Source: voipworld.wordpress.com

BT has launched the new BT Business Total Broadband hub, the first business broadband package to provide a free public Wi-Fi hotspot. Any business can now offer Wi-Fi to visitors – either as a free service or by selling BT Openzone vouchers to create a new revenue stream.

Perfect for firms including restaurants, hotels, cafes, doctor and dentist waiting rooms, the hotspot is automatically enabled in the new BT Business Total Broadband hubs at no extra cost. Hub owners buy BT Openzone access vouchers from BT and can choose to pass the vouchers to their customers or resell the prime business service and add revenue.

Users can check email, surf the web or make VoIP calls using a separate, secure internet channel at broadband speeds. The owner’s traffic is always prioritised and the owner and guest wireless network identifiers (SSIDs) are separately listed for security.

Visitors can get online using a BT Openzone voucher. In addition, all BT Openzone customers, BT consumer Total Broadband members of the BT FON community and BT Business customers with a mobile broadband service receive inclusive BT Openzone minutes as part of their broadband package.

In addition to the BT Business Total Broadband hotspots, customers can choose from more than 120,000 UK and Ireland commercial and residential locations including airports, railway stations, leading hotel chains, motorway service stations, coffee shops, marinas and extensive coverage across 12 major city centres.

The innovation means BT Business now provides the most complete broadband experience for customers, both inside and outside their homes. It follows a recent 35 per cent discount for Option 3 mobile broadband customers and savings of up to 34 per cent on the BT Talk Time mobile package, which now includes free mobile email offer and a BlackBerry Bold when you sign up for 24 months.*

Bill Murphy, managing director BT Business said: "Offering Wi-Fi adds value and is good customer service. It can also allow businesses to make incremental revenue. The service is helping our customers stay online and keep productive during these times."

20,000 existing customers have already received firmware to enable the hotspot in their BT Business Hubs and a further 200,000 will receive the upgrade this quarter.

BT Business Total Broadband customers who wish to switch off the hotspot capability can do so using the Hub Manager on their desktops.

Notes to Editors
* The Free Blackberry BIS Email subscription excludes any additional services e.g. Satellite Navigation, Internet Calling or BT Business Email (charges apply). Offer extended until 31.3.09. Normal bolt-on price GBP 5. BT Talk Time Subscription from GBP 20.25 a month. Excludes Roaming. Requires 24 month term. Customers taking this offer can also take Satellite Navigation for the reduced rate of GBP 5 a month. Conditions apply.

About BT
BT is one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.

BT Business understands the challenges that small and medium businesses face in the current climate, and supports cost control, improved productivity and winning business through core product collections including business broadband & internet, domains & web hosting, data & voice networks, IT solutions and mobile services.

Source: BT
Website: http://www.bt.com/newscentre

via email

Source: voipworld.wordpress.com

This new service was launched recently by betamax or their affiliated company but no mention of betamax on their website. All their services and conditions are just exactly what we are all used to from betamax products like voipbuster, voipcheap etc. Maybe betamax is feeling the heat from complaints about their unethical business methods and therefore decided to launch this product as another company.

Anyway, Voipax is a voip application that lets you send sms and make calls to about 40 countries worldwide for free. The rates for other destinations are quite low too. There are several ways to use voipax, you can download and install the voipax application on your system and make calls with it using your headset or bluetooth earpiece or you can use the Phone-2-Phone features which let you enter your telephone number and the number you want to call and connect both numbers or finally you can configure voipax on your SIP based IP Phone and call directly from it. Whichever way you choose to use voipax you will get very good audio quality and quick call connection.

There are some limitations to using voipax, you have to buy a credit of at least 10 euros for you to enjoy the free calls. Once you have some credit on your account you can call up to 300 minutes per week free for 120 days and you can send 10 free sms per week too. If you have used any of betamax products before then you allready know these conditions by now.

For more information and to download voipax visit www.voipax.com.

Source: www.voip-news.com

• Thinking of switching to a VoIP phone system? Do you know what costs are involved with doing that? From upgrading the infrastructure to installation and customization, there is a VoIP News feature to help you out. Check out Checklist: Calculating the Total Cost of an IP Phone System.
• Need a solution to tie the important data in your cell phone — contacts, voice mails, etc – to a tangible backup? Check out this VoIP News article: Skydeck Provides Web Access to Mobile Accounts

Source: voipworld.wordpress.com

By Henri Arnold Courtesy of EE Times Europe

Telephony using Voice over Internet Protocol, VoIP, has evolved over time and is now ready to be employed by telecoms companies as the primary transmission technology for voice over their networks. As a revenue earning service VoIP installations must perform correctly but until now there have been no dedicated field testers to verify performance.

