Anastasios ‘Takis’ Kyriakides, President and CEO of netTALK, says:

“Keeping your own number is a pivotal development for netTALK. We consistently find that the number porting feature is a non-negotiable feature that businesses and consumers want, as they are ready to fire their phone company and save money, but didn’t want to lose long-established phone numbers that they’ve invested in advertising among their friends, customers and colleagues. We trademarked ‘Fire Your Phone Company’ for a reason, and we remain committed to making it easier, more affordable and rewarding for consumers to make the switch.”

Copper phone lines are increasingly being replaced by new technology offerings like those from netTALK and other VOIP providers, creating increased competition for the heavily monopolized wireline telecommunications industry. netTALK has undercut Vonage pricing by nearly 50%.

The Pew Research Center reports that online phone calling has taken off as a quarter of American adult Internet users (24%) have placed phone calls online. That amounts to 19% of all American adults. On any given day 5% of Internet users are going online to place VOIP calls.

The netTALK DUO enables free nationwide calls to any phone in Canada and the U.S. from anywhere in the world, as well as low-cost, flat-rate international call plans and a variety of other features, detailed at www.netTALK.com. No computer is necessary to make calls using the netTALK DUO, as it simply plugs directly into a router or modem (or computer).

Jajah ambitiously offers its web-activated telephone and calling services in a variety of forms, from email clients to mobile devices. They received the opportunity to apply themselves to another market segment.

Jajah has touted a 10 million-strong userbase for its myriad products before today’s announcement. Yahoo supports a few more users than that, in the range of 97 million Yahoo Messenger users currently.

Yahoo made Phone In and Phone Out available a couple of years ago to those Messenger customers, giving them a low-cost option for calling from their PCs, mobiles, and landline phones. The deal disclosed today passes the heavy back-end lifting of customer service, payment handling, and infrastructure to Jajah for these services.

GigaOm pointed out an existing connection between Yahoo and Jajah. Om Malik wrote the two firms share a common investor: VC giant Sequoia Capital.

Once Call Out has been integrated via the Open Voices APIs, users of the application will have access to international rates of a few pennies per minute. Anyone who has ever paid the going rate to telcos for international calls should find Call Out a pleasant change of pace.

Users have to pay for Call Out blocks of time, with the lowest bundle of call credits going for $5.  IN a few examples, callers can reach London for 2 cents/minute, Moscow for 1.5 cents/minute, and Sydney for 1.8 cents/minute.

Features for the Open Voices API appeared at AOL’s developer site:

This API allows any client application which supports the following industry standards to ‘just work’ with AOL Voice Services:

• RFC 3261 – Session Initiation Protocol
• RFC 2833 – RTP Payload for DTFM Digits, Telephony Tones and Telephony Signals
• RFC 4028 – Session Timers in SIP
• ITU-T E.164 – Formatted Telephone Numbers
• RFC 2617 – Basic and Digest Access Authentication

Though email and instant messaging help people accomplish a lot through communication, sometimes the best option for contacting a remote person and resolving an issue needs to happen by phone. At a low cost point, even modest reliability of developer applications for devices will be a significant gain for callers who have to foot the bill.

As Silicon Ally Insider’s Henry Blodget notes, they don’t really mention what that breakthrough technology does.

The New York Times sheds light:

The trade-off is that Pudding Media is eavesdropping on phone calls in order to display ads on the screen that are related to the conversation. Voice recognition software monitors the calls, selects ads based on what it hears and pushes the ads to the subscriber’s computer screen while he or she is still talking.

Oh.

I can kind of see why you guys left that out. I wouldn’t sign up if I knew that, either.

Ariel Maislos, CEO of Pudding Media, compares the technology to what Google does with Gmail (which nobody’s sure they’re entirely comfortable with still) and says that privacy traded for personalized content is a tradeoff the world is ready to accept.

And judging by recent moves by certain government agencies around here (I’m looking at you, DOJ and NSA), if you’ll forgive my Orwellian paranoia, that tradeoff is something the watchmen are just aching for us to make, too. 

IP Technology enabled devices, such as desktop and mobile IP phones and gateways, decrease the cost of voice and data communication, enhance existing features, and add compelling new telephony features and services.

The challenges in front of IP telephony is the delivery of voice, fax, or video packets in a dependable flow to the user, at a level comparable to that of the PSTN. Much of IP telephony focuses on that challenge.

IP telephony can be used in bigger companies to deploy powerful, integrated voice, video and data applications delivering:

- Low cost videoconferencing

- True integration of databases and legacy systems

- Multi-channel call centers

- Unified messaging

- Real time collaboration

Systems vendors and service providers plan to use IP Telephony to create unified communications systems that integrate voice calls, voice mail, E-mail, instant messaging, and conferencing.

IP Telephony makes it easier to retrieve a voice message from a PC or have E-mail read over a phone. Such apps exist now, but they’ll become more integrated and easier to use over the next couple of years.

