Master VoIP

Talk Is Cheap: Switching to Internet Telephones

2009-07-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

Fed up with the high tolls charged by your ordinary telephone service? If you're itching to cut the copper cord with your costly, traditional phone service, you need Talk is Cheap, the new, easy-to-understand guide to understanding and using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and other Internet telephone options. Technologies such as VoIP are gaining a great deal of attention these days as more people switch from standard telephone service to phone service via the Internet. But while the cost savings are outstanding, there are some issues with Internet telephony that you should know about. Are the connections reliable? Is the quality comparable? Will it include 911 services? James Gaskin's Talk is Cheap addresses these issues and many more by explaining how to make the switch and what the tradeoffs will be if you opt for Internet telephony over traditional phone services. Talk is Cheap focuses on the increasingly popular services from Vonage, which uses VoIP, and Skype--a free service that operates as a peer-to-peer (P2P) network with the ability to turn any PC, Mac, or Pocket PC into a telephone. The book explains your options; explores the background behind, the workings of, and differences between VoIP and P2P networks; and discusses the advantages and drawbacks of both technologies (including service offerings, quality, capabilities, completion rates, and more). Talk is Cheap then goes into detail on what you can expect in Internet service from traditional phone companies such as Verizon and AT&T. In addition, you will learn more advanced techniques, including how to turn your Palm or Pocket PC into an Internet phone and how to work with Wi-Fi phones and videophones. A straightforward, quick introduction to the ins and outs of using Internet telephone services, this book provides everything you need to make informed telephone decisions--whether you're thinking about the switch from traditional phone service or have already made it and want to get the most out of your new Internet telephone.

VoIP Technologies: A Comprehensive Guide to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

2009-07-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

Looking for a reference on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)? VoIP Technologies, your complete guide to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), provides a comprehensive foundation of VoIP technology, as well as the knowledge necessary to successfully support any VoIP product.

Designed for those who have a working knowledge of data, this guide examines the major components of VoIP networks, the incorporation of VoIP into a data network, packaging and transmitting voice, maintaining voice quality, and addressing traffic issues. Many other topics are also discussed in this section, including VoIP standards, protocols, and configuring networks for VoIP. The second half of the guide focuses on designing and supporting complex VoIP solutions encountered in Wide and Local Area Networks (WAN and LAN).

This guide will also help to prepare you for the Technology Standards and Protocols for IP Telephony Solutions (920-803) and Technology Standards and Protocols for Converged Networks (920-804). Nortel Professional Certification exams.

Switching to VoIP

2009-07-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

More and more businesses today have their receive phone service through Internet instead of local phone company lines. Many businesses are also using their internal local and wide-area network infrastructure to replace legacy enterprise telephone networks. This migration to a single network carrying voice and data is called convergence, and it's revolutionizing the world of telecommunications by slashing costs and empowering users. The technology of families driving this convergence is called VoIP, or Voice over IP.

VoIP has advanced Internet-based telephony to a viable solution, piquing the interest of companies small and large. The primary reason for migrating to VoIP is cost, as it equalizes the costs of long distance calls, local calls, and e-mails to fractions of a penny per use. But the real enterprise turn-on is how VoIP empowers businesses to mold and customize telecom and datacom solutions using a single, cohesive networking platform. These business drivers are so compelling that legacy telephony is going the way of the dinosaur, yielding to Voice over IP as the dominant enterprise communications paradigm.

Vocalocity Offers Cost Effective VoIP Phone Services

2008-06-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

a provider of Voice over IP (VoIP) phone services, said in a press release that its phone systems can cut monthly phone bills by as much as 80 percent for small businesses which operate with less than 20 people. The company points out that its services acquire more importance in today's climate of economic downturn.

The press release stated that small businesses that use Internet phone service from Vocalocity do not have to compromise on features. Vocalocity offers them auto-attendant, voicemail to e-mail, follow meroaming , music on hold, simultaneous ring, conference calling and call queuing.

The cost of installing the full-feature Internet phones comes to about $150, company officials say. The systems are of the plug and use variety, becoming operable once they are plugged in and connected to the Internet. The company said its system compares favourably with competitors both in cost and ease of use. It also offers a fixed rate service making phone bills easy to predict, the company said.

Internet phone service would translate into cost savings in operating costs by allowing employees to work from home even while the company still appears to function from a single location and phone number through a unified communication system, the company stated.

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Philadelphia Law Firm Picks Cypress Communications' Hosted VoIP

2008-06-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

Operating as a part of a larger law firm in Philadelphia, Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel became a separate entity that focused exclusively on intellectual property law earlier this year. Timothy Back, IT manager at Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel explained in a statement that although the attorneys considered buying and maintaining the phone system in use at the larger firm, the total cost of ownership was very high. The annual maintenance came around $48,000 a year. Also, they neededunified messaging capabilities, something the premises-based system couldn’t deliver.

When the law firm finally decided to give up its former phone system, the attorneys sought out a provider capable of quickly delivering all required features. Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel only had about 60 days to make a communications system decision, get the new system installed, and complete user training.

Cypress Communications was the only provider that could deliver a complete solution with the functionality required and implement it according to the tight schedule. Plus, Cypress’ solution didn’t require a large capital outlay.

Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel is using Cypress Communications’ C4 IP, an enterprise-class hosted VoIP and unified communications solution that features integrated voice and data access, desktop phones, soft phones, unified messaging and cutting-edge multimedia applications such asMicrosoft ( News - Alert) Outlook integration, collaboration, real-time presence, chat, as well as audio, video and Web conferencing.

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HT Mostar Chooses Sylantro Systems as Strategic VoIP Partner

2008-06-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

Sylantro Systems, provider of the leading Multiplay Application Feature Server platform that enables rich IP communication services, today announced it will provide hosted VoIP solutions to HT Mostar, one of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s incumbent telecom operators partially owned by Croatian Telecom, part of a Deutsche Telekom group.

Beginning in Q3 2008, HT Mostar will launch VoIP services based on Sylantro’s renowned Synergy Multiplay Application Feature Server (AFS). HT Mostar will also utilize Sylantro’s ComMarketing™ program, under which Sylantro will work with HT’s sales and marketing departments to develop processes for strategy, provisioning, market launch and service delivery, highlighting Sylantro’s end-to-end solutions-oriented approach to customer engagements.

HT Mostar, one of three incumbent tier-one operators, will begin a phased rollout in its region. The deployment will initially focus on finance and other key vertical markets. HT will then offer VoIP services to the nation’s other two regions via a new nationwide MPLS network built in conjunction with Combis, Sylantro’s strategic VAR in the Adriatic region and a leading integrator and technology solutions provider. The HT Mostar deal is a milestone for the national telecom industry and for the country at large, as it demonstrates a post-war return to cross-regional commerce and integration.

“After a public formal tender process, HT Mostar selected Sylantro based on its technical and commercial superiority,” said Josef Thurriegl, board member of HT Mostar. “The company has a proven track record with tier-one carriers and excellent local presence with its partner Combis. A key Sylantro differentiator was its ComMarketing go-to-market best practices program, which ensures that the relationship is not just a technology purchase-and-sale, but a long-term commitment to helping us turn the technology into a commercial success.”

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Everybody loves VoIP

2008-06-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

VoIP is easy to like. Consumers and businesses get an inexpensive way to keep in touch or conduct business, telecom providers get to differentiate themselves based on the value added services they provide and application developers get a new playfield. A perfect win-win situation.

If there was one theme that linked every speaker at the recently held VoIP World Middle East conference (apart from the obvious) it was that nobody could go wrong by adopting VoIP. Bringing together enterprises, ISPs and telecom providers from across the region, the two-day conference served as a platform for discussions on everything from how VoIP can help providers face increasing competition, to the way enterprises can use the technology for better efficiency.

Taking examples from Europe, Australia and the US, these speakers demonstrated how the wider adoption of VoIP and related services is transforming communication for businesses and consumers in these areas of the world.

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Empirix Launches VoIP Testing and Monitoring Channel on TMCnet

2008-06-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC (News - Alert)) today announced that the VoIP Testing and Monitoring channel, sponsored by Empirix (News - Alert), has been launched as the newest addition to the TMCnet channel program. The channel promotes the importance and relevance of VoIP testing and monitoring for Network Equipment Manufacturers (NEMs), Service Providers and Enterprise Contact Centers.

Empirix is the leading provider of voice application testing and monitoring solutions. All of the world’s top ten Network Equipment Manufacturers, nine of the top ten Service Providers and most of the Fortune 100 companies depend on Empirix solutions to help them transition to and adopt new voice technologies with confidence.

The company helps these businesses to successfully transition to new technologies including Unified Communications (News - Alert), IP Contact Centers, VoIP, NGN, and IMS-based networks.
The channels can be found at: http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/voip-testing-and-monitoring/

TMCnet’s channels are micro-targeted information portals where readers can find topic-specific news, articles, feature stories and product reviews. TMCnet has over 70 channels covering important topics in the IP Communications, VoIP, IP Telephony, CRM, Call Center and Information Technology industries.

New NetQoS VoIP Monitor Connects Actual End User Call Quality to Underlying Network Issues for Improved Performance

2007-10-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

NetQoS VoIP Monitor is a network-based VoIP solution that links quality of experience to network performance to speed troubleshooting, without server agents or probes. The product, working with Cisco IP Telephony systems running Cisco Unified CallManager 4.2 or later, provides insight into two of the most important components of VoIP quality: call setup operations (such as time to dial tone and post-dial delay) and audio quality (MOS and underlying network impairments). By tracking actual end user call quality, providing alerts on call performance issues, and isolating the cause of VoIP problems to the network source, NetQoS VoIP Monitor enables organizations to improve performance with faster troubleshooting.

News Image “Monitoring VoIP performance without measuring actual call quality is like cooking without tasting the food. NetQoS VoIP Monitor focuses on the VoIP application itself, enabling IT personnel to understand call quality and connect it to the network impairments that may be causing issues,” said Jim McQuaid, senior product manager for NetQoS. “Combined with the existing VoIP capabilities of the NetQoS Performance Center, which includes end-to-end performance monitoring, traffic analysis, and device performance management with IP SLA reporting, NetQoS now has a powerful solution for ensuring optimal network and application performance before, during, and after VoIP implementation.”

