"RealTunnel 2.0 continues to deliver the best possible voice and video quality by automatic and intelligent discovery and use of optimal transport mechanisms for the call at hand. Using the RealTunnel SDK allows customers and partners to focus on delivering communication and collaboration solutions without compromising security or having to solve the complex challenges of connecting calls over firewalls and NATs", said Espen Skjæran, CTO, Paradial.

New features and capabilities include:

Support for ICE/STUN/TURN, UDP, TCP and HTTPS relay support including HTTP proxy and authentication schemes. Small client footprint. Available as SDK for softphones and hardphones, and as a stand-alone enterprise proxy for corporate networks. SOAP provisioning interface. "The new RealTunnel release demonstrates Paradial's continued investment and commitment in making it simple and secure to build, deploy and operate standards-based IP-communication and collaboration solutions", said Ingvar Aaberg, CEO, Paradial.

Availability and Platforms

RealTunnel SDK is available on Windows and Linux.  Support for additional platforms is planned.

Key Product Facts:
• The only truly open solution on the market supporting any SIP client and any SIP Registrar.
• Small footprint SDK.
• Most comprehensive FW/NAT product available. RealTunnel supports voice, video and T.120 application sharing across any firewall.
• The customers can use existing network infrastructure firewalls.
• No network or firewall modification is required.
• Excellent voice and video quality.

Supported network protocols:
• UDP
• TCP
• HTTPS
• RTP
• RTCP

Supported standards:
• SIP (RFC3261)
• STUN (RFC3489)
• TURN
• ICE
• Symmetric Response (RFC3581)
• Extension Header Field for Registering Non-Adjacent Contacts (RFC 3327)
• Locating SIP Server (SIP DNS)

The most common HTTP proxy authentication schemes are supported:
• Basic authentication
• Digest authentication
• NTLM authentication
• Proxy pac scripts

Source: WebIT PR 

Posted by Dal at 09:59 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to SIP

 

With RSA-IQWIMAX and the RSA3408A, engineering teams will be able to more quickly detect, diagnose and resolve design issues improving time to market for WiMAX end-user products, including consumer electronics, computers and handheld devices.

RSA-IQWIMAX provides spectrum and modulation measurements on OFDM and OFDMA signals in accordance with IEEE802.16-2004 (fixed) and IEEE802.16e-2005 (mobile) WiMAX standards.

The RSA3408A captures intermittent or random events that other solutions will miss enabling engineering teams to detect, diagnose and resolve design issues more quickly.

The combination of RSA3408A real-time spectrum analyser with RSA-IQWIMAX software is the world's most powerful WiMAX R and D test solution, enabling engineers to perform needed time-, frequency- and modulation-domain measurements to decompose signals and uncover anomalies, and generate in-depth analysis for troubleshooting WiMAX devices at the design stage.

'With digital RF technology accelerating the move to packet oriented network technologies like WiMAX, packet collisions and spurious signal detection becomes much more complex'.

'In addition, WiMAX services may be sharing spectrum with other services operating asynchronously making interference detection very difficult but critical to proper operation'.

'The RSA3408A with its unique ability to trigger, capture, and analyse transient RF phenomenon is an ideal tool for WiMAX designers', said Rick King, Vice President, Real-Time Spectrum analyser product line, Tektronix.

'The RSA3408A combined with the spectrum and modulation measurement capabilities provided by RSA-IQWIMAX software creates a highly-efficient and effective test set, providing WiMAX research and development engineers the world's fastest time to market for new component and module designs'.

RSA-IQWIMAX analysis software is used on an external PC connected to the RSA3408A by Ethernet or GPIB.  Optionally, an engineer may load captured data and analyse the results offline.

Test results from the RSA3408A and RSA-IQWIMAX software can be tightly integrated with LitePoint's IQmax WiMAX test system to form an integrated end-to end test solution from R and D through manufacturing test.

Click Here to Continue Reading About "Tektronix's WiMAX Spectrum Analyzer"

Posted by Dal at 10:21 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiMax Hardware

Posted by Dal at 10:08 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Skype

Posted by Dal at 09:57 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

“Our goal was to simplify VoIP 911 for enterprises,” said Lev Deich, Director of 911 Enable. “When employees move their phones within and between branches, the RedBOX works in the background to automatically make the appropriate location updates. Then, if a 911 call is placed, the RedBOX routes the call to the closest PSAP and displays the precise location of the caller on the dispatcher's screen. We're proud to be able to bundle location discovery with our turn-key VoIP 911 service, and at a price accessible to all enterprises.”

The RedBOX features and benefits:

* Automatically detects phone moves using discovery protocols such as CDP and LLDP-MED
* Allows users to move within and between enterprise locations without performing manual updates
* Performs rapid, call delivery to PSAPs in the US and Canada
* A complete, turnkey solution

Today's challenge of VoIP 911 is to integrate VoIP, which is by nature nomadic, with the existing PSTN emergency network. 911 Enable captures the location information of a VoIP 911 caller and uses it to automatically route the call to the closest Public Safety Answering Point.

Source: 911 Enable 

Posted by Dal at 09:51 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Hardware

FirstHand Technologies, an innovator in transforming smartphones and PDAs into full-featured business telephones, today announced that it has been granted a patent for a multi-protocol data communication system supporting wireless telephony and content delivery.

This patent is licensed from Columbia University, along with several pending applications on which Prof. Henning Schulzrinne of Columbia University is an inventor. Patents pending include inventions for reducing MAC layer handoff latency in wireless networks; for call routing in an IP telephony network; for unified messaging in inter/intranet telephony; for an Ethernet-based telephone and system for inter/intranet telephony; for internet telephony based on SIP; and for a system and method for cooperative roaming.

In addition to his role as chief scientific advisor for FirstHand Technologies, Prof. Schulzrinne is the department chair of computer science at Columbia University and is one of the world's leading authorities on Internet Protocol (IP) technologies. Protocols co-developed by him are now Internet standards, used by almost all Internet telephony and multimedia applications.

“We are driven to create ongoing critical innovations for our market and are excited to work closely with Prof. Schulzrinne and Columbia University to do so,” said David Hattey, president & CEO of FirstHand Technologies. “The granted patent and the other patent applications serve to protect the enormous investments we’ve made in earning our reputation as the leader in extending enterprise IP PBX functionality onto mobile devices.”

For enterprises needing to mobilize their employees, FirstHand Technologies delivers the FirstHand Mobile Console and FirstHand Mobile Assistant. Both products extend the functionality of various IP PBXs to a variety of mobile devices. Using Mobile Console, enterprise workers can place and receive a call over the best available network – WiFi or cellular – optimizing for lowest cost, highest call quality or user preference.

The Mobile Console delivers personal command and control of communications services over WiFi or WiFi and GSM or WiFi and CDMA network interfaces. Using Mobile Assistant, activities normally confined to the office can now be performed on a mobile device such as making and answering enterprise calls, checking and reviewing voice mail, looking up colleague availability and connecting with one or more of them with the click of a phone button.

About FirstHand Technologies

FirstHand Technologies mobilizes the enterprise by extending the functionality of numerous IP PBXs to a variety of smartphones and PDAs. FirstHand Technologies empowers an enterprise’s workforce to go mobile with the same functionality as their office desktop. The FirstHand Technologies advanced fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) solution delivers enterprise features and “single number” seamless connectivity over cellular networks and/or WiFi enabling organizations to achieve “enterprise communications everywhere.” The enterprise benefits from faster communication abilities, increased productivity, and significant cost savings.

Posted by Dal at 01:28 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP News

"Cellular technology and the productivity gains enjoyed by businesses using it now can be further enhanced by integrating this capability into office telephony systems," states Chip Harleman, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Multi-Tech Systems, Inc. "Connecting a CallFinder GSM to the company's telephony system creates a gateway to the cellular networks that can save money and provide emergency communications in the event of a service interruption. The attractive pricing for long distance charges on cellular service plans makes them advantageous to use for everyday business communications when those mobile accounts are shared via any telephony system utilizing a CallFinder GSM. In addition, multiple CallFinder GSMs can be used if a business needs more than one cellular line. The CallFinder GSM can bring both cost savings and communications security to businesses of any size."

The cellular wireless CallFinder GSM CF100 cellular gateway can interface to most call-processing systems utilizing the system's analog FXS (Foreign eXchange Subscriber) or FXO (Foreign eXchange Office) interface. The CallFinder GSM cellular gateway is managed and controlled using AT commands entered via the unit's serial port. The CF100 is programmable and can operate with either an FXS or FXO interface.

Multi-Tech Systems is an ISO 9001:2000 certified global manufacturer of award-winning telephony, Internet and device networking products that connect voice and data over IP networks, add connectivity to equipment using embedded technologies, and provide the latest in cellular wireless technologies. With a 36-year history of inventing products known for their reliability and performance, Multi-Tech Systems still employs the same mission on which the company was founded: To provide solutions that solve real business problems. To reinforce this philosophy, Multi-Tech Systems prides itself on developing and fostering mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with its worldwide network of technology partners, sales channels and customers.

Posted by Dal at 01:17 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Hardware

General Dynamics NASSCO, a unit of Falls Church, Va.-based General Dynamics, currently is under contract to the Naval Sea Systems Command to build eight T-AKE class ships. Each T-AKE ship is 689 feet long and has a capacity for about 6,700 metric tons of dry cargo weight and nearly 2,400 metric tons of fuel.

The ships are designed to provide ammunition, food, fuel, repair parts and other necessities to ships at sea and to contribute to the Navy's ability to maintain a forward presence.

Fortress is providing a product that enables a secure wireless link between the Navy's warehouse management system and the end users.

Securing more than 12,000 wireless government networks, Tampa-based Fortress specializes in deployable networking, mobile edge applications, fixed wireless and office wireless LANs, it said in the release.

Source: Tampa Biz Journal 

Posted by Dal at 12:57 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

Posted by Dal at 09:17 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Vonage

 

In addition, the Tokyo Quality Lab is expected to achieve interlock working with the other Polycom testing facilities in the Unities States located in Andover, Massachusetts and Austin, Texas. The new Interoperability Quality Lab ensures Polycom solutions are easy to use and will integrate into a wide variety of third party systems and all Polycom products seamlessly.

Polycom's Interoperability testing staff consists of a mix of dedicated engineers and several partners. The testing staff and function report to Susan Davies, Vice President of Corporate Quality and Customer Success at Polycom in the company's Pleasanton, Calif. headquarters office.

"The Polycom labs were designed to recreate both the typical customer configurations as well as custom environments," said Susan Davies. "Our customers face complex challenges ensuring the systems they have selected for conferencing and collaboration interface with each other and with the IP telephony-based or presence-based infrastructures they have as their enterprise communications backbone architectures. I selected Tokyo for the Quality Lab because of the country's meticulous reputation for ensuring very high quality in all they do. I felt if we could satisfy Japanese demand for quality, we would be positioned well to address the needs of the rest of the world."

Within the 3 Quality Labs there are a number of tests being run. Interoperability testing verifies new products and releases against existing Polycom products, and new code is tested during development phase against networks, bridges, and video endpoints. Scalability testing involves the Polycom MGC bridge in LAN and WAN scenarios where they are stress tested to see how many endpoints they scale to support. Certification testing uses all business collaboration systems, as well as IP telephony and IM/presence based systems from alliance partners such as Microsoft and Alcatel, and in the future it will contain the systems of all other alliance partners. These solutions are re-certified when new versions of Polycom solutions are ready for global availability. All tests are conducted with market competitiveness in mind.

The Quality Lab is also available to Polycom engineers who wish to test individual voice or video endpoints and applications, or infrastructure hardware and software in specific environments. Polycom customers working with members of Polycom's service staff may use the Quality Lab to replicate an issue a customer may be experiencing.

Source: Polycom 

Posted by Dal at 09:13 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Polycom

 

The Skypad SKP-3300 (crafty title!) can be plugged into any USB Port to indulge in some good old Skype calling ! The Skypad is 100% Skype compatible and one can access Skype directly from the Skypad itself. One also comes across Volume Control Buttons on the Skypad itself and two LED Indicators for Num Lock and phone ringer status. This one is not Mac compatible and works only with Windows2000, WindowsXP. For more info visit the Product Page

Source: Mobile Whack 

Posted by Dal at 09:01 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Hardware

"With the explosion of affordable high-speed mobile data access, operators are now being challenged to make the best possible use of their networks, especially when peer-to-peer applications increase their traffic load and compete with their own services," says Roberto Loiola, Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Networks, Nokia.

"The Nokia Peer-to-peer Traffic Control solution now gives operators the means to analyse and manage such traffic. It allows them to apply their business models by prioritizing the traffic of preferred services and partners, maximize their return on network investment, and avoid becoming only bit pipes for other content providers."

The Nokia Peer-to-peer Traffic Control solution enhances the service, subscriber, and access awareness capabilities of the Nokia Flexi ISN to identify data traffic according to the type of service, for example file sharing, so that operators can treat that traffic in a way that best optimizes the use of network resources according to the operators' business strategy.

Source: Cellular News 

Posted by Dal at 08:47 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Politics

The phone, made by Belkin, is one of several new mobile devices that allow users to make free or low-cost phone calls over the Internet. They are designed to take advantage of the hundreds of thousands of wireless access points deployed in cafés, parks, businesses and, most important, homes.

The technology's advocates say that as long as people are paying for high- speed Wi-Fi access in their homes, they should be able to use it as a conduit for inexpensive calls and an alternative to traditional phone service.

