When eBay acquired Skype for $2.6 billion just two years ago, at that Skype had some 54 million members. Now, the VoIP startup has more than 196 million customers all over the world, what I can say a global VoIP community. However, it has failed to produce satisfactory financial results for the auctioneer despite charging price from the customers since January this year. So, Should eBay sell Skype?
The news over last fortnight made me speculate that Skype is going to be a mobile service provider. I mean Mobile over VoIP, altogether a different proposition for the VoIP giant. The service will be available in UK very soon, most probably by the end of next month. Skype has teamed up with the recognized mobile operator Three to provide the service.
Way back in June this year I discussed that intelligence agencies cannot tap VoIP calls and hence allowing criminals to easily misuse the service. Such incidents are increasing day by day and one has been recently reported in Switzerland.
According to Swiss Info, the investigators are concerned due to the increasing use of Skype by criminals in the anti-social activities. They have found out a number of drug-related cases where Skype has been used for VoIP calls.
Talkdynamics has announced the launch of its second generation VoIP conferencing and intercom systems, dubbed as Evoke, which can be implemented on any IP-based network as well LAN and Internet infrastructures.
Evoke has a multiple applications such as VoIP, multi-user conference and intercom application. Hence, the business enterprises can instantly and reliably communicate with each other from anywhere in the world over any Internet or intranet device, wired or wireless, based on presence.
The unique feature of Evoke is that it enables users drag and drop contacts into a communication window to initiate ad-hoc conferences using a softphone. It also enables them to instantly create multi-user voice intercommunication and conferences without a voice connection.
Evoke is based on proprietary network communication protocol, which purges the lacunas in P2P networks. Thus, there is high VoIP conference quality in Evoke. The proprietary network also manages an unlimited number of voice sessions concurrently.
The House panel has approved the debatable Bill that allows VoIP providers direct access to nation’s existing E911 system. It means the VoIP companies will soon answer emergency calls from customers without depending upon the third parities. The move comes in the backdrop of sharp criticism from the telephone companies and mobile operators.
In the next decade, sweeping technology innovations driven by the power of software will transform communications. This is what Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said while announcing the launch of their unified communications software.
The announcement marks Microsoft’s officially entry into VoIP business. As it seems, the unified communications software is all set to transform the global telecom sector the way the software giant transformed the computer world in early 90s by launching Windows Operating System.
The VoIP software consists of Office Communication Server 2007, VoIP and Unified Communications Server, Office Communicator 2007 and Unified Communications Client.
The Office Communications Server 2007 provides business enterprises a host number of applications such as VoIP, video, instant messaging, conferencing and presence, while the Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 ensures them instant messaging and video communications that operate on PCs, mobile phone and web browser.
Microsoft Office Live Meeting is the latest version of Microsoft’s advanced conferencing service using which the corporate sector can conduct meetings, share documents, use video and record discussions on any computer.
Down the years, we have perceived Microsoft’s Live Communications as Corporate Messaging and Presence, rather VoIP. With the launch of Office Communication Server 2007, Microsoft will provide VoIP service in its every applications including Word, Excel etc. It means that we can click a name from a Word document or Excel spreadsheet and lead our VoIP conversations. The Outlook Express and Sharepoint would support the VoIP services.
Via: Money CNN
Image: MSND
VoIP startup Vonage has settled down a legal dispute with Klausner Technologies and reached out an agreement to use their patents relating to voicemail services. This is the second major settlement of Vonage this week.
Fazed by eBay’s move to ban Jajah click to call buttons, the VoIP startup has appealed the auctioneer to reconsider the decision and ensure click to call service to the customers at eBay’s site.
The Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust has now deployed VoIP technology to establish a strong communication network for the healthcare staffs so that they can make free or low cost VoIP calls over their handheld devices.
The Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust, a key organization of National Health Service (NHS) has reached out an agreement with BT to offer hosted VoIP service using NHS’s N3 broadband network.
The deal is awarded to BT as part of the £12.4bn NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT). As part of the deal, the telecom giant will extend hosted VoIP service to PCT’s three sites with more than 280 Cisco handsets.
The hosted VoIP service would converge voice and data on NHS’s network. The trust will access to BT’s hosted service as monthly rental fees. The trust workers will enjoy free VoIP calls and very inexpensive calls to their mobile phones.
It is first that healthcare units have adopted converged VoIP service to reduce their communication costs and build strong communication network.
“Controversy!” — It is chasing Vonage all the way. No sooner, it solves one controversy; another drags the troubled VoIP startup to the court of law. It is now hard to see when the beleaguered Vonage will come up with a clean face.
According to media reports, AT&T has sued Vonage in the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Wisconsin claiming patent infringement by the latter.
AT&T says Vonage is unlawfully using their wide-area packet technology system and insists Vonage to refrain from using the platform. The company is also seeking treble damages and attorneys’ fees from Vonage. However, the amounts were not mentioned.
Just a few days ago, Vonage settled two legal disputes. The latest one was with Klausner Technologies and reached out an agreement to use their patents relating to voicemail services.
Prior to that, the residential VoIP service provider agreed to pay some $80 million to Sprint Nextel as part of the settlement. In return, Sprint Nextel has granted more than 100 VoIP patents to Vonage.
Vonage is still fighting a legal battle with Verizon Communication. The residential VoIP company was ordered to pay $58 million in damages, plus 5.5 percent royalties on future revenues for the violation of three Verizon patents.
Via: Information Week
