Owner: Iridiacom Blog - VoIP and a lot more... URL:http://www.blog.iridia.com Join Date: Fri, 09 Mar 2007 08:17:15 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Blog covering market trends and what is happening in the world of Voice over IP Site statistics:Click here
PDA, Mobile, PBX Phone or all of the above….? 2007-03-07 23:07:24 We see that HP has recently launched the iPAQ 510 which is an interesting product for them as instead of a PDA it looks very much like a regular mobile phone. Previously HP tended to produce PDA type devices with touch screens and/or mini Querty keyboards and some of them could also act as a mobile phone.
The 510 is a departure from this and has a ‘regular’ type of mobile screen, however it supports Windows Mobile
6.0 and as well as GSM support also includes WiFi VoIP support so it is a truly converged handset similar to the Nokia E Series range.
It seems that most devices that are aimed at business must now have PDA type capabilities and of course GSM support and now WiFi support for browsing etc but increasingly for VoIP support.
So now HP are entering the Smartphone market it will be interesting to see the penetration into business as they already have a good foothold in this market sector but the phone market is very different to the PDA market as it is driven by t Read more:above
, hellip
Oh No - Not Another List…… 2007-03-05 21:54:19 I always dislike those people who make lists for everything and the really organised ones have a list of lists:-( - if we are not careful this blog will become a list of lists.
Well this particular list is a check list for security of your VoIP system, not all points apply to all users and not all points apply to all VoIP sytems but if you follow it then you should have a secure system.
I am not going to reproduce the list on this blog as the article can be found on VoIP Lowdown here
The list is a great way to start checking your implementation because for sure there are people out there just looking for ways to exploit your system - you have been warned&hellip
;…….
Top Ten……No Not Top of the Pops 2007-02-26 12:05:51 I guess I am showing my age as Top of the Pops is no longer on TV but this is a list of the top ten reasons to switch to an IP PBX instead of a regular PBX. The list was prduced by www.telephonyworld.com in brief the list is as follows and doing it in Tony Blackburn (who ???) countdown style:
10 - Better phone usability
9 - Allow Hot Desking and Roaming
8 - Twice the Phone Syem Features for Half the Price
7 - Better Customer Service and Productivity
6 - Scalable
5 - Eliminate Vendor Lockin
4 - Eliminate Phone Wiring
3 - Significant Cost Savings Using VoIP Providers
2 - Easier to Manage
1 - Much Easier to Install and configure
With a bit of thought this list could probably be extended into a top 40 - which proves there is really no reason to invest in a legacy TDM PBX when IP PBX systems have so much to offer.
You can see the full article here well worth a read Read more:hellip
, Top Ten
The Rise of the Softphone 2007-02-21 15:12:56 We are big fans of the Conterpath Eyebeam softphone - it works great with SIP and even has video support, and it runs on Windows and OS X but we are starting to see some other softphones make a penetration on to the market place that use other operating systems some good examples are :
Loudhush - this is designed for Mac OS-X but it is limited to run on an Asterisk server and does not support SIP
Gizmo - Versions for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux - designed to be a peer to peer service but can also support SIP
Wengophone - again designed for peer to peer type working but can support SIP - this runs on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and interestingly also for Smartphone or Pocket PC
IS-Phone this supports Lotus Notes and is a SIP phone
Twinklephone this is a Linux only phone
SJphone softphone for Windows, Mac, Linux and Pocket PC
This is not intended to be an exhastive list of softphones as there are plenty around - the area we are most excited about is softphones on mobile devices -
Skype - For Business ? 2007-02-12 21:33:39 As we all know Skype
is now well established and the purchase by ebay made a lot of the industry sit up and take notice.
From the start Skype was produced so that users could make a peer to peer PC call and could communicate with other PC users who had the Skype software installed on their PC. Since then it has developed and users can now ‘Skype Out’ and make calls to regular telephone users but of course this then loses the advantage that Skype to Skype calls have of being free.
