Geemarc Unveils New VoIP Hearing Aid

DEAF and hard of hearing people can now take advantage of millions of pounds of free phone calls using web-based software, say experts. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) software such as Skype allows users to make free calls to each other. Deaf and hard of hearing people often struggle to hear the person on the other end of the line due to the lower sound quality and scarcity of specialist equipment. However, new technology developed by a UK company has arrived in the shape of adapted headsets compatible with hearing aids which help amplify the sound.
Geemarc Telecom, the company behind the CLA3 headset says the product will help up to nine million people make better use of free software and save millions of pounds. Andrew Grossman, managing director of Geemarc, said: "Historically, deaf and hard of hearing people have struggled to use free online calls because of the lack of specialist equipment to help them hear the call.
"This headset means that people with hearing aids can hear calls more clearly and can now make better use of VoIP and similar chat services. "We've developed this product with input from deaf and hard of hearing people and we are helping them take advantage of this worldwide revolution in telecommunications."
If you regularly talk to people in other countries, or simply in other area codes, VoIP can bring huge savings because the usual cost involved in phoning long distance is no longer a factor. Instead you can use your internet connection to talk to your friends for free.

Vopium VoIP Service Now Available in Additional 25 Countries

The mobile VoIP solution provider Vopium, which also has an iPhone application, recently announced that their service is now available in 25 new countries, including north and south America, Africa, Middle East, and Asia Pacific. By installing the free Vopium application on any of the more than 900 supported GSM mobile handsets, callers around in the new countries can now also take advantage of high-quality and affordable international calling.
Vopium is a free mobile software application that leverages mobile VoIP and Wi-Fi technology to greatly reduce the cost of international phone calls made from mobile phones while also maintaining excellent call quality. Free and easy to download, Vopium integrates directly with the user’s mobile address book, and automatically re-routing all international calls via the least expensive method available. In addition to heavily discounted international calls, Vopium users can also slash the costs of sending text messages (SMS) abroad.
Tanveer Sharif, CEO of Vopium, said, "Hundreds of thousands of consumers are already enjoying the savings on international cell mobile phone calls that Vopium offers. The roll out of Vopium in 25 new countries meets the ever increasing demand we have experienced since our international launch last year. Particular in the economic climate, the entire world is facing at the moment consumers are keen to cut costs wherever possible. International telephony rates are still outrageously high, but with the geographical expansion, we are delighted to solve that problem by enabling even more consumers to save heavily on international phone calls”.
Vopium is now available in 45 countries, and the 25 new countries are: Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Malta, Mexico, Poland, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Venezuela.

3Com Installed IP Solutions for Public Service on Channel Island

3Com said today that authorities on the islands comprising the States of Jersey have implemented a complete network infrastructure supplied by 3Com to tie together their hospitals, schools, police, fire and rescue services.
The 3Com VCX VoIP systems connect seamlessly to the 3Com Gigabit network infrastructure, which supports email, web access and shared applications, as well as to five 3Com NBX 100 IP telephony platforms, which deliver premium quality voice services to the island's library and schools.
Telephony costs have been cut by USD1.5m per year by reducing line leases, equipment servicing and replacement, and charges for long-distance and inter-departmental calls. The scalable, expandable 3Com solution also allows for future growth and the addition of new technologies such as wireless and audio/video conferencing.
3Com Global Services provided project management, system design and implementation training and support throughout the project. Speaking about this recent development, Paul Carpenter, senior manager at the States of Jersey Information Services stated that “We were primarily looking for value for money when we began this project. I would judge the project to have been very technically demanding, but overall an outstanding success that has met all our objectives and enabled us to exceed our financial aims.”
Technical and engineering support and project management was provided through specialist local partner Jersey Telecom. No project cost details were disclosed.