With the addition of NetQoS VoIP Monitor, the NetQoS Performance Center now provides a complete solution for managing an enterprise VoIP system alongside all other business-critical applications by enabling IT professionals to:

* Measure response times to show the impact of VoIP on existing applications
* Determine the volume of VoIP traffic across the WAN – including who is using it and when – to ensure VoIP traffic is not starving out other business-critical applications
* Monitor the health and availability of VoIP devices
* Perform active VoIP testing/monitoring via Cisco IP SLA to measure VoIP jitter, latency, and packet loss
* Obtain metrics on call signaling/setup protocols
* Gauge the quality of voice calls

Specific NetQoS VoIP Monitor Features

* Passive, centralized monitoring of signaling flows producing key metrics, such as time to dial tone.
* Summary call quality data for all calls in the system, including calls using any PSTN gateway.
* Integration with the NetQoS Performance Center to provide a single web-based console for managing converged networks.
* Real-time call watch monitors the in-progress quality of all calls from selected phones for immediate analysis.
* Safeguards to avoid false alarms, such as alerts only when call performance problems affect a designated minimum number of call minutes or calls.
* Operations and Network Engineer views into call quality data, with separate Administrator views for configuration.
* Ability to scale to monitor large numbers of phones for enterprise VoIP deployments.
* Available as a single standalone unit or in a distributed configuration (up to ten individual Collectors and a single Management Console unit).

NetQoS VoIP Monitor is packaged in the appliance form factor common to other NetQoS products and deploys in a matter of hours. It is available as a standalone unit or in a distributed configuration. NetQoS VoIP Monitor is available in September at a starting price of $29,500. The NetQoS Performance Center is available to customers at no additional cost with the purchase of one of NetQoS’ product modules.

WebNet Global Communications Premieres the First WebNet Global Retail Store in Abbotsford, British Columbia to Demo Products and Services for Resident

2007-09-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

WebNet Global Communications announced today that the Company will officially open their first WebNet Global Store retail location via an official ribbon cutting ceremony commencing at 12:45 pm on Saturday, September 15, 2007. In attendance will be the Mayor, City Council Members, MLA, MP and many other local dignitaries.

The WebNet Global Store ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at the new store's location at 32883 South Fraser Way, Ste. 108 in Abbotsford, BC (Just across from Sevenoaks Mall). Directions are available by calling 604-755-4199.

The new WebNet Global Store provides a wide selection of 'Next Generation Communication' services for both residential and business customers. Customers can now learn more about how broadband wireless technology works and receive a free demonstration on how utilizing wireless technology will provide them the freedom to work and communicate while 'on the go'.

The retail location also has a 3dhTM Media Room where people can view and learn about this new 3D holographic television and display technology and its many applications, which is something you really have to see to understand.

The WebNet Global Store provides demonstrations for a number of new services that will enhance mobile wireless Internet access, provide cost-effective Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone calls, make remote security monitoring possible and provide a brand new type of 3D holographic (3dhTM) home entertainment and business services possible. Many of these services work on WebNet Global's broadband wireless infrastructure that is being deployed throughout the Abbotsford area.

As a special introductory promotion the Company is offering its '3 For FREE' Worldwide Long Distance Calling promotion that allows anyone that comes to the store, the ability to call anywhere in the world for free, for 3 minutes.

"WebNet Global Communications is freeing Abbotsford consumers from the restrictions of cables, cords and wires by offering one of the most advanced wireless broadband services available today," said William Legg, WebNet Global Communications' Chief Marketing Officer. "We are offering residences and businesses a High-Speed Internet service coupled with easy-to-use technology and the freedom to access the Internet wirelessly across the city within WebNet Global's expanding coverage area."

Customers within WebNet Global's broadband wireless network coverage area will have access to a fast, simple, reliable and affordable alternative to traditional dial-up, cable and DSL, which eliminates the confines of traditional cable or telephone wiring, allowing customers to connect at home, a local coffeehouse, the office or virtually anywhere within Abbotsford.

Small businesses in the downtown district will benefit from the cost savings that wireless connections offer versus expensive wired T1 telephone circuits. Users 'on the go' benefit from the freedom to move around town and remain connected to email and Internet-based applications using laptops and PDAs with wireless access capabilities.

"We are proud to help Abbotsford join the ranks of one the most leading edge municipalities in Canada by building a next generation wireless network for the city," said Dr. Gregory C. Carrington C.A.S., President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of WebNet Global Communications. "We can offer high-speed connections virtually anywhere in our expanding coverage area throughout the city and we feel that this helps in providing the city with the necessary broadband assets to attract new, high-growth companies such as high technology and entertainment related businesses."

WebNet Global Communications' next-generation, line-of-sight wireless broadband network solution connects customers through unlicensed spectrum. The service provides for a combination mobile and fixed wireless service. Radio signals are transmitted by way of a Network of radio antennas to wireless enabled laptops providing mobility and to consumer premise rooftop equipment for easy connection to the Internet, for home or office use.

WebNet Global Communications Internet VoIP Phone Service works with a customer's existing high-speed Internet access. Service plans provide unlimited local calling in WebNet's expanding coverage area nation wide and unlimited North American calling for one low monthly rate. Abbotsford customers can additionally take advantage of highly competitive long-distance rates to call family and friends anywhere in the world.

Mediatrix to Sponsor the 2007 Fall Distributor Alliance Council (DAC) Conference

2007-09-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

Mediatrix Telecom, the leader in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) access devices and gateways, announced today that they will be a Silver Sponsor at the upcoming 2007 Fall Distributor Alliance Council (DAC) Conference on September 17-20 at the Delta Meadowvale Hotel in Mississauga, Ontario.

