"Some of the most compelling data that we collected was simply around the wide variety of applications that Asterisk is now being used to address," said Terry Atwood, vice president of sales, marketing and customer care at PIKA. "Of course, the early adopters are still there, but from a purpose and density standpoint there is now a much broader range of applications being built on Asterisk, ranging from individual companies seeking to provide their own telecoms services, to application development firms that are using Asterisk as a platform to develop systems for sale to the business and government markets throughout the world."

Common applications being built on Asterisk included normal office telephone systems, IVR/self-service systems, systems for use in inbound and outbound call centers, and hosted telephone and VoIP long distance systems. Other unique applications included distance-learning systems, fax blasting platforms, video platforms and gateways. The study also showed that educational institutions around the world are using Asterisk in their laboratory environments, allowing students to get hands-on development experience in a real-world scenario.

Results also show that the main Linux distributions being used by Asterisk developers in the study are CentOS (34%), Debian 4 (20%) and Fedora (16%). Ubuntu and Slackware are both being used by about 6% of developers surveyed, with a host of other platforms being used by less than 1% each.

The version of Asterisk being used was split between 1.2 (49%) and 1.4 (46%), with the final 5% still using 1.0. Additionally, Asterisk was observed to have spread beyond the confines of North America, with a third of those in the study hailing from Europe.

The analysis was conducted as a result of a free board giveaway program, run by PIKA during July and August 2007. The program allowed Asterisk developers to order one of PIKA’s analog or digital Asterisk boards free of charge. Signing up for a board required imparting some detailed information about the user’s/developer’s Asterisk environment. Based on this information, PIKA was able to present its conclusions about current Asterisk usage. The full data from the program can be viewed at http://www.pikatechnologies.com/products/PIKAforAsterisk-market_study.htm.

PIKA is exhibiting and presenting at Digium/Asterisk World as part of Fall VON, October 29 through November 1 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, MA, and will be holding a draw for 2 FREE appliances. Interested parties can visit and learn more about the company's new Appliance and Gateway products at Booth D1325, part of the Asterisk World Pavilion.

At Fall VON, PIKA business development manager David Clarke will participate in the panel discussion, "Echo Cancellation: Even Packets get Voice Quality Issues" taking place from 3:45pm to 5:00pm on Thursday, November 1. The panel will discuss why packet-based networks are plagued with problems like echo cancellation, phase and jitter and the various approaches to rectifying these issues.

Source: Danny Sullivan w/ inMedia 

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Posted by Dal at 11:14 AM | Direct Link | TrackBacks (0) Posted to Cisco

Why is proprietary hybrid-hosted VoIP 'very evil'?

Mark Spencer: A lot of this is a bit of a hyperbole in terms of the scale I try to put things in. Are the lines quite so black and white? But the biggest problem with hybrid-hosted as it is currently implemented is that it actually takes away even more choice from the customer than a traditional proprietary product. The reason for that is that under a hybrid-hosted model, the ability to control the system is removed from the customer and placed in the hands of the vendor. So when you think about it, open source is trying to move things to where there is customer control; the hybrid-hosted model is that you really don't even have access to your configuration information because it's all held there. If they change what the feature set is or how it's presented, you don't really have any choice about how to use that. It's not so much that the hosted model itself is inherently bad; there's certainly a lot of technical benefit to having a hosted environment. It's an easy way to get started. But it is, I think, dangerous to customers not to be able to get out of it if they outgrow the sise that makes sense or if they become unhappy with that vendor. They're really locked in even more than they are with a traditional proprietary vendor.

Do you think there are certain companies for which it is more or less dangerous? The hybrid-hosted model seems most beneficial for SMBs, which don't have the staff or the desire to manage the phone system in-house; they just want to pay somebody and have it work.

Spencer: I think that it's one of several models that can work for an SMB. Some SMBs like to have premise-based solutions if they're cost-effective enough, and some SMBs want to have something that's hosted; I mean, it just kind of depends on the company. But when your SMB starts to turn into more of an enterprise, as you start to grow, that's when this starts to be an acute problem because you're really locked in to this vendor in a way that's very difficult to break away from.