We have recently seen that Skype have announced some attractive rates for Skype out calls and also a method that allows multiple installs of the Skype applications for companies who have many PC users.
So does all this mean we are going to see Skype make a big play in the business market - well first we have to accept that businesses come in many sizes from the single self employed person to the large multi-thousand employee corporates and of course everything in between. Right now we think Skype f Read more:Business
Deploying VoIP - Some Good Advice 2007-02-08 18:58:02 Many users worry about deploying a VoIP solution in their organisation - well there really is nothing to cause sleepless nights if it is planned properly. Problems usually occur because the infrastructure has not been checked properly and upgraded or modified as required.
We have recently seen a great article on Network World that outlines ‘10 things you need to know about VoIP’ which gives some great advice on the implementation and the choices you have with a modern IP PBX solution. The ten points listed are as follows:
Buy Time
Get Everybody on Board
Know What You’ve Got
Bandwidth Control
Use The Right CODEC
Emergency - Remember 911 (in the UK 999)
Make Training Simple
Gateways to Savings
The Soft Touch
Remote Control
The article can be found here Read more:Deploying
Nintendo DS - Kids Toy or VoIP Phone ? 2007-02-01 14:56:07 This is an interesting one that is a little outside our normal subject area of business based VoIP but it really does show how IP Telephony is creeping into all areas of life.
Some users have realised the Nintendo
DS has a built-in microphone and a wireless Internet connection, so whats to stop it from being used as a WiFi phone, or the ‘DSphone’ ?
There seem to be some projects underway to try and open up the capabilities of the Nintendo DS and we have found some information on several:
VoiceChatClient is a home brew application that lets you freely call anyone who also has VoiceChatClient installed on their DS. This hack even adds extra value by transmitting what you write on the touch screen to the other person! VCC requires hacked firmware or some type of pass through device.
DSpeak has been developed by Nintendo themselves, but aside from a demo at E3 in 2005, nothing more has been heard about this program. DSpeak will reportedly allow in-game and out-of-game chat. A
Lock Your Doors and Windows - We are about to make a VoIP Call ! 2007-01-24 11:30:36 In a recent report produced by Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), it seems that there is still a lot of concern about the Security of Internet Protocol Telephony among small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
A survey of 350 SMBs (500 or fewer employees) found that just 50 percent of the businesses trust the security offered today by IP telephony product and solution vendors. That’s a slight improvement from a year ago, when 48 percent of SMBs surveyed said they trusted IP telephony security.
But IP telephony still lags behind traditional telephony systems (82 percent), Ethernet data networks (72) percent and wireless local area networks (60 percent) in the security confidence level SMBs have, according to the CompTIA survey.
“People are much more sensitized to disruptions in voice communications than they are with data communications,” said John Venator, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA. “If the delivery of an email is d Read more:Doors
, Windows
iPhone and VoIP - to be or not to be……? 2007-01-18 16:57:23 So we have all seen the hype surrounding the release last week of the iPhone
from Apple and the announcement of the Law Suit by Cisco who have the trademark for the iPhone name, well what impact (if any) will this new device have on the VoIP market place. It appears that the device is WiFi enabled and as Apple’s digital rights management system, does not allow iPod to iPod transfer, so a phone with WiFi can only mean Internet access, and CEO Steve Jobs showed just that kind of access at the launch. The demo made it appear that the data connection came from Cingular (US Mobile Operator), but maybe it really came via a WiFi connection.
So the $64,000 question is will the iPhone have some wireless VoIP capability built in when it ships (to the US) in June, if so then it will have some effect on the relationship with Cingular who it has been rumoured has produced some special services on it’s network to enable the Visual Voicemail feature of the iPhone- if it does not the Read more:hellip
Power to Your Elbow ! 2007-01-12 15:46:34 Or to be more precise power to your Voice over IP products. Many companies these days will routinely protect their data servers from power failures or fluctuations with a UPS (Uninteruptable Power Supply) but may neglect their voice products.
