July 2005

You are browsing the archive for July 2005.

Top 10 VoIP Providers Named

July 19, 2005

I came across an entry from Russell Shaw today listing the Top 10 VoIP Providers by subscription count. The Top 10 is based on research provided by Point Topic.

Skype - 5,300,000
Yahoo! Japan - 4,517,000
VoiceGlo - 605,000
Free (France) - 600,000
Vonage - 535,000.
FastWeb (Italy) - 528,000
Cox - 413,000
Time Warner - 372,000
Cablevision - 364,000
Neuf (France) - 297,000

According to Point Topic, there were over 11 million people using retail VoIP service for at least some of their telephone calls at the end of March 2005.

Brightpoint Signs Reseller Agreement With Vonage

July 15, 2005

Vonage announced an agreement with Brightpoint today, whereby the latter's Brightpoint Activation Services LLC will become a Master Agent, offering its customers the opportunity to resell Vonage service plans and� devices and also to activate new customer accounts.

Vonage continues to expand its distribution channel. Pretty soon, one might be able to drive up to a gas station and receive offers for free Vonage calling with every fill-up.� I don't think next-generation telecom services can ever replace promotional glasses as a primo giveaway, but heck... I'm always the last one to hop on a trend.

Merrill Lynch Releases Telecommunications Report

July 15, 2005

Merrill Lynch released a report today entitled, Telecommunications: US Telecom 2Q05 Preview.

� Among the findings released today, Merrill Lynch offers a series of expectations for the second quarter. Quoting directly from the report:

The seasonal trends in telecom for the second quarter period favor wireless over wireline, even more so than for other periods, due in part to demographic drivers. We expect this to be the case in 2Q 05.
We think that Verizon Wireless will gain share during 2Q 05, in another solid quarter of wireless results.

And now, the financial report....

July 14, 2005

I can just hear the old-style ticker in the background (deet deeet deetde deet...) this just in...!

Crown Castle International Corp. has made an additional investment of $55 million in FiberTower Corporation, a privately-held provider of backhaul services.

FiberTower was a recent recipient of TMC Labs’ 2005 Innovation Award. You can see the full write-up in the July issue of Internet Telephony magazine.

German Unit To Block VoIP Applications

July 14, 2005

Seems that VoIP is scaring the scheize out of some folks. According to a published report this morning, Vodafone’s German unit has made plans to disable calls from VoIP operators such as Skype and others beginning in July 2007.

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �

The article quotes Vodafone Germany spokesman Heiko Witzke, who said that in the interim the company may yet reverse its policy. Witzke wouldn't comment about why the company was taking the step, but said that "2007 is a long ways to go; anything may happen until then."

Hmm… Established, legacy carriers, fearful of losing market share to VoIP… That can’t happen here, right?

1 Comments

TMC, CompTel/Ascent to Host Joint e911 Webinar

July 13, 2005

The question is no longer “When” but “How.”

How will service providers comply with the recent FCC order mandating that all VoIP service providers must provide 911 services within 120 days. The 120-day clock is now ticking and VoIP service providers are working diligently to meet the deadline.

CompTel/ALTS, in partnership with TMC, is pleased to present a Webinar on the FCC’s E911 Order and its impact on VoIP service providers.

The event is set to take place on Monday, July 18th at 1pm Eastern Time.

Back in Yellow

July 13, 2005

By the way, for those of you who may have missed it, Lance Armstrong has regained the yellow jersey in the wake of his strong performance yesterday. Today, the suffering continues as the peloton heads back into the Alps for a ride that features 2 HC (hors category) climbs, and another slightly less imposing Cat 1 climb. HC designates the most difficult mountain climbs.

I don't expect that Mr. Armstong will be relinquishing the yellow race leader's jersey any time soon.

Keep Your Bling-Bling... I Got Vling Vling!

July 13, 2005

EarthLink is rolling out Vling, a sparkling new service that integrates chat with voice through a single easy-to-use interface. Built on SIP, Vling currently runs on Windows XP and is available for free to all high-speed Internet users who want to connect on their terms via voice, data, or chat. The service is currently in beta.

Using peer-to-peer, file-sharing technology, Internet consumers can download Vling and begin making calls to other Vling users and customers of select other SIP-based services.