And not only that, but what you see in the product today may or may not be what the product is tomorrow. Think about how many people have used Windows XP, and now you have Windows Vista that's come out. Imagine if all of a sudden Microsoft changed it so that when you went to your computer it was now running Vista because they thought that was the better system. Think about how many people really don't like Vista right now. If your operating system were hosted, you really wouldn't have a choice. Whatever the person hosting it decided you should have is what you'd have. It just doesn't feel like a safe model for someone who's used to the open source world, where you have a tremendous amount of control.

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Posted by Dal at 12:05 PM | Direct Link | TrackBacks (0) Posted to Asterisk News

 

So today, with a bunch of help from some really sharp folks, we embark upon a new open source project that we hope will become the best-of-breed Asterisk-based development platform. Our design goals are simple: a very modular system that meets the needs of Asterisk experimenters as well as those looking for a reliable, scalable, IP-based business telephony solution with all the bells and whistles.

Our up front promise is to keep the project open, participatory, reliable, and fun. After all, that’s what the Asterisk revolution was and is all about. The plan is to provide a free ISO-based offering for home or office use that will run on a dedicated Linux machine. There also will be a VMware image that will run on a Windows desktop. And, for the Mac desktop, we’ll provide both a VMware and a Parallels image.

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Posted by Dal at 01:21 PM | Direct Link | TrackBacks (0) Posted to Asterisk News

On October 18, 2007 the ITU Radiocommunication Assembly in Geneva adopted inclusion of WiMAX into the IMT-2000 family of technologies. This significant decision will make WiMAX as one of the approved IMT technologies and increase the adoption WiMAX in the world.  This latest decision puts WiMAX on the same level playing field as other 3G technologies such as UMTS”.

TEMA Vice President and Motorola’s Regional Director of Government Relations Bharat Bhatia who is participating in the ITU conference at Geneva and played an active role in the conference said: “Today ITU took an important step toward ensuring that the public will benefit from the most advanced wireless technologies when it accepted WiMAX into the IMT-2000 family of technologies.

Inclusion of WiMAX into the IMT-2000 frequency bands is especially important for India as we work to expand the broadband penetration which will bridge the countries digital divide and tremendously benefit our consumers”.

N K Goyal, Chairman Emeritus TEMA commenting on the decision said “TEMA applauds today’s decision by the ITU Radiocommunication Assembly to approve WiMAX as part of the IMT-2000 family of standards. India’s entire telecom industry appreciates the efforts made by the Indian delegation at the ITU conference in playing a key leadership role in this decision.

Source: India PR 

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Posted by Dal at 11:49 AM | Direct Link | TrackBacks (0) Posted to Asterisk Development

Today's announcement augments Polycom's distribution channels to include 3Com's network of resellers and distributors, including a worldwide community of service providers who offer both IP trunking and hosted VoIP services. Today's news also adds to 3Com's portfolio Polycom's HD Voice lineup of phones, which enrich the customer communications experience with high definition voice quality that quadruples that of traditional landline phones.

"The combination of 3Com's strong distribution network with Polycom's voice technology expertise makes this the ideal solution for our customers," said Sunil Bhalla, senior vice president and general manager of Voice Communications for Polycom. "Our voice solutions will bring the richness of HD Voice quality to 3Com customers, affording them crystal clear communication that greatly improves productivity.

We also share a vision with 3Com of providing open, non-proprietary solutions to our customers. And with the addition of 3Com as a strategic distribution and technology partner, we look forward to deepening our relationship by expanding our efforts into key areas such as wireless and business productivity applications."

Polycom phones will be seamlessly integrated with all 3Com VoIP platforms, including the newly announced 3Com(R) VCX(TM) Connect 100, VCX Connect 200 and 3Com Asterisk Appliance, as well as its existing 3Com VCX Enterprise system, including a 3Com IP Telephony Solution for IBM System i. 3Com's family of IP Telephony servers are used by companies of all sizes worldwide.

"The addition of Polycom's voice solutions to our portfolio of 3Com IP telephony solutions and handsets will enable us to offer customers a wide range of choices to meet their unique communications needs," said Bipin Mistry, vice president of 3Com's voice business. "Coming on the heels of our introduction of the new 3Com VCX Connect platforms and the 3Com Asterisk Appliance, this partnership means that organizations with as few as five employees will enjoy the same robust VoIP offering as those with thousands of employees.

The co-branded 3Com/Polycom phones will be generally available for purchase through 3Com North American channels beginning in November 2007 and are expected to be available on a worldwide basis no later than Jan. 1, 2008.

