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).

Thanks to a post by Skype’s head of social media, Jennifer Caukin, over at the Skype blog, these numbers concerning daily users and their habits have been presented in a visual format, and the scope of Skype’s user base is quite impressive. First, the infographic in question:

According to Skype’s data, 65 million users log on daily, and of these millions, they use 700,000,000 minutes–daily–on Skype-to-Skype phone calls. Over at the Skype blog, Caukin offers some perspective on just how big 700 million is:

The figure that is most impressive is 700 million minutes of free Skype-to-Skype calls each day. To put it in perspective, 700 million is the equivalent of going around the earth 28,000 times in one day, if each minute represents a mile. Or 17,400 times if each minute is a kilometer.

In order to figure the final total–300 million minutes of Skype video calls–the team took the percentage of Skype-to-Skype calls that are done via video, in this case, 42 percent, and after some quick math, they rounded 284,000,000 to the nearest one hundred millionth, giving us the 300 million total.

Needless to say, with all this data flying around Skype’s network, the company’s infrastructure had better be of the load-bearing kind. With the distinct lack of Skype backlash concerning outages and network issues, there’s not much cause for concern. The next question is, is the Skype infrastructure prepared for the possibility of even more growth?

That’s right. No longer are potential Skype users forced to have a computer device to enjoy the VOIP service. To do so, you must first acquire the FREETALK Connect·Me Home Phone Adapter for Skype, a new add-on component that allows users to convert their handset to a Skype device. The description, which was offered over at the Skype blog by Helen Blackburn, Head of the Partner Product Management team at Skype, says:

The FREETALK Connect·Me Home Phone Adapter is a hassle-free, plug-and-play solution that lets you use your existing handset to make free Skype-to-Skype calls, as well as low-cost calls to landlines and mobile phones worldwide at our extremely low Skype rates.

While you don’t need a computing device to use the new Skype adapter, you do need a broadband Internet connection. Not only are the Skype home phone adapters now available, the post also discusses the launch of the GE Digital Cordless Expandable Telephone with Skype.

Essentially, GE’s phone has the Skype Home Phone adapter built into it, allowing users the same kind of freedom the adapter itself offers. That is, to make Skype-to-Skype calls for free. Other details include:

…connect with Skype contacts for free, make low-cost calls to mobiles and landlines and manage your Skype contacts, all without the need of a PC.

There are also pay plans for those of you who’d like to use the Skype home phone services for extended connections with landlines and mobile devices, just in case you Skype list isn’t all inclusive:

• FREETALK Connect·Me + more than 60 minutes** of complimentary calls to landlines and mobiles via Skype ($39.99)
• FREETALK Connect·Me + 12 months of calls to landlines and mobile phones in the U.S. and Canada and 200 minutes**of calls to international landlines and mobiles ($59.99)
• FREETALK Connect·Me + a 3-month Unlimited*World subscription to the US and Canada plus landlines in 40 other countries ($59.99)

These exist for GE’s cordless phone as well. For more information on this, check out the blog post, which features a video highlighting the benefits of Skype on your home phone.

Is this a “begone, Vonage” move on Skype’s part? Has Skype thrown down the “there can be only one” gauntlet in regards to successful VOIP service? Let us know what you think.

Do you utilize Internet calling services, or VoIP, often? We’d love to know.

The report, specifically, looked at fixed line VoIP services and predicted that it would turn into a $40 billion a year market by 2015. Oliver Johnson, the CEO of Point Topic, told us that this was a “very cautious projection” and that “it could be much higher.”

During 2010, the global growth of VoIP was 12.6 percent. Although this number seems slightly low, Johnson told us that it was promising. He believes the real growth is coming in the next few years, but that the trends that this data illustrates are still important to understand. For example, also in 2010, over 50 percent of telephone traffic in France was over some form of VoIP service.

He credits the growth to technological advances but said that it is causing concern for traditional phone services.

