Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

With the Mobile World Congress looming next week, and a busy travel schedule you’ve noticed the blogging has been lighter than usual.

Well, I’ve been boning up on what’s happening at MWC next week. In my view the best coverage will come from three areas:

1) The analysts who blog

2) The bloggers

3) The core media who regularly cover the wireless world

The sheer volume of events, announcements and of course parties is overwhelming. I’ve tracked over 1000 press invites received, more than 500 meeting requests, and dozens of "can you meet me at this party…" type of invitation. Popularity aside, the wine and beer will be flowing in Barcelona.

While I’ll be there for Nokia and Vringo, both agency clients, I’ll be keeping an eye peeled on Mobile VoIP and FMC (Fixed Mobile Convergence). The recent CounterPath acquisition of recent client Bridgeport Networks shows that FMC is more than just a vision, someone clearly has an idea on how to make it work.

Along that same line of thinking, yesterday Cicero Networks and Boingo hooked up for a wireless calling play in Boingo’s hotspots. They’ll show off the potential next week.

My view is that FMC and VoIP over WiFi are going to become part of mobile carriers offerings as they seek to head off in to the 4G world.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Copyright © 2005-2008 SnapVoip | All Rights Reserved.
I wonder where we will end up.

Civil liberties and media reform group Free Press called on the U.S. Congress to reject bills that would give retroactive legal immunity to telecommunication carriers that helped the government monitor phone calls and e-mail after Vice President Dick Cheney pushed for the legislation.

Cheney and the White House this week pushed Congress to extend the surveillance authorization bill, the Protect America Act, which expires on Feb. 1. Cheney, speaking last week at conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation, also called on Congress to grant legal immunity to telecom carriers that participated in a U.S. National Security Agency program that allowed the NSA to intercept communications of some U.S. residents without court authorization.

Source: voipcentral.org

Vonage is in news whether good or bad. The VoIP giant has tried to motivate the policy makers regarding the VoIP and 911 matters.
According to a Forbes story, the company has made expenditure of about $752,000 in the first six months of 2007 to lobby the federal government.

Beleaguered Vonage which has suffered a massive loss following the patent debacle against Verizon Communication, has engaged the Smith-Free Group Inc for lobbying the Congress and Federal Communication Commission, adds a Zibb report.

Last week, SunRocket filed a lawsuit against Vonage alleging that the later has illegally obtained companys customer list from a third party and contacted some of the customers for its VoIP services.

The former residential VoIP service provider has sought injunctive and declaratory relief from Vonage by claiming its customer list one of its single most valuable remaining assets after shutting down VoIP business.

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Source: voipcentral.org

VoIP is the hot business in USA with thousands of people signing up for this service each day. Yet, it is not part of the consumer protection law. Over the years, FCC has recorded a number complains from the customers but did not take effective steps. Meanwhile, the pending telecom legislation deprives the states to enact laws in the field of wireless services and VoIP.

Taking a strong step to empower the states, nearly 41 state attorney generals (AGs) have urged the US congress to reconsider the pending telecom legislation that would pre-empt states from enforcing consumer-protection laws applicable to wireless carriers and VoIP service providers.

They claimed that the bill House Resolution 5252 also known as telecommunications reform bill would hurt consumers by seeking to pre-empt states from enacting and enforcing specific state consumer protection laws applicable to wireless telecom services and VoIP.

A letter singed by these AGs and submitted to the congress reads that the Texas AG recorded around 2,000 complaints over wireless services in 2003-04, Illinois AG register some 848 in 2004 and California received 130,000 complaints between 2000 and 2004. While, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is not well equipped to deal these complains.

It is high time to decide upon this question: Should VoIP come under consumer protection rule?

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