DAC is a forum of Nortel authorized partners and Nortel employees, working to leverage the powerful synergy across Nortel comprehensive Solution set. This conference is a one-stop shop for learning about Enterprise Networks products, exchanging ideas and improving business.

Mediatrix will have a display at the show and will be showcasing its line of award winning VoIP Access Devices and Gateways including the new 4100 Series, which recently completed interoperability testing with the Nortel Communication Server 2000 and Application Server 5200.

“We are delighted to be able to participate in this premier technical conference that highlights innovation as well as being an excellent forum where those with new technology can meet potential users,” explained Marc Skinner, Sales Director North America for Mediatrix Telecom. ”We have seen real and substantive progress in both our interoperability and deployment applications with Nortel solutions and the DAC Conference is an excellent venue to showcase our solutions and to meet Nortel partners and explore opportunities.”

If you would like to meet with the Mediatrix team at the 2007 Fall Distributor Alliance Council (DAC) Conference, please contact:

Marc Skinner - Sales Director North America at mskinner@mediatrix.com
Or sign-up for a one-on-one meeting with the Mediatrix team at the Delta Meadowvale Hotel in Mississauga, Ontario

VoIP Hacks: Tips & Tools for Internet Telephony (Hacks)

2007-09-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is gaining a lot of attention these days, as more companies and individuals switch from standard telephone service to phone service via the Internet. The reason is simple: A single network to carry voice and data is easier to scale, maintain, and administer. As an added bonus, it's also cheaper, because VoIP is free of the endless government regulations and tariffs imposed upon phone companies.

VoIP is simply overflowing with hack potential, and VoIP Hacks is the practical guide from O'Reilly that presents these possibilities to you. It provides dozens of hands-on projects for building a VoIP network, showing you how to tweak and customize a multitude of exciting things to get the job done. Along the way, you'll also learn which standards and practices work best for your particular environment. Among the quick and clever solutions showcased in the book are those for:

* gauging VoIP readiness on an enterprise network
* using SIP, H.323, and other signaling specifications
* providing low-layer security in a VoIP environment
* employing IP hardphones, analog telephone adapters, and softPBX servers
* dealing with and avoiding the most common VoIP deployment mistakes

In reality, VoIP Hacks contains only a small subset of VoIP knowledge-enough to serve as an introduction to the world of VoIP and teach you how to use it to save money, be more productive, or just impress your friends. If you love to tinker and optimize, this is the one technology, and the one book, you must investigate.

Find more information about how to purchase this book:
VoIP Hacks: Tips & Tools for Internet Telephony (Hacks)

Increase your Earnings With VoIP Business Solution

2007-09-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

Author: Kristen

A number of VoIP resellers and wholesale carrier service providers presently exist in the telecommunication sector. The reason for this sudden boom of VoIP services has a lot to do with the evolving requirements of both businesses and residentials. Globalisation is one of the main reasons for this change in the way people communicate. Communication is no longer restricted to making local calls to the clients. People need a cheaper way to communicate without sacrificing on the quality of service.

This is where business VoIP comes in. VoIP business solution provides a cheaper alternative to traditional modes of communication along with the same voice quality, if not better. Moreover, it substantially increases the productivity of a business entity.

VoIP solution is not meant for any particular segment of the industry, but it can be utilised by all sectors to provide a complete package, which enhances the way they communicate. Various VoIP service providers offer different tailor-made services to give corporates an added advantage. For instance, there are different services and features for contact centres and Internet service providers through which they can increase their profit margin.

How Can Contact Centres Gain From VoIP?

1. The most important benefit that contact centers get is the ability to provide customer support service through long distance calls at a much cheaper rate. This greatly cuts down on their total telephony bills

2. Some VoIP service providers also provide them with predictive dialers which help in enhancing their operations. With the help of the predictive dialer, agents do not have to manually call the clients; rather the outgoing calls are automatically routed to the customers. It can also distinguish between a voice mail and a live voice from the receivers end. If it’s a voice mail, it disconnects that call and calls another number thereby saving a lot of time

3. VoIP providers can also offer virtual or DID numbers to contact centers. With the help of these numbers, contact centers can operate from off shore wherein reasonable manpower is available. Their clients would be calling on the local numbers which would be provided to them but the call will be transmitted to the place where centres agents are situated

How Do ISP's Make Profit With VoIP?

1. Internet service providers can bundle up their existing broadband connection service with voice over IP service, thereby giving their customers the benefit of using two services at reasonable cost. This way ISP's can increase their earnings from their existing client base.

2. They will also be able to increase their customer lineage with the help of business VoIP service. Customers do not have to worry about taking care of two separate bills every month and coordinating with different service providers. They can opt for a single ISP provider who will be able to provide them both with broadband services and cheaper VoIP calls round the globe. Business VoIP solution has come as a boon for both its providers and users.

via articlesbase.com

How To Choose A VoIP Broadband Phone Service

2007-09-03T11:41:00.000-07:00

Author: Jim Johnson

Internet technology is constantly introducing new and better ways to communicate with others around the world, and making telephone calls using voIP technology is one of those advancements. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and it allows a computer user who is connected to the internet through a high-speed terminal to make telephone calls to another computer or telephone without using a standard telephone company.