But in a twist that raises some tricky ethical and legal questions, the phones can also be used on the go, piggybacking on whatever access points happen to be open and available, like that of Schaffer.

Schaffer, a retired business teacher, seemed affably cautious about the idea of having his bandwidth borrowed.

"If you're a friend, I'd say, 'Let's give it a try.' If you're a stranger, probably not, unless you had to make an emergency call," he said.

The call made from Schaffer's lawn went through but was quickly disconnected, apparently because of a weak signal. Schaffer did not seem to feel he owed any apology for the spotty coverage, though he did express concern for the person on the other end of the line.

"I know what it's like to have a call dropped," he said.

For all its limitations, the technology is starting to emerge commercially, with companies like Vonage, Skype and T-Mobile now selling or supporting mobile devices that use Wi-Fi networks.

In some cases, the voice service is free. A Belkin phone that works with the Skype calling service costs about $180; calls to Skype users on computers are free, as are outgoing calls to domestic phone numbers, at least through the end of the year. Incoming calls from phones cost extra. Vonage charges $90 for a phone and $15 a month for 500 minutes of talk time.

One big hurdle is that the Wi-Fi radio frequency spectrum is unlicensed and not maintained by any one company, so call quality can be unreliable. Moving a few yards can require finding a new network to connect to. In other words, when you place free or low-cost calls - especially on a stranger's network - you sometimes get what you pay for.

Click Here to Continue Reading "When Wi-Fi goes too far" 

Posted by Dal at 08:33 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

"They're inserting themselves in between you and an application that you want. I think that has scary, scary implications," said Sacca.

He also hit out at operators claiming to provide unlimited Net access but then blocking hungry applications like VoIP and streaming video. I'm sure they'll just claim some 'fair use' policy.

"VoIP is not a service. It's a technology which provides only one thing — cheaper calls — and we can provide cheaper calls very easily by cutting prices,” Bobby Rao, Vodafone corporate strategy director, told journalists and analysts on Wednesday.“We think the best way to offer people cheaper calling plans is to offer them cheaper calling plans... The value customers are looking for is not VoIP,” Rao added.

Source: Tech Digest 

Posted by Dal at 04:00 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP News

Note: I like informative information like this.  Personally I know of alot of open unsecure wireless networks around my area.  People need to know what it means to operate a wireless networks and step they can take to reduce risk to your sensitive computers and data. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

He stands out from the crowd of government workers, techies and managers at the annual ICE ("Inspire. Connect. Educate.") Technology Conference here.  Dressed mostly in black, and a bit younger than the average delegate, he lurks near the entrance of the conference room as several hundred delegates file in, fiddling with his computer gear.

Then, when it's his turn to speak, Brad Haines shocks many with what he's discovered about their wireless devices. People throughout the room reach for their laptops, cellphones and PDAs to turn them off. "I've personally discovered over 140,000 devices in North America, about 70,000 in the Edmonton area alone," he boasts. "In fact, I've stopped counting."

Haines calls himself "Edmonton's local wardriving geek," a reference to his favorite hobby of looking for networks and devices that are broadcasting their presence to the world.

He directs the audience to the website www.wigle.net which, at last count, had tracked 7,910,944 access points around the world, complete with their exact locations. Sure enough, zooming in on the interactive map of Edmonton produces a dense cloud of access points with names such as poohbutt, Zeus and Henry the Network, but also, ominously, Accounting and Epcor, an Alberta utility company.

Not that anyone is saying major corporations have their networks sitting out there ripe for the picking, but at least they're discoverable by anyone who cares to look.

While Haines may look out of place at a mainstream computer conference, he fits right in at the notorious "hacker cons" such as Defcon and ShmooCon.

Click Here to Continue Reading 

Posted by Dal at 03:30 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

The company has a reputation for producing mission- and business-critical networking and telecommunication solutions for the telecoms, public sector, industry, aerospace, and defense markets. Its customers include Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Infineon Technologies, NASA, the European Agency for Defense and Aerospace (EADS), and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Critical Links’ edgeBOX product is a fully integrated network device that includes an IP PBX, with comprehensive security features and integrated Quality of Service (QoS) functions that are designed to support small and medium-size business enterprises (SMBs). One of the interesting aspects of the edgeBOX is that in addition to its IP PBX functions, it typically replaces between four and seven single-function devices, such as a router, security appliance, network access server, file, web, and email servers, VoIP gateway and Wi-Fi access points, but with a fully remotely managed system, and a significantly lower total cost of ownership.

The product’s name, edgeBOX, is thus indicative of the comprehensive suite of functions it performs. Network integrators market edgeBOX to enterprises for deployment at their branch offices, while telecom service providers (TSPs) and managed services providers (MSPs) offer it as a service to their SMB customers. The edgeBOX runs on a Linux-based system, and is therefore compatible with standard servers that are available from a number of hardware vendors, including Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM. Depending upon the hardware platform deployed, the edgeBOX system can support up to 500 end users.

Click Here to get a Full List of Features

Posted by Dal at 09:30 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Hardware

Posted by Dal at 09:19 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Wireless Hardware

Note:  I thought this was kinda of an interesting read.  I am not sure how they do things in Japan but it sounds like the "relay station" they speak of sounds almost like a Central Office (CO) type setup with some sort of local loop. 

A 61-year-old man who invested millions of yen in an IP telephone business but failed to receive the returns he expected has filed a lawsuit against a company in the Maebashi District Court, demanding 27 million yen in damages and the annulment of his contract, it has been learned.

The plaintiff, Tokyo-based Kinmirai Tsuushin Inc, solicited funds from investors to set up IP telephone facilities. In his lawsuit, the man claims the company did not provide sufficient explanations when soliciting investors, and that the firm failed to inform investors that the business could be unprofitable.

The man attended a meeting on the firm's business in December 2004, according to his lawsuit. At the meeting, he heard about the company's "relay station owner" system, under which investors who covered the cost of setting up new relay stations would continue to receive payments from subscribers for the use of lines going through those stations.

The company told the attendees that relay station owners could recover their investment within three years.

In January 2005 he formed a contract with the firm, and by July this year he had paid 23.65 million yen in setup costs, and 9.57 million yen towards the rental of IP telephone consoles in China.

Between August 2005 and September 2006, he received 8.2 million yen in dividends, but since October the payments have stopped.

"The condition of the relay station is unclear, and if the company can't secure a certain number of users of the station's lines, there'll be no foreseeable way of getting the initial investment back -- but the company neglected to explain that," the man said in his claim.

Lawyers for the firms said they couldn't comment on the case.

"We need to examine the claims in detail, and we cannot comment at this stage," a legal representative for Kinmirai Tsuushin said.

Posted by Dal at 09:59 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP News

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Posted by Dal at 10:37 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Software

The joint distribution and integration agreement between the two companies integrates PIN-to-PIN messaging, sometimes called "PIN blasting," with Wallace Wireless' Mass Notification service and Send Word Now's Smart Notification Service. These services allow organizations to reliably communicate with mobile users anytime, anywhere, in real-time, and respond with decisive action.

"Mobile devices are increasingly being relied upon as essential tools for communication during emergencies," said Rob Moffat, president of Wallace Wireless. "It is critical that when time is of the essence, access and management capabilities be as accessible and as easy to activate as possible. This integrated offering does just that -- it leverages Send Word Now's notification engine and our incident management tools for Blackberry users to provide a seamless easy-to-use service."

Send Word Now's CEO and President Mitchell Orlowsky added, "Our customers can now initiate PIN messages from their computer, phone or BlackBerry. With pre-arranged workflows, they can quickly and easily push out stored response information on how to handle a certain situation, enabling faster response in critical situations."

PIN-to-PIN messaging lets BlackBerry users communicate directly with other BlackBerry users in both emergency and everyday situations. PIN-to-PIN messaging serves as a backup communication mode when email networks are down or voice networks are clogged. Because PIN messages are not routed through an email server, BlackBerry users can still send and receive text messages in event of email network failure. In addition, during crisis situations when call volumes inundate landline and wireless voice networks, BlackBerry PIN networks have proven to be resilient. PIN-to-PIN messaging takes up much less bandwidth than a voice call, so these messages are still able to get through on the wireless network even when voice calls cannot.

Companies such as large banks and real estate companies are using Wallace Wireless and Send Word Now services for business continuity and emergency notification. In the event of critical business disruptions, a major bank uses the service to locate a team of high level management personnel and automatically join them onto a conference call. This helps them to streamline response time during incidents and bridge communication gaps.

A prominent real estate company uses mass notification to alert over 100 tenants of critical issues. Tenants manage their own contact information (via web interface) minimizing property management intervention and allowing greater flexibility. In times of crisis, tenants are notified quickly and effectively. Most importantly, all communication is tracked and recorded to ensure the correct information has been effectively relayed.

Source: Send Word Now 

Posted by Dal at 10:30 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

“Kerry is a huge addition to our trixbox project. He represents the trixbox community and will insure that the Asterisk ecosystem has an open, stable and easy to use application platform on which to build their businesses,” said Chris Lyman, founder and CEO of Fonality. “I’m very pleased to have him as a part of our organization, and his hire shows our continued commitment to supporting the trixbox project.”

“Kerry is a well-respected Asterisk expert and well-known within the trixbox community. His background brings real-world knowledge of the Asterisk market to the trixbox team,” said Andrew Gillis, founder of trixbox and director of community development at Fonality. “His insider knowledge and technical understanding will help with our goal of making trixbox the number one application platform for open source telephony.”

Garrison has spent more than two decades as an IT professional and entrepreneur who has worked with the Asterisk open source platform since its inception and has been a speaker at the AstriCon Asterisk conference and exhibition. Garrison is the founder of VOIPSpeak.net, an online portal designed to share VoIP-related news, reviews and tutorials, as well as AsteriskTutorials.com, which provides highly educational video training tutorials to help individuals gain additional instruction on setting up their Asterisk-based telephony applications.

Source: Fonality 

Posted by Dal at 10:06 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk News

Note: I saw this coming for some time.  My buddy told me about how to use Boost Mobile and a java applet to create a low cost version the the "Lo Jack" vehicle tracking system.

The diminutive cellphone is turning out to be the most clever of devices. As it connects to more networks, stores more kinds of data, delivers more kinds of entertainment wherever we happen to be it effectively becomes the most personal computer we own.

Now, as more of the handsets are equipped to use the Global Positioning System, the satellite-based navigation network, we are on the verge of enjoying services made possible only when information is matched automatically to location. Maps on our phones will always know where we are. Our children can’t go missing. Movie listings will always be for the closest theaters; restaurant suggestions, organized by proximity. We will even have the option of choosing free cellphone service if we agree to accept ads focused on nearby businesses.

None of this entails anything exotic. The technology has been ready for a while, but not the customers. Prospective benefits have seemed paltry when placed against privacy concerns. Who will have access to our location information — present and past? Can carriers assure us that their systems are impervious to threats from stalkers and other malicious intruders or neglectful employees — or from government snoops without search warrants? Contemplating worst-case scenarios, our hands holding these very mobile devices have been frozen, hesitant to turn the location beacon on. Are we finally ready to flip the switch?

Click Here to Continue Reading 

Posted by Dal at 09:51 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

Posted by Dal at 09:34 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

In the months that followed, the vice-president of IT for Gold's Gym, based in Dallas, learned some valuable lessons about not only VoIP, but any major network project that involves upgrades to numerous, far-flung sites. Badugu shared his insights in a presentation at the recent Network World IT Roadmap Conference in Dallas. He said the lessons include using a phased implementation process; establishing clear SLAs (service-level agreements), including penalties; and conducting a thorough technology assessment to identify potential problems.

When the rollout began in June, it was scheduled to take eight weeks. As of mid-November, the data portion of the rollout is complete, but only about 20 percent of the voice lines have been ported to the VoIP network. Badugu remains bullish, expects benefits including 35 to 40 percent savings in voice and data service costs, and already is saving $6,000 to $10,000 on his conference calling. But if he had it to do again, he'd do more than a few things differently.

Click Here to Continue Reading 

Posted by Dal at 09:23 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP News

In the months that followed, the vice president of IT for Gold's Gym, based in Dallas, learned some valuable lessons about not only VoIP, but any major network project that involves upgrades to numerous, far-flung sites. Badugu shared his insights in a presentation at the recent Network World IT Roadmap Conference in Dallas. He said the lessons include using a phased implementation process; establishing clear service-level agreements (SLA), including penalties; and conducting a thorough technology assessment to identify potential problems.

When the rollout began in June, it was scheduled to take eight weeks. As of mid-November, the data portion of the rollout is complete, but only about 20% of the voice lines have been ported to the VoIP network. Badugu remains bullish on VoIP, expects benefits including a 35% to 40% savings in voice and data service costs, and already is saving $6,000 to $10,000 on his conference calling. But if he had it to do over, he'd do more than a few things differently.

Click Here to Continue Reading "The good, bad and ugly of a VoIP implementation"

Posted by Dal at 10:11 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP News

Posted by Dal at 10:04 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP News

The Zabady from Twinbird is coming out in Japan and is a portable WiFi home TV. Comprising of a 7-inch screen and 480x234-pixel resolution, this mini TV receives video streamed via a docking station from sources like your TV, PVR or DVD player.

However this device only works over a short distance and if you tread too far away from your home the signal will diminish.

Simply put this is a short range Slingbox, but I'm not sure anyone is that addicted to TV to need to carry one around the house with them.