Most of the new generation IP PBX systems are server based so it is relatively easy to protect them with a UPS but make sure that if possible you use the shutdown software supplied with the UPS product, usually this is via a USB connection or if several servers are fed from one UPS then this will be done across a network (LAN). The software will perform an orderly closedown on the operating system to avoid dammage to the hard disk or file system once the batteries in the UPS are close to flat.
The newest VoIP server products usually use a Linux Operating System due to the inherent stability and reliability it offers, however only a few UPS systems currently offer their own Linux based shutdown software.
We have successfully utilised PowerWare LAN Read more:Elbow
VoIP and GSM Coming Together 2007-03-14 11:49:43 This entry is an unashamed plug for a new product in our range - it is the new version of the IP Gear Cellunet gateway.
This version has the capability to act as a SIP extension device or a SIP trunk so it can be used with a SIP server or provider to give seamless access to GSM - GSM calls hence offerin g considerable cost savings. The gateway can also accept incoming calls and route to any SIP device or devices.
We have tested extensively with the MKC Networks 7000 CS server and the products work very well together - this product is particularly suited to IP PBX systems as there is no need for any hardware trunk interfaces.
The combination of SIP and GSM makes for some interesting configurations - if we look at a company with international sites linked with SIP servers then by using Cellunet gateways on each site you can have the concept that any user on the system will make local GSM calls whne calling mobiles in any country - the cost savings would be enormous.
With this product w
Google Phone or GPhone 2007-03-20 23:40:31 So we have seen a lot of blogs and sites buzzing about the Google
phone and of course the big question is ‘are the rumours true’
Firstly for sure Google could do this but it would be a first foray into producing hardware so would require a very different direction to be taken, secondly we hear that Google is a key part of the iPhone with Google Maps for navigation so would it make sense to compete directly with it. We also see that Google are rumoured to be working with Orange.
Have a look over at here at Gizmodo where there is a rumoured spy shot and it is suggested that Google have partnered with Samsung to produce the hardware.
Yet another situation we will be watching closely Read more:Google Phone
Someone is at the Door and my Phone is Ringing… 2007-03-26 22:00:00 We love gadgets and this has got to be the ultimate gizmo but it actually has some nice applications.
It is a GSM doorbell - the device has a SIM inside and when someone comes to your door it makes a call to your mobile - you answer the call and speak to the person and if you are happy then you can open the door from wherever you are by dialling a pin code - neat
As well as the geek factor it also has practical applications for business, healthcare and consumers.
Have a look at the product here Read more:hellip
Variations on a Theme… 2007-04-01 21:35:49 No we are not talking about a piece of Classical Music (I think it is the theme for the South Bank Show) but a variation on existing technology. We love gadgets and the way developers find solutions to problems that may not even exist. We like this one from Rok Viper that allows you to make free VoIP calls from your mobile but rather than using WiFi it makes use of Bluetooth back to your PC or Laptop and as long as you have an Internet connection then you can make free VoIP calls - neat
One problem it does overcome compared to WiFI phones is that you do not need a wireless LAN infastructure. One drawback is that the person you are calling has to be a Rok viper user also but we are sure this will change later on. Read more:Variations
, Theme
, hellip
Bread, Milk and do not Forget Some VoIP 2007-04-05 23:20:00 Tesco has moved into the internet telephony market with a range of services and devices.
The supermarket chain is hoping to capitalise on Ofcom predictions that UK VoIP users will swell from 500,000 to three million by the end of 2007. Tesco customers can make calls to other Tesco internet phone users for free, and call other numbers around the world for as little as 2p per minute.
Calls to UK landlines are charged at 2p per minute, along with a selection of international destinations. Calls to UK mobile numbers are charged at 10p per minute, with the exception of Hutchison 3G which costs 25p per minute.
Calls to other international destinations, and services such as 0845 numbers, vary depending on the country and whether users are dialling a landline or a mobile. Most are between 10p and 30p per minute, according to Tesco.
