Source: www.voip-news.com

Non-profit Elwyn is getting a voice, data and network services makeover from Carousel Industries. Carousel will also be modernizing the company’s physical infrastructure including cooling and power.

According to the companies:

The new system will be designed, installed, serviced and maintained by Carousel. This project represents a multi-million dollar investment in improvements for Elwyn and its branch locations. The project will integrate Elwyn’s communications environment to increase interoperability, features, applications, scalability, and reliability for all users. These enhancements will allow teachers and case workers to spend more time with the mentally challenged adults and children they support.

Avaya products will be used for the IP Telephony system including Avaya S8300 media servers and 1000 IP, digital and analog handsets. The network will be connected via a meshed AT&T MPLS network.

Source: www.voip-news.com

With an ever-increasingly independent workplace, softphones are becoming a key component to work place productivity, says Frost & Sullivan. The analysts believe that further communications convergence is on the way.

According to Trading Markets:

The increased implementation of integrated UC clients is likely to contribute toward the demand for click-to-call graphical interfaces as softphones seem to be the natural transition to more sophisticated, UC solutions, said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Alaa Saayed. Since the majority of the IP telephony solution vendors are building strong cases around UC, soft clients may also receive a boost along the way.

However, misconceptions regarding the security and call quality of IP-based telephony are still a major challenge for softphone providers. Downward pricing pressure due to increased competition is also a major challenge, as are interoperability issues related to endpoints and systems.

Source: www.voip-news.com

A new solution from Teltronics, offers an integrated combination of advanced functionality, extensive infrastructure coverage and speedy deployment. Intelligent Service Level Management Solution is a next-gen service level management solution.

The solution uses the new Nortel CS1000 Monitor Probe to receive, capture, process, track, display and report performance metrics in Nortel IP Telephony environments. It also can use the new VQProbe, which can proactively monitor real-time and completed voice calls over IP telephony to ensure quality.

“For nearly two decades, Nortel and major carriers have relied on the Teltronics Intelligent Systems Management (ISM) product line as a network monitoring and management facilitator,” said Ewen Cameron, President and CEO for Teltronics. “To expand on this long-term relationship, Teltronics is excited about the release of the Nortel CS1000 Monitor Probe and VQProbe as exclusive solutions for Nortel end users and partners to effectively monitor and manage their IP Telephony, IT Infrastructure and other business critical applications.”

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

The cable industry is showing that it can really play the "takeaway" game when it comes to telephony in the home based on what I’m reading over at IP Democracy this morning.

What does this mean? Here are some thoughts about the landscape that runs over cable and why the cable guys are winning.

1) AT&T still has the best quality platform in VoIP with CallVantage, but they’re no longer really pushing it. Instead they want to see consumers either stay legacy PSTN or switch to UVerse where VoIP is part of the deal.

2) Earthlink, which has a very rock solid VoIP product with TruVoice has pretty much hung that up too. My guess is they will shed that to someone in the next six to nine months.

3) Vonage is the runaway leader of the independents, and now with a Covad deal in place they can actually sell a bundled high speed package. They will also finally be able to offer some QoS to the customers as Vonage with Covad’s help will be able to manage the call path for most of the way.

4) Speakeasy is the BestBuy brand now for VoIP. Reports of internal bickering between retail, online and the Speakeasy crew continue to bubble, and I’m also hearing that BestBuy may be looking to dump it as they have yet to find a way to really integrate it into their overall retail mix, beyond the Geek Squad.

Of the four Vonage has the best base to build from, simply because AT&T has given up on the cable customer market after initially wanting to be the cable guy’s best friend.

5) The remaining players like Broadvoice, Packet8 and VoicePulse all have their very loyal customers and in reality, far lower churn than Vonage. Then again, Vonage outspends them in advertising and gets builds the category.

So, basically, despite all the major efforts from big players like AT&T, Earthlink and even AOL, the cable guys have pretty much wiped them off the map with cable telephony subscribers. Verizon’s VoiceWing isn’t even an afterthought by anyone either so where are the telcos going with VoIP if the cable guys have the consumer market pretty much sewn up? The big telcos are going to the business market.

