Business News Holding

Category: voip

  • AudioCodes Announces HD VoIP Strategy


    AudioCodes has launched new high definition VoIP technology – VoIPerfectHD – that it believes delivers higher voice clarity, better intelligibility and richer sound.

    The company says that it also significantly improves a user’s experience by doubling the audible voice spectrum.

    It expects the introduction of HD VoIP to extend its reach to both enterprises and service providers, allowing entry into new market segments which will benefit from enhanced clarity and better speech intelligibility.

    Among key segments expected to benefit from this new introduction are banks, government, military, health, telemedicine and education.

    AudioCodes’ HD VoIP is designed to enable enterprises to improve worker collaboration resulting in higher productivity and enhanced customer service quality.

    Service providers are expected to benefit from differentiating their VoIP offering and services by increasing call length and having a higher Average Revenue per User.

    In addition, application providers and ISVs are capable of effortlessly enhancing their solutions in order to meet stringent voice quality standards.

    AudioCodes plans to embed HD VoIP across its product portfolio throughout 2009.

    AudioCodes says its new product is aimed at what it believes is VoIP’s general failed to deliver ‘better-than-PSTN’ quality mainly due to its 3.4 kHz bandwidth limitation connected with the use of legacy narrowband speech codecs in VoIP networks.

    A statement from the company said that, with the advent and growing spread of IP broadband networks, wideband speech codecs which encode 7.1 kHz of the voice spectrum can now be effectively deployed to double the bandwidth and improve everyday voice communication quality to a level similar to that of conference room quality and/or FM radio.

    "AudioCodes has been working over the past few years and increasingly in 2008 to implement a group of standards-based wideband speech codecs including G.722, AMR-WB, Microsoft RTAudio and others for use in wireline, wireless, cable, enterprise and internet applications with the goal of leading the transition towards increased use of HD VoIP in evolving voice communication networks," the statement said.

    AudioCodes VoIPerfectHD implementation of HD VoIP relies primarily on AudioCodes leadership in DSP, voice coding and voice processing technologies, and their application to VoIP communications and conferencing.

    It implementation as a unified infrastructure for all AudioCodes’ products allows the offering of HD VoIP capabilities and benefits across all of its products ranging from Multi-Service Business Gateways, Media Servers, Media Gateways and DSP chips to IP Phones.

  • Indian VoIP Market Ripe For Growth

    The Indian market for VoIP is second only to China amongst the Asia Pacific countries and, with ever increasing numbers of broadband users, has vast potential for growth.


    biz-news.com blogger correspondent Jolsna Rajan gives her perspective on the internet communications outlook for the nation.

    The VoIP market in India is growing phenomenally. It has picked up and is all set to become the second largest market in the APAC countries after China.

    According to research by iLocus the carrier VoIP equipment market, softswitch and media gateways generated combined revenues of $2.2 billion in 2007, which represents about 24 percent growth over previous year.

    And 1,079 billion minutes of VoIP traffic carried by service providers worldwide was reported as in 2007.

    Of these minutes, 382.3 billion was local call volume, 614.4 billion was national long distance (NLD) call volume, and 82.6 billion was the international long distance (ILD) call volume.

    "India’s telecom market is one of the most dynamic telecom markets in the world, presenting high revenue potential for equipment vendors," said Jahangir Raina, an analyst at iLocus.

    "As carriers in India build next-generation networks that compete globally, we expect very rapid adoption of VoIP services not only in ILD but also in the domestic long distance segment. VocalTec is poised to meet the explosive growth expectations forecasted in our study."

    Competition

    The big players in the market like Skype, Jaxtr , Jajah continue to do well while it is interesting to note that entrants like Phonewala and TringMe have already begun to do exceedingly well.