Unlike most traditional phone lines, the Tesco system operates on a pay-as-you-go basis and customers can buy credit online or with vouchers purchased from any Tesc Read more:Bread
Microsoft Takes on Cisco and Avaya Head On 2007-04-16 13:04:15 Microsoft is launching an IP Telephony system called Response Point that will compete directly with products from leading vendors such as Avaya and Cisco
Response Point will use core technology from Microsoft’s forthcoming Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007 — a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-based VoIP, instant messaging, presence and conferencing server due for release by midyear. Response Point-based appliances will include features similar to those found on key system telephone systems — such as hold, conference and transfer — as well as built-in voice mail, auto attendant, voice recognition and integration with Microsoft software. For example, the combination of contact integration with Microsoft Outlook and Response Point’s voice recognition will allow users to dial colleagues and external contacts through voice commands. Integrated voice mail and e-mail also will give users a single in-box for messages, Microsoft says.
Hardware partners D-Link, Quanta an Read more:Microsoft
VoIP Rules and Regulations 2007-04-20 16:52:01 As we know VoIP comes in many shapes and flavours - our focus is in the SME or Enterprise arena but we always like to keep a view on what is happening in the VoIP carrier world. We have seen a lot of press recently about the new Ofcom (Office of Communications) regulations that will apply to VoIP Providers and all will be required to comply with the them from June 2007.
Following public consultation in 2006, Ofcom has decided to put in place measures to ensure that consumers have access to information which helps them make informed purchasing decisions. The new code of practice requires VoIP providers to make clear:
1, Whether or not the service includes access to emergency services.
2, The extent to which the service depends on the user’s home power supply.
3, Whether directory assistance, directory listings, access to the operator or the itemisation of calls are available.
4, Whether consumers will be able to keep their telephone number if they choose to switch providers at a Read more:Rules
, Regulations
More Softphones 2007-04-25 11:49:33 We have said before that we are big fans of the Counterpath Eyebeam SIP softphone - and we see that there are a couple of new releases that are pending.
There will be a new VoIP SIP desktop product called the Media Communicator that looks like a complete new GUI interface including the option to run the application as a minimized deskbar - we look forward to the release, you can get a sneek peak here
We also see that Global IP Telecoms the European representitive for Counterpath has released a new version of the Xten softphone called X-PDA that is designed to run on PDAs running Windows Mobile 5.0 or Pocket PC 2003 operating systems - we have used earlier versions of this and it works well. They have two versions depending on the screen size used either 240 x 320 pixel or 240 x 240 pixel. This is a great product and lets you use your WiFi enabled PDA as your SIP extension and so acts as a WiFi handset. All we need now is an Xten that runs on the Symbian Operating System and they will
Wi-Fi Software that could lead to free calls… 2007-05-04 10:19:25 Another interesting launch that could lead to some nice applications for data and potentially for voice, this new software can be used to link nearby computers via Wi-Fi without a router and potentially could be used by mobile phone users to make free calls
.
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology scientists say their WiPeer software can be used to link computers that are within 300 feet of each other inside buildings to more than 900 feet apart outside.
The wireless link can be used to swap photos, conduct online chats and even transfer a 700MB file in 15 minutes or less, the scientists say.
“We want to bring this to as many people as possible,” says Professor Roy Friedman of the Technion Faculty of Computer Science, in a statement. “When there are two computers in the same room, it doesn’t make sense that they must go out to the Internet to communicate. WiPeer’s main added value is the ability to keep things local.”
Next up is extending the software t Read more:Software
, hellip
Voice over WiFi a Threat to GSM or 3G ? 2007-05-09 16:25:03 We are starting to see more and more Voice
over IP services over WiFi
emerge and an old friend of ours is part of a new offering called Fring - this service also offers voice calls using GPRS or 3G so that the voice calls are unmetered and this has to be a real threat to the expensive mobile networks.
So what is fring?
fring™ is a mobile application that allows you to make mobile calls and send instant messages (chat) to other fring users and PC-based VoIP services such as Skype, MSN Messenger and Google Talk at no extra cost beyond your existing data plan. fring calls cost nothing extra because they utilize GPRS, 3G and Wi-Fi mobile internet connections.