Responding to industry demands Trend Communications now introduces the first low cost, hand-held, wired and wireless VoIP tester, the Trend Unipro VoIP. This small, light and portable instrument measures voice and also data transmission quality. The tester has both Ethernet and WiFi interfaces to provide connection to both wired and wireless networks and SIP based VoIP systems.

Voice quality tests are determined using objective ratings such as the Mean Opinion Score (MOS) and R-Factor. Additionally jitter, delay and loss metrics are recorded and decoded. SIP signalling is available for inspection.

Data tests include Ping and Traceroute as well as FTP and HTTP service testing for traditional IP based network connection testing.

The low cost of Unipro VoIP now enables every VoIP engineer to be supplied with a portable and comprehensive tester.

Ken Foan, Global Sales and Marketing Director of Trend announced at the launch, “Unipro VoIP is set to be the industry standard for VoIP installation and field maintenance.” He added, “Trend has an enviable reputation for innovative hand-held telecommunications test instruments.

The company has led the way with a variety of technologies including ISDN, SDH and Gigabit Ethernet. With a track record such as this we are justifiably confident that VoIP testing will be another great success for the company.”

Trend Communications Ltd
Whitebrook Park, Lower Cookham Road
Maidenhead SL6 8XY
United Kingdom
E-mail: lucy.allen@trendcomms.com
Telephone: +44 (0)1628 503526
Fax: +44 (0)1628 503599
www.trendcomms.com

About Trend

Trend Communications supplies innovative hand-held telecommunications test instruments for installation and maintenance field engineers. The high specification products are reliable and easy to use and are critical to the successful deployment of access and core networks around the world. Trend continues to develop new products to ensure it remains the supplier of choice for telecom field engineers.

Trend has solutions for: Local Access, Ethernet, Optical, Datacom, IP and Core Network Trend Communications is a subsidiary of IDEAL Industries Inc.

Note: The above text is the public part of the press release obtained from the manufacturer (with minor modifications). EETimes Europe cannot be held responsible for the claims and statements made by the manufacturer. The text is intended as a supplement to the new product presentations in EETimes Europe magazine.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Robert Poe, here at VoIP-News, lists the Top 25 VoIP Innovations of 2008. Check out Andy Abramson’s take on the list too.

Smith on VoIP continues The Near Future of VoIP series with Nick Galea and Andy Abramson.

Mobile Pakistan blog has some buzz on Nimbuzz.

Source: voipworld.wordpress.com

The Mumbai terrorists’ most powerful weapon appears not to have been guns or grenades, but instead their handheld VoIP phones, which allowed them to get detailed, live instructions from handlers on how to evade police, and where to attack next, while the police were powerless to detect them.

It was reported that the handlers were communicating with the attackers using VoIP phones that made it difficult, if not impossible, for the Indian authorities to intercept the calls, or even know they were taking place. Indian security forces surrounding the buildings were able to monitor the terrorist’s outgoing calls by intercepting their cellphone signals. But Indian police officials said those directing the attacks, who are believed to be from Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant group based in Pakistan, were using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service, which has complicated efforts to determine their whereabouts and identities.

The biggest problem wasn’t in determining the whereabouts or identities of those directing the attack, but in being able to intercept their communications. If the authorities could intercept the communications, they could know the terrorist’s next actions, said a source from the police department. There is a little bit of good news here, though. The (security) experts said that VoIP calls left a far richer data trail for investigators to mine than someone calling from an old-fashioned pay phone. Maybe the terrorist plan of using VoIP technology for their evil deeds and go undirected might just have backfired and now authorities now have more information about their activities than they envisaged.

Source: voipworld.wordpress.com

Just over a year after inventing a new word for its WiMAX plans, Sprint Nextel Corp. has decided on a name that is easier on the tongue, and eyes, for its next-generation network aspirations.

The Xohm brand, as on this SWC-E100 ExpressCard by Samsung, is now history.

