Source: www.voip-news.com

File this one under it’s a small world.

I was out of town last week, spending time by the shore (but still working my not-so-little butt off). On the beach, I got to talking to a woman who I’ve known for the last 10 years or so about what she does, what I write, etc. I mentioned VoIP News, expecting to get an “oh, really, nice!” but without any recognition. I was wrong. Her eyes instantly lit up and she launched into a spiel about her consulting business and video conferencing solutions that she sets up for clients.

Who knew? And I was just wondering a few days ago what exactly it is that she does do . . . amazing to find out that we’re running in similar circles.

So, you will probably hear more about this lady soon . . . for now though, Wendy, hope you found the blog. Welcome!

Source: www.voip-news.com

Love to travel around the world AND remain connected? Check out this post about tools for people like you from VoIP Watch.

Dell partnered with SightSpeed. Find out why at The VoIP Weblog.

VoIP regulatory issues of interest to you? Read about them here.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

As I anxiously await the pending announcement of the 3G iPhone, I am starting to examine just how fast is fast when it comes to 3G.


The phone company as we no longer know it, has announced that  a more than 20 percent increase to the top end of the company’s typical 3G network downlink speed range and a 50 percent increase to the top end of the typical uplink speed range for wireless laptop card customers¹. The upgrades are results of recent network enhancements, including the deployment of High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) technology across all existing 3G markets before the end of June.

In both transitioning and ramping up for the new iPhone and for other customers with 3G phones, AT&T’s 3G mobile broadband network is now available in more than 275 major U.S. metropolitan areas. Later this month, AT&T will become the first U.S. carrier to have fully deployed High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technology across its entire 3G network. By year-end, the company plans to offer 3G service in nearly 350 major metropolitan U.S. areas.  Even by Texas standards, that’s a pretty big deal.

The new typical wireless broadband speeds for LaptopConnect customers¹:

Downlink — Between 700 Kbps (kilobits per second) and 1.7 Mbps (megabits per second), formerly 600 Kbps to 1.4 Mbps
Uplink — Between 500 Kbps and 1.2 Mbps, formerly 500 to 800 Kbps

Customers who use AT&T’s LaptopConnect wireless cards can use these new speeds to access large files and multimedia applications faster than ever before¹. The new typical speed ranges reflect the results of recent measurements performed during thousands of tests in multiple markets.

The number of AT&T LaptopConnect subscribers increased more than 83 percent between the first quarters of 2007 and 2008, showing strong demand for on-the-go data use.

Between 2005 and the end 2008, AT&T will have invested more than $20 billion in network improvements and upgrades — an average of $5 billion a year. The company’s HSPA network is in the best position among American carriers to grow in line with customer demand, evolving to HSPA+ and providing next-generation speeds through a software upgrade without costly investments across the breadth of the network. As HSPA technology evolves between 2009 and 2010 to HSPA+, peak speeds could reach 20 Mbps. AT&T plans to adopt LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology to reach even higher speeds in the longer term.

¹ LaptopConnect customers must be using one of AT&T’s four current devices that support HSUPA technology or a laptop with embedded HSUPA technology. The four devices are: AT&T USBConnect 881, Sierra Wireless AirCard 881, Option GT Ultra and Option GT Ultra Express

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

As part of an overall comprehensive approach in attacking the unified office services market Adobe has launched their latest flavor of Acrobat and the launch of Acrobat.com which begins to take the shape of an office suite but moves the PDF from a static document to a living creative canvas for collaboration with video and audio conferencing capabilities as well as desktop sharing. ReadWriteWeb’s Sarah Perez has a full run down on what’s included, as does PC World’s Richard Morochove.

Right now the service is in a state of a "no-time limit beta."

For the sake of transparency, my agency’s client, VAPPS, is the supplier of the audio conferencing portion to Adobe for the Connect Now service and Adobe Connect.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

Well, Mr. Michael Blumenthal, the Attorney General of Connecticut is at it again. 

Once again, he is initiating stupid tactics in which he is trying to prevent the phone company from deploying its  utility boxes for U-verse.

Here are previous posts about Blumenthal and his antics in trying to derail AT&T’s initiatives to offer U-verse to the citizens of his State.

Draw your own conclusions.  Under the veil of doing his job, this is all politically motivated.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

1. Select the "attwifi" network from the available wireless networks list on your laptop or wireless device.

2. Launch your browser and enter your AT&T High Speed Internet master account user and password.

Username example: jsmith@sbcglobal.net

Forgot your password? Call 1-877-288-3755

3. Now you’re ready to take care of business.

AT&T High Speed Internet service subscription includes complimentary Wi-Fi access in over 17,000 Hot Spot locations, including Starbucks with select speeds. Click here to find one near you.

Purchase or upgrade your AT&T High Speed Internet and get connected today.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

AT&T has announced that qualifying LaptopConnect customers can now access more than 17,000 Wi-Fi hot spots free of charge. Users can access Wi-Fi at nearly 7,000 participating Starbucks locations plus thousands more AT&T Wi-FiSM locations, including restaurants, airports, hotels and other convenient locations across the United States.

AT&T LaptopConnect uses AT&T’s wireless network to keep customers connected to e-mail, the Internet and business applications almost anywhere they can make a phone call. Qualifying LaptopConnect customers will now automatically receive a pop-up message alerting them to Wi-Fi availability when in range of an AT&T hot spot. At that point, customers who have downloaded the latest AT&T Communication Manager software to their laptop PC just need to click Connect to access the Wi-Fi connectivity. The offer is available to customers who subscribe to a DataConnect plan of $59.99 or more.¹ AT&T Communication Manager comes with new LaptopConnect cards and is available for free at www.att.com/laptopconnect.

