Greg Galitzine : Greg Galitzine's VoIP Authority Blog
Greg Galitzine

December 2008

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Happy New Year!

December 31, 2008

Due to the onset of some heavy-ish snow, I'm taking off a bit earlier than expected today, the final installment of 2008. I wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy greeting of 2009. Embrace the coming year, which as any other beginning, is so full of possibility and opportunity. See you on the other side...
Posted in Personal

OrecX Taps Sangoma's Wanpipe Driver

December 31, 2008

OrecX, a provider of low-cost open source VoIP call recording, announced a new option for low-cost TDM and call recording, and said they would be using Sangoma Technologies' new Wanpipe driver that supports RTP tapping.   Bruce Kaskey, CEO of OrecX, offered the following in a statement:   Overall, Sangoma's RTP tapping solution gives more choice for situations where TDM and VoIP are blended. The Wanpipe driver with the RTP tap mode enabled converts a TDM signal to VoIP seamlessly for scalable recording.   The details can be found in this news item.   Ultimately, as Kaskey explained, the solution enables customers to tap TDM and or VoIP using their existing Sangoma equipment.   OrecX will also be participating at the upcoming Digium|Asterisk World, which is being collocated with ITEXPO in Miami Beach this February. The company's co-Founder and CTO, Bruno Haas will be speaking in the presentation theater during the event.   For a complete list of sponsors and exhibitors, please visit the Digium|Asterisk World site.  
Posted in Enterprise, IP Communications, Open Source, VoIP
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Christmas Eve 1968

December 24, 2008

Carrying on from yesterday's NASA-themed post, I wanted to draw some attention to the fact that 40 years ago tonight, the three NASA astronauts who comprised the crew of Apollo 8 -- Commander Frank Borman, Command module Pilot Jim Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders -- made history when they transmitted a Christmas eve message from a lunar orbit. In honor of the historic Christmas Eve broadcast by the Apollo 8 crew NASA plans to air special programming today and tomorrow on the NASA TV Public Channel. The crew members took turns reading from the book of Genesis. There's a YouTube clip (isn't there always?) available here.  
Posted in Personal
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NASA Moves Ahead With Constellation

December 23, 2008

Before I came to TMC I was involved with the publication NASA Tech Briefs as chief copy editor. Because of my association with that engineering publication and frankly due to a lifelong interest in the subject, I try to keep up with news on the space program. Today I came across a news item from VOA News that discussed NASA's Constellation project.   Seems the engineers at NASA are moving ahead according to plan, hitting their milestones and preparing for the day that the new rockets and capsules they're developing today will be the primary vehicles for human space exploration after the current shuttle fleet is retired in 2010.

  According to a NASA press release:   NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has successfully completed thermal vacuum testing, which simulates the extreme hot, cold and airless conditions of space LRO will experience after launch. This milestone concludes the orbiter's environmental test program at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.   The orbiter will carry seven instruments to provide scientists with detailed maps of the lunar surface and increase our understanding of the moon's topography, lighting conditions, mineralogical composition and natural resources.

Posted in Personal
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5LINX Picks Up Kancharla's Wholesale Services Group

December 19, 2008

5LINX Enterprises, Inc., is acquiring the Wholesale Services Group, of Kancharla Corporation, which including Business, Residential, E911, DID Services and the A-Z Origination/Termination services. These offerings will be immediately available through GLOBALINX, 5LINX's wholly owned subsidiary.   Kancharla will continue to offer the standalone and branded versions of its LeftSeat Billing/OSS software solution.   Mike Machonkin, GLOBALINX Vice President of Sales & Marketing is excited about the deal and believes that it will be good for customers and channel partners alike.   "With the acquisition of Kancharla's wholesale services, GLOBALINX is further demonstrating our commitment to provide our GLOBALINX Customers, Agents and Resellers with the most robust portfolio of products and services available on the market today," Machonkin said.  
Posted in Business, IP Communications, Service Provider
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Great Explanation of Universal Service Fund

December 19, 2008

Fred Goldstein, principal of Ionary Consulting (and a featured TMC columnist) has an excellent explanation of the Universal Service Fund (USF), with an insightful history of the fund as well as a good recounting of the many challenges associated with this "FCC boondoggle" as he calls it. It's definitely worth the read. In these challenging economic times, it's interesting to see how this money is being spent and then judge whether or not it makes sense.
Posted in Business, Legal, Research, Service Provider
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'Broadsoft Buys Sylantro' Rumors Fly

