VOIP Solution and Service

Frost & Sullivan, a leading industry analyst firm, is really bowled over by Verizon business. It has recognized Verizon Business as an IP leader delivering some of the most innovative voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) services and capturing the leading market share among Web conferencing reseller service providers.

Frost & Sullivan has selected Verizon Business to receive the 2006 North American Enterprise VoIP Services Customer Value Enhancement Award. Frost & Sullivan said service providers competing for the award for the enterprise VoIP market were judged on their ability to expand their existing customer base by adding new, innovative offerings and how they have positioned their services to create satisfaction among a diverse potential customer base. The Frost & Sullivan award recognizes Verizon Business’ ability to effectively integrate its products and services following the Verizon-MCI merger.

Frost & Sullivan, in its “World Web Conferencing Markets” study published in October, named Verizon Conferencing as the leading Web conferencing reseller services provider. Earlier this year, Verizon Business sponsored a Frost & Sullivan study, “Meetings Around the World: The Impact of Collaboration on Business Performance,” that determined that collaboration is a key driver of business performance.

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications is a leading provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large business and government customers worldwide. Combining unsurpassed global network reach with advanced technology and professional service capabilities, Verizon Business delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world.

Source: “Verizon Business”

RCN Corporation has signed an agreement with Cedar Point Communications to deploy its integrated voice and multimedia SAFARI C³ switch for voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telephone services. The use of the multimedia switch is designed to compliment RCN’s current VoIP offering, primarily in Chicago, and provide additional on and off-net capabilities. SAFARI C³ is a centralized platform that bundles several PacketCable network elements into one device.
In Chicago, RCN initially launched VoIP in the last mile access network with its existing Lucent Class 5 switch, the GenBand G6 gateway, and multimedia terminal adapters from Motorola. The new Cedar Point platform will introduce the softswitch and full PacketCable-based offering. In addition to Chicago, RCN also provides services in Boston, New York, eastern Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
RCN will begin its four month test in mid November and RCN will be able to offer VoIP services to residents and businesses through this switch. “We are excited about the prospect of expanding the RCN brand to our 6 million licensed homes,” said Rick Swiderski, Vice President of Network Engineering.

“In keeping with our innovative and forward-thinking DNA,” stated Richard Ramlall, SVP of Strategic and External Affairs, “we are excited about testing the possibilities of advanced VoIP in our top Metro markets.”

Cedar Point’s Executive Vice President, Strategy and Market Development, Dave Spear commented, “We are pleased to have this opportunity to trial our integrated voice and multimedia switch with RCN.”

Luca Filigheddu has given such good reviews about Sitofono in his website that I was tempted to try it and let my readers know about it. I can definitely say he was not wrong. This click-to-call solution offered by Abbeynet is really worth noting.

Sitofono is a simple click-to-call service that any web site or portal can use to get calls from their customers/website visitors for free. The websites can receive calls from their customers without the need for them to be registered to any VoIP service. The website or the portals can bind it to any fixed-line phone number worldwide for the over 60 country codes where Sitofono is active.

As for the customers, they don’t need to be registered to any VoIP service, they don’t need to have headphones, they don’t need to pay one single cent to call you. They just have to click and call you from their browser.

Just hold on. You don’t even need to have a website as well. Your email will work fine or you can get a personal Sitofono which can become your personal website. Starting from January 2007, Sitofono will offer a Voicemail for free as well and you’ll also be able to choose different numbers where you can be reached depending on the time of the day.

Click to call services are here to stay. They will make the difference between a normal, old web site and a truly 2.0 “speaking” website. Who can use it? Tell me who can’t? E-commerce portals, bloggers, banks, pubs, insurance, shops, mortgage portals, travel agents and so on and so forth.

Sitofono has just reached 100.000 business customers this week. It costs just € 499 /year, just about € 1,37 / day. As a perfect marketing strategy, Abbeynet is now giving away Sitofono for two months to selected companies which would like to try it out for FREE.