Essentially, there are two kinds of VoIP applications to consider, either hardware or software based. If you choose the software solution, you'll have to have your computer turned on in order to both make and receive telephone calls, but the only equipment you'll need is a microphone and speakers connected to your computer.

If you choose the hardware solution instead, you'll be using a converter box called an ATA that will be attached to your high-speed internet connection. Your telephone can then be plugged into the ATA. The converter box takes the analog signal from your phone and converts it to a digital signal to be sent over the internet in data packets, which are then reassembled on the other end of the telephone connection. By using a hardware voip solution, you computer does not have to be on in order for you to make and receive telephone calls, although your Internet connection will have to be active. Many VoIP service providers are including the ATA at very low cost or even for free in some cases.

In order to make use of VoIP technology for placing internet telephone calls, you will need to subscribe to a service plan provided by one of the major VoIP companies in business today. The service plans are usually very inexpensive, often providing for unlimited long-distance telephone calling for as little as $25 per month. You can even save more by choosing a calling plan that places a limit on the amount of minutes used each month, bringing your total cost down to as low as $15 a month.

In addition to domestic long-distance phone calling, many VoIP providers also allow you to make international telephone calls to persons outside of their subscriber base for a per minute fee, sometimes as low as $.10 to $.15 per minute. Some providers even allow free long-distance telephone calling as long as it is carried out between individuals in their own subscriber base.

If you choose to use a hardware VoIP solution, you can expect to spend some time on the phone with customer support in order to get your system up and running correctly, but most likely you'll be able to experience uninterrupted service from that point on. Also you can expect voice quality to be excellent in most cases, often rivaling that of land line telephones.

When you consider all the advantages of using VoIP technology to place telephone calls over the internet, it's no wonder that so many consumers are turning to VoIP for their long-distance telephone calling needs.

via articlesbase.com

Is Internet Phone Service Really Advantageous?

2007-09-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

Author: Kristen

The invention of computers was followed by the advent of Internet services. Initially no one was able to recognize the huge potential of online service till it started being used for everything starting from marketing to shopping to sending mails in the shortest time possible to collecting information on each and everything. One of its more recent oblation is Internet phone service popularly referred to as VoIP service.

The main difference between Internet phone service and traditional channel of communication is of cables. While VoIP terminates calls via Internet, public switch telephony on the other hand transmits calls through optical fiber wires. You still make the calls the way you used to and the receiver on the other hand would still receive it in the way he would earlier. So what has changed?

Reasons For Deploying VoIP call termination service

1. Flexible - Internet phone service is a flexible technology for call transmission thereby it can easily be deployed by different sectors of the industry irrespective of their service and scale and also by residentials.

2. Cost Effective - Most common reason for migrating to IP telephony service is its cost effective feature. Since call is routed through online web interface the total cost of call is more than half of what you would pay through your regular telephone lines. So more savings!

3. Ease Of Integration - Your Internet phone service provider can assist you in integrating your old telephony system with VoIP phone service with maximum ease.

4. Mobility - You will remain connected to your friends,family, relatives or clients from across the globe with VoIP broadband phone service. Take your VoIP phone with you where ever you travel or simply use your laptop to connect to the Internet and enjoy low rate, high quality calling.

5. Low cost of operations - Internet phone service relies mainly on high speed broadband service. Besides there the cost of hardware is minimum as opposed to traditional public switch telephony network.

Source: articlesbase.com

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voIP introduction

V O I P: The Next Generation Telephone

2007-09-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

Author: Jim Brown

Voice Over Internet Protocol is what VOIP means to some who are unfamiliar with this technology. This is not a new technology. In fact, a concept of VOIP is used by most people without even knowing it. It's the computer to computer VOIP. It has been pre-installed to an OS widely used by computer users around the world. This software is used primarily for text chat but it has capabilities of sending digital voice through the internet.

VOIP bypasses the widely used voice telephony and converts its analog voice signals to digital signals so that computers can encode and send them through the internet network. Since the charging for using VOIP itself is free, all the user needs to have is a high speed internet connection or at least a DSL connection which is not new to internet users worldwide. The technology is said to change the way we communicate in the near future and a possible replacement to the current telephone system.

There are three types of VOIP system that are currently used. The most common and widely used is the computer to computer VOIP, the IP Phone, the Analog Telephone Adapter or ATA. Since there are three types of VOIP systems, the user is not restricted to only one choice but can have all three or can pair up to any three connections without hassle. The definitions of each type of VOIP are as follows:

Computer to Computer

This is the most common type of VOIP system since this technology comes with the widely used messenger softwares such as yahoo messenger or msn messenger. Since these applications can be downloaded or pre-installed with some other software for free, many users prefer to use this.

IP Phone

Another VOIP system used is the IP Phone. This computer peripheral shares the internet connection with the computer to connect with other VOIP users. This component looks like an ordinary phone and cradle but has wires connecting to the computer or directly to the modem or router. This can be a stand alone device to connect to the internet even without the aide of a computer.

Analog Telephone Adapter or ATA

This VOIP system converts analog signals converted by the ordinary telephone and sends it through the DSL or cable connection as digital signals which can be interpreted by computers as data. The hardware of this system looks like twice the size of a dial up modem and has LCD screens that let the user view the dialed number through the telephone keypad.

The technology has been constantly developed and studied by computer and telephony experts alike. Its system is already close to perfection and is widely used all over the world for business and leisure.

