. markets will be able to connect their remote sites or offices via a centralized IP PBX.

    Deployed on its MPLS-enabled IP VPN product, one of the key selling points is that it eliminates the need to manage and maintain costly multiple phone systems and carrier relationships throughout their respective WAN by putting it onto one common platform.

    read more

  • Emergency call management solution for enterprise IP telephony now globally available

    911 Enable, the leading provider of VoIP emergency management, announced today that its revolutionary application Emergency Gateway (EGW) is now available worldwide. This expansion helps companies to provide access to emergency calls for help when needed.

    read more

  • T-Mobile releases VoIP Services for IPhone

    T-Mobile began offering a calling service for iPhone and iPad users, even though it doesn't market those devices. The operator is expanding its free voice-over-IP (VoIP) service, called Bobsled, to iPhones, iPads and even Android phones. Users with the application can make calls to mobile or landline phones in the U.S., Canada and also Puerto Rico without incurring charges. Users can make the free calls over cellular data networks, which typically charge for the Internet access usage, or over free Wi-Fi.

    read more

 Posted by Jon Paul, VoIP Facts: The Blog at 10:33 am  Tagged with: , , ,

Current News from IPTelephony.org January 16, 2012

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Jan 162012
 
  • Top Stories of the Week – January 14, 2012

    Europe edges out Asia in IPTV as networks show strong growth

    Broadband and IPTV have shown a significant surge in growth in Q3-2011 to more than 581 million subscriptions with more additions in the quarter than at any time since early 2009. The figures published by the Broadband Forum by Point Topic also point to the growing importance of fiber as FTTH and hybrid FTTx deployments increase. Such a growth in connectivity has boosted the TV industry considerably with IPTV approaching 55 million subscribers as Europe holds on to top regional position against strong growth out of Asia. Overall broadband growth during the quarter was calculated to be 17.4 million lines, bringing the global total to 581.3 million, representing a quarterly increase of 3.08% and an annual growth rate of 12.89%.

    read more

  • DrayTek achieves a milestone in developing reliable IP network

    DrayTek Corp, a network solutions provider located in Taiwan, today announced that the well-known Italian IT magazine PC Professional has made great reviews to the DrayTek Vigor solution IPPBX 3510 through the testing of its scalability and feature-rich IPPBX including its extensive security. Simone Zanardi, IT professional copywriter PC Professional has said that "the solution provided by the design of DrayTek Vigor IPPBX is perfect for extending the functionality of an existing PBX PSTN installed in a small office."

    read more

  • Siemens Enterprise Communications chooses Fortinet technology to ensure its OpenScape Cloud Services

    Fortinet, a leading provider of network security, has announced that Siemens Enterprise Communications, a global provider of business communications solutions, has deployed multiple devices such as the FortiGate network security -1240B to ensure its OpenScape Cloud Services.

    read more

 Posted by Jon Paul, VoIP Facts: The Blog at 10:31 am  Tagged with: , , ,

Current News from IPTelephony.org January 13, 2012

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Jan 132012
 
  • Skype looks back on past year’s performance

    Skype is already at full capacity by 2012, a year that comes with great activity in the technological environment. The company wanted to start the new year with strength and motivation with a review on the highlights and milestones achieved by the service last year.

    read more

  • Top Stories of the Week – January 7, 2012

    Google plans IPTV push in 2012 with new partnerships

    Google TV has a new interface and new hardware partners as the company has announced that it has brought new hardware manufacturers on board as partners for its IPTV service Google TV. LG is the biggest name to join the Google TV ecosystem this year and will unveil a new line of Google TV sets running on its own L9 chipset at CES in Las Vegas next week.

    read more

  • Microsoft helps Telefónica Spain revive its pay television service

    Determined to revive its failing IPTV service, Spain’s Telefónica banged on the table to substantially improve its pay-TV service, which operates under the brand Imagenio and that can receive over 70 channels via broadband networks (ADSL and optical fiber).

    To do this, Telefónica recently launched a new Imagenio, renewing the technology platform that supports it and that from now on will be provided by Microsoft.

    read more

 Posted by Jon Paul, VoIP Facts: The Blog at 11:49 am  Tagged with: , , , ,

How Safe is Hosted VoIP?

 Articles, Business Products, Business Voip, VoIP PBX  2 Responses »
Sep 182011
 

In many respects, hosted VoIP service can rightfully be considered safer than that of the on-premise variety, for the simple fact that proper vigilance of a VoIP system requires continuous monitoring which an outsourced vendor should ideally have the resources, equipment and personnel to do. The crux of this premise, however, lies in determining that such a service provider is adequately prepared (and willing to indicate so) to deal with the myriad threats which hosted VoIP is vulnerable to. Additionally, there are other security measures users of hosted VoIP can employ to assist in ensuring the safety of their networks.

Vendor Criteria

As the procuring and employment of security sufficient to effectively monitor VoIP service from external and internal threats can be expensive, it is frequently to the user’s advantage to simply pay for this service as part of its monthly fee for utilizing hosted VoIP. However, it then becomes prudent to determine that the vendor selected has the tools and the wherewithal to adequately protect the interests of its customers from security violations.

