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  • Fring Targets Mainstream Users With New Funding


    VoIP start-up fring has announced that it intends to accelerate its growth plans after completing a third round of funding.

    Avi Shechter, fring co-founder and CEO, said a key objective is to make the free VoIP and IM service easier to use for mainstream "fringsters".

    While no details on the level of funding were available, all previous fring investors participated in this round including US based North Bridge Venture Partners, Pitango Venture Capital, Veritas Venture Partners and VenFin Limited.

    Shechter said fring is already turning the mobile into the "ultimate social device" by mashing up people’s favourite forms and modes of communication.

    "We plan to add to the fring experience and make it an ever more central part of fringsters’ social lives," he said.

    fring users can currently share experiences with friends on facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, among others, while communicating via Skype, MSN Messenger, GoogleTalk TM, Yahoo!TM, AIM and ICQ.

    Shechter said the new capital would be used to make fring even more accessible to the rest of the mobile world.

  • Demand For Web-Enabled TVs Surging, CEA Finds


    TV makers have been quick to recognise consumer appetite for connected TVs – and their ability to act as a differentiator in a crowded market.

    Rightly so as new research shows that nearly half of prospective TV buyers in the US intend to purchase an Internet-ready TV in the next year.

    Now a study by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has confirmed the growing interest, with 14.5 million consumers likely to purchase an Internet-connected TV in the next year.

    Shawn DuBravac, CEA economist and director of research, said consumers want more from their TV experience and marrying traditional television with Internet access is providing the next frontier of the television experience.

    "Consumers are already using the Internet while they watch TV," he said.

    "The next frontier is to create a seamless experience bringing the two together."

    Uses consumers gave for connected TVs include:

    • 48 per cent would find out about upcoming shows and identify a song that played during the show
    • 44 per cent would find out more about the actors
    • The top benefits of connected TVs, according to the study, are anytime-access to content and accessing the Web and TV broadcasts simultaneously.
    • The activities most likely to be converted from the PC to a connected TV include: watching online video (62 per cent), checking the weather (59 per cent) and playing online games (57 per cent).

  • BSkyB's Revenues Rise As HD Subscribers Double


    It’s taken a while but HDTV seems to have firmly established itself in the UK – underlined by the latest surge in subscriber numbers for BSkyB.

    The satellite broadcaster has seen its HD base leap to more than one million subscribers – up 32 per cent on the previous quarter and more than double the 465,000 who signed up last year.

    The strong uptake of its Sky+ HD service played a big part in increasing BSkyB’s Q3 revenues to GBP £1.4bn – up by 12 per cent compared with Q3 2008.

    Pre-tax profits grew 13 per cent to GBP £63m (USD $93m).

    Sky+ HD subscribers rose by 243,000 in Q3 2009, helped by a cut in the price of the HD set-top boxes from GBP £150 to £49.

    This decision cost the broadcaster around GBP £60m in upront cost but resulted in increased revenues from more expensive subscriptions.

    Average annual revenue per customer rose 7 per cent to GBP £452.

    Jeremy Darroch, BSkyB’s CEO, said the subscriber increase was generated by a growing trend towards HD among customers, alongside its HD box strategy.

  • 802.11n Wi-Fi Will Dominate Wireless HD Video


    802.11n Wi-fi technology will see off competitors in the wireless HD video market, at least for the next several years, according to In-Stat .

    Three other technologies are competing in this space – Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI), WirelessHD, and Ultrawideband (UWB).

    However, Brian O’Rourke, In-Stat analyst, said the ubiquity of Wi-Fi technology is proving unstoppable.

    He said 802.11n is the next generation of the immensely popular Wi-Fi family.

    "It promises data rates above 100Mbps and is backwards compatible," he said.

    "The installed base of Wi-Fi is immense, and effectively includes all mobile PCs, many mobile phones and a wide variety of CE devices.

    O’Rourke said the primary drawback to 802.11n is expense, since it requires codec technology on both ends to transmit HD video.

    Neither of its primary competitors, WHDI and WirelessHD, requires codecs.

    Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

    • UWB will not be a major factor in the consumer electronics market. Many chip companies are leaving the market in late 2008 and 2009.
    • Nearly 24 million digital TVs will ship with some type of Wireless HD video technology in 2013.
    • WHDI and WirelessHD are being promoted by startups, but they are new, expensive, and power-hungry, which is generally not a recipe for quick market success.
    • WHDI and WirelessHD will see a slow start, with fewer than eight million devices with those technologies shipped in 2013.

  • Sony Adds Web Connectivity to Bravia Range


    Sony has extended its BRAVIA HDTV range to include a new model that for the first time lets viewers access online services.

