Source: www.voip-news.com

Los Angeles County has signed a $233 million, five-year contract with AT&T to provide the county’s voice and data services.

AT&T will manage and maintain the IP network and MRS.

According to the company:

AT&T will continue to provide all voice and data services to the County of Los Angeles including Frame Relay and Asynchronous Transfer Mode data transport; remote access; Managed Internet Service; Virtual Private Network (VPN); all local and long distance voice, Web, video and teleconferencing services; and AT&T Voice DNASM.

AT&T Voice DNA, a network-based Voice over IP (VoIP) service, provides the benefits of a premises-based telephony service, while maintaining flexibility, control and reduced capital expenditures. The service will enable the County of Los Angeles to converge data and voice applications on the same reliable, secure and scalable network infrastructure. Additionally, the service will provide consistent Internet service and secure access to the county network and client records, whether employees are using terminal or remote access.

“The County of Los Angeles was seeking to converge voice and data networks and to gain a 24-hour managed services environment,” said Tom Lang, program manager for the County of Los Angeles. “Converged IP services will give us increased management efficiency and greater functionality.”

The contract can be extended for up to 12 years.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Network Products Guide has selected the Toshiba Strata CIX family of IP business communications as a winner of the 2008 Best Products and Services Award in the VoIP category.

“Toshiba has been awarded Best in VoIP by our readers for its proven ability to deliver solid IP business communication systems that give users flexibility, reliability, durability and migratability across the Strata CIX product family,” said Rake Narang, editor-in-chief, Network Products Guide.

The system can handle anywhere from 40 to more than 1,000 ports. And it can be used at more than 120 sites at once.

“We are very honored to win the Network Products Guide’s 2008 Best Product of the Year for VoIP,” said Brian Metherell, vice president and general manager. “As the readers who voted can attest, the Toshiba Strata CIX IP business communication systems deliver Toshiba’s legendary quality and reliability in an affordable VoIP system ranging from 40 to 1,152 ports. A strong solution for both SMB and multi-location customers, Toshiba Strata CIX systems are the choice of thousands of headquarter and branch office locations at America’s best known companies.”

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

If you are in the UK you may want to take a serious look at the new pricing for the mobile data dongles from Hutchison 3G (aka Three).

The price of the dongle has been halved and the plan prices are very tasty.

Now, what makes 3G data interesting to me is this 3G/4G data router that has Voice QoS built in. By combining a new HSUPA router, and unlimited data plan and a data card like the new Sierra Wireless HUSPA 880/881 wireless modems, you could just about have all the VoIP you need wherever you go.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Check this out. This may be the best darn deal on wireless data anywhere.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

I’m not an engineering type. I just use technology. So when I read Matt Miller’s post this morning it got me thinking.

3G is data. Voice rides over the data network. What this likely means is the data plans are not ready yet. I mean, TMO didn’t need 1700 mghz spectrum to sell voice.

Besides, the cute sales lady at the UTC T-Mobile store told me months ago they will have 3G data in the Spring when I bought a new device there. What’s the big mystery?

The mystery is T-Mobile got caught before THEY put the story out.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

This post by "the UnWired" blogger Arne Hess has me wondering if you need to by a data plan for light use in the USA is you want data over a pre-paid SIM on AT&T.

My guess based on Arne’s reference to WAP is that the service is generic GSM/GPRS data that chews up time..For those who just need to trickle their data, then by all means go for it. But it it is 3G, then a whole lot of money is being spent by those who are already subscribing to those plans will cause someone some indigestion somewhere.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Could you someday be using VoIP technology and meeting colleagues in virtual worlds for important meetings? Think of the potential for working in pajamas!

Multiverse Network is working to make it happen. The company announced support for enterprise features that allow businesses to use real-time and structured interaction through gameplay-like systems.

“While virtual worlds will never fully replace face-to-face meetings, they can deliver efficient alternative training and collaboration options to many organizations,” said Bill Turpin, CEO and co-founder, Multiverse. “For companies looking to leverage geographically dispersed resources quickly and cost-effectively without impacting the environment through excessive travel, managed virtual worlds that deliver structured interaction are an excellent solution.”
Among the possible features for integration are free VoIP, collaborative whiteboarding and multiple video screens.

