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  • XO Communications Debuts XO Enterprise SIP Savings Estimator

    XO Communications has released a new Savings Estimator tool that gives enterprises the ability to calculate an approximate cost-savings benefit of utilizing XO Enterprise SIP.

    According to XO, designed specifically for multi-location enterprises, the XO Enterprise SIP enables customers to “simplify, streamline and achieve better cost savings by transforming their distributed voice network architecture to a more centralized and cost-effective VoIP solution.”

    The Savings Estimator tool provides a snapshot of potential savings by factoring in the number of employees, network locations and intra-company long distance calls. The tool also takes into consideration the multiple cost-savings benefits of XO Enterprise SIP, including increased network management efficiency and lowered operating costs as a result of reducing equipment, local voice trunks, long distance and multiple voice and data network charges.

    “Now, more than ever, companies need to allocate their IT and network budgets as strategically as possible while still maintaining the highest standards of network quality and performance,” said Mike Toplisek, chief marketing officer for XO Business Services at XO Communications.

    “This new Savings Estimator is an innovative tool that will enable enterprises to quickly and easily assess the potential cost-savings impact that XO Enterprise SIP can have on their bottom line,” he added.

    XO Enterprise SIP

    The XO Enterprise SIP enables customers to utilize a centralized IP-PBX architecture in key locations and deliver VoIP services to branch locations across an existing wide area network (WAN) or using the XO MPLS IP-VPN solution.

    According to the company, utilizing XO Enterprise SIP customers can achieve a number of benefits including:
    • Lower Total Cost of Ownership by using a single or fewer IP-PBXs to support all locations;
    • Reduced Operating Costs by not having to maintain costly PRI facilities or local voice trunks at each location, and eliminating the operating expense of managing separate voice and data networks;
    • Greater Flexibility by allowing locations to burst above their normal call capacity and sharing idle voice trunk capacity from other locations across the enterprise;
    • Increased Efficiency in network management through simplified and converged network operations, significantly less effort to connect new locations to the public switched telephone network;
    • Business Continuity with redundant Enterprise SIP connections and the ability to automatically re-route calls to alternate locations;
    • Extensive Nationwide Availability of XO VoIP services in all 50 states and more than 2,700 cities.

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  • T-Mobile HSPA+ Network to Deliver Broadest Reach of 4G Speeds in U.S.

    T-Mobile today announced the continued expansion of its super-fast mobile broadband network to more than 85 million Americans-the most pervasive network to offer 4G speeds in the country.

    The company is on track to deliver HSPA+ speeds in 100 major metropolitan areas with backhaul in place, covering 185 million people in the U.S. by the end of this year.

    "The aggressive pace of our HSPA+ network rollout means our customers can enjoy a better mobile broadband experience on more devices in more places today-but we’re not done yet. Our first HSPA+ smartphone is coming soon and our footprint will double between now and the end of the year," said Neville Ray, chief network officer for T-Mobile USA.

    Now HSPA+ network service is available in nearly 50 major metropolitan areas across the country.

    According to the company, 16 of T-Mobile’s current 3G devices, including more than a dozen smartphones, can benefit from enhanced speeds when they’re on the HSPA+ network in all of these major metropolitan areas, including the newest smartphone available from T-Mobile-the Samsung Vibrant.

    The company also said that later this summer it will unveil its first HSPA+-capable smartphone.

    In addition, T-Mobile has introduced the webConnect Rocket 2.0 USB Laptop Stick, an updated form factor of its first HSPA+-capable device. Featuring a new rotating swivel USB form factor, the webConnect Rocket 2.0 is designed to deliver the same home broadband experience on the go as its predecessor, so customers can surf the Web, download large files or watch video from a laptop anytime on-the-go with a blazing-fast connection.

    The webConnect Rocket 2.0 enables customers to take full advantage of T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network in areas where the service is available-delivering 4G speeds.

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  • Apple Reports All-Time Record Revenue

    Apple has announced financial results for its fiscal 2010 third quarter ended June 26, 2010. The company posted record revenue of $15.7 billion and net quarterly profit of $3.25 billion ($3.51 per diluted share).

