Will the Switch to IPv6 Create VoIP and PBX Problems?

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?

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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 1)

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?

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?

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

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?

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

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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HP Dropped Their IP PBX

Right now the world of enterprise-level IP PBX stands in a pretty interesting state of flux, a good sign of which is HP’s July 2012 folding of their IP PBX division. Even if you weren’t an HP customer or even if you weren’t considering working with HP you should take this shift in power seriously for a couple of pretty significant reasons. The world of IP PBX is so fascinating and exciting right now that any big sea change like this seems to indicate a pretty significant picture of things to come.

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SIP Trunking Explained

If you know very little about telecommunications but have some basic understanding of the Voice over IP technology – you will have no trouble grasping the concept of SIP trunking. Understanding why DLS chooses not to offer this service may take some explaining.

Understanding Trunking

The word “Trunk” has more than one meaning but in communications it came to represent a concept of a part that can be divided into branches and vice versa. More specifically, the term “trunk” is used to describe a transmission channel between two switching systems. Such transmission channel could be comprised of one or more communications circuits. When you think about public switched telephone network (PSTN), you imagine many different telephone switches all connected to each ot

her using trunks. Each trunk would typically consist of multiple trunk lines. Trunk sizes vary depending on how many trunk lines are in it.

Since the 1970s telecom services largely relied on the technology called TDM (Time Division Multiplexing). This technology allowed delivery of fixed number of voice channels per digital circuit. For example: T-1 circuit would contain 24 channels, PRI – 23 channels, etc.  Each channel could be used for voice or data. This technology represented a significant leap from the analog switches because it allowed delivery of multiple channels over a 4-wire connection eliminating costly requirement for individual copper pairs to be run from the central office switch. A business could purchase a digital circuit(s) and pool some or all of its channels into trunk. These channels would then be referred to as “trunk lines”.

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USF AND FLAT RATE PRICING PLAN (PART 2)

Back in 1996, it was still possible for telecom companies to split their service plans into a number of different revenue streams. Telecom companies were able to say, with total specificity, how much of their revenue came in from international calls, how much of their money arrived from beeper use, how much money they had coming in from local calls, and yes, how much end-user revenue they earned from interstate communication. Telecom companies could do this because these providers tended to charge based on specific usage. Each time you wanted to communicate with someone interstate you had to pay to do so, creating a firmly defined revenue stream that was easy to track, add up, and, yes, tax for the sake of bulking up the USF.

Nice Pricing Models = New Taxation Headaches

With the massive explosion of mobile devices fewer and fewer telecom providers continue to charge their customers based on usage. At least usage that’s as specifically defined as it was back in 1996. These days pricing tends to follow the model of flat-rate pricing, which basically states “a call is a call is a call is a call.”

Local calls and interstate calls now cost the same amount of money. And that’s to say nothing of the various other simplified payment plans that really mess with the idea of the USF’s tax plan. How can you accurately tax interstate communication if it’s included within an unlimited calling plan? How much of the cost of an unlimited calling plan’s price goes towards providing interstate communication?

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