Monetizing IP Communications - IP Communications Education Archives

Frank Talk on Telecom Fraud with Humbug Labs' Eric Klein

2012-01-26T01:11:35Z

Eric Klein, the VP of sales and marketing at Humbug Labs,is the telecom fraud expert that we interviewed in a recent podcast, sponsored by DIDX and AstraQom. He is one of the brilliant presenters scheduled for ITEXPO East 2012, specifically the Asterisk World and Cloud Communications events. Look in the ITEXPO East 2012 visitors' bag for the Humbug Labs free white paper that describes the evolution of telecom fraud. It includes a free trial code of Humbug services.

Much like business issues regarding infringment of intellectual property that I discussed with Mark Terry, companies are not prepared to prevent or to deal with telecom fraud. Most are too embarrassed to ever admit to experts when they suffer either. They lose valuable time, respect, and money which may result in lawsuits and loss of clients whose trust has been sacrificed.

Carriers often do a good job "fighting traditional telecommunications fraud," but they do not understand the idiosyncrasies of each of their business clients. Examples may include ... would the client typically incur scores of calls that are international, overnight, on the weekends and during holidays?

Humbug Labs is cloud-based, and they are set up to see any particular fraud act immediately, even when it touches the first PBX. They know and are ready for inappropriate call patterns and to stop them from reoccuring. The method that the expert company takes is different from traditional methods of protection such as firewalls or solutions just for carriers. Humbug Labs is more personalized and can be used by enterprises and businesses.

Where could we say this all began? The first telecom fraud in history was 1897 when Guglielmo Marconi attempted to demonstrate his wireless radio communication systems. Someone almost immediately created a solution that was able to hack it.

Phreaking was another memorable example of phone fraud. Quite often, blind people were the most expert, perhaps because of their instinctive ability to compensate by being auditorially talented. Joe Engressia, blind and only seven years old, whistled the fourth E above a middle C (a frequency of 2600 Hertz) and discovered that it stopped the dialed phone recording. Yes, really!

Now people are phone hacking into even voicemail. How does anyone think that Murdoch and News Corps found themselves in so much hot water recently?

There are actually 400 different kinds of telecommunications fraud. Some pretty sophisticated manipulation now result in millions of dollars of arbitrage fraud that even AT&T suffered from.

Why would companies keep their PBXs and voip phones to the default password? Why enable a phone does not need voice mail with the feature of voice mail?

In the ancient days of telecommunications, phone hacking was just something fun to do, but today in 2012 and forward, it has the potential of billions of dollars. Mobs, terrorist groups, drug czars, and even some huge and highly respected businesses are involved.

Get some answers by listening to the recording of the audio interview between Humbug Labs' Eric Klein and AstraQom / DIDX's Suzanne Bowen.

The podcast URL is http://didx.net/podcast/?p=episode&name=2012-01-24_telecom_fraud_humbuglabs_itexpo.mp3.

Registration sites for the conferences where the telecom fraud sessions of Eric Klein on "What Cloud Means for Fraud Prevention" and Nir Simionovich of Humbug Labs on "Socializing Telephony Fraud" during ITEXPO East 2012?

Cloud Communications: What Cloud Means for Fraud Prevention
Feb. 1, 2012, 2:30 - 3:15 PM

Asterisk World: Socializing Telephony Fraud
Feb. 2, 2012, 1 - 1:45 PM

Interview with FiberHome International's Jason Wang on Carrier Trends

2011-06-01T18:04:42Z

Listen to the podcast and/or read the transcript with a bit of information on "optical communications" and "intelligentization."

Questions and topics and the discussion results:

1. Would you tell us a little bit about yourself, your background?

Highlights of Jason Wang's reply: FiberHome International is a subsidiary of FiberHome Group which is responsible for the oversea market developments. I am responsible for the customer pre-sales and customer support ... also marketing development, network architecture and analysis. I have worked with FiberHome for 15 years.