    The growth of these new companies is very evident:

    • While Phonewala’s promoter Net4 recently got listed at BSE, TringMe is all set to capture a part of market share through its unique offering. Tringme has an embeddable flash widget that allows users to entirely get rid of their phone and call though a landline or even GTalk. Users only need a microphone connected to their computer. Calls are entirely free, and users can choose to keep their phone number private. It is already embarking onto expansion plans and is adding two more products in their portfolio, one of which is in the beta stage and the other will be a first of its own kind video product.

    The Booming Potential

    Lower cost is the most compelling reason to switch to VOIP service.

    It is one among the deregulated markets in India. Hence competitors are increasingly finding ways to cut costs.

    Also, consider the fact that CISCO alone has already shipped in excess of 200,000 IP phones to India. It also recently set up a pilot facility through their global manufacturing partner Foxconn for the production of internet protocol (IP) phones in Chennai.

    According to the Telecom Regulatory Authorty Of India (TRAI) document by 2010 India will have 20 million broadband users. This may give VoIP just get the right boost it requires.

    The Underlying Myth

    Perhaps the biggest misconception about VoIP is that it is illegal in India. Recently TRAI has been providing measures to tackle this misconception among users and hence has recommended removing earlier restrictions by appropriate licensing fees or service tax as captured.

    The second other assumption is that “low cost calls usually face problems with sound quality and reliability”. This misconception is yet to be tackled which would give a wide opportunity space especially with the corporate.

    All these disadvantages will be overcome in time and by 2010, India will witness a much better consumer acceptance.

  • VoIP Call Quality Boost With New Vonage Patent


    A new patent which reduces the likelihood of dropped and incomplete calls has been added to Vonage’s portfolio.

    Louis Mamakos, Vonage’s CTO and executive vice president, said the patent reflected the depth of talent and creativity at the company.

    According to Vonage, the invention, which was filed for patent in 2003, makes it "less likely for customers to encounter dropped calls, incomplete attempted calls or other communication problems resulting from typical router function and behavior".

    “This is an exciting moment for Vonage as we continue to expand our patent portfolio to help create a more reliable calling experience for our customers,” said Mamakos.

    The patent relates to improvements in Internet telephony where Network Address Translation (NAT) is required.

    The patent addresses the issue of a router losing an outbound port during an Internet telephone connection.

    To avoid the router timing out and closing the outbound port, the patent causes the media terminal adapter to send an outbound message to the Internet telephony regional data center.

  • Logitech Snaps Up VoIP Startup SightSpeed


    Logitech International has announced the acquisition of VoIP and videoconferencing startup SightSpeed for around USD $30 million.

    The deal is expected to close in early November, following completion of standard closing procedures and conditions.

    In a release, the Swiss manufacturer of PC peripherals said the addition of SightSpeed’s video technology and research and development team would allow it to develop new video solutions for the home market.

    SightSpeed’s software has received widespread praise and sits at the core of Dell’s Video Chat application. The service allows people to make video calls, computer-to-computer voice calls, and calls to regular telephones, with free and paid versions.

    Logitech claimed the merger would produce "future video calling initiatives that can enable cross-platform video communications with an intuitive, lifelike experience, for people sitting in front of a personal computer or with their family in a living room".

    Logitech, perhaps best known for computer mice it makes, already sells high-end video cameras for online video conferencing and chat, and some VoIP equipment as well.

    Junien Labrousse, executive vice president of Logitech’s Products group, said: "With this acquisition, we are significantly augmenting our current video R&D resources to help us move more quickly toward our goals for video services that complement the way people socialize, communicate and enjoy entertainment."

    SightSpeed’s 25 employees currently work out of offices in Fremont, California, where Logitech’s US HQ is situated.

  • Ditech Offers Network Operators More Deployment Options


    Ditech Networks today announced that its Packet Voice Processor (PVP) is now available in a smaller size.

    The move will give network operators and enterprises greater flexibility to support VoIP, 3G and Web 2.0 services.

    PVP now can be configured and deployed to support 1,000-4,000 sessions at the network’s edge, and up to 16,000 sessions in the core of the network.

