Introducing a new Wholesale Billing module for its award-winning Cortex © middleware, VoIP Logic, one of the leading global providers of VoIP Managed Services and solutions announced that the service is available to all NextPoint customers who work with VoIP Logic and it expected this new system to be immediately in-demand as it delivers an easy-to-use, integrated NextPoint solution for wholesale billing.

With the introduction of this new billing, the service providers will be able to bill all aspects of their enterprise, Voice 2.0 or even wholesale VoIP offering as well as making provision and managing these services. Cortex acts as a single point of integration for all necessary components of a successful VoIP rollout.

In a comment, Micah Singer, VoIP Logic CEO and Founder said, "With the highly competitive nature of the telecommunications market, all wholesale service providers demand a reliable, cost-effective billing solution, and must monitor profitability and productivity." He continued, "Our Cortex Wholesale Billing is a truly value-added service that we are confident will not only strengthen our position as a leader in NextPoint technology distribution, but will also allow our customers to improve their gross margins in a thin-margin sector of the VoIP industry."

It should be recalled that earlier this summer, VoIP Logic announced an agreement with NextPoint under which it will provide direct sales and technical support to NextPoint customers globally. NextPoint’s MSX technology is the most commonly used VoIP Peering system in the world. The addition of Cortex Wholesale Billing allows NextPoint peering customers easy access to tracking and billing costs and profitability.

People no longer have absolute trust in using email because of fear of infiltration by spammers who are always ready to use any means to obtain sensitive information in order to swindle the innocent users. Their activity is now spreading to other means of internet communication and the VoIP is not an exemption.

Soon the trust people have in using VoIP will be compromised if urgent attention is not given to combating the alarming rate of VoIP spam. Imagine if 90% of all calls or voice-related messages were, well, spam. Would we even bother to pick up our ringing phones anymore? Just as Caller ID spoofing has become commonplace, it’s difficult to identify the validity of callers.

It’s important to realize that VoIP spam is easily possible with today’s technology already in place. Regular "trunk spam" can be generated using falsified Caller ID (as described above) over the PSTN, just as you or I could place prank calls with advertising for discounted medications, etc. You obviously could be running a 20-year-old key system and still be subject to PSTN spam.

Another vital factor is the type of spam that’s aimed at VoIP PBXes, gateways, and servers. Especially with the slow standardization of SIP as an IP-based signaling protocol, many organizations allow "direct" SIP URIs to be used from external sources, trusted or un-trusted. Although, this method of spamming is still rare, it’s only a matter of time before the malicious begin to utilize new vectors for propagation.

With the unquestionable focus towards unified messaging, converged infrastructures, and IP-based integration, we’ll undoubtedly be fighting new methods of security issues and, the earlier the VoIP service providers realize the urgency in combating this issue, the better.

The VoIP application manufacturer, Truphone has released the iPhone version of its application for iPhone users. With this new application, users of iPhone can now send text messages or make calls to anywhere in the world for a low fee. This application has been available for Nokia E and N series users since 2006 and it is good news for iPhone users for the service to be extended to them.

With this application, they will be able to call a landline as low as 6 cents per minute, and dialing a mobile phone costs 30 cents per minute. SMS text messaging costs 20 cents. Calling another Truphone user is free in certain countries, including the United States, U.K., China, Australia and large parts of Europe. However, to be able to enjoy these special offers; users need to be in a Wi-Fi spot located in the countries listed.

Another interesting feature is that calls can be made entirely over Wi-Fi and the Internet, bypassing the traditional GSM network operators. Some service providers however do not allow this, in April 2007, Vodafone and Orange blocked Truphone’s VoIP capability on its branded Nokia N95 handsets. In June 2007, T-Mobile in the U.K. followed suit, blocking calls from its customers to Truphone’s mobile numbers. But only a month later, a U.K. court forced T-mobile to stop their blockade.

Although, Truphone usage isn’t limited to Wi-Fi spots using the Nokia phones, it can also work over 3G. This is not possible with the iPhone.

A recent survey carried out in Europe revealed that European households are replacing the use of landline with either cell phones or VoIP; some even adopt both the mobile phones and VoIP internet telephony. The survey which was carried out in 27 countries involved 1000 households in each of the country bringing the total number of the households interviewed to 27,000.

Apparently, the result of the survey indicates that the use of cell phones and VoIP services as a major means of communication is becoming more popular in Europe and Europeans are increasingly taking advantage of the healthy competition in the Continent’s telecommunication industry. According to the report made available, about 24% of the households have jettison their fixed-landline subscription and opted for mobile phones. Notable countries with highest number of subscriptions are Finland which has about 61%, Portugal (48%), and "new Member States" in Eastern Europe (39%).

The VoIP internet telephony is also gaining more popularity, as 22% of households with internet connections now make some of their telephone calls online. This figure is especially high in Latvia (58%), Lithuania (51%), the Czech Republic (50%), Poland (49%), and Bulgaria (46%).  

With the trend of subscription rate, it is expected that more users will favor the use of these two in place of landline.

The bugs – rated "highly critical" by vulnerability tracking firm Secunia – were reported in 16 devices from the networking giant’s Unified IP Phone 7900 series, according to a Cisco advisory. Affected phones are those running either the industry standard session initiation protocol (SIP) and/or Cisco’s proprietary Skinny Client Control Protocol (SCCP).

Four of the VoIP flaws are overflow vulnerabilities, caused by handling errors that could result in the installation of malicious code on a victim’s phone. Another two bugs could permit specially crafted packets to launch DoS attacks. And a final vulnerability may allow privilege escalation.

VoIPshield Laboratories identified the vulnerabilities in Cisco’s Unified Communications Manager versions 5.x and 6.x, and in its Call Manager 4.x.

The vulnerabilities could lead to unauthorised access and denial of service (DoS) attacks.

The Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) was found to contain a flaw in its Computer Telephony Integration ( CTI ) Manager, which could allow a DoS attack

In Cisco’s Real-Time Information Server (RIS) Data Collector, an authentication bypass hole could give hackers access to information they could use to mount other attacks.

Cisco has now issued patches for both of these issues at no extra charge to customers with service contracts.

One of the UK’s most innovative communications providers, Citrus Telecom, has expanded its range of VoIP services for its residential and business markets. Citrus deployed DIGITALK Broadband Telephony and Web calling Card in 2005 and are now introducing IP Virtual Office and Service Numbers to the range of services on the DIGITALK Multiservice Platform.

The two new additions will enhance Citrus’s offering to its business subscribers who will now be able to offer virtual office features and intelligent inbound routing to customers and resellers in over 60 countries. Citrus is able to offer SMEs a simple, cost-effective and professional business communications service using DIGITALK IP Virtual Office, that includes multiple calling features and network and services management software, plus full billing, rating and web self-care functionality.

In addition, DIGITALK Service Numbers enables Citrus to offer number translation and inbound call management solutions to a range of business scenarios, including sales and support centres, free phone services and premium rate number services all managed via a web-self care interface.

Citrus is also announcing plans to migrate all TDM services over to IP based DIGITALK Media Application Server infrastructure which could reduce management and maintenance costs by up to 75%.