Popular Telephony's Peerio GNUP

I recently wrote about Popular Telephony's Peerio (Popular Telephony Peerio a Skype Killer?) This will also be a cover story for Internet Telephony Magazine.\n\nWell today, at 1 PM today Popular Telephony will release their global numbering plan called GNUP. \n\nPopular Telephony announces Peerio GNUP™ – a serverless Global Numbering Plan for VoIP\n\nPopular Telephony Inc, the telecommunications middleware company behind the Peerio™ serverless telephony invention, has announced Peerio GNUP™ - a Global Numbering Plan for all IP telephony users, enabling transparent interconnectivity between all VOIP, PSTN, Mobile and other networks. \n\nPeerio GNUP is a lightweight software agent used with any VoIP application (Peerio™, Skype, Liphone, SIP or H.323 clients, etc), that brings simplicity of phone numbers to VoIP. GNUP™ assigns the user a unique number (analogous to a traditional PSTN or mobile phone number), allowing their computer, PDA or other device to be called from any another VoIP application or telephony network. \n\nUntil now, VoIP devices and software were restricted to simple outgoing calls and like-to-like platform or protocol connectivity (Skype-to-Skype, H.323, SIP etc.), whereas standards-based applications required a DNS or Proxy infrastructure. As a result PSTN and Mobile users were unable to directly reach VoIP users without some form of media gateway. Peerio GNUP™ creates a presence for IP telephony users, enabling them to fully participate in the global two-way telephony process. With GNUP™, VoIP software users now interconnect transparently, while other networks users call GNUP™ numbers using a service provider that supports the Peerio™ Global Numbering Plan (the list can be soon found at www.gnup.org/connectivity ).\n\nPeerio GNUP™ is not a voice application. Instead it is a core part of the Peerio™ suite and exists in all Peerio™-intelligent devices and the Peerio444™ client, but it can be used by other VoIP software, as long as another party has GNUP installed on their computer. For instance, a Microsoft MSN Messenger user who has installed Peerio GNUP™ on their machine can find a Linux user, which uses the Liphone SIP application, who also has GNUP™. \n\nDownloadable from www.gnup.org, Peerio GNUP™ involves three easy steps: \n\nIt registers user to enlist all VoIP applications existing on the their device \nIt assigns user with the GNUP™ number. \nIt identifies other GNUP™ users, creating a presence. \n\nUpon the user’s authorization, GNUP™ places the user’s number at the GNUP™ Yellow Pages section at www.gnup.org/yellowpages for public availability.\n\n“For nearly ten years - the length of the Internet revolution - IP telephony has been limited to outgoing calls alone. Today, we’re faced with a market of millions of VoIP users across the globe who are not recognized as legitimate telephony users.” said Dmitry Goroshevsky, the CEO of Popular Telephony. “GNUP™ finally brings real, two-way telephony to VoIP on a global basis”.\n\nLike all Popular Telephony technologies, Peerio GNUP™ is serverless; and works without any central management server, switchboard or system to handle call processing. It is free, self-serving, self-healing software that the users control. \n\nGNUP™ supports full number portability. User can activate their GNUP™ number wherever they have access to the Internet (home, office, Internet café, Wi-Fi hotspot, etc.) on any platform (PC, PDA, IP phone) by simply entering their log in information. Once keyed in and logged on, the GNUP number is active and the user is available. GNUP™ requires no complex installation and can be carried on a smartcard, any storage device or downloaded onto any device from the GNUP™ website. \n\nInterconnectivity works both ways with GNUP™ - user can call out to any kind of phone and any GNUP™ number. Calls between IP and PSTN are carried by GNUP™ partner service providers or through a GNUP-enabled media gateway.\n\n“Popular Telephony is not a service provider. Our aim is to expand the use of serverless VoIP technologies by giving people free access to the latest innovations when they become available. GNUP™ is just the latest step in the server-free revolution,” added Dmitry Goroshevsky.\n\nPeerio GNUP™ is planned to be available for download November 1, 2004.\n\nI'm on the beta list, so hopefully I can report back here my experiences using their software client very soon. Stay tuned...