VoIP Central

Raketu has liberated its users from PCs. The Skype-killer has just launched a SMS-Text Driven VoIP service; the service essentially marks a new wave of mobile VoIP communication where the users simply need a mobile device to make VoIP calls without depending upon PC or internet connection.

It is indeed a unique proposition for Raketu to leverage their strong presence in MVoIP market. The SMS-Text Driven VoIP as it appears will enable users to make VoIP calls with their mobile phones which are capable of sending messages to other devices.

The users can make national and international calls without leaning over PC or internet connection. Previously, the Raketu customers used to do VoIP calls either from PC to phone and vice versa.

Greg Parker, President of Raketu elaborates,

The word ‘Free’ is always fascinating in the VoIP world. If it were not, we would have missed the free players after the stunning debacle of several free service providers in the market.

In a significant development, Vonage has settled down the two years old patent dispute with Sprint Nextel and agreed to pay nearly $80 million. They have now reached out a new agreement under which Vonage would use Sprint patents for its VoIP services.

It is over now. Vonage has finally ended its bitter legal battle with Verizon Communications and agreed to pay the specified amount to be decided by the US Appeals court. If the court drops the injunction on two VoIP patents, then Vonage will pay Verizon $80 million, otherwise it must pay $117 million.

In any case, the high voltage drama, which at once threatened the existence of Vonage, is heading towards settlement. It is good for Vonage in particular and VoIP in general. After all, Vonage is one of front-runner residential VoIP providers in USA with more than 200 million customers. The patent dispute has somewhat affected these customers.

Vonage settled two legal disputes with Klausner Technologies and Sprint Nextel in recent months. The residential VoIP provider has reached out an agreement to use Klausner’s patents relating to voicemail services. It has also 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.

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.

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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