    These results compare to revenue of $9.73 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.83 billion ($2.01 per diluted share) in the year-ago quarter.

    Gross margin was 39.1 percent compared to 40.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 52 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

    Apple sold 3.47 million Macs during the quarter, representing a new quarterly record and a 33 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter.

    The company sold 8.4 million iPhones in the quarter — 61 percent unit growth, 9.41 million iPods — 8 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

    Apple also began selling iPads during the quarter, with total sales of 3.27 million.

    “It was a phenomenal quarter that exceeded our expectations all around, including the most successful product launch in Apple’s history with iPhone 4,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPad is off to a terrific start, more people are buying Macs than ever before, and we have amazing new products still to come this year.”

    “We’re really pleased to have generated over $4 billion of cash during the quarter,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the fourth fiscal quarter of 2010, we expect revenue of about $18 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $3.44”

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  • Nortel Patent Auction Benefits LTE Market

    The decision by Nortel to sell its Long Term Evolution (LTE) patent portfolio could serve as a launch pad for companies planning to cash in on a market expected to undergo explosive growth in the coming years, according to iSuppli.

    iSuppli forecasts that LTE subscribers will reach 274.4 million by 2014, managing a whopping CAGR of 276.9 percent, up from just 1.4 million subscribers in 2010 and virtually no subscribers in 2009.

    “With Nortel’s decision to open its LTE patent portfolio to bidders, the market for LTE just became a lot more interesting. The acquisition of Nortel’s Intellectual Property (IP) could represent a coup for any company, as it could significantly reduce time to market, development costs and royalty exposure. It also potentially could yield a new serious competitor in the market, depending on who acquires the IP,” said Francis Sideco, iSuppli analyst.

    Currently, among the major suppliers in the chipset landscape for LTE, only Qualcomm and ST-Ericsson are known to have sampled LTE chipsets. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics and LG are known to be working on solutions for their captive handset businesses.

    Who could benefit?

    “Proven experience with licensing and royalties in 3G shows that having a strong IP position is essential to any company wishing to compete effectively and profitably in the wireless wide area networking market. This is true regardless of whether a company is an equipment manufacturer, a chipset supplier or even a mobile network operator,” said Sideco.

    According to him, with Nortel holding more than 4,000 patents in its portfolio, including those that are essential to the LTE standard, acquiring this IP might be a launch pad for companies that could be planning to get into the LTE market, expanding their portfolio or reducing royalty exposure on future products.

    iSuppli believes a number of companies could benefit from acquiring Nortel’s IP—whether or not they are actually bidding on the holdings. Broadcom, Intel, Infineon Technologies, Huawei, LG and Samsung are just a few companies that might be interested in the technology.

    The research group also believes that Nortel at present is testing the waters to gauge if there is enough interest going around in the market for a buyer to snap up the company’s patents, or whether Nortel could achieve greater revenues by turning its portfolio into a licensing business.

    “The real question here is whether interest in the auction exists—and if Nortel will be able to get as much as, or even more than, it obtained in 2009 for its CDMA patents, which yielded $1.1 billion,” concluded Sideco.

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  • Nokia Siemens to Acquire Motorola’s Wireless Network Infrastructure

    Nokia Siemens and Motorola jointly announced that the companies have entered into an agreement under which Nokia Siemens will acquire the majority of Motorola’s wireless network infrastructure assets for US $1.2 billion in cash. The companies expect to complete closing activities by the end of 2010.

    According to Nokia Siemens, as part of the transaction, the company expects to gain incumbent relationships with more than 50 operators and to strengthen its position with China Mobile, Clearwire, KDDI, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone.

    Nokia Siemens expects that based on revenue, with the addition of the Motorola wireless network infrastructure business, it will become the #3 wireless infrastructure vendor in the United States, the #1 foreign wireless vendor in Japan, and strengthen its current #2 position in the global infrastructure segment.

    Motorola’s networks infrastructure business provides products and services for wireless networks, including GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, WiMAX and LTE. This business is a market leader in WiMAX, with 41 contracts in 21 countries; has a strong global footprint in CDMA with 30 active networks in 22 countries; and a robust GSM installed base, with more than 80 active networks in 66 countries; and excellent traction with LTE early adopters.