Source: Articlesbase.com

Linksys CIT400 Dual-Mode Internet Telephony Kit with Integrated Skype

2007-09-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

Now when you want to talk to your friends, you can get cordless handset convenience without the need of a computer. The Linksys cordless Dual-Mode Internet Telephony Kit with Skype application is pre-loaded on the phone and comes with the handset, charger and Base Station that plugs into your broadband network and to the standard telephone line plug. Choose to make calls over a standard telephone line or with Skype and select who you want to talk to from your contact list on your handset.The Handset supports SkypeIn and SkypeOut as well as standard telephone calls showing the caller's ID on the screen. Other features include Mute for privacy and speakerphone to let everyone join in the conversation.

more info here: Linksys CIT400 Dual-Mode Internet Telephony Kit with Integrated Skype

VoIP 101 for Business: What buyers & sellers need to know

2007-08-31T22:43:00.000-07:00

A video presentation about what you need to know about voip. Uploaded by danbaldwin.

VoIP Vulnerable to Telecom Security Threats

2007-08-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

While Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is gaining popularity due to its impressive cost savings, there are certain risks associated with this new telephone technology. Businesses that are considering switching to VoIP services, or already using VoIP, should be aware of these risks and prepare to deal with them through the use of call accounting software.

Because VoIP uses packet switching, the same technology that drives the Internet, it faces the same threats, such as denial of service (DoS), hackers and spam. When an Internet server has been compromised with a virus, for example, it can be burdened with such an overwhelming amount of bogus traffic that it becomes unable to process valid requests. This constitutes a denial of service. While DoS attacks are not common occurrences on VoIP systems, their threat is considerable as one such attack could disable an entire communications network. The defense against this threat includes taking protective measures, such as installing a firewall and antivirus software. Call accounting software capable of tracking and recording all call detail records (CDRs) and capable of alerting personnel to any suspicious calls will be of great assistance in finding and eliminating improper and fraudulent use of telecom resources.

Spam has been a major problem for email users. According to one source, the majority of email messages are now spam-related worldwide. Now imagine receiving spurious calls over your voice network. A sizable number of such calls could render a VoIP telephone system unusable. In fact, VoIP systems are much more sensitive to parasitic operations than email, because of the real-time nature of telephone conversations. With email, a delay of a few minutes is usually not a big deal, but on a telephone system a delay of a few seconds will make it almost impossible to hold a meaningful dialog. So, interference with a VoIP system tends to show up much sooner.

Fraud is another problem, with hackers patching into a telephone system and using the company’s telecom resources to make long distance calls, which may end up costing the enterprise thousands of dollars a month. While this possibility also exists with more traditional PBX systems, VoIP systems are more prone to this type of crime, because the techniques of Internet hacking are much more widely known.

Even so, with proper precautions, VoIP systems can work well and provide an excellent return on investment. Having a state-of-the art call accounting and telecom expense management system will bring further cost savings and provide the security measures needed for trouble-free operation.

For more information on Call Accounting and Telecom Expense Management (TEM), visit Telsoft Solutions.

source: theopenpress.com

Video: Voip Security Threats

2007-08-30T01:38:00.000-07:00

A video explaining voIP security threats. Voice over IP (VoIP) promises many benefits, but moving the phone service to an IP network can expose that service to a number of serious threats. This 10 minute podcast looks at just some of these threats

Download video from youtube via vixy.net

Just Voip

2007-08-30T01:31:00.000-07:00

There are free call offer through JUST VOIP. It provides free calls to more than 50 countries worldwide.

The free destination includes countries like Bahrain, Bolivia, Colombia, Romania which are otherwise not free by any other provider.

To get JUST VOIP Click here

Skype in the fourth year

2007-08-30T01:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a quote from Skype’s co-founder and CEO Niklas Zennström:

Today, Skype turned four. I can hardly believe it’s been that long. It only seems like yesterday when Janus and I were talking about people being able to use the computer like a phone. But without a phone. And without a phone bill.

In less than six months, we went from 200 users to two million. Today, we have over 220 million registered users. Real people having real conversations on Skype. And not just voice calls, either. It’s amazing how far we’ve come thanks to those who fell in love with the idea of boundless conversations. Your trust, goodwill and enthusiasm has fueled everything we do.

So now that the recent two-day “outage” is becoming an increasingly distant memory, let me use today’s happy occasion to bow before you — the millions who use Skype to keep in touch with your family, friends and colleagues. I’d like to give you a huge two thumbs up for the great times we’ve had together. And for the amazing times still ahead. Happy birthday, Skypers!

Niklas

Packet Island releases PacketSmart™ VoIP Lifecycle Management solution for MGCP Deployments

2007-08-30T01:18:00.000-07:00

Packet Island Inc., announces the availability of its PacketSmart™ VoIP Lifecycle Management solution for VoIP deployments using Media Gateway Protocol (MGCP).

MGCP is a client-server protocol used by telephony providers to deliver carrier-grade VoIP service to business customers. Many providers prefer to use MGCP over peer-to-peer protocols like SIP because of its rich feature set, and increased control over subscriber equipment. In some cases MGCP and SIP can be combined to provide a richer set of multi-media services to customers, than can be provided by the individual protocols. With support for MGCP, SKINNY/SCCP, and SIP, Packet Island now offers a broad solution that is essential to any VoIP service provider desiring to deliver carrier-grade service quality to the business VoIP market.