Source: PVR Wire 

Posted by Dal at 09:51 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Wireless Hardware

What's New in 0.0.32:

    * LiveCD:
          o Now you can save all your configuration between reboots
(Celliax, Skype, Language, etc). You can save all of them on a regular file on your hard disk (or on a USB key) and have all of it automatically reloaded at next boot. No more need to "retrain" Skype
at each reboot!
          o Linux support for all kind of datacables in the Celliax Devkits
          o New kernel 2.6.17.14 with ark3116 and working wireless
ipw2200 modules
          o Headless Celliax, cellphones, Asterisk and Skype (without X)! Booting in console mode you find a script
(/usr/local/asterisk/usr/sbin/celliax_server) that automatically launch Xvfb (the fake X11 server), Skype and Celliax. Also via ssh! Isn't that cute?
          o Graphic configuration for Celliax
          o Automatically download the latest sources with an svn script (/usr/local/asterisk/usr/sbin/svn_celliax, now's working)
          o Contains the Windows XP drivers for the Celliax DevKit datacables

    * Celliax (both Linux and Windows):
          o Asterisk 1.2.13
          o New configuration file format
          o Better interaction with Skype (no more stuck in skype_dir, much faster skype_dir on Windows)
          o Source code is more readable (but will be much cleaned, refactored and polished in the future ;) ) and beginning of Doxygen documentation
    * And many more minor things...

Celliax development and download site: www.celliax.org
 

Posted by Dal at 11:55 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Software

The solution enables enterprises to control and reduce total cost of ownership by delivering high accessibility and flexibility. It provides smooth and safe migration to a future-proof IP network at a pace appropriate to individual enterprises' needs.

The latest version of the MX-ONE IP-PBX maximizes business communications with extended system capacity for up to 50,000 end-users, standardized management and web-based tools.

One key enhancement in this version is the introduction of support for the session initiation protocol (SIP) for IP telephony, in both terminals and trunking for networked systems. Along with deploying SIP, the integration towards Microsoft Live Communication Server, making it possible for MS Office users to look up and dial people directly from any MS Office document or application is another significant step towards unified communications. MX-ONE allows businesses to integrate messaging and multimedia services with business class voice communications and also enables wireless telephony over WiFi.

In addition, MX-ONE Version 3 enables the network to identify the origin of emergency calls made from IP phones. Security has also been enhanced on all areas of management accesses, and media encryption has been introduced.

The result of Ericsson's recent acquisition of Netwise is that new business applications like contact and presence management along with other converged enterprise services are strengthened. And together with other Ericsson Enterprise products, such as WLAN base stations and applications, Ericsson can offer businesses a complete solution to meet their needs.

The Ericsson Corporate Telephony client for mobile smartphones P990 and M600 is a further enhancement of the MX-ONE Mobile Extension enabling integration of mobile users with corporate databases and support functions.

Gunilla Fransson, Vice President Product Management and Development, Enterprise, Ericsson, says: "With MX-ONE Ericsson is making integrated IP communications with mobility a reality for all enterprise users. Whatever their starting point, and whatever their future growth plans, enterprises choosing MX-ONE can be safe in the knowledge that their investment is protected as they evolve their networks to SIP-based IP communications."

Enterprises can implement MX-ONE either as a completely new IP telephony solution, as a new modular hybrid solution, or as an smooth migration of existing MD110 installations of which there are 20 million installed lines around the world, only a small number of hardware boards need to be replaced together with a software upgrade.

Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world.

Read more at: http://www.ericsson.com

Posted by Dal at 11:46 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to PBX / iPBX

Posted by Dal at 11:40 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Software

I just installed the brand new Asterisk GUI framework on my personal Asterisk machine. Here are a few screenshots as a quick preview.

svn checkout: http://svn.digium.com/svn/asterisk-gui/trunk asterisk-gui

Using this interface will require Asterisk 1.4.

Posted by Dal at 10:57 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Development

As the technology has grown in popularity over the past few years, VoIP attacks have multiplied exponentially. The security of call proxy, media servers and VoIP phones are specifically called into question in the report, which mentions specific products previously found vulnerable to attacks like Cisco Unified Call Manager and Asterisk. While known flaws are usually addressed with vendor released security patches, many VoIP customers remain unaware that they are targets until their systems are compromised, and will neglect to seek out fixes.

Hackers who go after VoIP systems can gain access over servers and VoIP phones, either crashing the systems completely or gaining total control. With control, the intruders can then carry out any number of illicit tasks including phishing scams, hijacking one side of a conversation, stealing minutes, eavesdropping, toll fraud and denial-of-service. 
 

Click Here to Continue Reading "VoIP Makes List of Top 20 Internet Attack Targets"

Posted by Dal at 10:46 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Security

"MetroFi's free Wi-Fi platform is creating an exciting new Internet access ecosystem that is more inclusive, ubiquitous and flexible for both consumers and advertisers," said Sam Klepper, general manager in the MSN Media Network Group at Microsoft. "With this Portland pilot we will deliver MSN services that help connect customers to the people and information they care about, breaking down connectivity barriers for our collective customers."

"Microsoft's support of the Portland network further reinforces the validity of advertising-supported municipal Wi-Fi. We're confident that consumers will appreciate the added value of Microsoft's locally relevant MSN content and services," said Chuck Haas, CEO and co-founder of MetroFi. "MetroFi networks combine advanced advertising technologies with leading network designs to deliver ad-supported wireless Internet networks that are fast and free for everyone."

The Portland Wi-Fi network will be operated by MetroFi and will be modeled on wireless broadband networks that MetroFi built and currently operates in Foster City, Cupertino, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, downtown San Jose and Concord, Calif. This collaboration with Microsoft marks MetroFi's largest citywide Wi-Fi network project and will bring free wireless Internet access to Oregon's largest city, which boasts a population of more than half a million.

As in other communities, the Portland MetroFi network will operate by transmitting data via access points mounted on street light poles throughout the city. Portland residents or visitors with a Wi-Fi enabled desktop PC or laptop will be able to access the broadband network that will deliver broadband-like speeds while online, including up to 1 Mbps downloads and up to 256 Kbps uploads. The network will be coupled with a suite of Internet services designed by Microsoft to help consumers find locally relevant information.

Microsoft's Klepper added that consumers can also expect to benefit from Microsoft's innovation around locally relevant services and its ability to enable a host of new entertainment, communication and access experiences.

Source: Yahoo PR 

Posted by Dal at 10:16 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

OutCALL application is designed for integration with MS Outlook giving users powerful tools at hand placing and receiving calls. OutCALL features are:

- Integration with one or unlimited system extensions (SIP/IAX)

- Automatic integration with Microsoft Outlook 2000 and higher

- Call History

- Real time call notifications via pop windows

- Placing calls within Outlook, email message or contact

- Automatic contacts data update

- Automatic application updates notifications

- Clear debug information

- Full PBXware/SWITCHware  or vanilla asterisk integration

- Developer/partner editions available

Click Here for more Information 

Posted by Dal at 03:08 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Software

VON Enterprise will provide one-stop-shopping for companies looking to set strategic directions, evaluate the latest IP communications technologies, deploy solutions to their employees, and quantify the return-on-investment for IP voice and video.

"VON Enterprise is the Southeast's first and only IP communications event dedicated solely to the enterprise," said Bill Sell, vice president and general manager of VON events for pulvermedia. "We're looking forward to providing the VON community with an intimate event that provides unprecedented access to the information and best-practices needed to address Enterprise VoIP issues." Numerous Industry Perspective sessions will be delivered by Atlanta's industry leaders including:

* Beach M. Clark, Jr., Vice President of Information Technology, Georgia Aquarium - Clark will discuss the ramifications of implementing VoIP at the Georgia Aquarium. He will focus on the lessons learned, and will also discuss the technology and system features that bolster business.

* Kevin Fleming, Senior Software Engineer, Digium and Co-Maintainer of Asterisk, Digium/Asterisk: will discuss how enterprises, non-profits and government agencies - which were once hesitant to use IP-based networks - are now embracing VoIP solutions around the globe.

* Sandy Malcolm, CNN's Executive Producer, CNN.com Video - Malcolm oversees all of CNN.com's video content. She developed and launched CNN Pipeline and CNN.com's premium on-demand broadband video news service. Malcom will discuss the issues shaping CNN's video on the Web content, as well as CNN's content provided to Comcast and Time Warner Cable for on-demand usage.

* Jeff Pulver, Founder & Chairman, pulvermedia - Jeff plans to discuss numerous advances that have brought Video-on-the-Net to the forefront of the communications industry. Jeff will share his vision for how this disruptive technology will effect, and enhance, the way we work and socialize in the months and years ahead.

* Christopher Rouland, Chief Technology Officer, Internet Security Systems: will discuss VoIP security threats, including the steps that organizations and individuals should take to protect themselves. Chris will address a variety of topics, including: encryption, VoIP phishing, VoIP caller ID spoofing, and access points for network intrusion.

* Lance Walton, VP - IT Operations, HomeBanc Mortgage Corporation. Walton manages infrastructure and operations for HomeBanc and is currently planning a significant VoIP rollout, which he'll discuss in this Industry Perspective.

Details on the conference schedule, featuring more than 50 speakers, can be found at: http://www.von.com/enterprise06/schedule.html . In addition to the first-rate conference program, VON Enterprise also includes an exhibitor showcase featuring many of the leading equipment and service providers delivering enterprise IP Communication solutions.

Posted by Dal at 02:04 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk News

 

"Talking SIP's signaling, media processing and application scripting components have been completely redesigned to reach new milestones in scalability, performance and control for the next-generation network. We are extremely excited about this release as it provides an amazing foundation upon which to build voice 2.0 applications that highlight the empowerment, flexibility and control that broadband access and voice over IP have to offer", said Randall O. Walrond, Product Development Manager, IVR Technologies, Inc.

Talking SIP 3.1 is built around a completely redesigned application, media and signaling architecture to serve as the foundation for rich, in-demand applications that capitalize on the ubiquity, access and richness of broadband connectivity.

The following is a brief overview of the features and functionality embodied within this release:

o International and Web Callback - This optional application allows providers to drive revenue by allowing their customers the ability to trigger callback calls to get a remote dial-tone via SMS, email, telephone, web page or integrated into third party applications via an API to keep customer traffic within your network even when they are traveling out of city, state/province or country. With many creative billing options, this application can even navigate through PBXs and ACDs for use from hotels, motels and corporate offices.

o Reminder/Wake-up Service - This optional application allows providers to offer wake up and reminder services to their customers for the small office/home office as well as to the hotel, motel and timeshare markets.

o Improved Performance - Talking SIP 3.1 offers improved performance, reduced CPU load and a reduced memory footprint to allow the application to make better use of the host system's resources and to allow greater levels of responsiveness and scalability. In addition, Talking SIP 3.1 provides greater access to signaling and media to allow greater control and performance tuning for different hardware platforms in addition to voice caching to help optimize text-to-speech playback.

o Improved Tones - Talking SIP 3.1 adds the ability to play customized ring tones in two-stage calling applications like the Debit Module. This new features allows better internationalization by allowing providers to configure country specific tones like ringing, busy and fast busy to provide their customers with additional levels of comfort when using the system. These tones can be customized to allow opportunities for branding as well as personalization.

o Asynchronous Voice Prompts - Talking SIP 3.1 now supports asynchronous voice prompts to help streamline call flow and reduce hang times. Now you can be playing voice prompts to the caller while background operations like a credit card or voucher recharge are taking place.

o Multi-leg Billing for Callback - Talking SIP 3.1 offers the industry's most accurate multi-leg billing engine with dynamic balance updates and on the fly maximum call durations to ensure that callers receive the maximum call time while enforcing all of the credit limits of their accounts.

o Supports any Codec - Talking SIP 3.1 supports any voice or video codec between calling and called parties to allow proprietary and/or bandwidth appropriate voice and video codecs to be used as well as dynamically changed during a call.

o Open XML interface Added for Credit Card Processing - Our optional Credit Card Verification Server module now supports Verifone's PC Charge Software, LinkPoint as well as an XML interface to allow third party integration to any banking or financial institution. This module allows for automated web based subscription, as well as web, automated and telephone based recharge.

Support and Availability
Talking SIP 3.1 is available for download from the IVR Help Portal for all customers who are within a valid support agreement.

Source: IVR Technologies 

Posted by Dal at 01:58 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to SIP

The undergraduate courses will be offered to students pursuing various degrees in applied network and system administration, information technology, computer science, and software engineering.

"With the convergence of telephone, video and data networks, students will be expected to run telephone systems, then migrate them to converged voice and video IP-based solutions," says Bruce Hartpence, associate professor of networking, security, and systems administration in the Golisano College. "Polycom's market leading solutions will be used in our Telephony Integration Lab where students will learn about emerging rich media telecommunications technologies and methodologies."

Polycom donated two group VSX 7000s and five desktop video application Polycom PVX systems with cameras to the Telephony Integration Lab at RIT. The VSX7000 provides full video conferencing capabilities flexibility and expandability with the option to add additional displays, microphones, speakers, ISDN network and modules. The Polycom PVX personal video conferencing application delivers business quality desktop video conferencing from the convenience of a PC.

Polycom is dedicated to providing students with the tools and information they need to be the leaders of the future," said Polycom's Global Education Market Director Russ Colbert. "After working with the market leading Polycom equipment through their college experience, students are fully prepared to continue working with the technology once they enter the workforce. This creates a win-win in that RIT students are attractive employees and businesses can select from knowledgeable students for new hires."