All you need to use fring™ is a 3G handset optimized for 3G or Wi-Fi networks with Internet connectivity that is already available from your mobile service provider or through your nearest Wi-Fi hotspot. fring can be simply downloaded into your handset via SMS received from another fringster™ or from our website. It’s as easy
Skype - For Business 2 ? 2007-05-13 22:29:39 Well we knew it had to happen - the Skype
community has now produced some serious business products that allow a regular office PBX to make and receive calls from Skype users.
Skype and VoSKY Technologies today announced co-branded versions of VoSKY Exchange, a rackmountable PBX-to-Skype gateway that enables business users to make and receive Internet-based Skype calls over standard office phones. The co-branded Skype VoSKY Exchange 9040 and 9140 products are available in the UK and Rep. of Ireland.
“This agreement is an important step in the expansion of our Skype for Business
Portfolio,” said Alberto Lorente, Skype’s business development director for Europe “The ability to offer Skype trunking through the company PBX is critical for business use, and VoSKY Exchange offers an inexpensive plug-and-play solution that integrates seamlessly with the office phone system, allowing companies to make, receive and transfer Skype calls, while also making it easy for comp
VoIP Good….VoIP Bad 2007-05-26 16:13:16 We saw an interesting article over on Network News about a bad experience that a user had while trialling VoIP.
Scott Pinkerton has more than 25 years of IT experience, including more than a dozen with Argonne National Laboratory, where he currently serves as network services manager. He manages Argonne’s core network infrastructure, the one with capacity of some 80Gbps.
The problems centrered around the VoIP handsets used and Argonne deployed three models of handsets and found they had different firmware versions because power-over-Ethernet standards had changed over time. Some of the handsets would work with the Cisco 3560 switches but not the 4500s. (Pinkerton did not want to disclose the name of the handset vendor because he is still in negotiations with the company over the matter, although he did say the handset were not Cisco’s.)
Many of the users whose handsets did work were complaining of jittery calls, button lag, random key tones during conversations and other problems. Read more:hellip
Is VoIP Good for the Planet 2007-06-04 16:12:37 It seems the VoIP community comes up with many sound business reasons to implement VoIP as part of your communications strategy but we really like the latest and that is you can help save the planet.
We saw this article over at www.publictechnology.net that said the UK’s nearly one million contact centre professionals are generating 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year through commuting, according to Exony. This combined contribution to global warming, which would require 902,000 acres (1409 square miles) of forest to ‘offset’ the CO² (source:US Environmental Protection Agency), could be drastically reduced if more contact centre staff were allowed to work from home rather than commute.It’s staggering to think that an area of forest nearly the size of Kent would be required to offset the UK contact centre industry’s commute,” said Ian Ashby, CEO of Exony. “Homeshoring would significantly reduce the amount of traffic on
Asterisk Gets More Predictable 2007-06-13 17:10:43 or to be more concise Asterisk now gets Predictive dialling capabilities.
We have looked at and tested the various Asterisk releases and we are always impressed by the range of features and capabilities, well Asterisk just got better. Pika Technologies who are one of the companies who make boards for the Asterisk platform have released the Monte Carlo SDK that enables developers to produce Predictive Dialler applications for Call Centre environments.
Many modern call centers rely on predictive dialers to place calls. Predictive dialers are computerized systems that automatically dial batches of numbers while using algorithms to determine availability of agents and calls answered, then adjusting dialing patterns based on real-time data.
Call-progress analysis is of vital importance to contact centers using predictive dialers. If a call placed by a predictive dialer is answered, the determination of whether it is a live person or an answering machine on the other end of the call must ha Read more:Predictable
Mobile Operators Making Steps to Hold Back VoIP 2007-06-21 09:01:28 Barely a week goes by when we do not see a news item about a mobile operator getting more agitated about users making low cost VoIP calls over their networks, in previous posts we have mentioned Vodafone and Orange making steps to block Fring users, well it seems T-Mobile
have really stepped up by actively blocking any numbers relating to Truphone - have a look at the Truphone video here
Of course we have also seen that some operators are blocking the VoIP support on mobiles such as the Nokia N95 by not allowing it to appear in the menus when supplied on their networks, hoping that users will not notice.