The joint efforts of Yahoo and Linksys have given birth to the cordless phone. The new-born comes with a base station that plugs into a regular phone jack to provide regular phone service. Users can switch between the regular phone service and their Yahoo Messenger with Voice and VoIP service by clicking a button on the phone. You can also use the web portal’s search engine for things like Yellow Pages, weather, and one-click restaurant search.

The Linksys Dual-Mode Cordless Phone for Yahoo Messenger with Voice (CIT310) lets users make free PC-to-PC calls using Yahoo’s voice over Internet Protocol service. Users can also use their Yahoo Phone Out accounts and Yahoo Phone In accounts to make and receive calls.

Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems, has designed a similar phone for Skype users called the Linksys CIT200 Skype. Both the Yahoo and Skype versions of the phone allow users to control “presence” information, letting people know if they are away, busy or online. Users also have the ability to view the presence of their Yahoo Messenger “buddies.”

However the Yahoo version offers additional features like get daily weather reports, Yahoo’s local search service for information about local services and businesses, etc.

Sunrocket has announced an offer of 2 years of VOIP phone service with free activation and free equipment. The plan offers:

* Unlimited calling to the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
* Free Activation, Shipping, and Equipment
* Free Built-In Features - Caller ID, Call WAiting, 3-Way Calling and Much More!
* Free Enhanced Voicemail
* Free International Calls - Up to 100 Minutes per Month
* Free Enhanced 911
* No Hidden Fees, No Term Contracts and No Cancellation Penalties

SunRocket is growing in popularity as one of the cheapest — if not the cheapest — VoIP services around. For $199 a year (that’s less than $17 a month), you get unlimited calling anywhere in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. The company’s international calling rates are pretty low, compared with other VoIP providers. Reviews about Sunrocket claim the voice calling clarity and quality being about as good as a traditional phone’s. One can block not only outbound international or 411 calls but also anonymous calls, or calls from specific numbers. Voicemail is very easy to configure through the SunRocket site. One can get voicemails sent to their e-mail address. SunRocket also offers one important extra service that most other VoIP services charge for: You get a free additional phone number with its own voicemail box and its own set of features. To sum up, I give ten on ten to Sunrocket.

According to a 2004 study of consumers by The Derringer Research Group, the number of teleworkers supported by broadband connections leapt from 4.4 million in 2003 to 8.1 million in 2004.

A number of VoIP softwares are there in the market for telecommuting. For example, the Avaya Inc. softphone. With a broadband Internet connection at the home, the telecommuter can blend in Netmeeting, The Avaya gear offers the flexibility of using the softphone or using an IP handset that connects to the corporate PBX via an IPSec virtual private network (VPN) connection. This gives end users flexibility and allows them to connect using whatever Internet connection they can get.

All the PBX features are extended to the telecommuter’s softphone or IP phone, including conferencing, call displays and call forwarding. Calls can also be forwarded to cell phones if telecommuters leave their home offices, and they can pick up voice mail and e-mail over the phone. Avaya text-to-speech software reads the e-mail. In addition, the remote workers can use speech access that listens to spoken commands to carry out calling or retrieving of information.

Recently Cisco Systems Inc. introduced VoIP phones that include VPN software, eliminating the need for a separate VPN router to tunnel calls over the Internet. This can reduce the initial cost of setup. Nortel Networks Corp. says its support for Session Initiation Protocol, while not new, is the most powerful telecommuter feature of its VoIP platforms, enabling workers to know the presence status of their co-workers and reach them by instant messaging, phone or videoconference.

VoIP technology in general lays the foundation for adding video capabilities, although these are not widely deployed yet. Voice quality over affordable broadband connections such as DSL and cable is too uncertain to trust to.

Troubleshooting network connectivity problems can be an irritating and time-consuming task. Fluke Networks has put an end to this problem with the NetTool Series II Inline Network Tester. NetTool combines powerful NetProve diagnostics, inline Gigabit vision, digital IntelliTone technology and network, IP Phone and PC configuration testing in one palm-sized tool, so you’ll have everything you need to quickly resolve even the toughest connectivity problem.