Jajah Partners Microsoft Over New IP service for Enterprise Customers

JAJAH, the global IP communications company, has inked a major deal with Microsoft to provide SIP trunking services for Microsoft Office Communicator, which the companies say will improve the quality of VoIP calls made with the system. The new SIP trunking capabilities could also help Microsoft sell more of the OCS 2007 products into medium and small businesses, as SIP trunks are less expensive than other connection methods, such as T1 trunks.
Communications Server 2007 Release 2 can now connect directly with JAJAH's global carrier-grade IP network to make high quality voice calls. In addition to the significant cost-benefits, JAJAH's extensive range of calling solutions integrate seamlessly into the enterprise, so voice calls can be made from computers and landlines.
"The combination of JAJAH and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 gives enterprises a powerful and rich external telephony solution," said Warren Barkley, Microsoft Senior Director Unified Communications. "JAJAH is a world leader in providing innovative telecommunications solutions to enterprises and consumers worldwide. We believe that they will bring a suite of services that will be interesting and valuable to our customers."
JAJAH's SIP Trunking services connect phone calls from computers, IP-phones and mobile phones to virtually any device in the world. JAJAH's IP communications platform offers flexible, next-generation integrated communications solutions for consumers and businesses. JAJAH's award-winning services make it easier for people to stay in touch using any device, on any network, anywhere. Leveraging a universal open telecommunications platform, JAJAH's managed services allow mobile operators, landline carriers, cable companies, technology companies and other businesses to adopt its voice solutions with minimal investment and time to market.

XConnect Raises $10 million to Finance Project

XConnect a London-based company announced that it has raised $10 million in Series B funding to support the further expansion of its “Interconnect 2.0” portfolio, which includes Carrier ENUM-registry and multimedia interconnection hub services.
This fund raising was made possible by investors who feels the need to see the company succeed in its pursuit and these include Venrock Associates of the USA, UK-based Accel Partners, Grazia Equity of Germany and Singapore-based Crescent Point Group.
XConnect’s Interconnect 2.0 offers the most comprehensive suite of services tailored to address operators’ increasing requirements to deliver multimedia services such as high-definition voice and video, across IP networks.
These services are vital to generate additional revenues for operators, while increasing service quality and reducing costs. XConnect has also announced the appointment of Torsten Kreindl and David Hand to its board. Kreindl is a partner at Grazia and Hand is a partner and managing director at Crescent Point.

Thus Transfer Now Possible Through Tpad

Following the announcement that THUS has pulled the plug on its Voice over Internet Protocol service (VoIP), Tpad have announced a simple option for customers to transfer their redundant service to an efficient provider.
Tpad has put together a VoIP offering to allow Thus customers to seamlessly transfer to a new provider without any difficulties or lengthy paperwork to complete.
Earlier, Thus have announced that their Pipecall VoIP service is to close within the next 30 days due to difficulties in maintaining acceptable levels of reliability and have left customers in an awkward position of having to do the administration work themselves if they want to keep their current number.
With VoIP technology evolving rapidly in recent years, Tpad has remained at the forefront of this advancement and continues to offer a complete managed telephony solution packed full of features and emphatic savings.
The experience that Tpad has built up in the sector has also highlighted the importance of client care and responsiveness to the needs of the marketplace and the news from Thus has again highlighted this requirement.

Voxbone iNum Now Supports HD Voice Support

Voxbone, a provider of local telephone numbers to communications service providers and businesses worldwide, has added high-definition voice to its international, geographically-independent number service, iNum.
iNum has added a missing piece – a uniform identifier – to enable HD calling. As long as both endpoints are HD-enabled, calls to iNum numbers will convey a sound quality that far surpasses traditional circuit-switched telephony, the company noted.
The new capability, announced at the HD Communications Summit in New York, adds the benefit of in-the-room sound quality to iNum’s location neutrality and cost savings on international calls.
Prefaced with the ITU-assigned 883 code, iNum numbers refer to the Internet in the same way that 44 refers internationally to the U.K. and 1 refers to the U.S. A call to an iNum number is routed first to Voxbone, which carries it over the expensive, long-distance leg of the route before delivering it to the appropriate service provider, which terminates the call to its subscriber.
A high-definition voice signal cannot fit through the frequency constraints of Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) – a fact that limits the HD benefit to end-to-end IP calls. However, most iNum calls should be able to support HD voice because most iNum traffic is transmitted by service providers that have migrated to IP or begun operation as VoIP carriers.