About Rochester Institute of Technology

RIT's B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, the largest comprehensive computing college in the nation, was created in 2001 with a gift from B. Thomas Golisano, founder and chairman of Paychex Inc.

The Golisano College offers a Ph.D. program in computing and information sciences. At the graduate level, programs are offered in computer science, information technology, software development and management, computer security and information assurance, learning and knowledge management systems, networking and system administration, game design and development, and software engineering. At the undergraduate level, degree programs are offered in computer science, information technology, applied network and system administration, software engineering, new media and medical informatics.

Founded in 1829, RIT is internationally recognized as a leader in computing, engineering, imaging technology, fine and applied arts, and education for the deaf. RIT enrolls 15,300 students in more than 340 undergraduate and graduate programs.

Source: Polycom Inc. 

Posted by Dal at 12:36 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Polycom

3J Communications, Inc., a fully integrated worldwide manufacturer of Skype-enabled phones, announced the availability of its new 3J-W1D phone that allows users to make Skype calls remotely with a handset, or use a convenient speakerphone from its base.

"The new 3J-W1D features echo and noise cancellation to provide crystal clear Skype calls," commented Larry LaCross, 3J VP Sales and Marketing. "It is easy to install and very easy to use. With the remote handset, you can make or receive a Skype call just like you would with any cordless phone, and without the limitation of a connected USB cable."

The new 3J-W1D is a remote wireless Skype phone that is composed of one base and one handset. The base is a high quality speakerphone ideal for conference calls. The handset has blue backlighted graphic LCD. Both base and handset ring for incoming calls.

The new version of the 3J-W1D is compatible with Skype, MSN and Yahoo! Messenger, as well as with VoIP Buster. The 3J-W1D can be installed on both Windows and Mac OS platforms. It will support both wireless and broadband networks, at only a fraction of the usual price of a Wi-Fi Phone.

In addition, the new 3J-W1D works with SJphone, X-Lite and Eyebeam, other highly popular VoIP soft phone applications.

For Skype, the user can view their Skype contact's status and profile, and can add or search their Skype friends on the unit's bright 1.5" color handset screen. There are call lists for Skype Calls.

The 3J-W1D features:

     - High fashion look and design
     - USB Wireless Phone for Skype
     - 2.4GHz ISM Band, suit for Europe, USA, Japan etc
     - Handfree with digital echo cancellation
     - Large graphic LCD with blue backlight
     - Skype contacts review and call list on handset LCD
     - Both base and handset ring for all incoming calls
     - Multi-language caller ID display feature
     - Auto-select RF channel to improve the quality of voice
     - Standby time: More than 100 hours
     - Talk time: more than 10 hours
     - Radio range: 50 ft
     - Battery: 250mAh (Li-battery)

System requirements are: Windows 2000 or XP; 400MHz processor and free USB1.1 or USB2.0 port; 128MB RAM and 15MB free disk space; any broadband connection.

The 3J-W1D has an MSRP of $79.95 and is currently distributed through DataVision in New York.

A color image of the 3J-W1D with product specifications is available at www.3j-communications.com/products/scp.html.

Posted by Dal at 12:07 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Skype

 

Developing a mesh networking solution is much more complicated than putting all of the pieces together. To ensure successful implementation, it is imperative to rely on partners who have the knowledge of the architecture, capability of assessing design options at the chip and module levels and evaluating numerous practical issues identifiable to applications. Airbee has developed embedded ZigBee software technology. The Airbee-ZNS stack has been certified by the ZigBee Alliance to the 1.0 specification. Airbee is currently working on other platforms such TI’s MSP430 and has the ability to develop applications on both multi-vendor and single vendor platform solutions.

Nanotron recently announced nanoLOC, its first location-aware transceiver. NanoLOC joins nanoNET in the family of products which deliver the benefits of Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) to demanding applications. Applications such as logistics, industrial monitoring and control, medical and security see great benefits from nanoLOC and CSS.

“Nanotron’s radio technology is proven in difficult applications, and they are the only company to offer an accurate, low-power location solution combined with global data communication,” said Raj Sundaresan, CEO of Airbee. “We are excited to offer our customers the location-awareness, robustness and reliability of CSS. This partnership opens the door for OEM manufacturers, Integrators and large end-users to quickly deploy and commission turnkey wireless sensor networks with immediate returns,” he said.

“Airbee’s wireless mesh networking solutions integrated with Nanotron radio technology provides compelling value for deploying large scale wireless sensor networks,” said Jens Albers, CEO of Nanotron. “This integrated solution adds an important part of the wireless value-chain. Both partners are stronger and closer to customers across the global market,” he added.

The two companies will participate in joint marketing efforts and mutually seek opportunities within the OEM market where sensor product companies are looking to utilize a ZigBee or ZigBee-based solution for low power mesh sensor networks which are location-aware.

Source: Airbee 

Posted by Dal at 11:52 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Wireless Hardware

To mark the event, Clearwire is hosting a laser light show from the top of the Needle around 7:15 p.m. today.

The Kirkland company, with more than 1,000 employees worldwide, is the brainchild of McCaw, the founder of McCaw Cellular Communications, which built one of the first nationwide cellphone networks. AT&T bought the company for $11.5 billion in 1994 to form AT&T Wireless, now part of Cingular Wireless.

This time, McCaw and some of his same cohorts are back cutting another cord in people's lives — the one connecting them to the Internet.

To date, the service has been launched in 31 other markets, but the rollout in the Seattle region represents the biggest geographic area the company has moved into, marking one of the most critical steps in Clearwire's three-year existence.

"It's a pretty big deal," said Gerry Purdy, the vice president and chief analyst at Frost and Sullivan, a consulting firm. "It's a test case for them to see what it is that works and what doesn't work, and to get them ready for playing in the big leagues."

Among other things, the Seattle experience should show how the technology works in a densely populated area and whether consumers, who may already have Internet access, will or will not adopt a new wireless service.

Clearwire's technology offers an alternative to DSL and cable broadband Internet access. The difference is that the service is sent through the air, which eliminates the need to install anything in the home or lay any wires. Additionally, it isn't assigned to a specific house or a business, so people can take the service with them.

Click Here to Continue Reading "Craig McCaw and WiMax's new target: Seattle homes"

Posted by Dal at 09:14 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiMax

Posted by Dal at 09:06 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

Buzz Broadband is a locally based Carrier and ISP operating in the cities of Bundaberg, Maryborough, Hervey Bay and Childers. As an existing Airspan customer, Buzz Broadband has deployed broadband wireless services to date using Airspan AS.WiMax Systems for its 22 base stations and backhaul links. It is now expanding that network with Airspan's WiMAX products to deliver telecommunications services throughout the region as the only viable broadband alternative to incumbent Telstra for 150,000 people in and around its service area.

After trialing a number of vendor offerings, Buzz Broadband has selected and begun deployment of Airspan's AS.MAX Equipment for the provision of broadband data and VoIP services to its customer base. To ensure that admission control and priority number (Emergency) calls can be supported in accordance with service level agreements (SLAs) with its customers, Buzz Broadband will apply Airspan's VoiceMAX as part of the broadband access network working in parallel with the quality of service (QoS) requirements of the 802.16 WiMAX Forum standard.

Buzz Broadband has significant licensed spectrum holdings in the 3.4GHz band, which further ensures that its customer SLAs can be offered and met. Airspan's AS.MAX solution will be rolled out across a 30,000 square kilometer region of Queensland where Buzz Broadband holds 3.4GHz licenses, providing high-speed broadband and VoIP connectivity at distances exceeding thirty kilometers from the base station sites. Initial deployments will consist of MicroMAX Base Stations, Airspan's low-cost high-performance WiMAX Forum Certified base station, which will be linked to Airspan's WiMAX Forum CertifiedTM ProST and EasyST subscriber units. The EasyST is the world's first "self installable" WiMAX Forum Certified modem. The EasyST and ProST both incorporate Intel's ProWireless 5116 chip.

Airspan's solution is the first WiMAX Forum Certified solution to be used in permanent commercial service in Australia. It is also the first time a WiMAX Forum Certified technology offering commercial services has been operated anywhere in licensed 3.4GHz spectrum in Australia.

The Airspan WiMAX equipment deployed by Buzz Broadband can be configured by software to operate on WiMAX Forum™ channel profiles enabling broadband services to be delivered at speeds exceeding those of ADSL-like services.

Garth Freeman, Buzz Broadband's CEO, stated: "The Airspan WiMAX equipment being deployed by Buzz Broadband heralds in a new era for Broadband, VoIP and Data services in regional and Rural Australia."

Airspan is a founding member of the WiMAX Forum and is committed to utilizing its technology in a variety of unique applications in order to highlight the significant market that its WiMAX product line will be targeting.

Source: Airspan 

Posted by Dal at 04:37 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiMax

On the heels of its 1,500 square mile Silicon Valley win to create largest outdoor U.S. wireless network.  Cisco today announced that eight additional North American cities have selected Cisco's outdoor wireless mesh solution as the foundation to their municipal wireless networks. The city of Fredericton, New Brunswick; Gilroy, Calif.; Greensboro, N.C.; Kitchener, Ontario; Santa Rosa, Calif.; Upper Merion Township, Pa., Waterloo, Ontario, and Winston-Salem, N.C. are all moving forward with citywide, outdoor wireless deployments powered by Cisco.

These deployments are indicative of the fast-growing market for outdoor wireless services and support Infonetics' research that estimates a five-year compound annual growth rate of 105 percent for mesh networking worldwide by 2009.

"The possibilities of citywide wireless mesh networking are nearly limitless," said Stu Wilson, vice president at Atria Networks. "By integrating Cisco's wired and wireless solutions as part of a citywide network, Atria Networks is able to help cities improve efficiencies, reduce operational costs, and help bridge digital divides."

Atria Networks, a service provider based in Canada that recently deployed wireless mesh in regions around Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph, Ontario, has experienced a substantial uptake in its subscriber base as part of the numerous benefits that outdoor wireless brings to cities, their businesses and residents.

Outdoor Wireless Mesh Market Dynamics

As common usage models have become more prevalent, large and small cities alike recognize the numerous benefits of municipal wireless networking.

In many municipal deployments, a primary application is to deliver city services that help to enable workers, such as emergency first responders, to connect remotely from field locations. This allows fire fighters, police officers and EMT personnel to improve response times by quickly connecting to the city network from various locations.

Cities can also reduce operational costs by using their municipal networks to increase efficiencies. "With mobile tools and field reporting using wireless, this will be a big step in the evolution of efficiency," said Tom Oliver, information service manager for the city of Lebanon, Oregon. "If a public works maintenance crew needs to fix a shut off valve, they can see in real time where it is below the ground. With aerial photos and line work, such as pipes, there is a lot of visual material that requires the bandwidth that the mesh network can provide."

Another application that is fueling citywide wireless deployments is digital inclusion -- the concept of creating a network that ensures constituents have access to Internet applications regardless of social or economic status. Working with OneCommunity, a nonprofit organization, the city of Cleveland has strengthened its communities by linking residents to their local wireless network. This network gives residents access to health, safety and job information, as well as other city information sources.

"Just as wireless grew from the home to the enterprise, we now see cities adopting municipal service networks by utilizing Wi-Fi technology," said Alan S. Cohen, senior director, Mobility Solutions at Cisco Systems. "Because these networks are standards-based, it appeals to the largest majority of users and applications. 802.11-based outdoor networks provide a platform for today's needs and tomorrow's endeavors."

Cisco ServiceMesh Sparks Outdoor Wireless Adoption

Transforming communities with outdoor wireless goes far beyond providing wireless Internet access. Cities are consistently moving away from purchasing and running municipal Wi-Fi networks, opting instead to outsource network management and operation to wireless and wireline service providers. To address this trend, Cisco offers Cisco ServiceMesh, an integrated solution for enabling service providers to deliver outdoor wireless as a managed service. Service providers including Atria Networks, Cellnet, DHB Networks and MetroConnect are leading examples of service provider deployments of Cisco ServiceMesh within local municipalities.

With Cisco as a technology partner, municipalities gain the ability to use low-cost 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g technologies for high-speed, ubiquitous access, single security and management framework from client to the network core. Municipalities also gain the flexibility to easily add multiple applications to the network without needing to integrate many different software and hardware products. Centralized network management of APs reduces operational expenses and allows cities to reduce the time to market of their wireless services. RF management expertise from the worldwide leader in wireless enterprise networks helps smooth out the wireless environment and improve reliability of the network.

Complementary to Cisco's Unified Wireless Network, Cisco outdoor wireless solutions allow local government, public safety, and transit agencies to extend their existing wired network-oriented services and applications beyond their current physical infrastructures, offering innovative new ways to accelerate communications and service delivery to both employees and citizens.

More information about Cisco's outdoor wireless mesh solutions can be found at: www.cisco.com/go/wirelessmesh

Posted by Dal at 08:49 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

The product addresses a growing need for companies to properly manage the large amount of data provided by wireless sensors while leveraging the IT infrastructure and applications currently in place.

“Wireless sensors are being developed at a rapid pace, with many different standards and communications protocols in play. The management and integration of different hardware products and wireless protocols is a growing concern for companies deploying or looking to deploy wireless sensor solutions,” says Rick Morani, founder and president of Octave Technology. “The Octavex Framework provides a single platform for application development and integration of wireless sensors. By developing solutions using the Octavex Framework, development time can be reduced to days versus months, allowing deployments to reach a positive ROI quickly.”