    Approximately 7,500 employees are expected to transfer to Nokia Siemens Networks from Motorola’s wireless network infrastructure business when the transaction closes, including large research and development sites in the United States, China and India.

    Motorola retains the iDEN business, substantially all the patents related to its wireless network infrastructure business and other selected assets.

    The companies expect to complete closing activities by the end of 2010 and therefore do not expect the transaction to have any impact on Nokia Siemens Networks’ financial performance in 2010.

    Nokia Siemens and Motorola also are exploring a global relationship in the public safety arena. According to the companies, this relationship would combine Motorola’s leadership in providing solutions to public safety organizations with Nokia Siemens Networks’ commercial LTE solutions.

    "This is an exciting acquisition that I believe has significant benefits for customers, employees and our shareholders," said Rajeev Suri, Chief Executive Officer of Nokia Siemens Networks. "Motorola’s current customers will continue to get world-class support for their installed base and a clear path for transitioning to next generation technologies while employees will join an industry leader with global scale and reach. Nokia Siemens Networks will see the benefits of a deal that is expected to enhance profitability and cash-flow and to have significant upside potential."

    Greg Brown, Co-CEO of Motorola, said: "Motorola is very proud of the operational and financial performance of our Networks business and its employees, who will now become a valuable addition to Nokia Siemens Networks. We are excited to have reached this agreement to combine our Networks team with such an industry leader."

    "This is great news for our customers, our investors and our people and will allow us to sharpen our strategic focus on providing mission and business critical solutions for our government, public safety, and enterprise customers," he added.

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  • Sharp to Introduce VR-100BR1 Triple-Layer Blu-ray Disc Media

    Sharp will introduce the VR-100BR1 triple-layer Blu-ray Disc media (write-once) that conforms to the BDXL format specification, the new multi-layer recordable Blu-ray Disc format, a world first. These new Blu-ray Discs will be available in Japan beginning July 30, 2010.

    This disc media product conforms to the new BDXL format specification that extends the storage capacity of Blu-ray Discs to 100GB, twice the 50GB storage capacity of existing dual-layer discs.

    This new format enables recording approximately 12 hours of terrestrial digital TV broadcasts or approximately 8.6 hours of BS digital TV broadcasts. It expands the range of applications for Blu-ray Discs to include recording and saving long-duration HDTV programs or multiple episodes of serial dramas onto a single disc with the same high-definition image quality as the original.

    Major Features

    1. World’s first triple-layer Blu-ray Disc media featuring large 100GB recording storage capacity.

    This disc media is the first in the world to conform to the new BDXL format specification that extends the storage capacity of Blu-ray Discs by increasing the number of recording layers. The dual-layer structure used up to now has been augmented with an additional layer where image data can be recorded to create a new triple-layer structure.

    2. “Hard coat” process provides peace of mind for users by protecting important video data from scratches and fingerprint contamination.

    A “hard coat” process applied to the disc surface forms a protective barrier coating to protect stored data from scratches and dirt that may cause read and write errors.

    3. Users can print directly on discs down to 24 mm inner diameter.

    Wide print area of 24 mm inner diameter and 118 mm outer diameter for disc labeling. In addition to enabling vivid color labeling to be printed over nearly the entire disc, oil-based or water-based marker pens can be used to hand-write labels on these discs.

  • iSuppli: Facebook Plans New Mobile Strategy

    Facebook is set to move beyond its mobile application strategy as it plans to become a stand-alone mobile platform, which developers can distribute mobile apps with, says iSuppli.

    Already a leader in non-mobile web applications, Facebook offers more than 550,000 applications and supports 1m developers. According to the research group, the social network’s aim is to offer something similar on mobile (most third-party Facebook apps are not currently available on mobile).

    Facebook’s mobile growth remains strong. It now counts more than 150m active mobile users (out of more than 400m total users), compared with 100m in February 2010.

    “Mobile will continue to play a key role in growing Facebook’s overall user base. In May 2010, it launched Facebook 0, a text only version of the social network aimed at mobile users in developing countries with lower-end phones and limited access to mobile data. Facebook has deals with more than 60 network operators in 50 developing countries to provide the service for free,” said iSuppli analyst Jack Kent.

