Business News Holding

Tag: telephony

  • Skype For Asterisk Version Announced


    Skype and Digium, creator and primary developer of Asterisk, the open source telephony platform, have announced the beta version of Skype For Asterisk.

    The move will allow the integration of Skype functionality into Digium’s Asterisk software and enable customers to make, receive and transfer Skype calls from within their Asterisk phone systems.

    Stefan Öberg, vice president and general manager for Skype Telecom and Skype for Business, said: “Throughout our individual histories, Skype and Asterisk have each disrupted conventional communication methods through innovative, cost-effective solutions.

    “We are excited to be working together with Digium to offer small and mid-sized businesses an even more powerful communications solution to conduct business worldwide.”

    Specifically, the beta version of Skype For Asterisk is an add-on channel driver module that integrates Skype Internet calling with Asterisk-based telephony products.

    Skype For Asterisk also complements small and mid-sized business users’ existing services by providing low rates for calling landline and mobile phones around the world.

    Danny Windham, CEO of Digium, said: “Working together with Skype, our goal is to help businesses boost productivity and reap the rewards of feature-rich telephony software, all while saving a substantial amount of money.

    “The Skype For Asterisk beta program is a first step towards adding Skype capabilities to Asterisk-based phone systems and enabling them to reach more than 338 million Skype users.”

    The beta version of Skype For Asterisk will enable business users to:

    • Make, receive and transfer Skype calls from within Asterisk phone systems, using existing hardware.
    • Complement existing services with low Skype global rates (as low as 2.1US¢ per minute to more than 35 countries worldwide).
    • Save money on inbound calling solutions such as free click-to-call from a website, as well as receive inbound calling from the PSTN through Skype’s online numbers.
    • Manage Skype calls using Asterisk applications such as call routing, conferencing, phone menus and voicemail.

    Following the beta period when the product is released, Skype For Asterisk will be sold and distributed by Digium and its worldwide network of resellers.

  • Dutch VoIP market will reach 3.25m users by year-end


    The total Dutch consumer telephony market grew by almost 44,000 connections during the second quarter of 2008 to 5.797 million.

    This was despite a 4.2 per cent drop in PSTN/ISDN connections to 2.57 million on 30 June 2008, according to Telecompaper’s quarterly update on the Dutch fixed telephony market.

    The number of mobile-only households increased to 1.283 million. The number of Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) users grew by 17,000 during the fourth quarter to 360,000 on 30 June 2008.

    The number of Dutch consumer VoIP subscriptions grew 5.1 per cent during the quarter, to 2.866 million at the end of June.

    This was driven by DSL VoIP with 5.8 per cent, while cable VoIP only reported a quarterly growth of 3.8 percent.

    DSL VoIP expanded its lead as most used VoIP technology with 1.459 million connections at the end of June compared with 1.361 million cable VoIP customers on the same date.

    Telecompaper expects an average quarterly growth of 7 per cent for the two remaining quarters of this year, with the 3 million mark being reached at the end of third quarter.

    KPN saw its share of the Dutch digital telephony market grow to 34.3 per cent on 30 June due to its entry-level brand Telfort.

    During the second quarter, KPN won 60,000 new customers, growing 6.5 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2008 and ending June 2008 with 983,000 VoIP users.

    Ziggo won 25,000 new telephony customers during the second quarter to end the period with 770,000 VoIP users, keeping its place as the second-largest VoIP provider in the Netherlands, although its market share dropped to 26.9 percent.

    The third-largest VoIP provider, UPC won 20,400 new customers, ending the quarter with 526,100, losing only 0.1 per cent market share to end June with 18.4 per cent of the VoIP market.