How It Works….
AT&T also offers free Wi-Fi access to qualifying broadband subscribers. The company plans to expand free Wi-Fi access to additional wireless customers in the future.

When not in a hot spot, AT&T LaptopConnect cards operate on AT&T’s wireless network, which provides DSL-like speeds on the company’s 3G network in more than 275 markets in the U.S., reaching nearly 350 markets by year end. AT&T’s wireless network also offers data connectivity across AT&T’s EDGE network which covers more than 13,000 cities and towns and some 40,000 miles of major highways. Internationally, AT&T can offer customers data access in more than 145 countries and 3G roaming in 60 countries.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

The "Curbside Prophet" has returned. After a year off, Jason Mraz is back with his new album, "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things." And, within a week of the record hitting store shelves, he’ll be offering fans a live webcast premiere via the AT&T blue room.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) announced today that the blue room will feature this exclusive webcast live from Los Angeles starting at 2 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, May 21. In addition, AT&T blue room and Southwest Airlines will give one lucky winner and a guest the chance to meet Mraz and attend the exclusive live concert webcast premiere in a Los Angeles recording studio. Fans can visit http://www.attblueroom.com/win to register.

Jason Mraz broke onto the music scene in 2002 with the Recording Industry Association of America platinum-certified breakthrough, "Waiting for My Rocket to Come." His current album, "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.," features the same engaging pop melodies that Mraz is known for while also capturing a renewed sense of self that the singer/songwriter experienced during the album-writing process. Mraz wrote and recorded the album after taking time off from relentless touring, recording and working. Said Mraz, "I was happy to write an album at the same time I was coming back to earth." For more information, visit http://www.jasonmraz.com.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

AT&T will donate more than 30,000 prepaid phone cards in 2008, with a retail value of more than $200,000, to be distributed to military personnel stationed overseas with the help of the USO. This donation builds on more than 85 years of AT&T support for U.S. military families and a 20-year partnership with the USO. The company also recently provided a $315,000 sponsorship to support USO events and entertainment tours in 2008.

The donation program will begin with the first 10,000 prepaid cards distributed on overseas military bases and during USO entertainment tours slated for the weeks surrounding Mother’s Day. According to AT&T, this donation is in honor of U.S. military moms, whether they are on active duty or whether they have a son, daughter, husband or loved one who is actively serving.

In the coming weeks, the USO will help AT&T distribute the first 10,000 phone cards to troops throughout Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, South Korea, Japan, Spain, Italy and Germany, including personally handing cards to wounded military members at Landsthul Regional Medical Center. Each donated phone card will provide military members with 20 minutes of free talk time from Iraq to the U.S.

The donation builds on AT&T’s commitment to help keep military families connected: In the past two years, AT&T has donated prepaid phone cards with a retail value of over $4 million to help support U.S. military members and their families. In the past 20 years, AT&T has contributed tens of millions of dollars to the USO in support of the Operation USO Care Package and USO Operation Phone Home® programs as well as USO entertainment tours; and has helped the USO boost troop morale through funding regional operations in Europe, Southwest Asia and the Pacific.

Since 1941, the USO has provided morale, welfare and recreation-type programs and services to enhance the quality of life for military personnel and their families around the world. The USO currently operates more than 130 centers, including 10 mobile canteens, offering free Internet and e-mail access, prepaid international phone cards, entertainment and lounge areas, libraries, travel assistance and refreshments. USO entertainment tours bring celebrity volunteers to entertain and lift the morale of troops and to express the gratitude and support of the American people.

For more than 85 years, AT&T has remained dedicated to supporting active military personnel, their families and veterans through charitable contributions, sponsorships, the hiring of military veterans and maintaining policies that support reservists who are called to duty. Since 2000, AT&T has donated free prepaid phone cards with a retail value of nearly $8 million to military members and has provided nearly $6 million in grants that support military members and related nonprofit organizations. The company has also built 70 calling centers for military members stationed in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, so that they may stay in touch with their families.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Vonage and the state of Connecticut have reached a settlement deal in the May 2005 lawsuit in which the state claimed that Vonage didn’t inform customers of 911’s deficiency on the internet-based system. According to the state, emergency calls didn’t always connect.

The Hartford Courant said:

Blumenthal said Vonage agreed to pay the state $70,000 to settle a May 2005 lawsuit over how the company informed customers of the performance of the 911 system on its service. The state claimed that Vonage failed to tells customers that 911 calls may not connect.

Vonage had already taken steps to ensure its voice over Internet protocol system has the same 911 reliability as traditional phone service. The settlement requires the company to continue to provide a reliable emergency connection, Blumenthal said.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

If you’re in Washington D.C. on March 31 and April 1st you may want to check out F2C, David Isenberg’s annual event that is geared around keeping the Internet open. Sadly, due to CTIA in Las Vegas I’ll miss it.

Source: www.voip-news.com

It seems like every voice solution these days is aimed at the SMB sector. Left and right, providers are aiming to provide cost-effective, scalable solutions for smaller companies.

But NextPoint and Nectar Services Corp. are different. The two companies have formed a partnership to provide high-scale solutions for large global enterprises.

The partnership brings together Nectar’s Enterprise Session Management (ESM) application and portal and NextPoint’s Unified Communications Exchange, giving companies the tools to deliver interconnection capable systems over existing and new IP-PBX deployments on WANs.

“The Nectar ESM platform is a key component to the delivery of carrier- grade services to the enterprise community,” said Anthony Servidio, CEO and Chairman of Juma Technology, Nectar’s parent company. “This solution is rock solid. It truly adds comfort to clients looking for the best solution and delivers a team of professionals with the know-how and experience to guide them through this entire process. The Nectar-NextPoint solution provides enormous value every step of the way as large enterprise organizations transition to IP-convergence and unified communications platforms.”