    The company says this range and configurability make its PVP product the industry’s most flexible voice quality platform for IP services.

    Although the demand for VoIP, 3G and Web 2.0 services continues to increase significantly, the volume of IP voice traffic can vary widely at different points in the network.

    Network operators and enterprises need the ability to support a wide range of call volumes and the flexibility to increase capacity as demand for IP voice services grows.

    Ditech’s PVP product supports early stage markets and services, in addition to supporting the high-capacity requirements of IP voice services in the core of the network.

    Karl Brown, vice president of marketing at Ditech Networks, said the new low-density PVP chassis had all of the same functionality and performance of the higher-capacity product.

    But he said it was implemented in a way that offered network operators and enterprises more deployment options.

    “Ditech’s new form factor and session capacity ensures that PVP can meet the different network requirements of supporting the growth of IP voice services,” he said.

    Ditech’s PVP product now is available in two platform options: 13RU, 14-slot chassis for up to 16,000 sessions; and 5RU, 6-slot chassis for 1,000-4,000 sessions.

    Cards in the 6-slot chassis can be redeployed in the 14-slot chassis as the demand for network capacity increases.

  • Truphone announces VoIP app for BlackBerry


    The VoIP mobile software developer Truphone has launched a beta version of its iPhone app for RIM’s BlackBerry 8801 and Curve devices.

    While Truphone Anywhere for Blackberry only works on WiFi enabled BlackBerrys at the moment it will be rolled out for 3G at some point.

    Offering similar services and features as found on Truphone’s Symbian S60 and Apple iPhone platforms, the free VoIP service provides discount calling around the world.

    Truphone doesn’t currently offer a Windows Mobile version but one is understood to be in development.

    The software can be downloaded via Blackberry’s built-in browser.

    It integrates with the handset’s address book and the newer version of the software routes calls via the cheapest network available to the handset, be it GSM or Truphone’s service over VOIP, but only if you select this manually.

    Geraldine Wilson, the new CEO of Truphone, said: "There’s no GSM business tariff that gets close to the prices we can offer BlackBerry users with Truphone for international calling."

  • iSkoot is First VoIP Application in Android Market


    iSkoot has announced that its mobile application, iSkoot for Skype, is launching in the Android Market.

    It is the first VoIP solution available on Google’s new mobile application store.

    Available immediately for download, iSkoot for Skype also runs on nearly all major mobile platforms, including J2ME, S60v3, UIQ, Palm, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry.

    iSkoot’s solution supports the Skype software, offering Android users on any cellular network the ability to make Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut calls on their mobile phone. Users can also receive Skype calls and use Skype text chat.

    Although the service offers greatly reduced prices, the calls are not free. See iSkoot’s website for pricing details.

    Jim Hudak, iSkoot vice president of business development, said: "iSkoot continues to work on delivering innovative products that give people a rich mobile experience so that they can cut the cord from their desktop."

    San Francisco-based iSkoot has built significant momentum during the past year with the recent acquisition of Social.IM, the social network IM client.

  • JOBS: Manager of Hardware Engineering with consumer video electronics experience


    Cisco’s Emerging Technologies Group (ETG) focuses on creating solutions in new and adjacent technology markets, and is looking for high energy, high impact individuals who want to help shape Cisco’s future by building our next USD $1B business.

    Consumer TelePresence is a new Business Unit being incubated in ETG, and we are currently seeking a Manager of Hardware Engineering to help lead this incubation through to a significant business. Leveraging technology developed for our enterprise TelePresence product, the fastest growing product in Cisco’s history, CTBU will bring to market a breakthrough, consumer version of TelePresence which will provide a unique, in-person experience when communicating with friends and relatives over the internet.