Voxbone Showcases iNums at Burning Man Conference

At the Burning Man Conference, Voxbone showcase how iNum enables wireless calling and texting to such isolated areas. Burning Man, which builds an experimental community that challenges its members to freedom of expression, was held at the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada.
Voxbone, a leading provider of worldwide telephone numbers to communications service providers, call centers and multinational businesses, is providing a block of 10,000 international Numbers (iNums) with the country code +883. Unlike traditional phone numbers, iNums aren't geographically restricted, which makes them usable anywhere on the planet.
Voxbone worked with the OpenBTS Project to automatically assign iNums to cell phone users at Burning Man, making them instantaneously reachable from networks such as Skype and Google Talk. “We are showcasing how iNum can be used to connect remote or unconnected areas of the globe with the rest of the connected world, using cell phone infrastructures such as OpenBTS,” said Voxbone CEO Rod Ullens.
The iNum service is provided free to users at Burning Man. At the same time, it will enable users to spread the word about how valuable iNum is when it comes to connecting the unconnected. Started in the mid-1980s, Burning Man is designed to generate a society that connects individuals to their creative powers, participation in community, civic life, and the world of nature. Gathering on an ancient lake bed, about 140 miles north of Reno, participants decide how and what they’ll contribute to the community.

VoIP Logics to Acquire VoIP Service from Sundial Network

VoIP Logic, a Voice-over-IP managed services and solutions provider, has announced an agreement through which it will absorb Sundial Network Services, a VoIP engineering professional services firm. SunDial will be absorbed by VoIP Logic, with SunDial CEO Ardeshir Ghanbarzadeh joining VoIP Logic as vice president of operations. VoIP Logic said more than a dozen SunDial customers would remain directly surpervised by former SunDial employees, ensuring a seamless transition. In addition, the SunDial customer base will now have access to VoIP Logic's additional managed services.
This action combines two segment leaders into one company; more than a dozen former Sundial customers will now be served under the VoIP Logic umbrella by the same Sundial personnel. In addition, these service providers will enjoy access to VoIP Logic’s extensive technology and managed services portfolio, while VoIP Logic customers will enjoy immediate access to an expanded array of professional services. VoIP Logic CEO Micah Singer said in a release that the transaction made strategic sense for his company, as the added professional engineering services and Ghanbarzadeh's expertise would be excellent resources for VoIP Logic's customer base. At IT EXPO East earlier in 2009, VoIP Logic reported strong growth metrics, and the company appears to be capitalizing on its growth with strategic purchases.

O-bit Offers Purple Networx, Feature rich VoIP Solution for SMBs

O-bit Telecom, a voice and data network solutions provider, recently announced the launch of Purple Networx a true end-to-end VoIP solution for SMBs incorporating its own voice and broadband network and dedicated internet access off its network backbone. This will provide SMBs the opportunity to benefit from free or lower cost calls with no capital outlay or infrastructure requirements.
The solution provides a hosted PBX for a single user up to a sizable business. With support for Wi-Fi, mobile phones can also connect to the network and act as a desktop when on the move. It cuts costs with low international and UK call rates and free calls between business sites or any other companies on Purple Networx, as well as removing roaming charges on a mobile, according to the company.
Dave Breith, CEO of O-bit Telecom, explained in a statement that they are offering a solution to their customers which will seamlessly meet their communication requirements. "By adding this offering to our portfolio we can now provide customers with an alternative to traditional voice telephony and ensure we are flexible enough to meet any of their business communication requirements," he added. SMBs can benefit from the many features such as lower UK and international call costs, easy to use online interface for administration, free between site calls, free calls to any other Purple Networx businesses as well as being able to keep their own numbers when moving locations.

