SUBSCRIBE TO TMCnet
TMCnet - World's Largest Communications and Technology Community

CHANNEL BY TOPICS


QUICK LINKS




VoIP Week in Review from TMCnet

TMCnews Featured Article


October 27, 2006

VoIP Week in Review from TMCnet

By Johanne Torres, TMCnet Contributing Editor


On Monday, Vonage (News - Alert) announced that its VoIP-based calling subscribers will now be able to receive local traffic reports right from their Vonage phones. The service provider's new feature will enable its subscribers to now dial 511 at no charge to receive this information directly from their area 511 systems.
 
Specifically, once a subscriber dials 511, their call is then routed from Vonage's network to their local 511 Advanced Traveler Information Service (ATIS). 511 calls are routed locally based upon the address the customer registered for their 911 service. The VoIP provider made 511 available in each of the states or regions where the service is available. There are currently thirty 511 systems operating in 26 states.
 
Courtyard Developments has set out to build Hyde Park, a special retirement community for seniors in the outskirts of Ottawa. According to the builder, this will be Canada's first "high-tech retirement community." Internet telephony will be part of the community's high-tech features. Courtyard Developments will make this feature available in the homes thanks to a new partnership it announced on Wednesday with Vonage Canada.
 
Thanks to the new partnership, Vonage Canada is now Hyde Park's exclusive telephone services provider. With Vonage Canada, the more than 300 retirees living in Hyde Park's "smart" high-tech homes would only have to plug their existing telephones into a wallet-sized phone adapter in order to make and receive phone calls.
 
VoIP E911 provider TeleCommunication Systems (News - Alert) (TCS) announced on Monday that it was tapped by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Dual Dispatch Center in order to improve the agency’s response to VoIP subscriber's emergency calls.
 
According to TCS' news release, the LAPD is the first Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) in the country to deploy TCS' enhanced VoIP E911 technology using TCS' Master Street Address Guide (MSAG)-based routing system.
 
The E911 technology provider also made news on Tuesday when it announced that it was awarded with patent number 7,127,264 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its invention titled "Mobile Originated Interactive Menus via Short Messaging Services." The invention will allow for mobile Web-based searches with the use of text messaging. With the new patent, now TCS holds a total of 47 patents.
 
According to the company's news release, its invention will provide interactive menus for wireless devices by using text-based short messaging. This invention will allow for an application to ask users for a response from a selection list delivered via text messaging.
 
In a move to fuel its plans to market its converged IP services to enterprises and carriers around the world, Global Crossing will acquire data, voice and Internet service provider Impsat for a whopping $336 million. Global Crossing expects the acquisition to bring in more than $270 million in revenue annually. Global Crossing announced it will acquire Impsat on Thursday.
 
Global Crossing will pay $9.32 in cash for each share of Impsat’s common stock, which reportedly represents a total equity value of approximately $95 million. Global Crossing plans to complete the acquisition by the first quarter of 2007.
 
On Thursday, Canadian VoIP service provider Comwave Telecom announced it tapped RADCOM in order enhance the quality of its service. Comware opted to deploy RADCOM's Omni-Q system, which will continuously collect, monitor and analyze voice quality and traffic performance.
 
As part of the agreement, Comwave will deploy RADCOM's R70, a probe powered by the Gear Set, RADCOM's processing engine. The R70 is LINUX-based and it monitors data processing at a rate of up to 10 Gbps. The Omni-Q system will monitor Comwave VoIP service's call quality, disconnections, and poor connections on every call.
 
VoIP service provider Skype (News - Alert) announced on Thursday that its Skype for Pocket PC software has been downloaded five million times worldwide since the company released it in April 2004. The software allows Skype users to make free Internet telephone calls to communicate with other Skype members via any Windows Mobile Pocket PC device running on a high speed WiFi (News - Alert) Internet connection.
 
The software's speedy widespread adoption might have to do with the fact that its latest version, Skype for Pocket PC 2.1 is currently supported by more than 60 devices from 20 different manufacturers. The software allows users to take Skype service mobile, including free SkypeOut calling for users in the U.S. and Canada to landlines and other mobile phones in North America until the end of the year.
 
There you have it folks, another exciting week in the VoIP industry! Stay tuned and read the VoIP Minute Watch for the latest news…
 
Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit her columnist page.







Technology Marketing Corporation

2 Trap Falls Road Suite 106, Shelton, CT 06484 USA
Ph: +1-203-852-6800, 800-243-6002

General comments: [email protected].
Comments about this site: [email protected].

STAY CURRENT YOUR WAY

© 2024 Technology Marketing Corporation. All rights reserved | Privacy Policy