“It’s scaring the bejesus out of the traditional telephone processing… they’re seeing their revenues being cannibalized,” he said.

“It’s not going to be an empty marketplace,” he also pointed out. “Telephones have existed for over 100 years and to actually start to capture some of that market is quite difficult.”

In spite of the positive signs for growth, Johnson said that the VoIP market still faced multiple challenges. While there are technical and mobile challenges, he thinks the biggest challenge will be in regards to regulation.

“The more that the incumbents feel a threat or start to see their revenues challenged, the more interest they will have in persuading lawmakers in putting their case, as forcefully as they have in other instances, I’m sure, from blocking this sort of service,” he explained.

Even though this report focused on fixed line telephone services, Johnson told us that the most growth and revenue would come in Internet telephony services such as Skype.

By bigger, that is, from the browser itself.

A little over a year ago, Google purchased Global IP Solutions (or GIPS) for $68 million. Now, they’re using the technology from that in the WebRTC initiative, an open source project for third party developers to create communication apps.

“With WebRTC, we’d like to make the browser the home for innovation in real time communications,” Google says. Of course, Google’s browser is also its operating system.

“As a first significant step toward integrating the WebRTC project into Chrome the WebRTC code is now about to land in Chromium as third party software at src/third_party/webrtc. This means that the crucial media processing capabilities necessary to implement real-time communication are available as a part of Chromium,” the company announced. “We are working hard to complete the remaining steps for a full integration in Chromium and Chrome including JavaScript APIs in WebKit and handling of the native audio and video capture and rendering. When we are done, any web developer shall be able to create RTC applications, like the Google Talk client in Gmail, without using any plugins but only WebRTC components that runs in the sandbox.”

The company says there is currently now free, hiqh quality, complete solution that enables communication in the browser, but that WebRTC enables this. The package includes audio, video, and network components.

Google is not charging for use of the technology. The code can be accessed here.

Developers don’t have to release the code for their products that take advantage of the open source code.

How has the social media revolution changed your life? Share your story with us.

According to Jeff Pulver, who is known for his work with VoIP and as the co-founder of Vonage, everything he ever needed to know about social media, he discovered at age 15. At that point, he understood that social media was all about listening, connecting, sharing, and engaging.

Pulver told us that all his work with VoIP was motivated by his goal of connecting people both on the telephone and on the computer. He believes that social media is not about single platform. Instead, he believes it creates more places to have conversations.

Three of his favorite words are “fear, greed, and disruption.” He said these words have “affected the way we all communicate in business.” While these words appear to be negative, Pulver pointed out that there such a thing as “positive disruption,” which triggers change. Social media is one example of this “positive disruption” and the changes it has brought about are extensive.

He associates social sites such as Facebook and Twitter with the “Purple Minutes” classification that he popularized back in the early 2000′s. The term was used to describe the value-added IP traffic to separate it from the black and white phone minutes.

“It’s all these years later we’re starting to start to see how people are using IP-based networks to do things they never could do before,” he said.

It is for these reasons that Pulver believes we are experiencing a social media revolution in which everyone has access to information.

“It’s not a revolution about ‘we the people,’ but about ‘me the people.’ It’s these individual ‘me’s’ that are able to leverage these technologies directly and indirectly to effect positive and forceful change in the world,” he said.

Recent events such as the chaos in the Middle East and the band of natural disasters show how social media is sparking a revolution that is bringing people together throughout the world. As the revolution continues to evolve, those that do not jump on board with it are likely to face challenges.

“The companies that don’t get it may be disrupted out of business… those companies that understand this can actually change the way they do their business,” said Pulver.

The service, called Bobsled, requires the launch of TMobile’s Bobsled installer, meaning, yes, there is more software to be installed for this service to work. However, once the install is complete, users will have the capability to call people on their friends list. The service makes use of the Facebook Chat utility, and Bobsled users can leave voicemail messages for friends who aren’t available. Over at the TMobile blog, it is implicated that Bobsled application was developed to meet the growing demand for a voice chat service on Facebook.