With the Packet Island VoIP monitoring solution, service providers can deploy a VoIP SLA monitoring and troubleshooting service at every business customer site for a monthly service fee. The service operates via a small 4” x 4.5” micro-appliance that is plugged into the customer’s VoIP network. This micro-appliance continuously monitors the quality of every VoIP call, and does active route and traffic analysis to determine if there are external problems that may be impacting service quality. Since the device does continuous monitoring, data is now available for troubleshooting transient issues. Real-time data collection is backed by comprehensive SLA reports to enable the service provider in assisting the customer in LAN/WAN capacity planning. Most importantly, the service provider can now provide carrier-grade support to their business customers using a few qualified VoIP experts in the central office, instead of needing an army of experts trucking around the nation.

Praveen Kumar, Co-Founder and President of Packet Island said, “Though we already had a solution for assessing the VoIP readiness of a customer’s network, irrespective of protocol type, many MGCP service providers wanted to also use our solution to deliver VoIP monitoring services to their customers. Since MGCP is the dominant IP Centrex protocol in the business-VoIP market today, it was only natural for us to add this capability into our solution. Service providers we work with, plan to deliver such a service to business customers for a small per-line fee, similar to the wiring insurance service charged by legacy telephony providers. We see our service as indispensable to the growth of the IP Centrex market, because VoIP problems can be quite complex and expensive to diagnose. It just doesn’t make economic sense to send a VoIP expert to a customer site whenever quality problems happen.“

How PacketSmart Works
PacketSmart VoIP lifecycle management solution is based on purpose-built micro-appliances that work with a highly scalable PacketSmart platform hosted at a Tier-1 data center. Prior to the deployment of VoIP Services, a Packet Island micro-appliance is installed within a customer network to evaluate its VoIP readiness. This device generates specified (varying) loads of VoIP traffic over multiple days and concurrently captures the resulting VoIP metrics. At the conclusion of the test a comprehensive Report is generated to qualify the network as “VoIP ready”. Post deployment of VoIP service, the same micro-appliance monitors all quality aspects of VoIP calls. The ability to examine VoIP degradation metrics in “near real time” or for specific calls in the past, enables the service providers to quickly address both the current and transient network issues making the Packet Island a powerful solution for diagnostics and trouble shooting. Comprehensive SLA reports can be used to deliver a SLA monitoring service to business customers. Packet Island’s GUI is web enabled so that monitoring and trouble shooting can be done remotely from Service Providers central site.

About Packet Island
Founded in 2004, Packet Island Inc. is a venture-backed company located in Santa Clara, California. Since its founding, Packet Island has pioneered the development of award-winning SaaS-based solutions for managing multi-site converged media networks. More information can be found at http://www.packetisland.com

Global IP Solutions Video Solution to be Used in Oracle Communicator

2007-08-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

Global IP Solutions (GIPS), the leading provider of embedded media processing solutions, announced today that Oracle plans to incorporate the GIPS VoiceEngine Multimedia LSVX video codec into Oracle® Communicator, a SIP/SIMPLE-based PC softphone client that allows communications service providers to set up sessions including voice and video calling, presence status and instant messaging.

Communications industry customers will use the integrated solution in conjunction with the Oracle Communication and Mobility Server, which allows developers to easily build, deploy and manage converged applications that combine SIP and Web capabilities on a single platform. Oracle Communicator and Oracle Communication and Mobility Server are both key components of the Oracle Service Delivery Platform and Oracle Fusion Middleware.

GIPS video technology is renowned throughout the voice over IP (VoIP) industry for its robust, high-quality performance under deteriorating network conditions. GIPS VoiceEngine Multimedia LSVX offers unsurpassed video quality for real-time two-way, high-quality video. The technology will complement Oracle’s use of GIPS’ voice technology.

"Communications service providers are looking for compelling, high quality multimedia applications for end-users and enterprises," said Vittorio Viarengo, vice president development, Service Delivery Platform, Oracle. "The inclusion of GIPS VoiceEngine Multimedia LSVX video in Oracle Communicator further broadens the array of revenue generating services available on the Oracle Service Delivery Platform."

“We are proud that GIPS' technology will be incorporated into the world’s largest enterprise software company’s VoIP solution,” said Gary Hermansen, president and chief executive officer, Global IP Solutions. “Oracle sets the bar in technology standards and we are happy that GIPS is again recognized for its industry-leading technology.”

Frost & Sullivan’s senior IP communications analyst Lynda Starr said: “The demand for IP-based enterprise communication systems is set to increase dramatically as customers are looking to derive maximum benefits from collaborative communication. With GIPS VoiceEngine Multimedia LSVX, Oracle Communicator will provide an exceptional VoIP solution with superior quality of service.”

GIPS VoiceEngine Multimedia LSVX provides the complete framework for both video and voice soft phones with advanced techniques to handle jitter, packet loss, CPU and bandwidth constraints on multiple platforms.