Vonage Releases Application for iPhone and Blackberry

Voice over Internet Protocol service provider Vonage on Monday announced that it has launched its first mobile apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and BlackBerry devices.
Unlike most VoIP offerings however, the apps do not attempt to provide free calling. They instead provide cheaper rates, in some cases more than 50 percent below normal carrier fees, according to Vonage. Both versions currently require prepaying for minutes through Vonage; a monthly rate is said to be coming in the near future. The iPhone app allows users to make calls over Wi-Fi and cellular connections, but must be opened before making a call, and in cellular mode consumes AT&T plan minutes.
On the iPhone, Vonage calls can be made by dialing in the app, or from your imported address book—but you need to have the app open. The BlackBerry version only works over the voice network, and the iPod touch version is obviously limited to Wi-Fi. Available now, the app is only pay-as-you-go for the moment. Support for Vonage World subscribers is expected by the end of the year.

Digitalk Gets Recognized for Excellent Service

In recognition of its excellent service in the VoIP world, Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) has named DIGITALK Prepaid Mobile as a recipient of the 2009 INTERNET TELEPHONY Excellence Award presented by INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine.
The DIGITALK Prepaid Mobile solution for MVNOs is the latest of service-ready applications available on the DIGITALK Multiservice Platform. DIGITALK Multiservice Platform enables prepaid mobile calling and messaging to be deployed on a 3GPP standards-based mode. It also supports least-cost carrier routing to maximize margins on international calls, giving the MVNO a significant advantage over simple mobile resellers. The Prepaid Mobile solution includes integrated prepaid charging for voice and messaging. It comes with value-added features such as voicemail deposit and retrieval, and a number of charging options, including add-on voice and messaging bundles.
While receiving the award, Justin Norris, CEO and co-founder of DIGITALK said “The DIGITALK Prepaid Mobile solution was designed to address the saturated mobile market to allow MVNO to exploit niche opportunities utilizing DIGITALK Next Generation technologies, and the uptake and interest received has been hugely successful. This award is further testimony to DIGITALK’s prepaid expertise delivering long term value in a complex and evolving market. I am naturally delighted at its success and esteemed recognition."

Manifone Launches New VoIP Service Called Mani-voip

As an innovative Voice over IP service provider, with a range of services aimed at individuals and businesses, with solutions to place calls to and receive calls from International destinations, Manifone has even gone the extra mile when it announced a new service called Mani-voip.
Mani-voip allows calls to Skype and use of your accounts VoIP from other operators from any landline or mobile. With this new service, any Skype user can call their Skype contacts from a landline or mobile form factor. Manifone assign a landline replacement every Skype contact. Then, just save these numbers in the directory for his phone call to the traditional way, for the price of a local call, without requiring internet connection.
Mani-voip can also use an account of VoIP detained with another operator, via direct Manifone numbers from any landline or mobile. If you have a subscription to VoIP, including unlimited calling, you can use your mobile phone. The company gives out unlimited calls for a monthly subscription flat-fee of 2 Euros.

Skype Supports FCC's Talk for Net Neutrality

In what seems to be a right decision in the right direction in the telecommunication industry, the VoIP giant Skype speaking through its European Director of Government & Regulatory Affairs, Jean-Jacques Sahel, has thrown its weight behind the call by the chairman of the USA’s Federal Communications Commission for action to be taken to preserve Internet neutrality, given them their full support.
Sahel who stated that they welcome FCC Chairman balanced approach to protecting investment in networks and the applications that drive people to buy broadband access said that if done correctly, this move will open up more innovation and allow consumers to make the choice about which applications they would like to use, without having that choice dictated to them by network operators.
He also pointed out the fact that blocking Skype traffic is against the principle of the open Internet, and asked for the new EU regulations to protect competition, consumer choice and Internet freedom. There has been much debate about whether to apply openness rules to both wired and wireless networks.