Telecom software development is wrought with challenges. Applications must work with cell phones, PDAs, office phones, PBXs, and call centers and operate across a range of wired and wireless networks from different service providers. They also need to scale to millions of users. While those challenges won’t go away, IP Telephony can make it easier to tackle them.

Another goal is to voice-enable more applications so users can access features, find information, and route messages using simple voice commands. The ease of rerouting Ip Telephony calls makes it easier to provision remote workers, letting them answer calls from home and appear as if they’re in a call center.

IP Telephony adoption remains slow despite growing provider and customer interest. And while applications will no doubt enhance the technology’s appeal, for now IP Telephone price-tag remains its biggest selling point.

As more and more people conduct their business or some part of their work from home, low cost IP Telephony is perfect for them. There IP Telephony applications must be geared to target not just the bigger companies but also individual home users who can benefit from the use of advanced IP Telephony.

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For more information voip, please visit VoIP Architecture.

The O’reilly emerging telephony conference has come and gone, luckily the website has a ton of cool resources including photos, articles, and information from the event. there’s a conference WiKi and lots of great articles touching on topics like VoIP, LBS, Skype, and much more… See http://conferences.oreillynet.com/etel2006/coverage/

Anything Geospatial: Tracking developments affecting GIS, geospatial technologies, location-based services, mapping, google earth and google maps. Published by the creator and editor of GISuser.com & LBSzone.com

It’s everything you ever wanted to know about VoIP but were afraid to ask. That may be dramatizing it a little, but as the new technology buzz in business it may be a little intimidating for some potential users. In fact there are many residences and small businesses that are overlooking a potentially cost-effective service because it is misunderstood as a technology reserved for high-tech companies. While there are many advantages, there are also drawbacks that you should be aware of. Here is some basic information to help you get started:

What is VoIP?

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, technology allows you to make and receive calls the same way as with traditional phone lines, but the connections are routed through the Internet through a high-speed broadband connection. Why go through the Internet? Because bypassing the traditional phone line may save you money. The technology has improved to the point that there are no special instructions and no extra numbers to dial; just pick up your phone and dial as usual. Yoom Nguyen of 24VoIP, www.24voip.com explains, “More businesses, including small businesses, would be implementing a VoIP solution if they understood the cost-savings and efficiency it offered.”

Who can use VoIP telephony?

Nearly anyone. Though many large companies have already transitioned to VoIP telephony solutions they are not the only potential beneficiaries of its allowances. Small businesses, home-offices and even residences can enjoy VoIP’s flat rates and abundant features. While there are minor equipment requirements, including a high-speed connection, there are no size or usage requirements that might limit a business from subscribing.

What features does VoIP offer?

VoIP solutions offer services familiar to the traditional lan-line phone including caller ID, call waiting, hold and transfer, and voicemail in addition to many special features that are especially appealing to small and home based businesses.

For mobile users and frequent travelers:

Voicemail messages can be routed to your personal email and listened to using the proper software. Simultaneuos ring is available and allows incoming calls to ring your cell phone, office phone and any other phone at the same time to ensure that you don’t miss calls while out on the road. Most important to mobile users is the flexibility in that VoIP does not tie you down to any one location. Anywhere that you can find a reliable Internet connection, including home and hotels, you can receive phone service.

For mid-size to large business and enterprise needs:

VoIP allows your company to support hundreds of employees in one building or hundreds of employees and offices across the country. Auto-attendants can route to extensions within the building, across town, or around the world. VoIP offers the ability to centralize offices under one main PBX, reducing phone bills for inter-office calls and allowing a single administrator to handle changes across the company.

Who might not benefit from VoIP?

Residences and local small businesses that do not make many long-distance calls may not see the full cost savings possible from VoIP services. While they may still benefit from the features offered, including simultaneous ring and email retrieval, the costs of installing should be considered before making the purchase.

Residences and businesses that make a large number of international calls should also consider if cost savings will be fully realized. Many VoIP providers who advertise free long distance are referring to domestic calls, sometimes including Canada, but providers may charge an additional fee for international calls. Most often the rates are still reasonable, but you should request a cost chart for review before you sign up.

What do I need to know before signing up?

You may need to purchase some special equipment. In order to maintain a quality connection you will need a DSL, cable modem or satellite connection with a minimum connection speed of 64k. You may find providers who will install VoIP on a lesser connection but expect your calls to be frequently interrupted and suffer from distracting voice distortions, especially if the connection is shared by a computer. In addition to the Internet connection, you will need to either replace your existing phone with an IP phone or purchase an adapter that will allow you to hook up a traditional phone to the broadband connection. Further, a router may be needed to allow you to simultaneously connect to the Internet on your computer while talking on the phone. Your VoIP provider should be able to provide these products for you, but will most likely charge for them as part of the installation costs.