2. Would you tell us more about FiberHome International with anintroduction of its services?

Highlights of response: FiberHome International is a marketing company whose focus is on overseas marketing development under the FiberHome Technologies group.

FiberHome Technologies is the leading company in China in the field of optical communications and technologies. We are one of the biggest vendors in China who specialize in optical communications field ... covering optical transmission, broadband access, * optical fiber cable, and next generation package transport product.

We are the first one who started research and development of optical fiber communication in China back in the 70s. Now, our business has been extended to research and development, marketing, sales, and engineering in four major industries: fiber networking communications, data networking communications, wireless communications and ** intelligentizing applications ... We are in 78 countries worldwide.

3. Tell us about your choice to participate in CommunicAsia 2011. We've been participating in this conference since 2006.

A summary of VP Jason Wang's answer: CommunicAsia ... it is FiberHome's first time to participate. We have exported our products already to 78 countries outside China, but until now, our global sales apart from China market is still low percentage compared with our overall revenue.

We want to develop our international market currently. Through these big telecom events, in this region, we want to build our company image. We think we can take advantage of this event to demonstrate our latest technologies and products, bring more brand awareness and confidence for customers in the region.

Our goal is to develop our business in the Asia Pacific countries. What we bring to this exhibition including some newest products. It is the first time we showcase our OTA equipment 100G interface. I believe that presentation of this equipment will be a highlight in Fiberhome exhibition booths.

At this exhibition, we will review our roadmap of development of ?? technology. (Mr. Wang shares a description of ... as ?, SDH ATMs, packet switching in a single converged device ... adding the capacities of OTN with IP services and characteristics.) It can effectively avoid the shortcoming of occurrences of a hodge podge of different networks, technologies, and different types of networks.

Finally, we want to reduce carrier total cost of ownership which will enable the cost-effective service transport over optical transport platform, and it becomes the innovative solution for carriers. This assists in facing the challenges of network transition. This is something new we will bring to this exhibition. We hope our customers will know better through this exhibition about FiberHome and trust us more.

4. Giving demos such as of FiberHome International's 100G is important. Sometimes at conferences, exhibitors have only posters, but they never interact with the visitors. I read a little about you Mr. Wang on the Internet. I noticed that you have been a presenter or speaker at conferences. Please share your ideas about trends in the industry and about your company's future plans.

A summary of VP Jason Wang's answer: We think the demand for mobile bandwidth, first provisioning of versatile services with proper SLA agreements and the ability to provide any service at any place on any devices is the challenge that are facing today's carriers. Convergence of optical and IP, the development trend of carrier network ... we think future transport network will ... because we are the optical vendors ... it will be more Internet-based services-based and the more IP peer support of channel, OTS bitpipe transport section, GMPRS-based control plan, and the converged network management system.

This will be irreversible, and the network evolution will not take place over one night. It will gradually step by step from core to metro to region and from low core to the haul and from some trial of a few carriers with general applications.

FiberHome provides the comprehensive broadband solution for all these requirements in next generation phone for the access network and the PTN ? for metro network ... also 100G OTM backbone network. As the optical fiber solution experts, we focus on optical networking technology solutions for many years.

We provide comprehensive and complete broadband full services access or optical transport solution for our customers.

This is most understanding of current trends and developments and what we plan to do.

5. After listening to this podcast, I am certain that the listeners will be wondering about contact information and ways to develop business with FiberHome International.

Answer: Visit http://www.fiberhomegroup.com/.

6. I have a big interest in international cultures and different languages. How do we say, "Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you soon"? Is that okay?

Answer: In Chinese, it would be "shay shay ajah hwoi unquolin wahmen" ... sorry. (Chuckles from Mr. Wang.)

I respond, "That's okay. So "shay shay ajah hwoi" is the "thank you" part?

Jason Wang: Yes, "thanks, everybody."