The Octavex Framework provides a backbone for wireless sensor network applications while taking a hardware- and standards-agnostic approach. The main components that make up the Octavex Wireless Sensor Framework are as follows.

Octavex Gateway: the gateway allows for a plug-and-play capability for any wireless sensor device to deliver data into the rest of the Octavex Framework.

Core Services: a collection of services - such as archiving, trending, and alerting - that provides users with a solid base of functionality.

APIs and Integration Modules: APIs and reusable software components that allow for the rapid deployment of 'end-to-end solutions' by connecting to back-end systems or custom applications.

The Octavex Framework can simultaneously support any number of sensor points for different types of wireless protocols including mesh networks (Zigbee or proprietary platforms), active RFID tags, point-to-point RF sensors, and other types of smart sensors. The incoming data is delivered in a common XML-based message to the Core Services where the data can be stored, aggregated and integrated into other enterprise applications using the software APIs.

“The universal Octavex Gateway utilises components called application profiles to handle specific types of wireless sensor data. This allows a developer to use an existing profile from our software library or quickly create one of their own” comments Jeff Thorn, director of technology development for Octave. “This is especially useful for developers of Smart Sensors, providing an immediately available software management and integration framework for their wireless sensor products.”

The Octavex Framework licensing options include development licensing packages, run-time licenses for deployments, and OEM licensing programs. An evaluation license for the Octavex Framework can be requested from Octave Technology.

For more information, visit: www.octavetech.com

Posted by Dal at 08:38 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Wireless Hardware

“Vendors are focusing largely on the dangers of interception of communications on the wire, which we don’t think is the main problem at all,” said Graham Titterington, a principal analyst and security expert with Ovum. “VoIP is an intranet issue because corporations still use traditional phone companies for their long-distance service.”

Quality-of-service concerns have kept VoIP on the corporate intranet where it can be contained rather than on the public Internet where traffic could not be easily controlled, Mr. Titterington pointed out. When companies connect their systems to the public network, they use traditional leased lines, not VoIP, for that crucial journey.

“Their primary concern currently is voice quality and functionality, and few have considered security issues,” said Mr. Titterington. “When they have, they are usually only preoccupied with disclosing sensitive information in phone calls or with unwanted marketing calls.” But they should be concerned about a lot more than just annoying marketing calls or blurting out corporate secrets, Mr. Titterington believes. They should be concerned with the VoIP system’s susceptibility to the very problems faced by the data network, such as VoIP versions of spam, phishing, and denial of service attacks.

Click Here to Continue Reading "VoIP Security Gets Noisy" 

Posted by Dal at 08:31 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Security

Pivot VoIP won Zultys in a bankruptcy auction at the end of October, agreeing to pay $2.65 million for the embattled company. Pivot VoIP will go by the Zultys name in an effort to ensure business continuity with resellers and others. The new management is not keeping Ian Milnes, who founded Zultys in 2001, and who also tried to bid at the auction for his company. Instead, Telrad Connegy’s owner and chairman, Avi Weinrib, will take over as president and CEO of the newly reorganized Zultys.

Weinrib reportedly is one of six Zultys employees working to restore Zultys operations at the manufacturer’s Sunnyvale, Calif., location.

"We are very excited about the future of Zultys and its product line, and have full faith in the engineering team and the technology,” Weinrib said in a news release. “Our actions clearly give Zultys a fresh start. … Both Telrad Connegy and Zultys Technologies will coexist independently of each other serving parallel market niches.”

The new Zultys will “step up” its relationships with resellers and distributors, the company said, but it could face an uphill battle. When news of the company’s closure spread in August, several resellers said they were switching to other manufacturers to avoid potential problems. Still, Zultys executives remain optimistic the company will fare well in its new iteration.

“Because of all of the recent developments and the positive feedback that we have received from our resellers, we have a renewed vision to further improve the product to the needs of the customers," said Vladimir Movshovich, vice president of technology for the new Zultys. Movshovich held that same title at the old Zultys.

Zultys makes VoIP systems, including the MX30 and MX250, as well as IP phones and peripherals.

Zultys Technologies www.zultys.com

Posted by Dal at 08:26 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to PBX / iPBX

Starent Networks, Corp., a global market leader in mobile packet core solutions, today announced its Session Control Manager – an integrated Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Proxy/Registrar, Proxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF), and Policy Agent – for its ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway. Starent Networks’ Session Control Manager (SCM) provides IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)/Multimedia Domain (MMD) capabilities while providing a migration path to a complete IMS/MMD architecture. The Session Control Manager is a software upgrade to the company’s industry leading ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway. The standards-based solution simultaneously supports an IETF SIP Proxy/Registrar, a 3GPP/3GPP2-compliant P-CSCF, and a Policy Agent.

“With this solution, we are evolving the mobile core network towards the IMS/MMD architecture,” said Ashraf Dahod, CEO of Starent Networks. “As a result, mobile operators will enhance their subscribers’ experience and be able to deliver voice, data, and multimedia over IP.”

The introduction of the Session Control Manager represents the first multi-access solution with integrated SIP/IMS features, high performance, and unparalleled reliability. By integrating the Session Control Manager into an intelligent mobile gateway, the system acts as the critical first hop for SIP/IMS applications, enabling end-to-end security, policy control, enhanced charging, and mobility.

“Integrating key IMS functions into existing networks elements is a logical approach to deploying services now while preparing mobile networks for a migration to a full IMS architecture," said Robert W. Johnson, Sr. Analyst, Telcom/Datacom with Venture Development Corporation (VDC). “With significant deployments in the mobile packet core network, Starent Networks is well positioned to deliver appropriate SIP and IMS functions to the mobile wireless market.”

In order to showcase its Session Control Manager, Starent participated in the Global MultiService Forum’s global multi-vendor interoperability IP Multimedia System (IMS) trials, also known as GMI 2006. During the two-week event, Starent’s Session Control Manager successfully participated in testing key interfaces, protocols, and procedures defined in MSF Release 3 Architecture, as well as 3GPP/3GPP2 IMS/MMD.

The Session Control Manager simultaneously supports IETF SIP software clients and IMS/MMD software clients, allowing operators to add the solution as a standard SIP Proxy. An operator can deploy a mix of SIP-based and IMS-based applications, such as Voice over IP (VoIP), Push to Talk over Cellular (PoC), mobile TV, Instant Messaging Presence Service (IMPS), and Voice Call Continuity applications while evolving their IMS core.

The Session Control Manager is combined with Starent’s market-leading, multi-access intelligent mobile gateway, allowing operators to deploy access-independent connectivity and global roaming to a multitude of technologies, such as CDMA 1X/1xEVDO, UMTS/W-CDMA, WiFi, WiMAX, and others.

Source: Starent 

Posted by Dal at 01:50 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to SIP

Avaak’s Vision Network is a mesh-network of battery-powered wireless cameras that easily mount on any wall or surface and capture real-time video images on-demand which are transmitted for display on a Windows CE hand-held device, personal computer or cell phone. This system transmits video from the individually addressable cameras to a monitoring device via wireless communication, eliminating all wires, cords and cables to ensure quick and easy deployment. Utilizing Avaak’s proprietary low-power wireless communication method, Vision Network cameras provide the long battery life that is required for monitoring and security applications.

U.S. businesses and homeowners spend more than $25 billion a year on security products and services, according to Avaak, Inc. (San Diego, CA). "The do-it-yourself, homeowner and small business digital video surveillance markets have yet to fully emerge as today’s options are too complex and expensive," according to Gioia Messinger, CEO of Avaak. “In the past, consumers have been forced to choose between wired camera systems that require extensive cabling and wireless camera systems that are still tethered to power cords and home networks. Now, using Micron’s low-power imagers, Avaak offers consumers and business a new option: small (less than 1” cube), low-cost, networked cameras that easily attach in any location and provide customers the opportunity to monitor their home or business at any time from any place.”

"Delivering a smaller solution with wireless imaging anywhere at anytime opens up a new class of personal and commercial security and monitoring products," said Paul Gallagher, Director of New Market Development for Micron. "Wireless cameras that can fit into the palm of your hand are a true innovation. As more and more of our customers serving the security and monitoring market look to imaging and wireless solutions to deliver these 'best-in-class' products, Micron and Avaak continue to focus on providing innovative low-power, cost-effective and easy-to-install solutions."

The Micron MT9V135 is a complete camera on chip (SOC) that provides a cost-efficient solution for low-power imaging and networking. Until the introduction of Micron’s MT9V135 device for security and monitoring applications, designers were forced to sacrifice performance for cost. Micron’s ¼-inch VGA SOC solution changes that. It offers best-in-class performance while producing full-color video, making scenes and stills clear enough to enable remote viewing. This versatile imager meets the strong demand for low cost, excellent color fidelity, and low-light sensitivity in video sensors for a variety of applications from a simple single camera system to a large-scale video network.

In addition to Avaak's Vision Network, Micron will demonstrate various imaging applications supporting a variety of markets at its display in the U.S. Pavilion at Electronica 2006 in Munich, November 14-17.

Posted by Dal at 01:44 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Wireless Hardware

Posted by Dal at 01:36 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP News

Skype Chief Executive Niklas Zennstrom said in an interview that features in the new Skype 3.0—available in a public test version starting on Wednesday—can help the company move beyond its dependence on communications revenue.

The company has said it expects $195 million in revenue, up 225 percent from $60 million it took in in 2005. "You are also going to see new services which are more targeted to e-commerce," Zennstrom said. Skype-calling software allows users to place free phone calls to other Skype users on computers. It also offers cut-rate prices for calls to conventional landline or mobile phone users from either computers or a new generation of Skype-ready phones now available worldwide.

Click-to-call allows calls to be to be placed the moment a Skype user clicks on a phone number listed on any Web page. The promise of such features for use in Web-based customer service or closing sales was a big selling point that online auctioneer eBay Inc. had highlighted when it acquired Skype a year ago in a deal worth more than $4 billion. Skype 3.0 automates this process by allowing users with only one click to make ordinary phone calls from Web pages. "Our long-term goal is to have much more balance between e-commerce and telecommunications revenues," he told Reuters. Speaking to an audience of Internet industry insiders at the annual Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco. 

Zennstrom reiterated that Skype must move to replace communication revenue as phone calls eventually become free. Two significant partnerships should help drive Skype business in 2007: Skype's parent eBay has struck partnerships with Yahoo Inc. in the United States and with Google Inc. outside U.S. territory. "There are other e-commerce services that I cannot talk about today that we are working on as well," he said. Skype 3.0 software is designed to run on Microsoft Corp. Windows-based computers. Another feature allows users to set up text-based chats with up to 100 Web users, whether Skype users or not.

This text chat feature complements an earlier group audio feature called Skypecast, which allows live, moderated audio conversations with up to 100 participants. "When Skype started out, people communicated with people who knew each other already, one-to-one," Zennstrom said. "Now you can host a public conversation on any topic." The public chat feature, which can be initiated and moderated by any Skype user to control who else takes part, also can be embedded into blogs or Web pages to encourage such conversations to take place across the Web, Zennstrom said. Skype had 136 million users registered users at the end of the September, up 23 million in the three months from June.

Source: Reuters 

Posted by Dal at 04:23 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Skype

They have learned that different types of handsets have different levels of quality of service and roaming abilities, Roy said. And in some of the early beta testing the company has done on dual-mode roaming, "a lot of these dual-mode devices perform poorly," he said.

Enterprises also should do a site survey of their premises before implementing a VoWiFi system, he stressed.

Dan Lowden, VP of business development at Wayport Inc, a Texas-based WiFi provider, concurred. "The actual site survey is a critical part of the whole process to ensure you get broad coverage," he said, citing the company's experience in deploying WiFi voice in more than 10,000 locations.

"We have walked into installations done by [enterprise's] own IT groups or other folks and they haven't done site surveys and there's definitely QoS issues," Lowden said.

The chief problem Siemens' customers have encountered has been interference from other sources, he noted.

For instance, one client, a US hospital, was located near an airport, which turned out to have a 2.4 GHz spectrum signal going through one of the hospital's buildings. Another client in Europe discovered its automatic door equipped with a sensor to read employee ID cards also ran at 2.4GHz. "It pays to take a walk," Roy said.

Kathy Small, market managing of mobility solutions at Cisco Systems Inc, said enterprises can work around interference using various directional RF antennas and tweaking power settings to minimize the effect on the network.

Enterprises considering VoWiFi also should understand the way their workers' handsets will be used, said Nate Walker, senior director of product management at Meru Networks Inc, a California-based wireless gear maker.

He said Meru has seen successful installations of WiFi dual-mode phones in Japan. "It requires working with customers to ensure handsets and applications are configured and working correctly," he said.

He added that with most of the installations worldwide that the company is deploying "Data is assumed, voice is planned and location is coming."

Or, as Peter Thornycroft, VoWLAN product manager at California-based wireless gear maker Aruba Networks Inc, put it: "I don't think anyone buys a WiFi network today without knowing it supports voice."

While dual-mode WiFi handsets currently on the market have excelled in providing features required by enterprises, their makers "probably have a bit of a learning to do to" to make more the WiFi feature more practical to companies.