Also important to consider is the current incompatibility of VoIP and 911 emergency services. Because of the portability of these connections there is not currently a system of determining the location of a specific VoIP phone and 911 operators cannot always determine the correct physical location of an incoming call. For example, your phone may be registered at your home address but you might be working from a hotel in Cleveland when you need to make an emergency call. For this reason, The FCC (Federal Communications Commision) has recently mandated a solution to this issue and providers plan to have their solutions available by the end of the year. In the meantime, if you are a subscriber you should have a clear understanding of the limitations and inform children and babysitters of how to make an emergency call. For more, visit the FCC website.

How to Get Started

There is no contesting that VoIP solutions are a reliable investment in todays market, but you’ll want to find out exactly how it can meet your own business or residential needs by evaluating the advantages and the disadvantages. If you’d like to learn more about the service and how it can apply to your needs, consult with your Information Technology provider to find out if they offer VoIP or if they can refer you to a reliable VoIP provider. To learn more about cost and functionality, visit www.24voip.com.

Shannon Southway is the Director of Strategic Relations & Quality Assurance for E-Integration, Inc., a provider of Information Technology services and solutions. E-Integration, Inc. owns and operates 24VOIP.com and ArtistsHeaven.com, an art and fine craft emarketplace. Shannon can be reached at shannon@e-integration.net. More information: http://www.e-integration.net.

Republic Polytechnic, Singapore’s newest polytechnic, has taken its electronic-campus vision a step further with the implementation of an advanced voice communications system that runs across the school’s wireless Internet Protocol (IP) network. The IP telephony system, provided by Radiance Communications using equipment from Cisco Systems, was chosen over a traditional private branch exchange (PBX) telephone system because it allowed the polytechnic to realize its vision for a collaborative and mobile IT-enabled working and learning environment. Campus staff can access a variety of communications tools including e-mail, instant messaging and now telephony to keep in touch with one another over the school’s wireless and wired network.

The Cisco IP telephony solution includes Cisco IP phones in the administrative offices, Cisco CallManager for software-based call processing, Cisco Unity Unified Messaging, and Cisco IP Communicator on the laptops and personal computers of Republic’s staff. The Cisco IP Communicator is a software-based application that endows desktop computers or laptops with the functionality of IP phones, providing high-quality voice calls on the road, in the office, or from wherever users access the corporate network.

By reducing infrastructure and staffing expenses, the IP telephony system lowers the school’s operational costs. Republic’s IP telephony system operates on the same IP network that is used for video and data, which has allowed Republic to consolidate multiple networks into one. The system also enables the polytechnic to utilize its workspaces more effectively, saving on facility costs.

“The vision at Republic Polytechnic is to create a totally wireless and mobile environment for our staff. All our staff are equipped to be truly mobile, next-generation knowledge workers. As our society progresses to being more ‘e,’ we are embracing technology tools that will allow us to become more effective workers wherever we are and whenever the time. The adoption of IP telephony is a strong case in point of how we can minimize our fixed-line costs, while enhancing our communications with our clients — be they stakeholders, parents, teachers, the media — as we are now fully connected wherever we are,” said Prof Low Teck Seng, Principal and CEO, Republic Polytechnic.

Republic Polytechnic was established in 2002 and currently serves more than 1,900 students. The vision to incorporate IT into the school’s operations was conceptualized from its inception, to save the polytechnic from the hassle of having to maintain disparate networks and to migrate the system later as needs evolve. Building a robust and resilient IP network that can deliver voice, video and data, also provides the school with a platform that can easily scale as it grows. Republic’s leaders would like to increase student enrollment to 13,000 by 2010.

“The Radiance-Cisco proposition was compelling for us not only from a cost point of view but also from a migration perspective,” added Prof Low. “The solution provides a growth path for Republic to expand our base of IP telephony users. It also offers other value-added services, which enables the phone to be used not only for voice communication but also for uses such as information retrieval, text messaging and resource management. More importantly, Republic is able to use the platform as a basis for academic projects.”

“Radiance shares the vision of Republic Polytechnic. Our expertise and experience in deploying converged networks enable us to offer a solution that is most suitable for the polytechnic. As Cisco’s first IP Communications Specialization partner in Singapore, we believe that the convergence of voice and data will bring many benefits to businesses and organizations alike,” said Ng Kheng Ghee, Chief Executive Officer, Radiance Communications Pte Ltd.

“We are starting to see more organizations deploy IP telephony as a replacement for traditional PBX systems. The level of adoption has progressed beyond the early introductory phase, with end-users able to clearly see the benefits of IP telephony. In fact, IP telephony systems provide a measurable improvement in voice quality over traditional systems, in addition to delivering value-added services and reduced operational costs,” said Craig Gledhill, managing director, Singapore, Cisco Systems.

The value-added services on Republic Polytechnic’s IP telephony solution are enabled by NexLabs’ SMARTApps portfolio of productivity applications designed for the Cisco IP Phone. NexLabs is a Singapore-based provider of Intelligent Information Management solutions.

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