Suzanne Bowen: Thank you for humoring me. I love languages. That was very beautiful. We enjoyed talking with you. I know that many are looking forward to meeting you at CommunicAsia.

As anyone who is listening can see that CommunicAsia is the place to meet great companies and people like FiberHome International and Jason Wang.

Jason Wang: Thanks for your interview.

Connect with me Suzanne Bowen and Jason Wang, VP of FiberHome International on Linkedin and at CommunicAsia 2011!

http://www.communicasia.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannebowen

A definition of optical communication, which may be a new term for some blog readers and listeners, is any form of telecommunication that uses light as the transmission medium.

The optical communication systems are composed of a transmitter, that encodes a message into an optical signal, a channel, and then carries the signal to its destination, and then to a receiver, which reproduces the message from the received optical signal.

Techniques such as semaphore lines, ship flags, smoke signals, and beacon fires were some of the earliest forms of technological optical communications. The Ancient Greeks even polished their shields to send signals during battle.

In telecommunications, Free Space Optics (FSO) is an optical communication technology that uses light propagating in *free space to transmit data between two points. The technology is useful where the physical connections by the means of fibre optic cables are impractical due to high costs or other considerations.

* "Free space" means air, outer space, vacuum, or something similar. It is the opposite of a fibre optic cable or transmission line.

** Intelligentization: an efficient means to get more from optical networking.

A link to FiberHome overview is at on Google Docs.

Video Demo: Searching for IP Communications Movers and Shakers Like you on TelecomYou

2011-05-30T19:01:45Z

Linkedin is great for discussions, groups, and connecting with professionals you know and want to know, but most of all, the recommendations feature shines above all other business/social networking platforms. Facebook is excellent because it enables us to get to know our potential and current business partners (vendors, friends, and customers). But being heavily involved in the telecommunications industry for the past 12 years, http://www.telecomyou.com holds the promise for developing business with those you currently know well, but also the movers and shakers on the other side of the world that may seem out of your touch on platforms such as Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Digg, etc.

Our company Super Technologies, Inc. and many 1000s of others who I talk with throughout the year have gained surprising successes via TelecomYou. I believe in sharing "the wealth," so I am recording short 1-2 minute demonstration videos to show how to use TelecomYou. This is the first of the series.

Cloud Computing Compliments Cold Climates

2011-01-10T18:22:04Z

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The title's a tongue twister for your practice.

I know it's cold when certain things add to the slight clutter on my work desk or netbook bag: gloves, scarf and Burt's Bees Beeswax lip balm with clove oil. The temp in Pensacola got as low as 31 degrees Fahrenheit this morning. Shivers ... brrrrrr.

Cloud computing is a change that businesses should embrace in 2011, especially in the midst of the freezing temperatures and snow in virgin territory. Absenteeism, traffic accidents, illnesses and more negative business catastrophes increase because of the commutes still expected.

Much to the surprise of cloud computing pioneers whose companies easily continue business even in the worst weather condition because they do just about everything over the Internet in a flexible, scalable, successful manner, others still insist on everyone traveling Monday through Friday to the physical congregation at an office or the headquarters.

But voice, video, SMS, docs, conferencing, technical testing and other typical business tasks can take place in the cloud via the Internet and enable everyone to work when, where and how they wish.

According to Telappliant.com, Rob Lovell, chief executive officer at cloud computing provider ThinkGrid, claims that allowing employees to communicate from anywhere in the world means work can continue as usual, even when they are unable to make it into the office.

"Using cloud computing," Mr Lovell continued, "can remove the boundaries of the traditional workplace, while making IT costs more flexible because of the pay-as-you-go nature of internet-based services."

Other companies who provide such services to help business keep working no matter the weather include:

3CX IP PBX, Airespring SIP trunking and voice over Internet, Commetrex fax over Internet, Kaltura open source video platforms, Rad-Info cloud computing consulting services, Rack Space managed hosting, and others listed at http://www.tmcnet.com/voip/conference/east-11/exhibitors/e11-exhibitor-list.aspx.