You can verify, isolate, and document network connectivity and application port response problems faster than ever before with automated NetProve diagnostics. Suppose you receive a call from a user blaming the network for slow application performance. Armed with a NetTool Series II, in seconds you can prove whether the network is truly at fault by seeing connectivity to key network devices and services. If the network is at fault, NetProve will isolate the source of the problem so you can fix it fast. If it is not the network, NetProve will identify which application port is slow to respond so you can dispatch the appropriate resource to correct the problem.

This provides you a front-line VoIP management tool for verify link readiness during pre-deployment planning, as well as troubleshoot problems on active networks by monitoring real-time VoIP traffic. Simple inline connectivity provides visibility into VoIP calls to quickly diagnose both IP phone boot-up and call control problems, and to measure key call quality metrics. Series II adds H.323 to existing SIP and SCCP support.

Highdeal, the world’s leading provider of pricing, rating and charging solutions has chosen Budget Telecom to price and rate its new VoIP services. In a second phase, Highdeal will replace Budget Telecom’s existing pricing and rating infrastructure for all other IP services as well as future fixed-mobile and MVNO services.

Budget Telecom provides a variety of low-cost telephony and broadband services, including VoIP, to customers throughout Europe. Budget Telecom is today the leading low-cost telecoms operator in Europe. The aim is to reduce their customers telephony bills for a wide array of communications services they offer: Carrier Pre Selection, prepaid cards, international mobile calls, e-commerce and soon to come, ISP and mobile services.

Highdeal is the world’s leading provider of Pricing, Rating and Charging solutions. By delivering unconstrained pricing and packaging flexibility coupled with real-time transaction management, Highdeal solves the billing problem in the multi service world.

Helsinki-headquartered F-Secure Corp, a leader in the internet and mobile security space, launched its technology centre in Kuala Lumpur this week. This is in sync with the company’s plans to bolster its presence in Asia. F-Secure is market leader in offering security through internet service providers (ISPs), having cornered 36% market share in the European Broadband ISP space and 25% in the combined European and North American markets.

F-Secure already has a technology centre in Helsinki. The Kuala Lumpur centre will be responsible for detecting and removing malware, spyware and rootkits, besides protecting customers from phishing attempts.

Voice over Internet protocol (VOIP), Wireless local area network (WLAN), Skype, etc. are some of the areas vulnerable to future virus attacks in Asia. Also, Internet security threats are on the rise with the expansion of broadband facilities. Cheaply available Voice over Internet Protocol numbers and Net calling are helping crooks launch new data-thieving scams.

In a twist on phishing, fraudsters are now calling their intended victims instead of e-mailing them. The fraudsters likely use stolen identities to set up a voice-response system and acquire local VoIP phone numbers.

Wireless VoIP is VoIP running over a Wireless LAN (WLAN). These WLANs are typically compliant with the 802.11 standard. As long as callers are within range of a WLAN access point and using a VoIP enabled handset, they can make and receive calls over the wireless network. Wireless VoIP is gaining adoption in certain vertical industries, such as health care and retail, where worker mobility is critical to a productive workforce.

However, there are certain drawbacks of using wireless VoIP. First, the 802.11 standard poses scalability challenges for enterprise class VoIP deployments. Second, Quality of Service has been lacking in wireless networks. The 802.11(e) version of the standard is specified to include QoS support. Third, implementing and maintaining a Wireless VoIP solution can be expensive and time consuming. Fourth, fast roaming is required for Wireless VoIP to operate in a seamless manner, something promised by the 802.11(r) standard.

However, the future is bright for wireless VoIP. Changes on many fronts will impact the delivery of a wireless VoIP solution. If you are in for it, it will be important to focus on the following areas:

• Define the exact wireless telephony requirements within your company. These become the baseline from which evaluation and selection of various wireless VoIP options are made.
• Understand and incorporate any corporate wireless LAN strategies/polices into selection of a final solution option (security and QoS).
• Identify and focus on any specific PBX (or PSTN) connectivity features that are required, as they will impact any final solution configuration.
• Fully understand the current and future support plans from the selected vendor to supply the wireless VoIP components. This will allow for making future transition plans for expected changes that impact either firmware or hardware.