Sprint Nextel will be serving up its own mobile WiMAX products and services, branded “Sprint 4G,” in its retail stores, the carrier said. And the first dual-mode, CDMA/mobile WiMAX modems will be commercially available as early as the end of this year. The move marks the end of the Xohm brand, which the carrier launched in August, 2007.

Sprint Nextel is offering the mobile WiMAX services under a mobile virtual network operator agreement with the new Clearwire, which recently closed on its formation that included the WiMAX assets of Sprint Nextel and the “old” Clearwire. Sprint Nextel controls 51% of the new Clearwire venture.

The first dual-mode, CDMA/mobile WiMAX modem under the Sprint 4G brand will be commercially available in Baltimore by the end of the year, said Melinda Tiemeyer, spokeswoman for Sprint Nextel. The carrier launched mobile WiMAX services in Baltimore in September under the carrier’s now-shuttered Xohm brand; the launch preceded the closing last week of Sprint Nextel’s mobile WiMAX joint venture with Clearwire.

Sprint Nextel’s “4G” portfolio eventually will include handsets and modems, Tiemeyer said. Further, she said Sprint 4G offerings will include products that can switch between the carrier’s established CDMA network and the mobile WiMAX network Clearwire is building throughout the country. The current Xohm offerings in Baltimore include a desktop modem, an ExpressCard modem and a USB card modem. All of the current devices are mobile WiMAX-only.

Source: voipworld.wordpress.com

Apple may have a new mobile phone to compete with-one that runs on its iPod Touch.

The MP3 player can be transformed into a mobile phone with the help of a free app from Internet telephone company Truphone. The new app allows users with a Wi-Fi connection to make and receive phone calls via voice over IP with other iPod Touch owners, users of the Google Talk’s messaging service, and customers of Truphone’s Internet telephone service. The company said it expects to add the ability to handle landline calls. The app creates a virtual keyboard on second-generation iPod Touchs to dial calls and requires the addition of a headset and microphone.

However, Apple doesn’t appear to be too threatened by Truphone; the application is available for free download at Apple’s App Store. While the app could work with any device with Wi-Fi access, the company said it has decided to focus on devices with connections to an apps store. “We’ve decided to focus on devices that are Wi-Fi-enabled and have an apps store,” Truphone CEO Geraldine Wilson told the BBC. “For the consumer, there has to be an easy way of downloading an application.”

Other planned features include the ability to phone and IM Skype and MSN VoIP users, and to check and set Twitter and Facebook.

Fring offers a similar service, allowing access to Skype users. But Truphone plans to add access to Skype, as well as landlines, which should make Truphone more appealing to many users.

Source: voipworld.wordpress.com

VoIP is a technology that converts voice into data that can be transmitted via the Internet using the Internet protocol and at the receiving end, the data is converted back to voice. This allows the users to experience voice conversation with their contacts over the Internet.

This mode of communication is very beneficial for people who make ISD phone calls often. People who make ISD calls pay hefty phone bills. It is because they have to pay for every calling minute. Longer the duration of the call, the higher the charge the callers have to pay.

Fortunately, these days callers can get rid of the high phone bills with the aid of the VoIP as there are many service providers who offer free VoIP calls. It helps them to have conversation with their contacts for longer duration without worrying about the bill. Callers need not worry about bill because VoIP does provide this service, usually for free. But, to take the advantage of its free calls, the other requirement is that the receiving end (call receiver) must also be using the VoIP services. Normally, there are charges associated with this service when the call receiver is not utilizing the VoIP services.

As such, one has to look for the utilisation of the VoIP technology and the associated free services that the service providers offer. People who are interested in making free VoIP calls should make for the Internet to find out the websites that deals in such free services. It is very easy to find such websites that provide such free services. The simplicity associated with the utilisation of this service is established with the rising use of this service, on a world wide basis. Making free calls is, therefore, very frequent and the future of communication is bright for people who want to stay in touch with their loved ones or professional contacts.

Today, you would also find services that may offer free mobile calls but when their services are compared with that of the VoIP, you will discover that VoIP does make a difference.

Any body can decide whether a particular service is favorable for him. One’s decision can be firmed up only after having an understanding the service’s working or performance and at what price. An experience of the service in question shall always help in making such decisions.

It has been found that free VoIP calls have brought about a lot of advantages associated with communication. If a user is in a mood to compare its performance, he can just go for VoIP broadband services. The difference one can discover is that VoIP uses high speed Internet or broadband instead of a traditional landline connection.

