Year: 2012

Will the Switch to IPv6 Create VoIP and PBX Problems?

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Right now the Internet is going through a massive transition, an overhaul of the addresses that will impact every network device connected to it.

What is this overhaul?

How will it change the Internet?

And how will it impact business VoIP telephony?

Copyright

Big Questions First

The massive transition we’re talking about here is the change from IPv4 to IPv6, or the change from the old Internet Protocol (IP) system to its newest iteration. Int

Now, the old IP is known as the Internet Protocol Version 4, or the IPv4, and it’s the set of rules that have been in place providing the scaffolding for the Internet since day 1. IPv4 works really well, as most internet communication still occurs using its rules, but we’re now transitioning to the new version of the Internet Protocol, a new set of scaffolding known as the Internet Protocol version 6 or IPv6.ernet Protocol lies at the heart of how the Internet works; it defines the way data packets transfer from one connected device to another over various bundles of equipment, cables and wireless signals. The Internet Protocol outlines the rules for how these data packets are labelled, how they are located, and how they are routed over the web.

So basically we’re in the middle, or more accurately at the beginning, of transition from IPv4 to IPv6.

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Just How Big Will VoIP Market Grow? (Part 2)

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Continued from “Just How Big Will VoIP Market Grow (Part 1)“

Falling price point primed to match consumer expectations isn’t the only reason Point Topic believes the global VoIP market is due to hit 40 billion dollars in annual revenue by the year 2015. After all, ideas of substitution commodities and ideal price points are a little academic, a little theoretical, and they don’t quite bring the hard-nosed proof that the global VoIP market is set for some big, big changes over the next couple of years. For that sort of proof, Point Topic looked at an area they considered an important “test bed” for rolling out the technology.

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Just How Big Will VoIP Market Grow? (Part 1)

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We’ve all heard the reports that business VoIP is projected to grow massively over the next couple of years. We’ve all heard predictions that the VoIP market is going to be extremely exciting throughout the rest of this decade. We’ve all heard that VoIP is the future of telephony, for both enterprise markets and the private sphere. But most of the predictions are extremely vague. Thankfully we’re starting to see some new reports come in that begin to align these predictions with some real numbers, and the VoIP-dominated future they predict appears to exceed what most of us anticipated.

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Why is Skype Launching Free Wi-Fi in Britain?

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There’s no question right now whether VoIP is eventually going to become the default mode of telephony communication throughout the world, for both domestic and international communications. Instead, the real question is how VoIP will pursue its path to world dominance. Most likely we’re going to see a mix of different implementation methods. The major mobile carriers will likely switch all of their services, including telephone calls, under a single data plan, a shift that will effectively create mass adoption of VoIP regardless of whether mobile users ever become aware of the transition. But despite the power they have to make VoIP the standard for mobile communications overnight it’s increasingly clear the major mobile carriers aren’t the only players in the access or IP transport business with their eyes on new revenue streams, a point driven home by Skype’s recent initiative to provide free wireless across Britain.

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VoIP over Cable or DSL?

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voip over cable or dsl?

voip over cable or dsl? - voip dsl modemMaking the switch to Voice Over Internet Protocol is a wise move for business owners. The choice is not only cost-effective, with relatively cheaper call rates than the conventional media, but it also has the added advantages of mobility and higher scalability, which are the frosting on the cake. However, you still have to make a choice between DSL and cable Internet. Both DSL and cable modems are good choices, although cable connection is more dependable and DSL is more reasonably priced. For your immediate needs, get in touch with us.

If you are considering the implementation of VoIP to reduce telephony costs for your very small business, there are a variety of ways to install a VoIP telephony solution.  The different types of installation require infrastructure and environments which are designed to support the specific type of business telephony you want to use.

Two of the different types of VoIP installation include cable and DSL or Digital Subscriber Line. Cable installation requires high-speed cable broadband and a cable modem with VoIP to establish connectivity.  DSL VoIP requires a slightly different type of connectivity and infrastructure.