Click Here to Continue Reading

Posted by Dal at 04:03 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

Quite a few products are available today that offer movies on-the-go, and they languish in a market that has very few dedicated customers. However, no other products are offering what Archos 604 WiFI does, and this might be just the thing to jumpstart the PMP (Portable Media Player) industry.

Posted by Dal at 03:34 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Wireless Hardware

Note: A message from Ollie 

Friends,

The focus among the core developer team now is: FIXING BUGS! We need to focus on fixing all bug reports for 1.2 and 1.4 to get 1.4 out. Please have some patience with us if we don't respond directly to proposals for new things, review your cool patches for future addition or comment on your proposal to make Asterisk 200% more effective by moving one line of code. The focus has to be on the bug tracker and the issues we have in the current beta.

We need all the assistance we can get in locating reporting bugs, testing patches, creating patch proposals. The more the community activates itself, the faster we can release a good and production-ready 1.4.

Thanks for your help and understanding,

/Olle

Posted by Dal at 11:11 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Development

Note: This came across the list today.  Some helpful tutorials. 

Hello list,

I have prepared a couple of new tutorials you may find interesting:

- Installing an Asterisk 1.4 beta system - at:        http://astrecipes.net/?n=216
- Installing the Digium's Asterisk GUI for 1.4 - at: http://astrecipes.net/?n=217

It's nothing too complex, but you may find them interesting, especially the new Asterisk GUI.

Any comment is welcome - the site is a wiki, so feel free to correct any errors or add improvements.

l.

--
Loway Research - Home of QueueMetrics
http://queuemetrics.loway.it
 

Posted by Dal at 11:03 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Help

Posted by Dal at 10:27 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Development

Note:  Here is the link to an interview that VoIP-News.com is featuring.

 Excerpt:

"

VoIP-News talked with Bill Miller, Vice President of Product Development at Digium, the company that oversees development on Asterisk.

" 

Posted by Dal at 10:20 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk News

But the WCA Coalition said that XM, Sirius and the FCC need to address interference problems from satellite radio terrestrial repeaters that are transmitting at higher-than-authorized levels and operating without special temporary authorizations—problems that both Sirius and XM have admitted to. The telecom agency has not said whether the issue has been referred to the Enforcement Bureau.

Wireless broadband firms said there is a lot at stake in crafting long-overdue guidelines that would enable both wireless broadband and satellite radio to thrive in the 2 GHz band.

“With the coming emergence of standards-based wireless broadband technologies for the 2.3 GHz band, WCS is poised to become a primary vehicle for the delivery of wireless broadband services to consumers both in the United States and abroad. That potential, however will be lost unless the commission adopts rules that provide for reasonable coexistence of WCS and DARS in the United States,” the group said in its FCC filing. “The WCS Coalition is hopeful that, through the upcoming discussions between the WCS and DARS communities, agreement can be reached on a regulatory regime that will permit both services to prosper. If there is one thing WCS and DARS agree on, it is that the time has to come to modify Parts 25 and 27 to assure the viable coexistence of both services.”

As such, the Sirius petition for rulemaking appears to be a vehicle for reaching common ground among the parties. However, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin will have to approach the controversy with care. On one hand, Martin can point to satellite radio as providing a competitive alternative in the media space. On the other hand, wireless broadband is expected to play a larger role in deployment of high-speed Internet access in the United States—a top priority of Martin and a goal of President Bush.

The rhetoric of the wireless broadband industry has been far more pitched in recent weeks, as revelations of improper satellite radio terrestrial repeater operations surfaced. First, XM notified the FCC that 221 of its land-based repeaters were operating above authorized power levels and that 19 repeaters were transmitting outside the company’s authorized scope. Shortly after, XM rival Sirius disclosed that 11 of its repeaters do not comply with a special temporary authorization issued by the FCC.

The WCA trade group told the FCC that Sirius’ disclosure “is not a trivial issue” in light of the satellite radio company’s petition to effectively grandfather allegedly unlawful operations while the FCC crafts permanent rules for satellite radio terrestrial repeaters.

Source: RCRNews 

Posted by Dal at 10:14 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiMax

The WirelessUSB LP headset board includes a Cypress Wireless enCoRe II flash microcontroller, a low power Winbond CODEC, and a rechargeable battery with the radio module. Winbond’s W681360 single-channel voice CODEC is a 13-bit linear analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converter. The W681360 offers high performance voice quality at the lowest power consumption in the industry, directly impacting talk-time and battery life.

"A primary concern of VoIP headset manufacturers is dropping packets due to interference, making the extremely robust WirelessUSB LP solution a natural fit to deliver an uninterrupted flow of data," said Matt Branda, senior strategic marketing manager for Wireless Products at Cypress. "Not only does the interference immunity of our WirelessUSB protocol outperform other 2.4-GHz solutions, its robust operation outdoes more expensive Bluetooth and DECT solutions as well. When you add in the excellent signal quality of the Winbond Codec, the CY4638 VoIP Demonstration Kit provides the groundwork for a winning VoIP headset."

"Combining the W681360 CODEC with Cypress’s WirelessUSB LP is a great match," said Frank Dowling, Director of Product Marketing at Winbond. "The low power consumption, excellent range, robustness and cost effectiveness our technologies bring to the CY4638 kit are a perfect fit for the VoIP headset market."

The CY4638 VoIP Headset Development Kit includes all of the following items:

• WirelessUSB LP Headset Board - Innovative dual antenna design for robustness. Uses Cypress WirelessUSB LP (CYRF6936), Wireless enCoRe II (CY7C60323) flash MCU and Winbond (W681360) 3V Single-Channel CODEC.

• WirelessUSB LP Bridge - Simple, small form-factor bridge. Uses WirelessUSB LP (CYRF6936) and enCoRe III (CY7C64215) USB flash MCU.

• WirelessUSB LP Demo Kit CD-ROM - Provides hardware schematics, bill of materials and firmware for Wireless VoIP headset design.

Availability

The WirelessUSB LP VoIP demonstration board is currently available and is priced at $249. For more information please refer to the Developer Kits link on www.cypress.com, or to purchase, click on the Online Store link or contact licensed Cypress distributors." A photo of the demonstration board is available at www.cypress.com/WirelessUSBLP-VoIP-headset-photo."

Posted by Dal at 09:58 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Wireless Hardware

Grand Digital Information Ltd. announced today the official release of 2 new VoIP hardware products. Both models are the GIP300 IP phone and GIX100 ATA.

The Grandi GIP300 IP phone is a new entry level IP phone. GIP300 has dual 10/ 100M Ethernet ports that can be configured as either switched or routed ports, built-in NAT router/DHCP server, high quality full duplex hands-free speakerphone with acoustic echo cancellation, headset jack, message waiting indicator, and more memory for future function growth. It supports G.711, G.723.1, G .729A /B. GIP300 is able customer to register two SIP servers simultaneously. In addition, you could download music ringing tones and the GIP300 provides as many as eight kinds of ring tongs.

The Grandi GIX100 VoIP ATAs works great. It is very easy to configure, excellent audio and great selection of codecs including G.711, G.723.1, G .729A /B. It is inexpensive with dual 10/ 100M Ethernet ports that can be configured as either switched or routed ports, built-in NAT router/DHCP server and support message waiting indicator. And most importantly, GIX100 is an ultra-affordable VoIP ATAs with high performance.

Both GIP300 and GIX100 is a new generation VOIP terminal products which were developed based on single ARM9E CPU platform. Its core is a ARM9E CPU at 150MHZ. With this technology, Grandi would provide the products with high performance and ultra-affordability cost.

Source: Grandi LtD. 

Posted by Dal at 08:19 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Hardware

Features: 

With the GlassConsole  you can view:

The single server license has the following alarms:

The following alarm are only available in the enterprise:

Requirements:

The software requirements for GlassConsole V1. are as follows:

The screen resolution needs to be 1280 x1024. Recommended a 19" monitor. Reason: There is a lot of information to be display.

Windows XP or 2005
1GB of memory RAM, more might be need it if the Asterisk Server is really busy. (A lot of simultaneous calls, or to many registered phones).
An Asterisk Server running and configure to receive Remote management connection.

Click For More Information and Demo Download

Posted by Dal at 08:06 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Software

Nanoradio (Stockholm, Sweden) has agreed to provide a chipset to add Wi-Fi capability to a portable multimedia player. Under the terms of the agreement, Opera Wireless S.L. (Madrid, Spain) and Nanoradio will integrate Nanoradio's chips and software into Blusens' G14 product.

"Blusens, together with its appointed R&D and design house Opera Wireless, have chosen the Nanoradio WiFi solutions after an exhaustive benchmarking with other solutions in the market," said Jose Garcia, CEO of Blusens, in a statement issued by Nanoradio.

An important element of the decision was the compatibility of Nanoradio's WiFi chipset with its previous Blusens G12, an MP3, DivX Player with bluetooth.

"We have chosen Nanoradio for our roadmap of products and the cooperation goes far beyond the mere implementation of the chipset into PMP devices. This association is a corner stone in the IP based communication and interaction with Opera Wireless middleware platform for community management," said Alberto Lopez, CEO of Opera Wireless, in the same statement.

The G14, MP3, DivX player with WiFi and Bluetooth from Blusens is due to become available in available in the retail market in Q1 2007 in Spain and certain other markets, Nanoradio said.

Posted by Dal at 07:54 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Wireless Hardware

Posted by Dal at 07:38 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiMax

 

"HotView Controller extends our multi-service mesh and access solution for large scale metro and enterprise networks," said Bo Larsson, CEO of Firetide. "These networks need the performance and intelligence of a high powered controller to ensure seamless mobility as devices roam through wireless mesh and networks at very high speeds. The controller is essential for applications requiring undetectable handoffs such as video or voice calls."

HotView Controller software is currently bundled with HotView Pro, Firetide's advanced management software for wireless mesh and access point networks. The software can be installed on a HotView Pro server or on separate Linux-based PCs. Each controller PC can service multiple mesh and access point networks. Additionally, more controller PCs can be added to the network to tie in Firetide mesh networks at other locations. Network administrators can access all of the controller functions from a single location using the same HotView Pro software used to manage the Firetide mesh and access point networks.

Upcoming versions of the software will add auto provisioning features that streamline the addition of new Firetide mesh nodes and access points to the network as well as new client controls that manage signal strength and admission control for optimal client connectivity and security. For more information about Firetide, visit www.firetide.com.

Posted by Dal at 09:51 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Wireless Hardware

Many providers, including BT global services, already provide managed IP PBX and VoIP solutions, but Verizon feels it can differentiate itself by being more flexible in what it offers multinationals with offices in the UK, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Enhancements to Verizon’s VoIP portfolio also include local language interfaces and ringtones, together with additional ISDN and DSL access methods, said Roberta Mackintosh, director of international products for Verizon Business, though she would not reveal the partner providing on-site support.

“It depends on the service and the level of support agreed with the customer, but if there are challenges and the customer needs assistance, we will use a partner with expertise of on-site installations and IP PBXs specifically,” she said.

Source: ITWeek 

Posted by Dal at 09:45 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to PBX / iPBX

Meanwhile, Skype has had conversations with many social-networking sites about offering services that would allow users to "share content with each other in a conversation," he said.

On Wednesday, the company released Skype 3.0 Beta for Windows, which features the community chat capabilities. Also in the release is a Click-to-Call feature, which lets users make calls to ordinary phone numbers when they are online.

Click Here to Continue Reading 

Posted by Dal at 09:39 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Skype

Posted by Dal at 09:23 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP News

 

Posted by Dal at 09:14 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Wireless Hardware

Note: Gotta represent my hometown :)  If you have a high tech hometown story email it to Dal at: comments[at]asteriskvoipnews.com

Sprint Nextel said it has upgraded its wireless network in Seattle and 20 other markets, increasing upload speeds by about 600 percent and download speeds by about 13 percent.

The new technology, EV-DO Revision A, brings upload speeds to between 300 and 400 kilobits per second, compared with the 50 to 70 kbps now offered by EV-DO, the company said in a statement.

It bumps download speeds to between 450 and 800 kbps, compared with the current 400 to 700 kbps. By comparison, conventional cable broadband offers uploads of between 128 and 768 kbps and downloads of between 1,000 and 6,000 kbps.

Users must upgrade their laptops with a new modem card to use the new technology. The cards are available from Sprint Nextel and from retailers at prices that haven't yet been set. A new handset or personal digital assistant also will be needed to use the new service.

There is no increase from the $60 per month charge to use the service. The new technology initially will be concentrated at Sea-Tac Airport and in Seattle's downtown business district and parts of downtown Tacoma and Olympia.

Source: Seattle PI Business 

P.S:  Who the hell came up with MetroNatural ?? 

Posted by Dal at 09:01 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

 

SkyCross is applying its experience with WiBro in Korea to similar WiMAX networks for last mile broadband connectivity in other parts of the world. The internal and external antennas in this product family can be used independently or together in the same device to provide better diversity gain for increased reception and broader coverage. The SkyCross antennas for WiMAX standards are applicable to a variety of mobile platforms including PC cards, notebook computers, handsets, and UMCPs (Ultra-Mobile Personal Computers), which are small tablet PCs for data on the go. SkyCross achieves this flexibility with custom engineering that accommodates the allotted antenna space and other components in these various devices. The results are high-performance antennas that meet the demands of manufacturers and users.

“SkyCross continues to exhibit technology leadership with next-generation technologies,” said Dr. Chris Morton, CEO of SkyCross. “We not only enable the latest devices to communicate on new networks, but also facilitate the adoption of these new services by offering superior performance in the smallest possible size.”