Source: PR Newswire 

Posted by Dal at 11:09 AM | Direct Link | TrackBacks (0) Posted to VoIP Hardware

Polycom is going head-to-head against Cisco Systems with the launch Monday of its latest telepresence high-definition videoconferencing system. Polycom's new Telepresence Experience High Definition (TPX HD) 306M system is a full room videoconferencing setup that aims to provide video calls that seem lifelike, closely approximating the dimensions and detail of face-to-face meetings. It is priced one-third lower than the comparable offering from Cisco.

The TPX is the latest addition to Polycom's line of telepresence offerings, which launched in May 2006 with the rollout of its RealPresence Experience (RPX) portfolio.

While the RPX provides what Polycom calls "immersive telepresence" with a complete standardized full-room structure with rear-projection displays to accommodate up to 28 users per room that even includes the ceiling overhead, the TPX is a smaller setup built for six users per room.

The TPX includes a wall unit that incorporates three 60-inch HD plasma displays, videoconferencing equipment, cameras and a high-fidelity stereo system. The setup also includes a conference table, 360-degree ceiling microphones and a touch-screen control system.

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Posted by Dal at 04:51 PM | Direct Link | TrackBacks (0) Posted to Polycom

Criminals are taking advantage of Skype's 256-bit encryption and the internet's unpredictable routing scheme to set up drug deals and other crimes, say Swiss law enforcement officials. According to swissinfo, a Swiss Broadcasting Corporation company, local police are investigating dozens of drug-related cases where Skype has been the medium of communication between gang members and client.

Posted by Dal at 06:48 PM | Direct Link | TrackBacks (0) Posted to Skype

 

Posted by Dal at 02:27 PM | Direct Link | TrackBacks (0) Posted to VoIP News

Note:  He is right, you can't trust caller ID these days.  I do know that is someone sends no caller ID then I don't answer.  It's usually a telemarketer or some congressmen trying to give me an award for donating money to there party or associations.  In our current environment I am not sure how long that will last.  If you are trying to get in touch with your local press try changing it to some major organization's ID and see if your call gets picked up faster?  I bet it would.

He cited some legislation that was put through in 2007 and is currently stuck in the Senate.  "The law would outlaw causing "any caller identification service to transmit misleading or inaccurate caller identification information" via "any telecommunications service or IP-enabled voice service." Law enforcement is exempt from the rule."

Here is an excerpt from the article: 

"Caller ID information is not to be trusted. Judging by the reactions I've gotten from colleagues and friends recently after they've been the victims of spoofed-ID demonstrations, it's not common knowledge that caller ID information, primarily the phone number that often appears on the recipient's telephone display, can be easily faked. Best of all for the mysterious caller, it's not illegal in the U.S. (except in cases where fraud occurs). Calls for the purpose of amusement or revenge are perfectly legal."

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Note:  More corporate traction the better.  Asterisk needs to be brought into the mainstream light so they become a brand associated with business phone systems in conversation.   Where is my Polycom branded unit?

"
Huntsville-based Digium Inc. said Monday that it has formed a partnership with networking giant 3Com Corp. Under terms of the agreement, 3Com will sell Digium's Asterisk Appliance to small businesses that need voice-over-Internet Protocol telephone service.

Digium is the creator of Asterisk open-source software for VoIP. The company's Asterisk Appliance is its first hardware device with imbedded Asterisk software for private-branch exchange, or PBX, phone systems. The appliance supports both VoIP and analog systems, allowing users to keep their current equipment.
" 

"3Com is focused on delivering products and solutions for converged secure networks, in which voice is an application that can be readily integrated with many others," Bob Dechant, 3Com senior vice president and general manager, said in a news release. "We chose to partner with Digium because of the company's position as the Asterisk leader, its commitment to open standards and the ease of use of the appliance."

3Com, based in Marlborough, Mass., is a global company that provides secure and converged networking services that enable customers to manage voice, video and data in a secure network environment. 3Com last week announced a deal to be acquired by private-equity firm Bain Capital Partners for $2.2 billion.

"Digium pioneered Asterisk and is now working to bring the software's power and rich feature set to a broader array of customers," Bill Miller, Digium vice president of product management and marketing, said in a news release. "3Com's selection of our new appliance to offer to its own customers validates our strategy of opening new markets to Asterisk by making it user-friendly."