One of the biggest counter-responses is that the leaders in a company do not believe that their employees will get the work done that is required from home or while traveling.

I'd like to add that the best kind of employees thrive in this atmosphere of trust, dependable work capacity, and proactiveness. I do.

Go ahead and sign up for ITEXPO East scheduled for Feb. 2-4, 2011 with many networking activities set for pre, during and post event in one of the warmest areas of the USA ... Miami Beach, Florida. These is even a Cloud Communications Summit scheduled during the Conference along with a few dozen other highly valuable co-located summits.

So, how's the weather where you are? Any snow? How much? None here yet in Pensacola, Florida. Not since February 12, 2010!

Depending on your schedule and where you are in the world, we also recommend the following events for late winter and spring 2011.
http://www.ptc.org/ptc/ PTC in Hawaii

http://www.neo-edge.com/events/event.php?fld=it&page=it_12&event=4th_Mobile_Commerce_Summit_ASIA_2011&venue=Kuala_Lumpur,_Malaysia&date=14-17_March_2011 Mobile Commerce Summit Asia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

http://www.convergenceindia.org/ Convergence India in New Delhi

http://www.iplusc.net/ I+C Jakarta, Indonesia

http://www.ctiawireless.com/docs/2011.html CTIA Wireless, Orlando, FL.

Listen to News and Blogs While You Work

2010-11-12T15:54:22Z

What I like about Odigo which is installed for example on http://blogs.didx.net/ and http://blog.tmcnet.com/monetizing-ip-communications/ is that I can listen to news and blogs while I work on other things. If I am distracted, I just pause the news.

It's great for people who are blind or those who use English as a second language, too.

DIDX API Has Option to Filter DID that Require Special Docs

2010-09-30T16:35:55Z

One of our members on DIDXchange made a wish for ... "if we could add a filter in the method of..."

getAvailableRatedDIDSbyCountryCode

The filter would be to avoid DIDs that require documentation or ID, please see the image attached.

Something like:
NeedDocument:

$NeedDocuments = 0 : All DIDs
$NeedDocuments = 1 : All DIDs with document requirements
$NeedDocuments = 2 : All DIDs with no document requirement

Our answer immediately:
We have made you a new function "getAvailableRatedDIDSbyCountryCodeAndDocs" which is exactly same as getAvailableRatedDIDSbyCountryCode, but with a difference that it has one more argument which is for document requirements.

http://kb.didx.net/tiki-index.php?page=Get+a+list+of+available+DIDs+by+country-area+code+and+document+requirements

The reason for not touching the already existed function is that this function is mostly used among customers and sometimes the change in the function arguments or return fields not acceptable by most API users.

Please test the function and let me know if it works for you well.

(So, we ask DIDX members to test it and let us know.)

*** Some governments requires certain documentation before a DID can be purchased. All DIDX members are required to take it as their responsibility to follow the law. See http://kb.didx.net/tiki-index.php?page=Documents+Requirement.

Join the VIPeering Summit at ITEXPO West Oct. 5, 2010 at 9:30 AM. The complete conferences are in Los Angeles, California from Oct. 6-8, 2010.

..... Are you an IP communications related entrepreneur, telco of any type, wired or wireless, contact center, social or business community portal provider, conference producer and such? Join us at DIDXchange, where you will connect with thousands of telecom-related companies on the wholesale marketplace for virtual phone lines, virtual phone numbers from over 70 countries! If not, find out how to get your telephone company to offer phone numbers from around the world. Join our Twitter, podcasts and recommended events.

Special Character for Check Marks, Hex Input

2010-08-27T15:20:05Z

I needed a checkmark in a GDoc, but I noticed that WindDings is not in the font list. Bummer! A little research, for "special character for checkmarks hex input," and I found the answer: the character I want is this ✔ which is Unicode 0x2714 - but far easier to copy-paste it into your doc where you want it.