SkyCross recently announced other next-generation product family additions, including mobile video antennas for terrestrial services such as terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting (T-DMB) and Digital Video Broadcasting – Handheld (DVB-H).

Source: SkyCross 

Posted by Dal at 08:54 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiMax

This trend became more evident as open-source VoIP vendors announced a slew of new products in recent weeks. Most recently, Fonality on unveiled a new IP PBX for midsize companies, joining the host of recent announcements that have underscored the potential and progress of open-source telephony.

Fonality CEO Chris Lyman says he hopes that PBXtra, based on a modified version of the Asterisk code from Asterisk that first brought open-source telephony some notoriety, will compete with the likes of Cisco's CallManager and other big name IP PBXs. PBXtra supports up to 500 users for as low as US$1,995. It includes Web-based management capabilities and round-the-clock support, as well as most of the standard functions expected in a business phone system. The higher-end Professional Edition also supports unified voice mail and e-mail, click-to-call capabilities, softphones, and more. "It's feature parity to what the big boys sell for half the cost," Lyman says.

The company, which says it has more than 1,300 customers, also introduced a desktop-based contact management application that includes enterprise chat and presence awareness. Those releases follow on the heels of the introduction two weeks ago of trixbox 2.0, Fonality's latest VoIP application development platform.

Click Here to Continue Reading 

Posted by Dal at 08:43 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP News

Posted by Dal at 08:41 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Skype

Hi all!!

I've made some changes to the applications that Astertest was using to monitor the performance of the server. Now is also possible to track the bandwidth usage of the server, this has nothing to do with the executable (astertest.exe) itself but with the events that the Asterisk Manager generates.

Posted by Dal at 08:37 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Software

Note:  Oh man, I want one of these real bad.  I love how it opens up to a full keyboard and then the monitor swivels into place.  Even has 30gb of built in storage.

Samsung has just taken the wraps off the SPH-P9000, a new Mobile WiMAX and CDMA 1x EV-DO supporting phone. The phone does voice communication using CDMA 1x EV-DO and multimedia through the new Mobile WiMAX network. The device was unveiled at the Mobile WiMAX Summit 2006 held in Seoul, Korea.

Phone can be a bit of a misnomer for the SPH-P9000, which has a 1GHz Transmeta CPU, a 5-inch WVGA (854x480, 16:9) LCD display, 30GB built-in hard drive, a full fold-out QWERTY keyboard, 1.3-megapixel digital camera, Bluetooth with BT Messenger, and USB. The device runs the full Microsoft Windows XP operating system, not Windows Mobile.

"Our new SPH-P9000 is just one of the few Mobile WiMAX convergence devices to be introduced to the world. Samsung will expand our portfolio of mobile convergence devices, as we expect to expand our global Mobile WiMAX services globally," said Kitae Lee, President of the Telecommunication Network Business at Samsung Electronics.

The SPH-P9000 is slated for a launch around Q1 2007 in Korea. The price has not yet been announced.

Source: Tech2 

Posted by Dal at 09:21 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiMax

Posted by Dal at 09:00 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiMax

Posted by Dal at 08:52 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to PBX / iPBX

Note: TMC has posted a complete summary of Astricon 2006 on there site.

Asterisk, the leading open source telephony platform, is flourishing and AstriCon – the annual Asterisk conference and exhibition – has become the place to learn about it. Developers, resellers, IT managers and contact center managers grabbed their ten gallon hats and headed to Dallas to learn or to showcase their own Asterisk innovations. There were sessions for all levels, novice to expert, and intimate networking opportunities to meet a literal “who’s who” of open source telephony. 700 attendees packed sessions given by key evangelists covering everything from “An Introduction to Asterisk” to “How to Build an Asterisk-based Call Center”.

Posted by Dal at 08:41 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk News

 

Posted by Dal at 12:37 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

foneBRIDGE2 is a T1/E1 PRI-to-Ethernet bridge. It is an integrated black-box "appliance" designed to streamline installation and enable redundant design of Asterisk based VoIP systems. Designing, building, and installing an Asterisk system has never been this easy!

Engineered around our unique high-speed SoC (System-on-Chip) TDMoE engine, foneBRIDGE2 provides low-latency delivery of your critical voice traffic.

Posted by Dal at 12:24 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Hardware

Posted by Dal at 08:17 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Hardware

 

Posted by Dal at 08:03 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Skype

1VideoConference is an open source solution uploaded on Source forge. Released recently, this product allows web, audio/ video phone, skype, msn and yahoo users to participate in multipoint video conference. It empowers businesses to offer innovative online video services like TV shows, photography shows, marketing events, network games, social community sites, video wiki, blogs and forums, video tutorials, video library and more.

1VideoConference has turned out to be a great boon in Disguise. A farmer can now show his destroyed crops to Scientist sitting in another corner of world & know the exact reason of harvest failure within few minutes. World best learning Institutes Oxfords & Harvard’s can now impart education at a time to many students at a time spread across the world. Companies spread across the World can have board meetings together at a time thus saving cost as well deciding new strategies. 1VideoConference has truly turned as a cost & time saving boon for community at large. Blending the advanced technologies of .NET3.0 & Asterisk it has brought the World all the more closer.

1videoConference is tailor-made according to the present and future need of the customers. One of the extensive features of it is that if the internet connection of any of the meeting attendees goes down then with the help of coordinator they can switch over to the mobile and can continue at least with voice conferencing.

1Videoconference is a rich web communication system that gives professionals from all spheres of the world full control of enterprise-class web conferencing, online training, Audience poll, Destop-Sharing,co-browsing,Whiteboard, weblink, remote monitoring, co-authoring & many more features for collaborative communications of entire organization. All one needs is a desktop, a headphone, moderate internet connection of 256kbps. Combination of open source Asterisk software and state of the art Adiance platform enables customers to implement VoIP video solutions at more than 40% cost savings as compared to available solutions in the market. 1Videoconference is available on both a hosted basis and as a software that can be deployed on-premise.

In the words of Mr. Hardik Sanghvi President and CEO of Adiance, "1videoConference is true enabler of video/ voice and data interactions among the web and phone users." Sanghvi went on to say, "Being open source, webbased and foot print free, video enabled and cost effective, 1videoConference, as I envision, will change the way people and businesses collaborate on day to day basis ."

Source: Adiance Technologies 

Posted by Dal at 07:54 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Software

Posted by Dal at 07:35 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Politics

 

Now, within the bowels of Asterisk, each channel records the context name, the extension name, and the priority number of the next priority to execute. The first thing Asterisk does is lookup the context, then looks up the extension in that context, and then searches for the priority number to execute. These three lookups get done for every line of code. Why? Millions of reasons: with goto's, etc, the context/exten/priority is just plugged into the channel, and the engine will then fetch that. Saving these refs by name makes it so the dialplan can be reloaded mid-stream, and for the most part survive without a hitch.

The important thing to remember is that all 3 of these objects are stored in linear linked lists.

Now, the fun part. The lookups for the extensions and priorities get done quite often. So, I did studies of the 3 individual lookups that are done to find an arbitrary priority to execute. I am currently using threaded red-black binary trees instead of the simple linked-lists for contexts and priorities. It's not LGPL code, so I can't use them in asterisk, but until I get LGPL'd code, or our own hashtabs, I'm using them for an experiment.

The extension patterns are matched in a linear fashion, with no early cutoffs; that last extension in the list might yield the best match. To speed this up, I take a different route. I take the first character of each pattern, and I form a tree, where each level down is another, subsequent character set from the patterns. Patterns that start with similar character sequences share a path down the tree. The maximum depth of the tree coincides with the longest pattern in the set. To match, I follow a path down thru the tree until the final leaf is reached. It is possible that one sequence of characters can match more than one path down the tree. In this case, all possible paths are followed, and the metrics followed along the way determine the 'best' match. This algorithm is fairly simple, and much faster-- when you have a lot of patterns. Let's see, it's about O(5*(averagePatternLength)). You form this tree after the context is created and populated. It is stored in the ast_context structure.

Threaded red-black binary trees are a cousin of the AVL trees, binary trees that implement algorithms to keep them optimally balanced at all times. They have log(n) search times, which is pretty good compared to linked lists, which will have n/2 search times, where n is the number of items in the structure. So, if your set has 1000 items, a linear search will find the result, by looking at 500 items, on the average. With RB trees, you'd look thru at less than 9 or 10 items on the average. Much nicer!

Posted by Dal at 07:26 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Development

Posted by Dal at 11:37 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Hardware

Since I'm looking for a cheap appliance for Asterisk and IPCop/Copfilter, it's just my luck to see this deal on a refurbished Dell OptiPlex PC.  You'll note that the listed price is $47.91 but I've added the $12.95 for the memory bump to 256 MB and the $31.95 FedEx ground shipping to come up with a rounded up $93 figure for the title of this blog so I don't deceive anyone about the price.  This is a 700 MHz Celeron which is plenty fast for building your own VoIP server with Asterisk and your own gateway level antivirus scanning system using IPCop and Copfilter.  Some of you may have noticed how much I despise desktop antivirus solutions because they pose their own security risks and slow you down like crazy and this is the perfect cure for anyone who hates a slow PC.  Gateway level protection protects all your PCs at the same time and it caches websites which accelerates Windows Update like crazy.

Sure this isn't as nice as a tiny fanless appliance which is the ideal solution for something like this, but this is three times cheaper.  The only other option is running a virtual IPCop/Copfilter machine within a powerful media center PC that also serves as a gigabit terabyte file server.  Since there are free versions of VMware Server and Microsoft Virtual Server, this has become a very feasible option as well so long as you don't mind the dependency where a reboot of the media center PC also takes down your gateway.

Source: zdnet Blog 

Posted by Dal at 11:34 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk News

 "Today's declaratory ruling reaffirms the Commission's dedication to promoting the widespread deployment of unlicensed Wi-Fi devices. It clarifies that American consumers and businesses are free to install Wi-Fi antennas under our OTARD rules -- meaning without seeking approval from their landlords -- just as they are free to install antennas for video programming and other fixed wireless applications.

"Wi-Fi is one of the Commission's greatest wireless success stories. The genius of this unlicensed technology is that no central authority controls or manages how and where these networks spring up. Instead, any private or commercial operator who sees a need for a local Wi-Fi network may build and operate one. The price that Wi-Fi users pay for this freedom is that they, like all Part 15 users, must accept interference from other devices in the unlicensed bands. But the nation's half-decade of experience with this new technology has made it quite plain that this trade-off is more than worth it. When it comes to providing broadband over the unlicensed bands, the airwaves are truly the people's airwaves. So, while I certainly support strong licensing regulation in some contexts, I think it is equally important that we leave other portions of the spectrum open to unlicensed uses.

"Today's decision ensures that the Wi-Fi bands remain free and open to travelers, who can make productive use of their time while waiting to catch their next flight in an airport. They will be able to choose from among multiple providers, including members-only airport lounges as well as coffee shops or businesses that may choose to attract customers by offering Wi-Fi service at lower prices than the airport authority offers.

"I do want to note that I approve of today's decision only because the record is clear -- in fact, uncontested -- that allowing multiple Wi-Fi operators in the airport will cause no interference to the safety-of-life communications that the airport authority conducts on its dedicated, separate, and licensed public safety channels. In the unlikely event that technical developments change this balance, I would of course support swift and forceful remedial action from this Commission."

Source: GovTech 

Posted by Dal at 11:31 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Politics

 

Posted by Dal at 11:25 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Hardware

A new network aimed at business and high-end personal users is being rolled out today by Rogers Wireless. The new network, called High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), is transferring data at 1 megabit per second (Mbps), a speed that is expected to increase to a maximum of 14.4 Mbps, Rogers chief technology officer Bob Berner said Thursday.  In contrast, the current high-speed data access offered by Rogers, called EDGE, runs at 120 kilobits per second (Kbps).

The Canadian version of the service is currently available only in the "golden horseshoe," which stretches from Niagara to Oshawa in Southern Ontario and includes the greater Toronto area. HSDPA is expected to be rolled out across the nation in the near future.

So far, the network will be available only for wireless data transfers via Sierra's Wireless AirCard 860, which plugs into a notebook computer's PCMCIA slot.

The technology will be incorporated into cellphones in the first quarter of 2007, Mr. Berner said. All the cellphones offering the HSDPA will be backward-compatible, meaning they will work at the slower speeds when there's no HSDPA available.

HSDPA is a protocol for data transmission that improves transfer rates, offering wireless Internet access at broadband speeds. The wireless AirCard easily plugs into laptop computers and offers secure access. It is also compatible with EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks.

It is an enhancement to the Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) protocol, which applies different modulation and coding techniques as well as multiple antennas.

Mr. Berner said that 80 per cent "of the planet" uses the GSM protocol for cellphones, and the wide-band HSDPA is compatible with that. But CDMA — the narrow-band protocol used by Telus and Bell — is not compatible with HSDPA.

"From now on, wireless subscribers can enjoy high-speed mobile Internet and multimedia downloads at speeds previously possible only on a wired connection," Rogers chief marketing office John Boynton said.

The HSDPA network will be rolled out to the top Canadian markets throughout 2007 and will include the introduction of HSDPA-enabled phones and new applications as well as much improved customer experiences on current leading applications by Rogers Wireless.