Hosted providers should have tools such as firewalls with added functionality specific to VoIP, as well as sophisticated intrusion-prevention systems that can be configured for VoIP threats. Additionally, Virtual private networks can allow voice traffic to be encrypted and transmitted over secure pathways. It may be useful to have vendors share an audit trail from an independent auditor to prove the security of their systems.

User Security

Such service provider methods of security can also be augmented by a number of methods that end-users can utilize. Anti-virus software can always be purchased and implemented by hosted VoIP users, while a particularly effective method of supplementing vendor security measures is to separate voice and data traffic into their own LANs. By utilizing virtual networks to transmit the information from the single physical network into respective ones for data and voice traffic, users can hone in on voice data more effectively to monitor specific activities that may pose threats.

Nature of the Threat

While the prudent application of security measures by both hosted VoIP vendors and their users greatly decreases the likelihood of security breaches, it should be understood that hosted VoIP faces many of the same sorts of malicious intrusions that on-premise VoIP does. Common threats include systemically distributed denial of service attacks (in which service is inaccessible), as well as hackers tapping calls, accessing other network components, and making free calls on the user’s service.

 Posted by CMConley12 at 10:11 am  Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Choose the Best Hosted VoIP Vendor

 Business Products, Business Voip, VoIP PBX  No Responses »
Sep 012011
 

As VoIP technology advances and develops, business owners need to feel confident when choosing a service provider. When it comes to selecting a hosted VoIP vendor, FreedomVOICE, a provider of hosted VoIP PBX and other virtual office products, recommends a number of key points to keep in mind during the search process.

Most importantly, “business voice quality” should be guaranteed by the vendor. At today’s stage of VoIP development, a provider of hosted VoIP should be able to provide the same level of quality as either a premise-based system or the traditional public telephone network.

To make sure you won’t be missing any vital programs, it’s also important to identify the features that will come with your hosted VoIP system. Additionally, find out which features are optional and can be added on later. If your telecommunications budget increases, you can add these bonus features to your system at that time.

Also worth considering is the hosted VoIP service’s compatibility with the phone hardware your business presently has in place. You may need to upgrade to more compatible devices. Lastly, customer service quality and bottom-line cost are two fundamental pieces of information to gather before settling on a hosted VoIP vendor.

If you keep these points in mind when choosing a hosted VoIP vendor, you’ll be sure to get the best system for your company’s needs. For more information visit CompareBusinessProducts.com.

 Posted by CMConley12 at 5:47 pm  Tagged with: , , ,

Introducing Compare Business Products

 Business Products, Industry News, New Products  1 Response »
Aug 172011
 

Hello!

My name is Charron and I am the Publisher here at Compare Business Products, a leading marketplace for buyers and sellers of business products and services. Our mission is to generate more sales opportunities for vendors by connecting them with the serious, in-market prospects who are shopping for business products across the Web. CPB also serves business buyers by providing them the most efficient way to research and shop for products and services in order to make the best purchasing decisions for their organizations. We have many comparison charts and articles so come take a look.

How much should a VoIP system cost per user?

By Pha Lo

The best argument for switching from traditional phone service to VoIP is the long-term cost savings of calls made through broadband internet. Instead of paying three or four different bills for local and long-distance calling and internet, VoIP lets businesses combine telecommunications costs. This kind of streamlining saves time and money, but depending on the telecommunications needs of a given business, VoIP costs can vary widely.

According to 2007 research from AMI reported by Forbes.com, hosted VoIP spending in 2005 for small businesses with one to 99 employees was $80 million, with individual spending highly specific to each individual business’ needs. That number was projected to increase to $1.12 billion by 2010. Businesses with 100 to 999 employees spent as much as $66.7 million in 2005 with 2010 spending projected to reach $310.8 million.

Spending will vary from one business to the next. Here are some variables that will affect the costs of traditional VoIP systems:

Owning versus Hosted

Purchasing a system outright and managing it in-house versus going with a hosted solution will impact costs. The decision is personal and highly specific to a small business needs.

Scale

The number of lines, employees and remote locations linking into the VoIP system all impact costs. Scale is one of the main predictors of cost and is always included in customized price quotes. Often, VoIP vendors provide cost estimates based on a range of users, for example 0-5, 6-10 or 11-15 employees.

Service can start at around $200 for certain number of lines, such as four users, with fees for additional users.

Equipment

A business’ current hardware and potential equipment upgrades impact cost. Items to assess for equipment cost include telephones, headsets and the current data connection–whether it’s DSL, fiber or cable. Look for vendors who bundle in free equipment or who can integrate services with your existing equipment. As a point of reference, equipment can cost around $250 per phone.

Take a look at our Business Phone System Comparison Chart.