“The enterprise is the new destination for virtual worlds,” said Eilif Trondsen, director of the Virtual-Worlds Consortium for Innovation and Learning, SRI Consulting Business Intelligence. “We’re excited to see Multiverse providing a robust platform that allows corporations to quickly and easily build immersive spaces that support and enhance their core business objectives.”

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

According to London based Infonetics Research the sale of data cards are growing around the world. This is great for companies like iPass.

Now all they need is a 3G consumer play to go past the millions of enterprise customers who use their service for global WiFi roaming. GSM would be my preferred play, but my guess is given their USA dominance and the better build out of Verizon Wireless and Sprint EVDO networks that initially an EVDO play would be more appealing.

Why are more people turning to data cards? We’re living in an always on, always connected world.

Source: goebel.net

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

One of the most reliable VoIP services I know is Tpad. Not only that it worked flawlessly for more than one year, they even credited $10 to my account when I found an error this weekend. Needless to say that Tpad never got any money from me penny pincher, because I use their service only to receive calls.

Long before Jajah Direct, Wifimobile or Gizmocall started similar services, Tpad already had break-in numbers in 39 countries. It’s an entire callthrough system: You can dial whichever of these 79 numbers and the number of my Tpad account to reach me for the price of a local call. That’s much more reliable than the other services, which depend on the Caller ID to connect the call. In poor countries with bad networks this Caller ID often cannot be transmitted for technical glitches. I am permanently connected to Tpad with my SIP ATA so that my Peruvian friends in Lima can always call me for the price of a local call.

Today it’s more than one year that I started to write about Tpad and I have used it since then. But some days ago I realized that my SIP devices could not connect to the Tpad server anymore. Not from my ATA, not from Voxalot, not from a Nokia E61, not from a Nokia N810. Other German friends had the same problem. What was wrong? I asked in their forum and learned that Tpad had cancelled my account because they thought I didn’t use it anymore:

Tpad performed a cleanup of "dormant" accounts, without remembering that call records are only captured for calls that use the Tpad softphone. Since you use Tpad exclusively from an ATA or non-Tpad softphone, your call activity is not remembered. So, it is very likely that your account was improperly considered dormant and was suspended. Tpad should be able to restore it for you pretty quickly.

What really impressed me was that the forum admin immediately wrote "Send me a PM of your Tpad Number(s) and we will fix asap". What a difference to other VoIP services! His answer, apology and $10 to my account arrived the same Saturday. On Sunday they fixed the problem. What a great service!

I think I should charge some money to my Tpad account as a gesture of gratefulness. If only it was necessary! With $10 I can call for more than ten hours to Germany and this credit never expires. That’s another big difference of Tpad to other VoIP companies.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

This is called a bellweather announcement from AT&T.

By dropping the price to $65 a month for all kinds of unlimited data, visual voicemail and SMS means that the new high water mark has been set and that over time we will see the price points dropping, and more options for mobile data coming from the carriers.

Once the iPhone gets 3G this becomes a very meaningful offer.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

One of the things I am enjoying using while I’m on the road is the T-Mobile @ Home service on my Blackberry. Now a fourth device, the Samsung Katalyst Slider is being offered too.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Have a few budgetary dollars burning a hole in your department’s pocket?  Then hop a flight to Chicago and plan to spend a few days in the Windy City to attend BCR’s upcoming course, Preparing Data Network for VoIP.  The two-day session goes for $1195 and is “designed to help network professionals understand the technical and business issues that must be addressed in preparing and implementing VOIP solutions. While significant cost savings and productivity enhancements can be achieved, these savings will in part depend on the level of network modifications and upgrades necessary to support voice/data convergence. This program will focus on the need to coordinate both local and wide area elements, and the requirements to test and manage the overall solution.”

Complete information and registration details can be found right here.