IB Wants DoT to Block Skype and Other VoIP Services in India

The latest report that is reaching us from India as regards internet telephony services is that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has advised the communication ministry to block all internet telephony (VoIP) services to and from the country Telecom until the Department of Telecom (DoT) puts in place a mechanism to track such calls. The IB is of the view that currently, India does not have the capabilities to track internet telephony calls — both domestic & international — and had asked the DoT find an “early solution to this issue in the interest of national security”.
"In the absence of Caller Line Identification (CLI) parameters of calls landing from abroad, it's next to impossible to identify the country of location of the caller. Also, a number of service providers in India have started providing VoIP solutions for making calls both domestics as well as foreign. The calls passing through the VoIP/IP route contain inadequate parameters making it impossible to trace the actual callers. As DoT had conveyed that it is not possible to mandate transmission of CLI from abroad, we had approached DoT to block such calls till a technical solution is found," said the Intelligence Bureau.
f the DoT implements the IB directive, it will impact thousands of consumers who use the internet to make low cost phone calls and free computer calls across the globe. The MTNL in Delhi and Mumbai as well as many leading ISPs offer internet telephony services. Skype, Google, Yahoo and Windows Live also provide such services to the customers. TRAI's latest performance indicators report defines that there were over 130 million minutes of internet telephony recorded in the January-March quarter 2009. This report also adds that 34 Internet Service Provider (ISPs) offer net telephony services in India legally.

Speakeasy Restricts Certain Calls Over its Network

Speakeasy has joined the league of companies that are restricting certain calls to be made from via thier networks. The company is the latest carrier to block customer access to free Iowa-based conference call companies joining the likes of Magic Jack and Google Voice. The free conference call systems involve small rural telcos are taking low cost calls, terminating them on a higher cost carrier, and pocketing the difference (aka "traffic pumping"). Fortunately Speakeasy at least bothers to informs customers.
“Unless the FCC acts, we can expect other VoIP providers to follow suit,” writes Harold Feld, legal director of Public Knowledge. “But the problem is it is not at all clear what the right decision is for VoIP providers even in the short term.
Feld adds that “for various reasons, phone networks in rural areas get paid much more money when a call comes from another network and terminates on the rural network. This means if you have a business where lots of people call in and few people call out, you can make money from the uneven compensation. So some clever folks figured out how to take advantage of this and offer some very popular services — free conference calling and porn being the most well-known.”
However, an alternative approach would be for the VoIP providers to charge back the connection costs on each call; provide a rebate per call up to some amount, which would render all "normal" calls free. Then there's no problem allowing calls to one of these expensive numbers - the costs will end up on the user. (Of course, it's important that the VoIP provider make it very clear what the call will cost - preferably at the time the call is placed. With this approach, increasing use of VoIP will lead to increasing pressure on the conference call providers to change their way.

New VoIP Solution for SMBs Available at O-bit

O-bit Telecom recently announced that it will be launching a new voice over IP (VoIP) solution for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). This new solution is called Purple Networx and it is a hosted solution that makes use of O-bit’s own broadband and voice network, with dedicated internet access.
The company can provide a hosted PBX for a single user up to a sizable business. With support for Wi-Fi, mobile phones can also connect to the network and act as a desktop when on the move. It cuts costs with low international and UK call rates and free calls between business sites or any other companies on Purple Networx, as well as removing roaming charges on a mobile, according to the company.
Dave Breith, CEO of O-bit Telecom, explained in a statement that they are offering a solution to their customers which will seamlessly meet their communication requirements. "By adding this offering to our portfolio we can now provide customers with an alternative to traditional voice telephony and ensure we are flexible enough to meet any of their business communication requirements," he added. SMBs can benefit from the many features such as lower UK and international call costs, easy to use online interface for administration, free between site calls, free calls to any other Purple Networx businesses as well as being able to keep their own numbers when moving locations.
The Purple Networx IP Switch Network is vendor independent which allows any IP communications device (IP PBX, mobile or softphone) to connect to its network. This allows mobile handsets to seamlessly integrate with the Purple Networx via Wi-Fi allowing mobiles to act as an extention to a desk phone anywhere in the world.

