Stories From Around The Net That You Might Have Missed

• Is Skype a Telco? – Martin seems to think so. I disagree. Skype is much more than just a way to make a call. Sure there are issues with third party interoperability and their closed system, but just because a company wants to keep their technology in a “black box” does not mean they should be classified as a dinosaur.
• Sony PSP Now With JAJAH – JAJAH is everywhere these days, and Andy points us to a story on how Sony is now shipping PSP units with JAJAH pre-loaded. This is sure to open the technology up to a whole new generation of users.
• Communications Developer Conference a Huge Success – Kudos to the folks at TMC for what looked like (and from what those who attended have told me) to be one of the best conferences of the year. Sorry that I missed it. If only they would unchain me from my desk…
• How to Start Your Own VoIP Provider – This is a great story by VoIP Now on how to get into the VoIP game. Don’t forget your VoIP Equipment or if your looking to become a VoIP affiliate, this VoIP Equipment Affiliate Program.
• Ten Best VoIP Widgets and Mashups – Awesome compilation of the best of the best when it comes to VoIP widgets and mashups. My favorite? GizmoCall!

VoIP Supply is Now Offering VoIP Network Assessment and Evaluation Packages

VoIP Network Assessment and Evaluation Packages Designed to Take the Guess Work Out of Your VoIP Deployment

Today we announced our newest initiative, and the first leg of our new professional VoIP services roll out; VoIP Network Assessments and Evaluations. Our suite of cost effective VoIP network assessment packages are designed to for those who do not have the in-house technical expertise to design and purchase their own IP PBX system, create technical drawings with documentation, analyze their current data and voice networks, as well as purchase the required hardware, software and telecommunications service components for their VoIP deployment. The VoIP Supply VoIP network assessment and evaluation packages offer a complete and comprehensive set of deliverables that gives businesses of all sizes the ability to make informed decisions about a potential migration to VoIP.

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In the Face of Adversity, Vonage Keeps Trying to Innovate

Sure many will say that Vonage is not innovative enough, and that voicemail to text is nothing “new”, but you have to give them credit for *trying* to differentiate their service with their latest service enhancement, Vonage Text. Most, if not all, residential service providers are making no attempts to do anything other than deliver cheap dial-tone over someone else’s pipe – a sure death sentence. So I salute Vonage, for not just carrying the torch for the industry – something that has been costly – but also for continue to deliver new, innovative (to the general public), and valuable services on top of dialtone.

Sure they do not have it all “right”, but who does. They are down, but not out, and from the looks of this announcement, and this new site, Vonage will at the very least go down swinging.

As More Companies Adopt VoIP, The Focus Remains on POTS

A recent In-stat report noted a trend that we at VoIP Supply have tried to make a best practice for all businesses making the move to VoIP – keeping POTS lines. David Lemelin, an analyst at In-Stat found in a recent study a persistent theme among VOIP adopters: They still hold onto traditional voice communications technology for a part of their operations. Traditional voice switching, known as Time Division Multiplexing, or TDM, still accounts for 44 percent of the voice lines in those 20 percent of U.S. business that have adopted VOIP, he said.

Why Should You Keep POTS Lines?

Here are just a few reasons why you should keep your POTS lines when leveraging VoIP:

• Failover: This one of the most important aspects to consider when switching to VoIP; what is your plan for communications if your network, or Internet connection goes down? By keeping POTS lines, you ensure that if your Internet or network connections “goes down” your customers can still reach you and you can still reach them.
• Quality of Service (QoS): There are numerous times that the QoS on your VoIP lines will not be acceptable or suitable for business communications. If you keep your POTS, you will be able to easily route calls over the PSTN, when and if that happens, ensuring a pleasureable calling experience for each party.
• Local Calling: If your business makes a number of local calls each day, you will probably not realize a cost savings by using VoIP for these calls; in fact, they might actually “cost more” if the quality of the calls is sub-par. In addition, local providers are continuing to reduce their per minute charges to compete with VoIP providers.

So for all of you thinking about making the switch to VoIP or buying a new ip based phone system, there is absolutely no reason that you should forget your POTS, that is until VoIP is suitable for mission critical communications, which is still a ways away.