For the most part cable is not in the business game. It’s also their biggest opportunity. Fatter pipe, better pricing. A need for more converged offerings. If cable can make the jump, and its a two to three year game, then they can win the business VoIP war too. But it’s a big IF. That same IF exists for the telcos because upstarts like Junction Networks, cBeyond, M5, CallTower and a whole host of others are providing better services, at better prices. Plus you’re not tied to the Telco for bandwidth, so options for business abound.

Net Net–Cable may be winning the @HOME battle, but as far as @WORK, it’s a wide open ball game.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Influence and persuasion might be better words for the eComm2008 conference than the popular word in use here, disruption. For example, Thomas Howe of the Thomas Howe Company (one of our top 20 VoIP Influencers) spoke on the topic of commodities and using both paprika and corn as examples explained how voice has become a commodity. People want and expect all voice experiences to be the same. He asked the attendees to ‘make it our mission to accept voice as a commodity,’ and urged people to do new things with voice. “We should be cooks, not farmers.”

RJ Auburn of Voxeo talked about how telephony sucks and how it is complex, arcane and proprietary and instead should be simple, ubiquitous and open. And then talked about the Voxeo model and VoiceXML and CCXML. You can find out more at http://evolution.voxeo.net/.

Irv Shapiro of ifbyphone.com gave one of the best received speeches in introducing their new mashup services including an application that you call up , speak a phone number at or near your current location and a second number at or near where you want to go and in return receive voice driving directions. He talked about how the best practices for voice mashups include a technology agnostic API, dialog support (voice forms, dtmf, text to speech, speech rec), call management (outbound, inbound, scheduling) and support services. And finally he announced that they are giving away a million free minutes of calls a month to developers in North America – you can find out more at www.phonemashup.com.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Beseq’s subsidiary Yes Satellite Broadcasting has passed an important milestone in Israel as the Grunau Commission passed the decision.
Yes Satellite Broadcasting will be permitted to market a triple-play telephony package:
"Bezeq telephone and Internet", "service and infrastructure", from Bezeq and Bezeq International respectively. This is the main decision made by the Grunau Commission concerning Bezeq, but it will not be implemented immediately.
Yes’ mother company Bezeq, on the other hand, will not be allowed to market the same triple package, but Yes will now be able to compete with HOT Telecom, which is already marketing this triple package of services. This easing of restrictions on Bezeq offsets another of the commission’s decisions - that Bezeq must allow other telephony operators to use its infrastructure - a policy called unbundling - which hurt the company’s competitive edge. The commission further decided that HOT will not have to adopt an unbundling policy for its infrastructure now.
Haaretz brought me the news and read more there.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Even though some people might laugh at this post, all 50000 of them, there are about 15 million behind me. I am happy with this and hope to go further. May be it is time to find a designer to create a better theme for VoIP IP Telephony! The VoIP News site.
It was also VOIP IP Telephony: VoIP-News Top 25 Blogs of 2007!
Wish me luck!
Ravenii for SnapVoip

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

I found this application and the company while looking up Skype alternatives. Damaka claims that it’s SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) based Personal Softswitch™ application empowers the end user with multimedia communication and collaboration capabilities and that Damaka is the first company in the world to offer Softswitch technology to the end users.
According to the website, Using Damaka software, users can make phone & video calls to other Damaka users with PSTN like sound quality. Damaka offers real-time presence, IM and pc-to-pc calling, secure video with more functionality planned for roll out in the future versions of the application.

I am in the process of testing the software and features. Following is a Press release from Damaka.

RICHARDSON, Texas – damaka®, an innovative communications and collaboration software company, announces its latest P2P Personal Softswitch TM application release which would enable users to connect to SIP networks globally. As part of damaka’s effort to establish global connectivity to disparate networks and services, users will be able to connect to SIP networks by making simple configuration settings on the application. "We strongly believe that communications and collaborations should be open and seamless, while maintaining high level of security, to all users across different network boundaries", states Satish Gundabathula, CTO of damaka.

This release provides both novice and advanced users to setup SIP connectivity by selecting either simple or advanced configuration options. Enterprises worldwide can now use damaka to connect into their existing SIP infrastructure seamlessly and benefit from the feature rich environment provided by the damaka Personal Softswitch TM application. "damaka just works" with any SIP infrastructure like Cisco ® CallManager ®, Microsoft ® LCS ® and other SIP IP-PBX’s.