Over the next several months, EarthLink plans to further its position in the voice market by testing other innovative voice/VoIP technologies. Watch for them to get in to the dual-mode space with a dual-band WiFi/cell phone offering soon.

snom To Showcase Phones At VoIP Reseller Event

July 12, 2005

snom technology AG will demonstrate its full line of open-standard, SIP-based VoIP telephones as a sponsor of VoIP Sizzles in Dallas — held July 20-22 at the Sheraton Airport Grand, in Dallas, TX.�

I recently blogged about the upcoming� event.

According to a company spokesperson,� snom technology will be demonstrating its complete line of SIP standard-based VoIP telephones, including the recently-launched entry-level snom 320 and the large-display executive snom 360. snom's Dr. Michael Knieling, SVP Marketing, will be available throughout the event to consult with attendees and speak with media.

"We're excited to be sponsors of this unique event," says Dr. Knieling, "along with other key players in the fast-growing open IP telephony community.

1 Comments

Big Day For Discovery

July 12, 2005

Today is the day that� we will separate the men from the boys� at the Tour de France. In today's 10th stage, the first real mountain test in the Alps, expect Lance Aremstrong and his Discovery teammates to come under attack.

First and foremost, the German T-Mobile team� is not only placed well to apply pressure, they're also hungry to place one of their riders at the top of the general classification. Jan Ullrich, Alexandre Vinokourov, and Andreas Kloeden of the T-Mobile squad, are all legitimate contenders for the overall title, and today might be the day that one (or all) of them strike out for the top spot.

Alcatel Earnings Up

July 12, 2005

Alcatel has posted higher-than-expected revenue growth for the second quarter thanks to higher than expected revenue growth resulting from strong momentum in IP routing and optical transmission, mobile communications, and enterprise solutions.

Announcing figures today, France-based communications gear maker reported Q2 revenues were up 8 per cent to €3.14Billion (~$3.82Billion).

1 Comments

Radicati Group Promotes Unified Communications Report

July 11, 2005

The Radicati Group unveiled their latest report today, entitled On-Premises Corporate Unified Communications Market, 2005-2009. The research report provides market size, four-year forecasts, technology trends, and competitive information for the On-Premises Corporate Unified Communications market. The report also includes installed base data broken out by geography and size of business.�

The Radicati report forecasts healthy growth in the market over the next four years, largely driven and supported by emerging technologies such as VoIP, SIP, and a range of access technologies.

Hot Off The Presses!! Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO Brochure!

July 8, 2005

The Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO show brochure is now available!

You can also download the conference grid at the site.

The program at this Fall's event was designed� with the entire VoIP industry in mind -- if you are in search of unbiased, educational information, then Los Angeles is the only place you need to be to learn about VoIP this October.

Conference registration is open to all - the registration page can be accessed by clicking here.

Goldman, Google, Hearst Invest IN Broadband Over Power Line (BPL) Provider

July 7, 2005

CURRENT Communications Group, LLC, a Broadband over Power Line (BPL) service provider, today announced strategic investments from Goldman, Sachs & Co., Google Inc., and The Hearst Corporation.

"These investments provide us with both capital and operating assistance as we continue to roll out Broadband-over-Power Line services to provide voice, video and data services," said William Berkman, Chairman of CURRENT Communications Group. "With roughly two-thirds of the nation still without broadband and many utilities looking for means to upgrade their distribution networks, the acceleration of CURRENT's build-out is a clear win-win for consumers."

BPL technology enables the delivery of high-speed, two-way broadband through electrical outlets in homes and offices.

RNK Introduces EDISON: GPS VoIP, E911 Solution

July 7, 2005

RNK Telecom has announced the launch of Edison — a GPS-enabled solution that is designed to connect between a user’s phone and VoIP connection, ensuring E911 systems continuously receive precise and updated information about the VoIP caller’s location.

RNK co-founder and CEO Richard Koch said, “Edison is one of many products RNK is pouring R&D funds into. We’ve been testing Edison for many months now, and it will prove that RNK isn’t just a phone company. Edison can save the lives of VoIP callers.”

RNK’s announcement comes just five weeks after the FCC mandated that all VoIP providers must provide enhanced 911 services within 120 days.

Greg Galitzine's VoIP Authority Blog

July 2005