LogiSense Announces Successful Technology Deployment by Telesphere Networks

Announcing the successful selection and deployment of its technology integration with BillSoft’s EZTax product by Telesphere network, Logisense is has reach a landmark when it comes to VoIP solutions. The integration of EngageIP Billing and OSS with EZTax offers a ready made billing and taxing system. Company officials said that the system enables Telesphere to rate, tax and manage their core Hosted VoIP service.
Officials said that the combined EngageIP and EZTax platform is being used to service catalog, rate, bill, and tax Teleshphere’s VoIP and broadband Internet services. Additionally, Telesphere is also using the EZTax RLM supplemental tool. With the help of EZTax RLM, Telesphere can modify the standard rates and logic within EZTax to have customized tax capabilities and fit their business model. As a Phoenix, Ariz.-based provider of hosted voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) Services, Telesphere offers nationwide business phone and Internet services that delivers a package of IP telephone services and Internet access to businesses throughout the United States.

CyberData Releases First VoIP Talk-Back Speaker and Digital Wall Mount Clock Kit

California based CyberData Corporation has announced the latest in their expanding line of innovative Application Specific Endpoints for Unified Communications. When integrated together, CyberData’s VoIP Talk-Back Speaker and Digital Wall Clock Kit provide true two-way communication in a highly visible public address device with an easy-to-read time display, as claimed by the company officials.
This new technology is perfect for deployment in school or university settings and the company's offering of the latest version of its SIP-enabled VoIP Speakers is PoE powered and when integrated with the Digital Wall Clock Kit, is perfect for education and healthcare markets, and any large or SMB enterprise requiring mass notification capabilities.
One interesting point to note here is that, in a year that has proven difficult for most OEM design and manufacturing firms, CyberData continues to lead with innovative and highly desirable IP endpoints that many of its customers have been asking for. “We have seen an increase, particularly with our overseas customers,” said Phil Lembo, President and CEO of CyberData. “We think this is a great sign for our continued product success.”
CyberData Corporation, which has recently partnered with Zultys, a provider of VoIP telephony solutions, to enable its support of Zultys VoIP paging and access control products, is a leading OEM design and manufacturing firm with an unparalleled reputation in developing innovative Application Specific Endpoints for Unified Communications. CyberData, known as “The IP Endpoint Company” develops peripheral devices for VoIP phone systems, providing application specific endpoints that add functionality and integrate with a host of 3rd party software developers and IP PBXs.

TeleBlend Announces Unlimited Annual VoIP Phone Plan

TeleBlend has announced a new phone service plan that those looking to make calls on the cheap should really like. The release of the unlimited $99 Annual Plan is the first in the VoIP industry and now one of the most affordable phone services available nationwide. Customers who switch to TeleBlend will save hundreds of dollars per year compared to traditional phone service providers.
The new plan offers a year of unlimited local and long distance calls for $99. The company claims that this is the first annual calling plan in the VoIP industry and makes it one of the most affordable phone services in the industry.
The plan is available for a limited time and for the $99 fee users get unlimited US calling, a free device, 14 free calling features including Caller ID, voice mail, and simultaneous ring. International service is available, but not included in the $99 plan.
The unlimited $99 Annual plan will ease the burden phone service can put on many households nationwide. With one low payment, no phone bills, no long distance charges and full account accessibility, TeleBlend has made phone service easier to use and enjoy than ever. "TeleBlend has always strived to provide the most affordable unlimited phone service in the industry.