    Job Description:

    Reporting to the Director of Hardware of TSBU, the Manager of Hardware Engineering will be responsible for the following:

    • Build world-class engineering team
    • Work with product management, market development, and customers to develop, refine, validate, and prioritize product requirements and product roadmaps
    •Work with industrial design team to ensure constraints are met in developing compelling consumer designs.
    • Define product hardware architecture and system level designs based on product requirements and business model.
    • Work with director of software to ensure a complete system and make appropriate trade offs as a team
    • Develop product hardware functional specifications
    • Develop product prototype
    • Make strategic trade-offs in make-buy-partner technology decisions
    • Drive to develop and protect intellectual property for market leadership.
    • Lead development, launch and successful revenue growth of the product(s)
    • Develop, and adhere to, resource plans, schedule, and budget

    Requirements:
    • Previous multiple year experience in the consumer electronics market, bringing multiple successful products to market.
    • Experience with video, audio products and solutions.
    • Track record of developing “disruptive” products and bringing them to market
    • Very high technical competence, individual technical accomplishments with repeated, proven track record for product delivery
    • Entrepreneurial drive, demonstrated ability to achieve stretch goals in an innovative and fast paced environment
    • Strong leadership and management skills, ability to deliver results with a small, fast-paced teams, and ability to work across teams
    • Strong ability to stay in sync with key customer requirements and deliver products to meet the requirements, making appropriate trade-offs
    • Experience in building high performing engineering teams
    • Strong inter-personal skills and teamwork
    • Ability to work and thrive in a true “startup” mode

    Other desired qualifications include:
    • Work experience with successful startups
    • Brought products to market with cameras or displays
    • Experience with visual communications systems.

    This position is located in San Jose, CA, US

    Please click here for more information.

  • DeFi Offers Worldwide Wifi VoIP


    DeFi Mobile has launched a new service that aims to reduce international mobile roaming charges by substituting wifi VoIP for cellular calls whenever possible.

    DeFi Global Access lets customers use their dual-mode cellular/wifi handsets to make calls through international wifi hotspots.

    It costs USD $40 per month and gives users a phone number in the country of their choice – currently from a list of 40.

    This allows them to make and receive unlimited global wifi calls.

    For an extra USD $10 per month customers can have two more numbers in any of the listed countries, so that friends and relatives in those locations can phone them for the price of a local call.

    The flat monthly fee lets customers connect through the hotspots of a longlist of operators, including AT&T Wireless, FON, free-hotspot.com, Orange France SA, T-Mobile International AG and VEX.

    DeFi says it has arranged more than 50 partnerships that provide wifi access in upward of 75 countries, 15,000 hotels and 120 airports.

    Jeff Rice, CEO of DeFi, said to ensure call quality customers would have direct connections with hundreds of telecom carriers through a colocation center in a major undersea cable landing station.

    Users download client software to their handset – currently it’s available for Nokia Symbian handsets, with other versions coming.

    The software automaticaly makes a connection when the handset is in range of an accessible hotspot, and routes calls over the DeFi network rather than the cellular network.

  • Cicero delivers Mobile Video over IP


    Cicero Networks has announced the release of CiceroPhone V2oIP (Voice and Video) for Nokia E series and N series handsets.

    In what it claims is the world’s first real-time, two-way IP video application for Nokia phones, the software enables high quality video telephony over Wi-Fi and 3G/4G networks.

    CiceroV2oIP provides video streaming using either the front or back camera on phones and simultaneously displays both the outgoing and incoming video streams to both parties on a call.

    The application also supports a range of half-duplex video applications, including “see-what-I-see” video sharing on any Series 60 Nokia device.

    Ross Brennan, CEO of Cicero Networks, said there was a demand from operators and service providers for services that made the most of both their fixed and mobile assets.

    CiceroPhone is SIP and 3GPP standards compliant, allowing it to be used in conjunction with an operator’s existing IP infrastructure.

    Cicero said that interoperability had already been proven with the IP and IMS communication platforms of the world’s leading network equipment providers.