It is our view that moves like this will mean subscribers will vote with their feet and rather than the Operators losing some call revenue they will lose the subscriber completely. Overall this is a pretty backward view and Operators need to enhance new technology and prepare Tarrifs to encourage new technology rather than stand in the way of it
VoIP Users to Have Same Access to 999 as Regular Users 2007-07-27 05:33:53 Ofcom today (26-07-07) published proposals to require certain types of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers to allow users to call 999 by early 2008. This follows research revealing that as many as 78% of VoIP users who cannot use their service to call 999 thought they could, or did not know whether they could.
Ofcom proposes that any VoIP service allowing users to make calls to ordinary phone numbers must also offer access to 999.
Ofcom wants to ensure that users of mainstream VoIP services do not suffer as a result of trying to dial 999 using a service that does not offer them access. If they had to then locate an ordinary landline or mobile phone, users might face a delay of seconds or minutes in getting through to emergency services, which could prove critical.
Some VoIP providers – for example, BT and Vonage - already allow users access to 999. For other VoIP providers, Ofcom estimates the cost of allowing their users to call 999 is likely to be around ninety pe Read more:Access
Are Businesses Still Confused over VoIP ? 2007-08-03 06:37:17 We saw a good article over on the VoIP in Business website discussing if Businesses in general are still confused about VoIP. We feel that there is still confusion about using VoIP as many small businesses associate VoIP as a software client such as Skype and so are not sure how to expand this to run across their whole businesses.
Really this is our job as an industry to educate Businesses so they feel confident and have a clear understanding of the technology.
View the article here
Round One to Truphone……But the Fight Goes On 2007-08-08 05:55:03 Regular readers of our blog will know we are always interested when we see the progress of VoIP providers being halted by the incumbent competitors. We have mentioned before the battle between Truphone and T-Mobile, weel it seems Truphone have won the first round with a judge ruling in their favour forcing T-Mobile to route Truphone calls until the case can be heared in full.
T-Mobile are claiming that the dispute is not technology based but purely commercial on how much Truphone wanted to be paid for routing a call via T-Mobile, Truphone wanted 6p per call but T-Mobile offered 0.21p per call.
Looks like this one is set to run on - so lets see what happens
The court ruling can be found here Read more:hellip
Be Safe and Secure 2007-08-27 12:48:06 We take security very seriously and Voice over IP opens up all sorts of avenues for abuse of your systems.
We found a great article over on networksystemsdesignline.com that describes the security issues surrounding a VoIP implementation in summary they are:
Eavesdropping - An external party monitoring your RTP packet streams
Spam over Internet - SPIT, we have covered this before here but it is essentially Spam voicemail
Spoofing - Someone who is pretending to be a remote IP address that you are communicating with
Call Hijacking - A user can take over a call and this allows them to commit toll fraud
Denial of Service - DOS attack flooding out the available bandwidth so you are unable to make calls
The full article can be read here - you have been warned Read more:Secure
Could UMA be the Making of Dual Mode Phones ? 2007-09-25 17:19:39 We have seen that Nokia have announced the release of the new 6301 handset and it uses UMA (unlicensed mobile access) to make use of wireless hot spots for calls. However the killer feature is that it will hand a live GSM call over to a WiFi network if it is detected. Besides saving minutes on a mobile network call plan, the dual-mode phone offers the promise of better coverage where traditional reception is poor.
Regular readers of the Iridiacom Blog will know we have a keen interest in Mobile Operators trying to block the progress of VoIP however with UMA the Operator controls the call over WiFi so they can still charge for the call, it will be interesting to see how this new feature is handled - lets see !
To learn more about UMA have a look at the UMA website www.umatoday.com Read more:Phones
Recommend Site To A Friend