About Global IP SolutionsGlobal IP Solutions (GIPS) provides best-in-class voice and video in end-to-end IP communications with robustness against packet loss for service providers, enterprises, applications developers, network equipment, gateway and chip manufacturers. GIPS’ customer list include Nortel, Samsung, Skype, WebEx, Yahoo!, AOL, EarthLink and other key players in the VoIP market. GIPS is a member of the Intel® PCA Developer Network, Motorola Design Alliance, Symbian Platinum Partner Program and Texas Instruments’ third party developer network. GIPS is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Stockholm, Boston and Hong Kong. More information at www.gipscorp.com

VoIP: Hacking Exposed

2007-08-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

Block debilitating VoIP attacks by learning how to look at your network and devices through the eyes of the malicious intruder. Hacking Exposed VoIP shows you, step-by-step, how online criminals perform reconnaissance, gain access, steal data, and penetrate vulnerable systems. All hardware-specific and network-centered security issues are covered alongside detailed countermeasures, in-depth examples, and hands-on implementation techniques. Inside, you'll learn how to defend against the latest DoS, man-in-the-middle, call flooding, eavesdropping, VoIP fuzzing, signaling and audio manipulation, Voice SPAM/SPIT, and voice phishing attacks.
Find out how hackers footprint, scan, enumerate, and pilfer VoIP networks and hardware
Fortify Cisco, Avaya, and Asterisk systems

Prevent DNS poisoning, DHCP exhaustion, and ARP table manipulation,
Thwart number harvesting, call pattern tracking, and conversation eavesdropping,
Measure and maintain VoIP network quality of service and VoIP conversation quality
Stop DoS and packet flood-based attacks from disrupting SIP proxies and phones
Counter REGISTER hijacking, INVITE flooding, and BYE call teardown attacks
Avoid insertion/mixing of malicious audio
Learn about voice SPAM/SPIT and how to prevent it
Defend against voice phishing and identity theft scams

More info about this at the following link: Hacking Exposed VoIP: Voice Over IP Security Secrets & Solutions (Hacking Exposed)

Brekeke Completes Interoperability Testing with VoIP-Express

2007-08-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

Brekeke Software (http://www.brekeke.com/) has successfully completed interoperability validation with VoIP-Express (http://www.voip-express.net/), a --business focused ITSP, based in the UK, Europe and Middle East. "Having tested a huge range of products and services in the VoIP sphere, we have found that Brekeke offers the most flexible and comprehensive solution and have chosen to adopt it at our core for the benefit of all our clients worldwide", said Graham Bailey, VoIP-Express CEO.

"As Brekeke is committed to providing reliable, flexible and scalable IP-PBX products, this validation of interoperability between VoIP-Express internet telephony service and Brekeke PBX expands options for our customers in UK, Europe, and Middle East as well as those who have businesses in those regions", stated Junko Nagata, Vice President of Engineering at Brekeke. "With our IP-PBX's Automatic Route Selection (ARS) feature, setting up VoIP-Express on the PBX server is very simple. Customers should be able to set up the service in less than 5 minutes," adds Nagata.

Brekeke PBX, an award-winning IP-PBX system, is easily managed through a web-based administrative interface, and is feature rich and fully scalable to meet the needs of any size organization. Brekeke PBX solutions are flexible and affordable, from Basic with traditional telephony features, to Pro which includes a full set of Call Center features. Brekeke's SIP-based telephony products are highly compatible with most IP phones, gateways, and service providers.

Full story here

VoIP Solution : Give your Communication a Wing

2007-08-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

Author: Dennis Jaylon

Advancements in modern communication technology has made our life easier to connect ourself to other people. Little matter in which part of the world you are residing, using several of modern communication means you are well connected to the every part of the world. VoIP solution, latest among all other communication means, is all set today to revolutionise the entire communication sphere. Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is used to make calls through Internet.

VoIP phones functions by converting the analogue signals into digital data packets, which through Internet, converts into analogue voice signals. Endowed with several of benefits, VoIP eases out the communication process in several ways. Its most remarkable advantage is its feature of being very cheap. Unlike a regular telephone, this new new system allows you to make calls at very cheap rate. As you are making calls through Internet, the charges you pay while calling to your own town will be similar to the rate of call you make to any offshore location.

Even the sound quality of these phones is much better than that of regular one. VoIP phones get another edge due to its smart functions like voice and video conferencing. Appearing to be boon for businessmen as well as households, this service cuts huge costs in their monthly phone bills. The conferencing methods have added wings to our entire communication process, that too at nominal price.

Installation of VoIP solution doesn't cost too much hassles. It can be settled within 1-2 days. What all you need to set it up is an Internet connection, desktop computer, microphone, speaker, adapter, sound board and a VoIP enabled phone. Even these phones have several features attached with it like speaker, call waiting, call transfer, hold, programmable keys, etc. As, this modern communication tool is maturing, we can expect that some more advancements in it might take all its drawbacks away.

via articlesbase.com

voip introduction

2007-08-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick introduction to VoIP and how you can benefit from this technology..

"When people ask "What in the world is VoIP?", I usually give them the easiest answer; a way to save a lot a money on your phone bill! VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. What does this mean you might ask? Instead of phone calls transmitting through the antique telephone system, the calls are routed over the internet. To accomplish this, VoicePulse provides a small adapter plugged in between the router and a standard telephone handset.

You've probably heard of or have actually used a form of VoIP in the past few years. A few examples are DialPad, Net2Phone, and Yahoo Messenger. Originally these services may have been free but now they are not. The two major drawbacks these services had are: a headset tethered to your home computer and no local number for incoming calls. With today's VoIP service, you can use a standard household phone, receive incoming calls, have unlimited long distance, voicemails sent to email, and more. VoIP has made great strides in the past 2 years and brings much more to the table!"

Voip at wikipedia