When I learn something new, I want to share it with others. Some of you reading this will think, "Ah! She didn't know that???"

But others will learn with me. Happy monetizing IP communications! Connect with me on Linkedin.

Type Currency Converter into Google Web Search

2010-07-16T20:43:19Z

Save time, open Google browser, type "currency converter," and quickly get currency conversions.

IP communications news in Honduras ...
- Millicom International Cellular (MIC) today announced that it has reached agreement with its local partner in Honduras, to gain 100% control of Celtel.
- Honduras DID voip phone numbers available on wholesale DIDX.net from the first and only Honduran company with an FCC-214 License. Some will say anyone can do that... but they didn't.
- During World Cup, Skype was offering free calls to countries participating during games. This applied to Mexico, Chile, Honduras, Uruguay, Paraguay, Spain, Brazil, Portugal and the United States.

Happy IP communications monetizing to all.

Ever Wonder What smime.p7s is for?

2010-07-14T18:38:14Z

smime.p7s ... you might see on incoming emails from different senders. Sometimes when our company Super Technologies, Inc. is helping our wholesale clients to monetize IP communications, we see this. In fact, every time we receive an email from a government organization who is leveraging DID phone number service on wholesale level.

What is it?

S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) is a standard for public key encryption and signing of MIME data. See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S/MIME.

What Do Hairpinning and The Shining Have to do with VoIP?

2010-07-07T13:08:03Z

I was remembering my mother in the 60s when she would wet her hair, curl small areas and hair pin in place. When it dried and she combed it out, she looked like an angel. But hairpinning is a term in voice over Internet (IP communications). It is the process of returning a message from a beginning endpoint back in the direction it came from. Why? It is a way to get to its original destination endpoint.

Traditional telephone systems, analog and digital, actually use hairpinning connections. In voice over Internet, hairpinning can be avoided. The two endpoints can be connected immediately after the call is initiated. The form of direct communication following call setup is called shuffling. In VoIP networks, hairpin connections are considered inefficient and high-end systems support shuffling.

Anyone who has attempted to start their "Vonage, 8x8, Lingo, Nettalk, or Sunrocket (kaput) type" voice over Internet service, knows the frustration of working with and troubleshooting the effective setup and use of devices on various networks around the world. What does hairpinning have to do with this?

Sometimes a beginning endpoint and its router in the subnetwork doesn't recognize that a certain message that is intended for a certain destination endpoint in the same subnetwork because it only knows its public IP address. The Internet Network Address Translation (NAT) server must have the capability to recognize this potential issue, so that it can "hairpin" the message back to the subnetwork so that it can reach its final and intended destination.

In voice over Internet protocol, "hairpinning" is a sequence of events where a device (ATA adapter or IP phone or nowadays) connects to a private branch exchange, also known as a business phone system and then to another endpoint phone in order to get the call going between the two.

What is tough about it is that it often takes place over a path that is oddly enough longer than it needs to be and more than the shortest possible circuit between the two endpoints. In other words, it's like Jack Nicholson's family from the Shining feeling pushed to go here and there in a maze toward an endpoint, to put up with the inconvenience of such, in order to get there because in their fear, they couldn't think of an alternative.

Remember in The Shining, Wendy is concerned about the phone lines being out due to the heavy snowfall? Just a coincidence that I threw this analogy into the post. I was doing this thing called Word Association that I learned from Ray Bradbury. I'm reading more into this than I need to, right? Don't forget to call Mom and Dad this week.

And consider some signing your SIP team up for the study of such terms, even your salespeople need to be familiar. Consider TheSIPSchool.com, Kamailio Training, Illinois Institute of Technology's VoIP Lab, FreeSWITCH Training, or Digium's Asterisk Boot Camps. If you choose The SIP School, tell them DIDX sent you so you can get your well-earned discount.