    According to him, while Facebook will likely remain the leading social network on mobile, a number of new players will force it to innovate. Foursquare, the location-based mobile social network that offers a gaming element and check-in functionality, is most prevalent of these new entrants. While Foursquare‘s 2m user base is tiny compared to Facebook, its implementation of location specific data is likely to be similar to Facebook’s forthcoming local features.

    “Facebook’s drive towards creating its own mobile platform may cause a headache for developers who will be forced to develop for another set of APIs (application program interfaces) in the already fragmented mobile sector. The prospect of tapping into a 500m-strong social graph could however prove enticing for many, as is already the case for many websites that integrate Facebook’s APIs,” said Kent.

    He thinks that having previously focused on developing native applications for mobile operating systems (including Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android), Facebook’s new strategy will likely focus on mobile web based applications that give it greater control over its ecosystem and the user experience it provides.

    “For Facebook, offering its own platform for mobile web applications will help drive its core advertising and microtransaction business models. It will be able to serve ads and gain revenues from its Facebook Credits virtual currency, outside the realm of other mobile ad-networks and mobile application stores,” concluded the iSuppli analyst.

  • Consumer Interest in Smartphones Catapulted to Unprecedented Levels

    ChangeWave‘s latest smart phone survey of 4,028 consumers shows an explosive transformation occurring in consumer demand – resulting in some major new winners and losers for second half 2010.

    The survey – completed June 24th – took a close-up look at consumer demand for the new Apple iPhone 4 and the HTC Droid Incredible, along with the impact these and other offerings are having on the rest of the smart phone industry.

    According to the report, consumer smart phone planned buying going forward is at an all-time high for a ChangeWave survey – with 16.4% of respondents in their latest survey saying they plan on buying a smart phone in the next 90 days.

    ChangeWave note that overall buying plans going forward are significantly higher than they were a year ago at the start of the iPhone 3GS release.

    Smart Phone Market Share

    At the individual manufacturers’ level, the survey findings show a major leap forward for Apple and HTC at the expense of RIM and Motorola.

    In terms of current share, Apple (34%) is up 1-pt since our March survey to an all-time high while RIM (34%) has taken another hit – dropping 4-pts in the past 90 days.

    According to ChangeWave, Android phones continue to have a major impact on the market, with HTC (8%; up 2-pts) and its new Droid Incredible and EVO models the biggest beneficiary. Motorola (6%), who in recent surveys had registered a wave of new demand for their Droid model, remains unchanged in the current survey.

    “But it’s when we look at future buying plans that the huge moves upward for Apple and HTC become most apparent. The new Apple iPhone 4 is driving much of the industry’s growth going forward, with more than one-in-two (52%) respondents who plan to buy a smart phone in the next 90 days saying they’ll get an Apple iPhone – an explosive 21-pt leap over our previous survey,” say the survey authors.

    HTC (19%) also shows a huge improvement going forward – registering a 7-pt jump in terms of future buying plans. On the other hand, Motorola (9%) has declined 7-pts since previously.

    The analysts say that the biggest loser of all in the current survey is RIM (6%), which has registered an 8-pt drop to its lowest level ever in a ChangeWave survey.

    Palm has also been buried in the wave of momentum for Apple and HTC. For the first time in a ChangeWave survey, Palm is registering less than 1% of planned smart phone purchases going forward.

    “The combined momentum of these latest Apple and HTC offerings has catapulted consumer interest in smart phones to unprecedented levels – with consumer planned buying now at an all-time high for a ChangeWave survey,” as the report says.

    “Importantly, the momentum for Apple and HTC is occurring at the expense of other smart phone manufacturers – Motorola and Research in Motion in particular,” the analysts conclude.

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  • IPsmarx Wants to Revolutionize the Calling Card Industry

    IPsmarx released their newest innovation for the prepaid phone card industry that is said to allow Calling Card and Pinless Service Providers to expand their network of sales agents, increase their customer base, and reduce operating costs.