As part of its endeavor, damaka will continue to Interop with more and more SIP networks in the marketplace to create seamless interconnectivity. IMS connectivity is also part of this endeavor. IMS service providers can now avail of damaka software as it is SIP and IMS compliant to deliver their features.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Thomson (Euronext 18453; NYSE; TMS) today announced that more than 6 million VoIP telephony lines deployed by operators around the world are managed by Cirpack Class-5* voice switches from Thomson. This represents a 50% growth of users in just six months. Class 5 voice switches allow operators to provide primary line telephony with emergency numbers and legal intercept with advanced voice features such as call forwarding and call conferencing to their customers.

With the launch of its solutions for fixed mobile convergence in 2006, clients for the Cirpack switch now include large mobile operators such as SFR, as well as cable operators, ISPs and telcos. The Thomson’s Cirpack voice switching platform is being used by over 85 operators and ISPs in over 35 countries.

“Voice over IP is now a wide phenomenon. In France, for instance, about 25% of all voice traffic use VoIP technologies, according to French regulator ARCEP”, commented Jacques Dunogué, SEVP of Thomson’s Systems Division. “Initiated to reduce telephony costs, it is now entering a second phase with services such as Fixed-Mobile Convergence. Thomson is proud to continue to be a technical leader in this area.”

“Thomson’s Cirpack softswitch and gateways have been on the market for almost 10 years, helping operators to expand their legacy PSTN infrastructure. The same Cirpack platform can also be used to deploy broadband telephony services with the features and regulatory requirements required for a primary-line voice service.” said Steve Byars of Current Analysis. “This not only allows operators to reduce OpEx and network complexity, it also lets them quickly launch VoIP services that can replace the PSTN. Today, the Cirpack softswitch is powering some of the largest European VoIP deployments and has demonstrated it represents an ideal solution for carriers’ multiple service-delivery needs while they migrate to next-generation networks and IMS." said Byars.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

With all those tight schedules and work I hope you have not forgotten about the Internet Telephony & Expo 2007 that will be held on September 10-12 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. May be it is the time that you made that trip to the tinsel town in sunny California.

ITEXPO, the best known name for this Internet Telephony Conference & Expo, is a event where enterprises, SMBs, and Government Agencies, basically everyone including you and me, learn how to select and deploy IP-based voice, video, fax, and unified communications. On the other hand it’s also where service providers, equipment manufacturers learn what their customers looking for in real world situations. The Exhibit Hall at ITEXPO is where buyers, sellers, resellers, and manufacturers meet to forge relationships and close deals. Just imagine all those equipment and services we talk about at your hands.
I am planing to spend all three days at the ITEXPO. If you have not done please register now.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

With all those tight schedules and work I hope you have not forgotten about the Internet Telephony & Expo 2007 that will be held on September 10-12 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. May be it is the time that you made that trip to the tinsel town in sunny California.

ITEXPO, the best known name for this Internet Telephony Conference & Expo, is a event where enterprises, SMBs, and Government Agencies, basically everyone including you and me, learn how to select and deploy IP-based voice, video, fax, and unified communications. On the other hand it’s also where service providers, equipment manufacturers learn what their customers looking for in real world situations. The Exhibit Hall at ITEXPO is where buyers, sellers, resellers, and manufacturers meet to forge relationships and close deals. Just imagine all those equipment and services we talk about at your hands.
I am planing to spend all three days at the ITEXPO. If you have not done please register now.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

With all those tight schedules and work I hope you have not forgotten about the Internet Telephony & Expo 2007 that will be held on September 10-12 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. May be it is the time that you made that trip to the tinsel town in sunny California.

ITEXPO, the best known name for this Internet Telephony Conference & Expo, is a event where enterprises, SMBs, and Government Agencies, basically everyone including you and me, learn how to select and deploy IP-based voice, video, fax, and unified communications. On the other hand it’s also where service providers, equipment manufacturers learn what their customers looking for in real world situations. The Exhibit Hall at ITEXPO is where buyers, sellers, resellers, and manufacturers meet to forge relationships and close deals. Just imagine all those equipment and services we talk about at your hands.
I am planing to spend all three days at the ITEXPO. If you have not done please register now.