More about VoIP from Compare Business Products

 Posted by CMConley12 at 4:50 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

3CX IP PBX new version launched today

 VoIP News  3 Responses »
Dec 082008
 

3CX (www.3cx.com) the international developer of telecommunications software has announced the roll out of version 7.0 of 3CX Phone System for Windows. The new version comes with a revamped design aimed at making its already user-friendly Management Console and User Interface even easier to work with; whilst effectively delivering more mobility to users by empowering them to configure their own extensions with advanced call handling rules based on caller ID and time of call.

Nick Galea, CEO at 3CX said that these improvements are building on the company’s strategy to deliver a software-based IP PBX that is easy to manage and use. “One of the things we discovered from listening to our customers is that VoIP phone system users want more flexibility in managing their incoming calls. By allowing call rules to be configured based on caller ID, time received and type of call, users can break free from the office and have more mobility. For example, after-hour calls from important customers can be routed to a mobile phone, whereas all other calls can go to voice mail” Galea said; adding that with the new call handling rules also come many added functionalities such as a new management console and a new configuration wizard.

Furthermore, 3CX version 7.0 is an example of better Windows integration in an IP PBX environment. “By replacing the use of technologies such as Apache and PHP with IIS and .NET, adding support for PBX virtualization in Hyper V, resolving inbound calls to MS Outlook contacts, and incorporating Windows management tools for better monitoring, we are taking a step forward towards further integration of 3CX Phone System with Microsoft Windows”, added Nick Galea.

3CX Phone System for Windows allows businesses to completely break free from the restrictions of expensive hardware-based, proprietary phone systems. It also ships with many other enterprise-level features that help businesses enjoy substantial productivity and efficiency gains.

Key new features of 3CX Phone System for Windows version 7.0

  • Revamped Web Management Console and User Interface
  • Added support for running as a virtual instance in Hyper V
  • New configuration wizard
  • Advanced call forwarding and call queue rules
  • Resolve inbound calls to MS Outlook contacts
  • Support for Sangoma cards
  • Integration of Microsoft Web server, .NET and Windows management tools
  • .NET API
  • Optimized system performance to handle 50,000+ calls per day

A video presentation on 3CX Phone System for Windows v7.0 is available here.

3CX Phone System is available in five editions. The Free edition can handle up to 4 simultaneous calls, whereas, the Commercial editions have a more extensive feature set and concurrent call capacity that can be expanded with upgrade packs. A detailed edition comparison table can be found here.

 Posted by Blanca Garcia at 6:56 am  Tagged with: , , , ,

Momema Communications

 New Products  No Responses »
Jun 302008
 

Here’s a note I got from a Spanish start up: 

Hi Michael,

I’m Antonio Cerrolaza from Monema Communications, a spanish startup.
I contact to tell you about a new hosted PBX service we are launching. Please, we encourage you to simply take a look at our web, http://www.monema.com./ We belive you’ll be pretty surprised.
TamTam is a very visual PBX fully managed via web, which will probably remind you Yahoo Pipes. Final user oriented, main features are usability and flexibility. TamTam counts with a small number of easy to understand components that permit a small company to take total control of its phone system.
Futhermore we have launched two programs for professionals and companies interested in resell our service with custom private brand.
We are launching our service world-wide although we can only provide incoming numbers in 30+ countries (check our site for availability).
Also, we are providing demo accounts for anyone interested. If you want to evaluate it, please don’t hesitate in request us a evaluation account.

Thank you,
Antonio Cerrolaza,
info@monema.com
Momema Communications

 Posted by Jon Paul, VoIP Facts: The Blog at 12:56 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,

FCC 700MHz Auction Closed

 Industry News  3 Responses »
Mar 192008
 

The auction of the 700 MHz band ended yesterday after thirty eight days of bidding. A whopping $19,592 billion was raised for the federal treasury, despite fears that the auction would disappoint due to a staggering economy.

During the auction the bidder’s identities were kept secret to prevent collusion, and the FCC is expected to release the results within a few weeks once the auction is officially closed, and the D block is de-linked from auction 73. Speculation has it that Verizon will come out the winner for the commercial block C, although with eight regional licenses, others could share in the spectrum. Google was said to be in the bidding only to ensure that the C block reached the minimum reserve, triggering the open access rules.

One result that we know of already is that the D block public safety band failed to sell. It was bid on once in the first round for less than the reserve and received no more interest for the rest of the auction. The FCC has the option of reauctioning the D block with a lower minimum reserve, and a change in rules to rekindle interest in the band.

The D block requires a public sector, or a commercial entity to build out the nationwide network that could be used commercially in normal times, but would hand over the waves to public safety organizations in times of emergency.

The $19.6 billion raised by the FCC is said to be the largest amount raised for any FCC auction, and in fact exceeds the amount of all the past FCC auctions put together by a half billion dollars.

Related Articles:
FCC’s 700 MHz Spectrum Auction Ends with $19.6 Billion in Bids
FCC Ends 700 MHz Auction
FCC Nets $19.6 Billion On 700MHz Auction

 Posted by Jon Paul, VoIP Facts: The Blog at 12:14 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,
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