The use of the Facebook Chat environment supports this. Another benefit of the chat technology allows users to place “one-click calls” instead of having to dial a specific number. The blog entry also indicates calls from PC environment to Mac machines will also be free. Apparently, there was some question about this? Did Jobs and Gates Balmer disapprove of this capability?

While the threat of being swallowed up by AT&T is still alive, that doesn’t mean TMobile doesn’t have further plans for the Bobsled application:

In the near future, T-Mobile plans to evolve Bobsled by T-Mobile to include video chat, the ability to place VoIP calls to mobile and landline U.S. numbers, and will offer applications on smartphones and tablets across various mobile platforms, regardless of the carrier that powers such devices.

It’s hard not to wonder, however, if AT&T will allow such creativity to flourish, provided their purchase of TMobile — Why develop a working 4G network when you can buy someone else’s? — goes through.

We’ve passed another milestone – at approximately 1800 GMT yesterday, there were more than 29 million people online on Skype. Another record broken, and an opportunity for us to remind you that you can get Skype in all sorts of places – on your computer, on your mobile and even on your TV.

According to ComputerWeekly, Skype actually had 29,527,474 people logged in at the same time yesterday. 

Last month, the company made a similar announcement when it reached 28 million users online, just a week after hitting 27 million. 

Skype has been making a lot of moves since breaking away from eBay that should continue to help fuel its growth. For example, the company recently acquired Qik, a popular mobile video service. Skype also launched a business version of its service with group video calling. 

According to a report from PCMag, Skype is pursuing a deal with AT&T to provide video calling service, and plans to merge Skype and Qik together over time.

Edwin Andres Pena, 27 transmitted over 10 million minutes of unauthorized phone calls over the victim’s networks.

Pena, a Venezuelan citizen, fled the U.S. after his arrest in 2006 and was later apprehended in Mexico in February 2009. Pena pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit computer hacking and wire fraud and one count of wire fraud in February 2010.

“Theft is theft whether you rob a bank or hack into somebody else’s network and steal their services,” said Fishman.

“Hackers attacking new and emerging technologies should not assume that law enforcement cannot keep up with them, even when they operate from the shadows or from other countries.”

Through this scheme, Pena sold more than 10 million minutes of Internet phone service to unknowing telecom businesses at deeply discounted rates, causing a loss of more than $1.4 million in less than a year. The victimized Newark-based company, which transmits VoIP services for other telecom businesses, was billed for more than 500,000 unauthorized telephone calls routed through its calling network that were “sold” to the defendant’s unwitting customers.
 

Businesses can use Skype Connect to make outbound calls from their desktop phones to landlines and mobiles worldwide and billed at Skype’s standard per minute calling rates, receive inbound calls from Skype connected users by placing click & call buttons on their sites, and receive calls from landlines or mobiles in the corporate PBX with Skype’s online numbers that have been purchased separately. Users can also manage Skype calls using existing PBX or UC systems’ features like call routing, automatic call distribution, conferencing, auto-attendant, voicemail, call recording, and logging.

"Since its inception, Skype has been used by many businesses wanting to reduce communications costs," says David Gurlé, VP and general manager of Skype for Business. "In fact, based on internal research, in the first quarter of 2010, approximately 37% of Skype users reported that they use Skype for some business or business-related purposes."

"Our team’s goal is to empower businesses of all sizes and types with rich communications tools to unleash their productivity, while reducing their telecommunications costs," says Gurlé. "Following Skype Manager’s launch in May, we are very proud to add Skype Connect to our list of specially designed enterprise solutions. Skype Connect seeks to enable our customers to reduce their phone bills, while protecting their investment in existing telecommunications equipment."

Skype Connect has been available in beta form. In that time, it has connected over 2,400 active customers, and has received PBX and UC certification from Avaya, Cisco, SIPfoundry, ShoreTel, and other OEMs.

More info about Skype Connect can be found in this guide (pdf).