Just have a look at the working of the VoIP. The Internet is connected to a phone or receiver. It can be done in two ways, from either a service provider or a particular code given to the user by allowing the user to download the software for VoIP.

The user can use his IP address to get started with a broadband phone that can be added form the VoIP service. Thus, the user can have Internet connection attached to his VoIP phone. There are a couple of alternatives for downloading this service. Some of the service providers are iCallGlobe, Skype, Cisco and Google. Before shifting to the VoIP services as the major phone line, the user must make it sure that they work smartly with the technology that is available.

http://www.youtring.com/calling-plans.aspx

Source: voipworld.wordpress.com

Vopium, the new provider of international mobile calling via GSM and VoIP launches itself in Italy with an exciting offer that includes free 30 minutes call and 100 SMS. Vopium is now available on all latest phones of Blackberry, Symbian, Windows Mobile Smartphone, Java and more. The users can directly install the software on their phones instead of depending on computer or monthly subscription of operators.

After downloading the free software of Vopium either over the web or text message, users can enjoy low priced calls and SMS where ever they want. It is far more economical to call through Vopium because the user pays the mobile provider for a local call and Vopium for the international add-on. Vopium is also available in local languages which can be selected automatically based on the language settings on your phone.

“Making calls through VoIP service is far cheaper than paying heavy tariffs to operators’ world wide. To prove our product in this competitive market of VoIP, we are offering 30 minutes free international call to Vopium users which will enable them to experience the improved voice quality at affordable rates.”, says Tanveer Sharif, CEO of Vopium.

In addition to this, Vopium users can easily monitor their consumption, enjoy other products of Vopium family and buy packages of cheap minutes to selected destinations. Just register yourself on Vopium.com and enjoy low priced international calls with great voice quality, whenever and wherever you want.

Source: voipworld.wordpress.com

Source: voipworld.wordpress.com

by Michael Muchmore

Skype users will be familiar with the service’s "SkypeIn" feature, which lets you buy a phone number that will work for any landline or cell phones. As of Monday, VoxOx, a new service from business telecom provider TeleCentris, will offer inbound telephone numbers to all of its users for free.

The service also offers many other VOIP and Skype-like features, including instant messaging, video chatting, SMS text messaging, callback, and faxing. Its "one number follow me" feature will even let users enter numbers to ring successively in case they’re not at the main phone number – similar to Vonage’s Enhanced Call Forwarding. They can even create a "this number is not in service" message for telemarketers.

"We are connected to so many people through so many channels that communication is becoming increasingly unmanageable in today’s media-centric society," said Bryan Hertz, chief executive of TelCentris. "The typical consumer, ages 14 to 45, wakes up and moves from Facebook, to Skype, to Blackberry or iPhone, to Gmail and Google Talk, to MySpace, to YouTube to Yahoo Messenger, to a landline phone, and then back again. This communications frenzy has created a need for a single tool to manage all connections and contacts so that consumers can take control of their interconnected lifestyle. That’s why we’ve created VoxOx."

Users can bring in all their contacts from email accounts, instant messaging, and social networks to create a "meta address book". VoxOx is targeting its service at so-called "Millennials" and Gen Xers, who have come to rely on SMS text messaging as the primary method of communicating with friends and family. But the support for email, IM, and telephone lines brings Baby Boomers and older users into the fold.

The VoxOx home interface resembles that of the iPhone, with square icons for each application. Just as with the iPhone, applications can be built by third-party developers using an open API. The key apps, though, are the VoxOx supplied Contacts, which resembles an IM client’s buddy list and shows the availability of your contacts if the service they’re on provides that info. Like Trillian, VoxOx lets users chat with friends using the IM services they already use, such as AIM, Yahoo, or MSN/Windows Live Messenger.

Since VoxOx’s maker is a telecommunications provider, it can provide some slick features not found in Skype, such as the ability to transfer a call from the web interface to a cell phone and to ring several numbers in order to reach you, with the "one number follow me" feature. Voicemail is included, along with a call directing "personal assistant" which can forward calls to a number of the caller’s choice from a voice menu. Three-way calling with a personal choice of hold music is also available. The service also offers two-way texting, inbound fax receiving, and fax-to-email capability. An SMS "callback" feature lets you send a text to a number from your cellphone to be connected to another phone anywhere by texting the number to VoxOx.

Users who sign up for VoxOx will get 120 minutes free calling time, but the company has offered the first 500