Getting your numbers ported faster

May 21, 2009 by Garrett Smith

Hidden in last week’s news that the FCC would soon be imposing new regulations requiring VoIP providers to provide “reasonable notice” to customers and regulatory officials before they shut down, was a new rule requiring land line, cellular and VoIP providers to port numbers to another provider within one business day.

It’s funny (to me at least), that LNP (Local Number Portability) is something that I “remember” becoming a reality. At the time I was selling wireless, and when news came down that customer could leave a competitive service with their number I was stoked.

After all, I represented the low cost alternative and one of the biggest barriers of getting a customer to switch to our services was the “new number” issue.

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SwitchVox Developer Central Launched

by Garrett Smith

On Tuesday Digium (the folks behind Asterisk) pulled the curtains back on their widely anticipated Developer Central community for SwitchVox. The community, designed for developers, resellers and intergrators, provides those interested in extending the capabilities of SwitchVox the tools, tips, tricks and support necessary to do so.

SwitchVox, which was acquired by Digium a few years ago, is a feature rich small medium business VoIP system built a top of the Asterisk telephony platform. The system has won acclaim amongst businesses, resellers and the VoIP industry for it’s usability, functionality and of course affordability.

Develop custom applications for SwitchVox

Developer Central is centered around SwitchVox’s Extend API which made its debut with the not so distant release of SwitchVox SMB 4.0, the system’s latest software version. In Developer Central, one will find themselves immersed in useful information, people and of course ideas.

Developer Central focuses on four main development components:

An XML API
IVR-Web Integration
Event Notifications
Switchboard panels

Each of these unique components can be leveraged individually by third parties or in-conjunction with one another, empowering the development of simple or complex applications. With the Extend API and the help of Developer Central anything from click-to-call capabilities to the communication enhanced business processes and business systems can be accomplished.
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Jabra BIZ 2400 series VoIP headsets released

May 20, 2009 by Garrett Smith

Earlier this week Jabra announced a hot new line of VoIP headsets, the BIZ 2400 series. Touting the BIZ 2400 series as the ultimate corded user experience, this new line of headsets features improvements to almost every area of a headset.

Comprised of nine (9) different models, the Jabra BIZ 2400 series come with the following enhancements:

Hi-Fi audio quality with Neodymium speakers
Gold contacts for crystal-clear voice transmission
Break-proof FreeSpin boom with 360–degree-plus rotation
Surgical steel details for maximum strength
Ultra-strong Kevlar-reinforced cord
Bluetooth connection for mobile phone (USB only)
3-Year warranty

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FCC steps up VoIP regulation

May 14, 2009 by Garrett Smith

The continuing debate as to how VoIP services will ultimately be classified isn’t stopping the FCC from enacting legislation towards VoIP providers.

According to PC Mag, the FCC approved an important consumer protection measure on Wednesday that will require failing VoIP service providers to give “reasonable notice” to customers and regulatory officials before they shut down. Complete details are still unknown, but the move appears to be in direct response to the SunRocket disaster that occurred in 2007.

For the industry this new rule should come as no real surprise. As VoIP continues to grow in popularity, safeguarding consumers against a “few bad apples” will go a long way towards bolstering consumer confidence in “making the switch” to VoIP.

Where are the open source VoIP gateways?

May 13, 2009 by Garrett Smith

Last night I was chatting with a few VoIP industry executives and the topic of open source telephony platforms came up.

For the most part we discussed the importance these platforms hold for the industry. But the real take away for me was, where are the open source VoIP gateways?

In a time where VoIP gateways offer an attractive way to get into VoIP without having to rip out one’s existing infrastructure, you’d figure someone out there would offering an open source VoIP gateway. After all, there’s dozens of open source PBX systems on the market today that are essentially the same thing.

Now I know that there are likely thousands of gateways in use today that are built a top Asterisk. But these units are typically custom jobs done by someone who knows Asterisk and telephony – not an average business or enterprise.

With low cost connectivity cards, a variety of open source telephony platforms to start from, dozens of appliance choices and no shortage of demand, it seems like a great market opportunity. I would imagine one would need a slick GUI interface for configuration, administration and a few OEM agreements for the hardware components (in addition to all of the other “business” operations).

I know all of this is theoretical and I’m not the smartest guy in the room here, but what do you think? Why aren’t their more open source VoIP gateway brands? We’re interested in your take.

VoIPSupply Labs: Integrating Nokia "E" Series Phones with Switchvox PBX (Plus Asterisk or any SIP IP PBX)

May 12, 2009 by Garrett Smith

Do you already own a Nokia “E” Series mobile phone, or are you considering purchasing one? The Nokia “E” series phones, although not inexpensive, offer the flexibility of both GSM and WiFi/SIP calling, and can be integrated with most SIP based IP PBX platforms. For the purpose of this article, we chose a Nokia E51 and configured it to leverage any open WiFi connection to register with our Switchvox IP PBX.

These instructions apply to and of the Nokia “E” series dual mode GSM/WiFi mobile phones.

NOTE: The SIP registration instructions below assume you have already setup your WLAN settings on the phone, and will use WiFI to communicate to your SIP server. It is always suggested to have the AP on the same network as the IP PBX and to place a certain level of security.

1. First, power on the Nokia “E” series phone by holding down the power button located on the top of the phone. (more…)

POTS lines are an endangered species

May 11, 2009 by Garrett Smith

I know the title of this post is telling you something that you probably already know. Unfortunately, not everyone is as informed as you are.