December 18, 2008

So Fierce VoIP's Doug Mohney is promoting a rumor that Broadsoft has purchased Sylantro.   I placed a call to Broadsoft's newly installed Corporate Communications Director Kristin Martell, who picked up on the second ring, and told me that the company does not comment on rumors.   Mohney points readers to a blog written by a former Sylantro employee who says that he (or she) too has heard the rumors. And in the comments section of the blog, there is an entry from an anonymous poster stating that indeed the transaction (although he termed it as a fire sale) was going through.   I get the sneaking suspicion that this may indeed be happening, but as of yet this is all still speculation.   As they say, watch this space.
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Microsoft Zune to add VoIP?

December 12, 2008

From the "made you look" files...   BusinessWeek offers an item posted on December 10 by Olga Kharif, who surmises that based on an October employment posting from Microsoft, the company's Zune MP3 player might one day be VoIP enabled.   The ad, which calls for:   "...experience with human interface and navigation models requiring engineering prototypes of dpads, switches, accelerometers, touch screen input variables" and "sensibility for mobile communications and entertainment applications..."   ...prompted Olga to ask if this means that Microsoft is building a phone?   Microsoft is denying such plans.   It's an interesting item though, which does set the thought process in motion.   The Zune as a VoIP device?   Not likely, but then again...Why not?
Posted in Mobility, Technology
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Alcatel-Lucent to Trim Workforce, Tighten R&D Focus

December 12, 2008

Alcatel-Lucent CEO Ben Verwaayen spoke to media and analysts at a press conference today, announcing the company's strategic plan for 2009 and beyond. To read a full description of the company's plans, please read this article. The company will undergo a strategic reduction in workforce, eliminating approximately 1,000 management positions and lowering the number of contractor headcount by approximately 5,000. Plans call for reducing the company's break-even point by 1 Billion Euros a year in 2009 and 2010. Company officials also spoke of a renewed focus on research and development activities, targeting four key segments (Optical, IP, broadband and Applications enablement).
Posted in 4G, Enterprise, IP Communications, Service Provider, Technology
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DataViz to Develop Android Apps in 2009

December 11, 2008

DataViz is well known in the industry for its Office compatibility and productivity solutions that enable users to access their office documents on mobile platforms such as Palm OS, Symbian OS, BlackBerry, Java, Linux, Windows Mobile, Windows and Macintosh.  Their solutions include mobile Office suite, Documents To Go, and wireless Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync client, RoadSync. Well, now we hear that they will be developing Documents To Go and RoadSync for Android in 2009.
    No word yet on exactly what features will be supported with Android. If you wish to be notified on availability, news updates or provide feedback please the company has set up the following URL: www.dataviz.com/android
Posted in Development tools, Google, IP Communications, Mobility, Open Source, Wireless
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Sangoma to Buy Own Shares

December 11, 2008

Sangoma Technologies Corporation today announced the company will purchase its own common shares for cancellation through the facilities of the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) at the prevailing market price of the common shares. 

For more information, check out this article.

Posted in Business, Open Source
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Report: US Broadband Operators Spent $4.1 Billion on P2P in 2007

December 10, 2008

Next time you visit one of those "click here to steal this copyrighted work" download sites you should know that you're not just taking food from the tables of entertainment industry workers, you're also stiffing carriers with quite a tab.   Apparently, carriers spent over $4 BILLION dollars as a result of consumers' use of peer to peer (P2P) networking, and according to research just released by MultiMedia Intelligence, that massive number is DOWN slightly down from the $4.2 billion spent in 2006.   On top of the capital expenditure (CAPEX), carriers also dropped about $700 million in operational expenses (OPEX) as a result of P2P networking.   Rick Sizemore of MultiMedia Intelligence said, "Our research uniquely quantifies the impact that P2P has on broadband operators. Since the majority of P2P traffic is unlicensed content, our research demonstrates that piracy costs are not only impacting content owners, but broadband providers as well."   According to the release announcing the findings:   ·         The value of unlicensed (in some cases known as pirated) music trafficked on P2P networks in 2007 was US$69 billion. ·         Not all P2P content is unlicensed. The growth rate for licensed content files distributed over P2P networks is much higher than unlicensed, although it is fair to note that we are starting from a much smaller base. ·         P2P Internet traffic, despite having grown at a torrid pace for years, will grow almost 400% over the next 5 years. Growing from a level of 1.6 petabytes of Internet traffic per month in 2007 to almost 8 petabytes per month by 2012.   TMCnet columnist Gary Kim offers more insight on the matter.
Posted in IP Communications, Research, Service Provider
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14 Join Open Handset Alliance, Android Gains Momentum