Rogers has also rolled out its Intelligent Connection Manager, a free software application that allows subscribers to manage their network data connection options — including HSDPA, EDGE, company LANs, designated Wi-Fi hotspots, or cable/DSL. With the software, users can switch back and forth between available services.

Rogers is selling the Sierra Wireless AirCard 860 at an introductory price of $49.99 with a three-year term or $349.99 with a one- or two-year term. Existing data price plans apply. 

Rogers is also offering unlimited e-mail and browsing for three months on data plans of $60 per month or more.

Source:  GlobeandMail

Posted by Dal at 11:12 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

Posted by Dal at 10:22 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Skype

But for the moment, Europe is still the market leader with over 57 million hotspots. One major driver of Wi-Fi hot spots is retail establishments. A prominent example is McDonalds, which has moved to add hotspots to 17% of its 4,000 locations.

The growing Wi-Fi hotspot market is fueling a demand for Wi-Fi access points. More than 675,000 access points will be shipped this year specifically for use in hotspots. Not only are hotspot deployments and their subscriber numbers growing, but ABI Research notes that there also has been a dramatic increase in the number of Wi-Fi sessions per subscriber. This means that subscribers are lingering longer and spending more time doing their e-mail and surfing the Internet.

Source: Unstrung 

Posted by Dal at 04:02 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

eBay said the test of Skype integration into eBay listings has shown that buyers and sellers have "enjoyed the opportunity to resolve questions quickly and easily, while also improving trust in the process," though AuctionBytes has not seen signs of wide adoption of Skype click-to-call buttons in eBay listings.

eBay entered into an agreement with Google in August to jointly develop click-to-call initiatives. eBay also has classifieds sites, where click-to-call may have wider adoption rates than in auction-site listings.

The new Skype-acceptable categories on eBay include Motorcycles, Special Vehicles, Cell Phones & Portable Electronics, Camera & Photo, Baby and Travel categories, and additional areas of Collectibles. A complete list of all eligible categories is available online.

Source: AuctionByte 

Posted by Dal at 03:53 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Skype

3Com has announced its SIP-based Wi-Fi VoIP phone is available now from channel partners and distributors at a list price of A$535. The clamshell phone is compatible with VoIP services running on a wireless LAN (802.11b/g) infrastructure allowing users to roam freely about the office, or across a campus-wide wireless network.

Supporting VoIP, wireless email and data applications, the 3108 Wireless Phone, will most likely find a home in larger enterprise deployments including education, government, healthcare and retail, says the company.

Posted by Dal at 03:38 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP Hardware

Posted by Dal at 03:24 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

Taiwan's National Communications Commission (NCC) on November 1 approved a proposal by Sparq, a local fixed-line telecommunications network operator, to operate E.164-format VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) services, making Sparq the first company to obtain such permission in Taiwan.

NCC announced its plan to release E.164 VoIP numbers and related policies and regulations in November 2005, and Sparq submitted an application along with an operation proposal in June of this year, according to Sparq. In addition to Sparq, Chunghwa Telecom is currently the only operator of fixed-line communication services that has applied for E.164 VoIP operations.

Unlike PC to PC and/or PC to Phone (such as SkypeOut), E.164 VoIP services allow mutual communication of voice, data and images with local fixed-line telephone and mobile phone numbers, local experts explained. E.164 VoIP operators therefore have to negotiate interconnection with operators of fixed-line and mobile communication networks, which may be complicated because of the competition pressure that VoIP services brings, the experts pointed out.

Sparq is setting up the required infrastructure and plans to begin E.164 VoIP services in the first half of 2007, the company indicated.

Source: digitimes 

Posted by Dal at 03:13 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP News

Posted by Dal at 02:15 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk User Groups

Just to let everyone know we have created our FeedBurner Page for Asterisk VoiP News Feed. You can also click the link at the bottom right side of the front page.  Below I have posted details on adding our feed on your site also:

 "<a xhref="http://feeds.feedburner.com/asteriskvoipnewswire" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/asteriskvoipnewswire" title="Subscribe to my feed" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img xsrc="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" mce_src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" alt="" style="border:0"/></a>"

Posted by Dal at 01:32 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to AVN Site Updates

Wireless technology that can handle uncompressed, streaming high-definition media may soon become a reality.  The interface is called WirelessHD, truncated to WiHD, and it aims to remove all the switches and the evil spawn of Cables and Co. noosed around your tangled media devices.

A collection of companies have formed a special interest group and are now promoting the interface. Presently being written up, it is hoped the specification will reel in wide support throughout the industry and ultimately be approved by the IEEE as a standard.

The first generation WiHD interface will transmit both audio and video at speeds of 2 to 5Gb/s on the unlicensed 60GHz band. Future implementations could be scaled up to as fast as 20Gb/s.

One of the goals is to overcome the inherent line-of-sight requirements at this frequency with a 'smart antenna.'

It will be designed to be scalable for future media formats and other data types and it will likely feature some form of encryption, with 'Secure communications' as a listed objective.

Plans are in motion to have it ready for use in real-world consumer electronics relatively soon, with its specifications due to be complete '... in Spring 2007.'

Of course, consortiums using seasons in place of slightly more globally-persistent months doesn't help anyone. It probably means March to May.

The collaborating companies involved in this steamy conglomeration are LG, Panasonic, NEC, Samsung, SiBEAM, Sony, and Toshiba.

It's actually an odd mix, mostly because the two next-gen optical media archrivals, Sony (BluRay) and Toshiba (HD-DVD), are jumping into bed. It's good to see they seem to realise universal standards are necessary. Could this be a rare splash of common sense?

There is apparently a fundamental issue with the technology, however. Stephen Wood from WiMedia, of which all the new WiHD consortium's companies are also members, says WiHD is jumping too far ahead with an immature technology.

"The regulations for 60 GHz radios are not all in place, and the standards aren't ready," says Wood. That could prove a hiccup, although he's inclined say such things, as he's in charge of promoting ultrawideband technologies.

Source: ApcStart 

Posted by Dal at 12:42 PM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless

 

Posted by Dal at 11:26 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiMax

 

“We are extremely pleased to welcome aboard several Austin-area providers who have broad expertise in serving the market,” said Carey Balzer, president and chief executive officer for Voxpath. “Our network of providers have a long history in working with small businesses throughout the Austin area. They understand that Harmonica Complete is a compelling solution that addresses the unique needs of small business by delivering higher functionality at a price point substantially lower than competing premise-based and service provider solutions.”

Harmonica Complete is an advanced, hosted Voice over IP solution, providing business customers with complete end-to-end communications services. Designed to meet the unique needs of small businesses, Harmonica Complete provides the phone system, expanded local, long distance and international phone service, and optional broadband access services.

“We specialize in markets of 20 to 60 seats and we are the IT department or supplement the IT departments of our customers,” said Greg Bibeau, principal of Terminal B, an Austin-based provider of technology solutions. “We see Harmonica Complete as a service that fills a vital niche that our clients need, and compliments our hosted network services from Microsoft Exchange. Using a hosted system gives us much greater control over the products we deliver. This makes for a better experience for our customers.”

Harmonica Complete also offers a full range of enhanced small business features, such as advanced voice mail, group call routing, “Find Me” capabilities, music on hold, configurable line and extension status keys, multi-location support, and virtual receptionist. These elements are bundled as an integrated solution to give small businesses a comprehensive, robust communications system for a fixed monthly fee, all from a single source.

“Small businesses can now obtain a cost-effective, turnkey, managed IP telephony solution through the Harmonica Complete offer,” said Gary Lubbering, VP of Business Development for AnyWARE Inc., of Austin, a regional telecommunications provider.

“Harmonica Complete provides advanced IP voice functionality without the capital investment normally required of such systems. And as a managed offer, Harmonica Complete relieves the small business owner from hiring IT staff or contractors, significantly minimizing risk and cost. Our relationship with Voxpath now extends AnyWARE Inc.’s ability to serve small customers who are much better suited for a ‘pay as you go’ approach to IP telephony.”

Posted by Dal at 09:45 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to VoIP News

Posted by Dal at 08:59 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Software

The A102d includes the same digital processing and PCI/PCI Express technology as the highly successful four-port A104d card and is intended to provide the benefits of hardware-based echo cancellation and voice enhancement for smaller, two-port T1/E1 installations. The A102d also supports DMF encoding/decoding and tone recognition, voice quality enhancement and adaptive noise reduction.

“The A102d was developed in response to the continuing demand for a small capacity, low-cost E1/T1 card with telco-grade echo cancellation,” says Sangoma Technologies president and CEO David Mandelstam. “As an integral part of Sangoma's AFT design family, the A102d inherits the compatibility, enhanced performance and reliability of its siblings.”

The A102d supports PBX, IVR and VoIP applications, such as Asterisk, Yate, FreeSwitch and many proprietary telephony projects.

Source: Sangoma 

Posted by Dal at 08:54 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Hardware

've wanted to be able to use it to connect with Skype and/or gtalk .. and yesterday I finally it working pretty well with gtalk - so thought I'd document it a bit here in case others want to do the same. It's certainly possible to do this in Asterisk as well - but it's likely that most Switchvox users are not so sophisticated as the traditional Asterisk or Trixbox users .. so here's the overview of how to do it in Switchvox. I may be adding SipBroker here unnecessarily - but I don't have Switchvox set up to accept SIP calls directly - so I like having Sipbroker in the middle to handle that for me and to simplify dialing - as you'll see below..

What you need:

Posted by Dal at 09:19 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to Asterisk Help

 

Agilent’s WiMAX design validation and production offerings are mainly comprised of the PSA or MXA Series spectrum analyzers, the ESG or Agilent MXG signal generators, and WiMAX measurement software package. R&D and conformance type measurements are covered by the high-performance PSA Series spectrum analyzer and ESG vector signal generator. Production-type measurements can be performed with the new MXA and Agilent MXG products. The MXA is the industry’s fastest signal analyzer with the highest performance of any midrange analyzer. Agilent MXG signal generators feature the industry’s best ACPR performance and simplified self maintenance, and provide the fastest switching speeds available on the market today.

Verification of Agilent’s design validation and production solutions took place during demonstrations at the WiMAX working group in Seoul Korea. The WiMAX Forum and subsequent working groups work to promote global WiMAX deployments and to make WiMAX the platform of choice for broadband wireless. These successful demonstrations highlight Agilent’s continued commitment to developing innovative solutions for this emerging market.

“Agilent continues to demonstrate its leadership in the WiMAX arena via successful rollout of industry-leading test and measurement solutions, strategic partnerships around the globe and participation in events like the WiMAX Forum Plenary Conferences,” said Guy Sene, vice president and general manager of Agilent’s Signal Analysis Division. “This leadership, continued innovation and industry participation is crucial to ensuring today’s engineers have the tools from Agilent they need to create the next-generation of communication based on WiMAX.”

“Agilent’s broad offering for testing fixed and mobile WiMAX comprises a number of premier test solutions that span the entire WiMAX lifecycle,” said Keum Chul Shin, operations and delivery manager for Agilent’s Korea Measurement Systems Division. “We have now delivered over 15 customer installations, each demonstrating an exceptional level of performance, coupled with reliable, repeatable and consistent results. This makes our offering the most up-to-date, complete and widely accepted answer to WiMAX R&D, design verification and production test.”

Agilent was the first test and measurement vendor to join the WiMAX Forum. Its active participation in this organization includes work on a number of different subcommittees including: the Mobile Task Group Technical Working Group, the Roaming Working Group, the Application Business Group of the Application Working Group, and the Mobile Radio Conformance Test and Specialized Test Equipment Sub-Groups. Each of these task groups is chartered with investigating and resolving specific aspects related to implementing WiMAX. Agilent also provides onsite engineering experts at WiMAX PlugFests.

For more information on WiMAX, go to: www.agilent.com/find/wimax

Posted by Dal at 09:07 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiMax

Note:  I found this article today about wifi and solar.  I can't wait to see more of these integrated solutions for deploying wireless mesh networks.

Q What role do the solar panels play in the wireless network?

A The solar panels would power batteries that store energy and connect to radio nodes, or transmitters. The radio nodes create the network, sending and receiving signals from the city's computers. All wireless networks have radio nodes. But usually, those radios are powered by electric current.

Q Why not just use the usual electrical hookup?

A It costs more. If powered by electricity, the 400 radio nodes would be connected to utility poles for a fee of $10 to $20 a month. The city expects to save $40,000 to $50,000 a year just on energy. And solar power is better for the environment, which fits into the city's goals.

Q Do we get enough sun here for it to work?

A Yes. ARINC and its partners looked at 30 years of weather information and determined the city has more than enough sun. Even in those 30 years' darkest December weeks, solar panels would have still functioned.

Solar panels do not work only with bright, cloudless sunlight. They can make do with more limited sun.

Q What if snow covers up the solar panels?

A Snow will not stick to the panels for three reasons: The panels are angled, their finish is glass-like, and they'll produce a small amount of heat, which will help melt snow.

Q Where will the solar panels and radios be located?

A About 400 panel-and-radio pairings will be mounted on new 25-foot poles and existing streetlights, buildings and other city property. The pairings can be placed almost anywhere because unlike a conventional network, a solar-powered network doesn't have to be connected to the electrical grid. The radios wirelessly communicate with one another and to gateway radios that connect to the city's fiber-optic backbone, which in turn connects back to City Hall.

Click Here to Continue Reading this Interview 

Posted by Dal at 08:56 AM | Direct Link | Comments (0) Posted to WiFi / Wireless