Case in point, Larry Midge at Cnet.

Larry is worried about land lines. His kid’s prefer their cellphones. He even bought one of them Vonage – which they never even used.

And apparently Larry’s kids aren’t alone. Recent research suggests that 20% of all homes in the US are now “cellular only”.

You don’t need Larry’s story or research to know that POTS lines are a thing of the past. Unless you’ve grown-up with one or don’t know alternatives exist, your not likely to look into a POTS line if you need voice service.

But just because POTS lines are declining in popularity and at one point will be extinct, they still have their place.

As Larry pointed out, neither cellphones or VoIP service touts the reliability of a land line. While cellular and VoIP are inching closer in reliability to POTS lines, if the power or network goes out, you won’t be able to use them. Unlike your POTS line.

That’s why it’s recommended by the folks here at the VoIP Insider that residents and businesses switching to VoIP consider keeping a POTS line (or more) for fail over purposes.

In most cases the price points for VoIP service is such that one keep a basic POTS line ($9.99 – $15.99 plan) that provides per minute dial tone (or local calling)still provides considerable monthly cost savings. This is especially true for businesses.

So yes Larry, POTS lines are an endangered species. But at least they’re not extinct.

First Look: Blue Microphones Eyeball

May 6, 2009 by Garrett Smith

Last week I got the opportunity to get out of the office and head down to beautiful Boca Raton Florida for a retailing conference. While I was there I got the opportunity to check out a ton of new products and services that are either new or coming to market.

One product that caught my eye (no pun intended) was the Eyeball from Blue Microphones. Unless you’re a studio musician or into voice recording you’ve probably never heard of Blue Microphones. After all, they’re best known for making high-end microphones for likes of Cold Play.

I’m no lead singer, but I do use many VoIP soft clients throughout the day. So when I found out that they had an HD voice and video webcam, I was excited to get my hands on it.

Lucky for me, the great guys over at Blue Microphones stuck a demo unit in my bag. Unfortunately I’ve yet to play with the Eyeball (more on that when the review hits later this week), but from what I saw down in Boca, the Eyeball touts:

A very cool retro design
HD voice
HD video with performance up to 30fps
Ultra portability through an integrated stand and case
Easy mounting

The Blue Microphones Eyeball has a MSRP of $139.99, so it’s definitely more expensive than your run-of-the-mill webcam. Considering the promise of HD voice and video there might be a case.

But will HD voice and HD video all wrapped into a slick retro wrapper be enough to turn me into a voice and audio snob? Check back later this week for the answer (and a full product review)!

First Look: New Cyberdata VoIP Intercoms

May 5, 2009 by Garrett Smith

Amongst the most innovative vendors in the VoIP product space, Cyberdata understands business communications problems and designs their products with customer needs foremost in their minds.

Cyberdata has just released two new SIP intercom products compatible with most SIP-based IP PBX servers that comply with the SIP RFC.

First up is their new indoor intercom. The CyberData SIP-enabled VoIP Indoor Intercom is a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE 802.3af) and Voice-over-IP (VoIP) door entry device that easily connects into existing local area networks (LANs) with a single cable connection.

Next up is their Indoor Emergency intercom. The CyberData SIP-enabled VoIP Indoor Emergency Intercom is a two-way communications device that is used in an area where either an emergency panic button or two-way priority communications are required. The intercom is compatible with most SIP-based IP PBX servers that comply with SIP RFC 3261.

Look for both products available soon for purchase on VoIPSupply.com

Gartner tells us what we already knew about Mobile VoIP

by Garrett Smith

This morning the Gartner group dropped some hot new knowledge on us about the growing threat mobile VoIP presents to incumbent carriers.

Wait. That’s nothing new. We’ve known about that for years.

Gartner’s announcement did shed light on what they consider the actual market opportunity for mobile VoIP services to be, however, as well as where these where all these mobile VoIP minutes will be originating from.

According to Gartner research director Akshay Sharma, in ten years more than half of mobile voice traffic will be carried end-to-end using VoIP. That’s approximately $345 billion dollars worth of minutes.
Of this mobile voice traffic, 30 percent will be driven through third parties such as Google, Facebook, Yahoo and others who will look to add voice as a value added feature to their current offerings.

These numbers are a little misleading if you’re a mobile VoIP provider salivating over the market opportunity these next eight years.

Incumbent carriers are already leveraging VoIP behind the scenes and will likely ramp-up their efforts to provide mobile VoIP services themselves once third party services from companies like Truphone and even Skype eat away at their voice revenues – cutting into the opportunity for third party players.

This is fine by many current mobile VoIP providers such as Mobivox and Nimbuzz who have positioned themselves as value added platforms for carriers – not direct competitors.

Regardless of how the players are shaping up, mobile VoIP still has some technical hurdles preventing it from realizing its full market potential. Many users are still struggling with the awkward nature of many of the services – something that will only improve with time and better technology.

Until that time mobile VoIP will continue to hold promise. But you already knew that.

Getting your numbers ported faster

SwitchVox Developer Central Launched

Develop custom applications for SwitchVox

Jabra BIZ 2400 series VoIP headsets released

FCC steps up VoIP regulation

Where are the open source VoIP gateways?

VoIPSupply Labs: Integrating Nokia "E" Series Phones with Switchvox PBX (Plus Asterisk or any SIP IP PBX)

POTS lines are an endangered species

First Look: Blue Microphones Eyeball

First Look: New Cyberdata VoIP Intercoms

Gartner tells us what we already knew about Mobile VoIP

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