    The Z5500 uses Sony’s AppliCast technology to connect via its Ethernet port to the Internet.

    The HDTV can display RSS feeds and, through its XMB (XrossMediaBar) on-screen interface, provides a choice of widgets that can be simultaneously viewed while watching TV.

    Hiroshi Sakamoto, vice president, TV Marketing EuropeSony, said that alongside a pre-installed analogue clock and calendar, the Z5500 can download other networked widgets.

    The list includes: calculator, alarm, world clock and picture frame online, which allows you to display an image that is stored online when the TV is in Picture Frame Mode.

    The Z5500 also comes equipped with CI Plus interface, enabling broadcasters to offer premium content directly to TVs without the need for a separate set-top box.

    There’s also an integrated MPEG 4 AVC HD tuner for watching HD broadcasts without the need for a set-top box.

    The Z5500 will be available in three screen sizes (40-inch, 46-inch and 52-inch).

  • Palm Preparing Second Pre-like Smartphone For 2009


    With a launch date for Palm’s much anticipated Pre still to be announced along comes news that Palm is preparing a second Pre-like handset for release this year.

    The smaller and slimmer device will be pitched at a different part of the smartphone market, according to Techcrunch.

    Palm is said to be "very far along" on its second Pre-like handset, which will run the new WebOS operating system.

    Spec details – such as whether it will have a touchscreen keyboard – are unknown.

    Equally unclear is what effect a second device, launched so soon after the Pre, will have on the flagship smartphone’s sales.

    Elsewhere, more information has been emerging on the Pre this week, with iSuppli estimating that the Palm smartphone costs around USD $170 to make.

    The calculation is based on the device’s hardware and manufacturing costs using second-quarter component and assembly pricing.

    The breakdown of the USD $170.02 consists of a hardware cost of USD $137.83, manufacturing and basic test costs of USD $9.58, and software and licensing costs of USD $22.61.

    The analysis does not include shipping, logistics, marketing and other channel costs.

    iSuppli expects Palm will try to sell the Pre to wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corp for about USD $300.

    But the analysts said the actual cost to consumers will be around USD $200 due to an expected carrier subsidy.

    Just when the Pre will be released is still largely a mystery, although the latest projection is 7th June.

    An interesting choice, if correct, as this is the day before Apple holds its World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC).

    And that is where the next generation iPhone is widely believed to be set for release.

  • MACH Aims To Offset EU Mobile Roaming Charge Cap Losses


    MACH has announced a range of solutions designed to offset the impact on mobile operator roaming revenues of the recent European Union (EU) pricing regulations.

    The company says its EU Compliance Power Pack will immediately counter the forecast reduction in revenues by implementing smart rating and price optimisation.

    It says this allows mobile operators to reprice certain services such as voice and SMS in order to create new revenue streams offsetting the anticipated effects of the EU regulation.

    The measures introduced by European regulators impose wide-ranging pricing restrictions and administrative obligations on mobile operators.

    Voice, SMS and data service prices will be capped with effect from 1st July 2009, with further reductions in caps becoming effective in 2011.

    Operators will also be required to bill on a per second basis under the new regulations.

    The legislation also requires operators to notify subscribers of high usage to avoid so-called "bill shocks", requiring real-time usage reporting and notification processes.

    European officials said they will monitor changes to other operator charging structures to ensure that these are not increased to compensate for the impact of the new legislation.

    Lodewijk Cornelis, CMO at MACH

    Lodewijk Cornelis, CMO at MACH, said its Power Pack includes a solution to the "bill shock" problem, by triggering timely customer notification whenever a usage threshold is reached.

    He said this solution gives mobile operators the ability to provide customers with timely data usage information while roaming.

    "The regulations approved by the European Parliament, combined with increasing competition both from within the mobile industry and from alternative communications technologies, mean that operators have to continuously monitor and reassess retail and wholesale pricing strategies," he said.

    "MACH solutions turn, what seems at first sight to be, a huge obstacle to growth into an opportunity for operators to differentiate their offerings and reduce their operational costs."

    The EU is also preparing legislation to force carriers to allow VoIP to run on their cellular networks.

    Earlier this month, EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said that "action" should be taken against carriers that use their market power to block "innovative services".

    Cornelis said the new solutions allow operators to use sophisticated simulation techniques to optimise retail and wholesale pricing of non-EU roaming traffic, increasing revenues while at the same time maximising customer value.

    He said The Power Pack also handles the complex task of rating usage data in real time by reference to regulatory capping, and its applications process all of the administrative changes to inter-operator tariff structures to ensure accurate and timely settlement before and after the regulations come into effect.