December 10, 2008

So yesterday, the Open Handset Alliance announced that 14 additional companies were joining the Android alliance, demonstrating "their support for Android as an open mobile platform and their commitment to its commercial success."   The newest member companies are: ·         AKM Semiconductor Inc., ·         ARM ·         ASUSTek Computer Inc. ·         Atheros Communications ·         Borqs ·         Ericsson ·         Garmin International Inc. ·         Huawei Technologies ·         Omron Software Co. Ltd. ·         Softbank Mobile Corporation ·         Sony Ericsson ·         Teleca AB ·         Toshiba Corporation and ·         Vodafone   Adam Leach, principal analyst at Ovum believes the move will lead to a greater number of devices based on the Android operating system over the next year.   Said Leach, "This announcement signals greater confidence in the OHA and the Android platform within the mobile industry. The extended membership will lead to a greater number of Android devices in the market next year and could lead to much-needed consolidation in the mobile Linux space."   "Google and its OHA partners have the opportunity to build critical a mass of supporting handsets during 2009," Leach added. "If [Google] achieves this momentum in the handset market in 2009, then it has the potential to challenge Nokia and the Symbian Foundation for dominance in the handset software market."
Posted in 4G, Development tools, Google, IP Communications, Mobility, Open Source, Research, Technology, Wireless
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Fed Warns, Digium Defends Asterisk

December 9, 2008

Check out Rich's recent entry about the Feds "Raining on Digium's Parade" by coming out with a statement about how Asterisk-based systems may be more susceptible to certain attacks, like vishing, spoofing, etc... via VoIP. Visit the IC3 for the original complaint. For the complete response from Digium's Asterisk Community Director, John Todd, be sure to read his blog entry titled SIP Security and Asterisk. I posted a short summary article here.
Posted in Development tools, IP Communications, Open Source
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It's That Time of Year...

December 8, 2008

As the year comes to a close, it's time again to feature that publishing staple -- the year end interview.

  I'm fortunate enough to work in an industry where people not only have a lot of interesting things to say, they're not shy about sharing their thoughts and insights with our audience.                 Below you'll find links to several interviews I've posted with some of the companies that operate in our space.   Among the threads that are tying these together (so far) is the belief that mobility holds the key to our industry's future. Mobile VoIP, mobile video, mobile UC... you get the picture.   I invite you to take a look at this first batch of interviews. There's more on tap, so check back often.     The Future of IP Communications Rests With the Mobile Device Jon R. Doyle, CommuniGate's vice president of business development talks about mobility...   Open Source IP PBX Vendor Gains International Recognition Xorcom CEO Eran Gal discusses open source and the opportunity ahead...   Look For Mobile UC To Open Up In 2009 Vivek Khuller, President and CEO of DiVitas Networks remains cautiously optimistic for 2009...   The Future of IP Communications?

Posted in Development tools, Enterprise, IP Communications, ITEXPO, Mobility, Open Source, Unified Communications
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Sangoma's VP on New Cards

December 3, 2008

 It's been a busy week for our friends Sangoma Technologies. Earlier this week, Sangoma announced their first-quarter financials and yesterday, the company announced a new series of analog voice cards. Rich Tehrani had the chance to interview Sangoma VP of Sales and Marketing, Doug Vilm. When you're done reading Rich's interview, surf on over to the Open Source PBX Community on TMCnet for more. 
Posted in Development tools, IP Communications, Open Source
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Dell'Oro: Avaya Leads UC Market

December 3, 2008

A recently released Dell'Oro Group report on enterprise telephony finds that Basking Ridge, NJ-based Avaya led the $3.1 billion UC market in revenues for third quarter of 2008. According to the report, Avaya led in unified communications revenues 2008 with 22 percent of the global market share, more than 3 points ahead of its nearest competitor. The total market in revenues for UC in the third quarter was $3.1 billion, according to Dell'Oro Group.
Posted in Research, Unified Communications
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