    The development came about when IPsmarx discovered, through internal client surveys, that there are two unmet needs in the prepaid calling card industry:

    1. The ability for end users to recharge pinless accounts in person, without using internet or a credit card.
    2. The ability for an agent at a retail location to recharge an end user’s pinless account over the phone.

    “Traditionally, the prepaid calling card market has consisted of consumers who pay cash in person for printed cards,” said Carrie Fedders, Account Manager with IPsmarx.

    "This segment of the market typically doesn’t have access to the Internet, may not feel comfortable using a credit card or simply do not own a credit card. However, with the growing trend of pinless dialing, which is much more convenient for consumers, we decided to develop a solution so cash paying customers can still take advantage of the convenience of having a pinless calling account, without having to pay online with a credit card,” he said.

    With the new Retail Store Recharge feature, service providers can now enable their retail store agents to recharge customers’ PINless calling accounts in person. Agents also have the ability to recharge customers’ accounts over the phone through IVR (Interactive Voice Response,) allowing service providers to sign up agents that may not have access to a computer or internet at their retail locations.

    Since only a phone is needed to complete the transaction, this new system enables service providers open up a non-traditional network of PINless agents such as ethnic grocers, restaurants, and small convenience stores.

    “The release of this unique feature, furthers our mission to help our existing client base of Calling Card Service Providers expand their businesses,” says IPsmarx CEO, Arash Vahidnia, “The calling card market is changing rapidly and with the development of cutting edge features such as this, we can be certain that our clients are in the forefront of the competitive marketplace.”

    According to IPsmarx, Calling Card Service Providers who implement this new feature benefit from reduced operating costs – namely calling card printing and marketing costs. Further, they are able to expand their existing network of sales agents and increase their recurring business, thus increasing market share, and, lastly, by offering a singularly unique feature in the competitive calling card landscape, “they are leaps and bounds ahead of their competition.”

    The company claims that customers who depend on calling cards to stay in touch with friends and family living in foreign countries will be the biggest winner of this new technology. “They’re able to experience greater convenience by retaining one primary calling card carrier instead of buying single use cards each time they need to make a phone call.”

    Watch a video on the new Retail Store Recharge Over the Phone system.

     

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    IPsmarx SIP Based Calling Card Platform has been named our “Product of the Year Award” in 2008 and 2009.

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  • Broadvox Announces SMB IP Multimedia Communications

    Broadvox has announced that Grandstream Networks‘ new GXV3140 is the first IP Multimedia CPE device to deploy with Broadvox GO! SIP Trunking.

    According to the company, the solution enables businesses to save up to 70% a month over their previous TDM systems. Along with that, they also receive the added benefit of using and exploring additional features and functions available with SIP.

    Broadvox SIP Trunking solutions are delivered on a private network designed with state-of-the art-equipment, enabling customers to benefit from SIP regardless of their existing infrastructure.

    Broadvox GO! SIP Trunking offers unlimited local calling, discounted long distance, and Toll-free calling. Additional DIDs, Local Number Portability, and other options are also available. The network is monitored 24×7 and delivers service to the United States (excluding Alaska), Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and Canada.

    The first multimedia CPE endpoint used with Broadvox GO! SIP Trunking and the GXV3140 enable video and voice calling upon installation. With a 4.3" digital color LCD screen, the "always-on" GXV3140 has an integrated web browser which gives convenient, one-touch access to personalized RSS feeds of real-time online information services (news updates, stock updates, weather forecasts, directory searches, etc.), and thousands of Internet radio stations.

    This device also lets the user IM with Yahoo, MSN, and Google, and gives access Yahoo Flicker web photo albums. It comes equipped with an alarm clock, calendar, games, and music ringtones. Broadvox claims that full duplex speakerphone and voice codec support deliver “best-in-class telephony features.”

    "Grandstream has developed a true multimedia product to enhance enterprise communications, reduce costs, and strengthen our customers’ network return on investment," said Sergey Galchenko, Chief Technology Officer at Broadvox.

    David Li, CEO of Grandstream Networks, stated: "Broadvox enhances visual communications offered with Grandstream’s IP Multimedia Phone by assuring premium quality video and voice IP calls that are reliably delivered to every customer, every time."

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