    MACH clears two out of every three roaming calls on GSM and CDMA networks and settles more than 60 per cent of the inter-operator wholesale invoice amounts.

  • Truphone Improves iPhone Mobile VoIP App


    Truphone has launched a major upgrade to its free mobile VoIP application for the iPhone.

    The latest version of the Apple handset’s first-ever VoIP app boasts increased ease of use, speed of function response, intuitiveness and simplicity – along with improved voice quality.

    Truphone 3.0 also offers an integrated IM client which ties MSN Messenger, AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk and Skype compatibility into a single page.

    Calls to users of Truphone, Skype and Google Talk are free over Wi-Fi.

    Use over cellular data is also possible.

    Similar improvements to Truphone for the Apple iPod touch are expected soon.

    Geraldine Wilson, CEO of Truphone, said the upgrade dramatically has also improved its UI and account management tools.

    "We’ve eliminated the need for compression by utilizing new advances in signal processing, making calls crystal clear," she said.

    All in all, Wilson claims competitors will have a "tough time" matching Truphone 3.0 in terms of quality and performance.

    The improvements certainly make Truphone a viable alternative to Skype, which also faces competition in the form of Vopium on the iPhone.

  • IP PBX Call Handling Boosted By Vocalocity Web Dashboard


    Vocalocity has launched a user dashboard that works through a Web browser rather than through separate PC software.

    The development gives users of its hosted IP PBX service click-to-call functionality and on-screen call summaries – functions previously only available to web-based VoIP solutions.

    While many IP PBXs let users click to make calls and view calling activity on their computer screens, hosted services typically haven’t had such capabilities.

    The new Vocalocity service enables managers and staff to see the real time status of all extensions in their organization.

    Called the VocalocityPBX Dashboard, the new features allow phone administrators to create customized views organized by user and status, in an interface similar to instant messaging services.

    The Dashboard provides all users with an at-a-glance view of the people in their organization or on their team, along with the status and availability of the user.

    Vocalocity says other benefits of the Dashboard include:

    • Summary view of all active calls, conferences and queues
    • Real-time view of co-worker status – on a call, away, etc.
    • Click-to-call features, enabling users to dial any external number with a click of the mouse
    • Simple status options to update co-workers, such as "Do Not Disturb"
    • Instant access to a directory of all company extensions

    David Politis, executive vice president and general manager of Vocalocity, said the Dashboard might not seem like a groundbreaking feature.
    But he said it was significant for customers and their ability to work more efficiently.

    "This feature allows our customers to use their hosted VoIP system more effectively, enabling them to see who is on the phone or who is available in real-time, as well as if they want to take a call or route it to someone else in the organization," he said.

    Politis said managers could also use Dashboard to monitor employee phone use, such as how long a team member has been on the phone or who they are on the phone with.

    He said the developments were fuelled by customer demand for more visibility in their call activity.

    Vocalocity is offering the Dashboard as a standard feature for all new and existing customers.

  • XConnect Appoints IP Expert Shockey To Board


    Richard Shockey has joined the advisory board of XConnect, the VoIP and Next Generation Network (NGN) interconnection service provider.

    A pioneer in ENUM (Electronic NUMbering) and expert in VoIP, Shockey is a founder and has been co-chair since 2002 of the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) ENUM Working Group.

    His appointment is expected to strengthen XConnect’s position in the carrier ENUM and federation-based interconnect sector.

    Eli Katz, CEO and founder of XConnect, said ENUM registries are at the heart of the company’s peering and federation infrastructure.

    He described Shockey as the "godfather" of ENUM technology and services.

    "He probably has the greatest understanding of this vital infrastructure component and its commercial applications of anyone in the industry," he said.

    Richard Shockey

    Shockey also co-chairs the recently-formed IETF working group DRINKS (Data for Reachability of Inter/Intra NetworK SIP), dealing with provisioning data for VoIP/NGN peering federations.

    Based in Washington, DC, he has participated in IETF working groups on other subjects including SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), the dominant IP-based communications signaling protocol.

    He has also helped develop several commercial products based on ENUM, the protocol devised to enable routing of IP-based calls and services using telephone numbers.

    From 2000 until early this year, Shockey was a director and distinguished member of the technical staff at NeuStar.

    Previously, as a consultant, he developed IP communications solutions for such companies as HP and Xerox.

    In addition to his IETF roles, Shockey is a member of the board of directors and technical working group co-chair of the SIP Forum, an organization of IP communications companies that promotes adoption of SIP-based products and services.

    He also chairs the SIP Forum’s SIPconnect task group, which produces specifications for interconnecting SIP-based IP PBXs with service providers.