To help you understand the difference between the two types let’s start with the difference between a cable connection and a DSL connection.

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Birth of New Unified Communications Ecosystem

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Right now we’re starting to see a lot of convergence between mobile devices and desktop telephony equipment. Modern VoIP handsets are starting to stock up on functionality and applications that has, so far, been the sole domain of smartphones. This is true for touchscreens and app-compatible operating systems.

Convergence in Unified Communications

When you take the smartphone dynamics to desktop phones, you will notice an interesting trend.

Speakal Unveils Converged Unified Communications ComputerPhone DeviceMicrosoft’s next Windows operating system is going to interact seamlessly with Microsoft’s next generation of mobile OS. In fact, Windows 8’s mobile and desktop/laptop operating systems are doing more than merely “converging”. They will operate closer than just “seamlessly”. Windows for your computer is becoming the exact same OS as Windows for your next smartphone.

Provided, of course, you use a Windows phone for Unified Communications, which very, very, very few people do. But the relatively low popularity of Windows mobile devices needs to be taken alongside the continued popularity of Microsoft operating systems. Especially among the government and enterprise sets of users. Will the next generation of VoIP handsets run Windows 8?

Even if Microsoft went bankrupt next year the company’s decision to utilize the same operating system among desktop and mobile devices is highly telling about their vision of the future of communications technology. They envision the movement towards mobile competition including Apple and Google (owner of the popular Android mobile platform). Over the last year Apple has been steadily aligning their mobile and desktop operating systems by streamlining their desktop environment. Recently they began to establish uniform naming practices across for applications across their devices. Google, meanwhile, has been getting their feet wet in the world of desktop computers, ostensibly in response to the wild success of the company’s mobile efforts. There are presently several SIP handsets that run on Google’s Android.

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Will Telephony Regulators Lose Their Teeth With VoIP Adoption?

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There’s an interesting bill finding it’s way through California’s legal system these days. The bill is known as SB 1161 and it has sailed through California’s legislature and now sits on the desk of the state’s Governor, who is expected to pass the bill and put its far-ranging changes to the way the country’s biggest state regulates its telecom industries. Opponents of the bill say it will remove all the power telephony regulators currently have and, at the same moment, remove many of the protections consumers currently enjoy. Proponents of the bill, primarily the bill’s sponsor AT&T say the bill’s big changes will ensure “internet freedom” for the future.

How can opponents and proponents of this one bill come to such vastly different conclusions?

What does “internet freedom” have to do with a deregulating bill being pushed by one of the country’s biggest and oldest landline telephony oligarchs?

And who, exactly, is right about this bill’s true nature?

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PBX Phones Review: Altigen iFusion AP 300 Handset

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iFusion all colours

iFusion All ColorsOk, it’s not really a PBX handset. Altigen iFusion SmartStation is a Bluetooth Speakerphone and a charging station with a handset designed to be used with an iPhone. By design it was meant to serve as a charging station and replace your office handset. I have to admit, that a thought of losing my desk phone and replacing it with a SIP softphone app on my iPhone 4S sounded enticing. One device for all needs! Now, I can really take advantage of our hosted PBX. Considering that I need a convenient place to charge my iPhone anyway, why not put it in front of me and use it as a desktop handset?

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Are VoIP and Video Chat Really the Future of Mobile Communications?

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Walking TextA recent editorial by Joel Evans over at zdnet argues that two forces are going to drive the future of mobile communication- VoIP and Video Chat. He bases this argument on a pair of experiences he recently had using Skype’s premium outbound calling functionality as well as the VoIP service’s video chat abilities, both of which he used on his mobile device, an iPhone connected to AT&T’s 3G network. He argued that the quality of the VoIP and video chatting services were at least as good, and often superior in clarity and reliability, than normal calls he made using AT&T’s traditional telephony network.

Evans appears to make a compelling enough case here, but there are a couple of points within his argument that he fails to address that change its tone significantly.

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