Source: Huntsville Times 

Posted by Dal at 03:43 PM | Direct Link | TrackBacks (0) Posted to Asterisk Hardware

VS.
Internet voice service provider Jajah on Thursday said that web auctioneer eBay blocked the use of the startup's embedded voice links on its auction site, a move Jajah said raises concerns about anti-competitive behavior.

Jajah said eBay removed the listings of sellers who used Jajah’s technology, which enables potential buyers to connect with sellers through a click-to-call button embedded in their ad.

eBay sent emails to its sellers in the U.S. and Italy instructing them that Jajah’s technology, called Buttons, violated eBay’s link policy.

eBay’s policy seeks to protect its site from unauthorized or insecure links that could harm its business, but Jajah charges that eBay’s ownership of Skype, a VoIP firm, makes the auction giant’s argument specious.

“The fact that eBay acquired Skype for billions of dollars showed that they thought that VoIP would be a value-add for its community,” said Roman Scharf, co-founder of Mountain View, California-based Jajah. “Now that we are offering VoIP to the eBay community, eBay finds it to be a problem.”

According to Mr. Scharf, eBay, which acquired Skype in October 2005 for $2.5 billion, is pursuing the no-Buttons policy in the U.S. and Italy but not in other markets such as Germany and the U.K.

San Jose, California-based eBay said Jajah’s Buttons violates its links policy in every country in which eBay does business, and that it will continue to remove listings that include Jajah’s Buttons.

“We don’t allow Skype buttons in our listing pages either,” said Catherine England, an eBay spokeswoman.

“There are Skype links in specific areas and we have started testing Skype buttons but anytime a link directs users off of our site, it creates opportunities for fraudsters,” Ms. England said. “The policy is about safety for our members.”

Jajah’s Buttons, introduced on Monday, allow sellers for instance to place widgets in blogs or emails and have potential buyers make an inexpensive calls to sellers without the seller giving out his or her phone number.

“eBay’s policy makes reference to insecure or political content and the like, and our Buttons are nothing like that,” Mr. Scharf said. “We don’t take the user to a rival or fraudulent site or any such thing. Using Buttons just means that the user’s phone rings.”

Mr. Scharf said he is willing to offer eBay a commercial olive branch – a piece of the action.

“Every single Jajah call means money in the pocket of our partners,” he said. “eBay has its choice. It can simply tolerate Jajah or support Jajah but either way it will mean revenue for them.”

With VoIP application providers increasingly embedding voice communications in emails, blogs and web sites, it seemed inevitable that some Internet business would eventually move to block non-sanctioned VoIP services.

But the fact that the web business is eBay, which owns Skype, the best known VoIP provider in the world, brings up issues of open markets and competition that could draw regulatory attention.

VoIP sits on a precarious boundary between the Internet and telecommunications. On the one hand, the Internet is cheered as the ultimate open marketplace. On the other, telecommunications is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the world.

“Once voice becomes an application embedded in a web page, the notion of utility telephony begins to crumble,” said Will Stofega, an analyst with IDC. “Of course, if there is a compelling advantage or difference between clients, that may change the game and an end user may demand their favorite client.”

If eBay users challenged the auction site’s policy, then the issue could get on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission radar, said Mr. Stofega.

Source: Red Herring

Posted by Dal at 03:33 PM | Direct Link | TrackBacks (0) Posted to VoIP News

 

Excerpt from his article:

 "

Digium is the company behind Asterisk, the popular open source PBX. Digium was founded in 1999 by Mark Spencer, the creator of Asterisk. Since then, Asterisk has been deployed around the world on millions on computers. Despite that fact, Asterisk still does not have a large market share of the PBX market. Why is this? In the past, there were many reasons for this:

These concerns were once valid, but today most of them have been addressed by Digium.

"

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Posted by Dal at 03:19 PM | Direct Link | TrackBacks (0) Posted to Asterisk News

 
 
Note:  I will admit it seemed a tad high but they do have a huge installed user base.  I think they should spend some time working on more creative ways to monetize their property without spamming it with ads.  (hint hint, contact me).
 
Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom admitted today that eBay's original valuation of Skype was too high, reports Reuters. It may not be a surprise--pundits have been saying as much all last week--but candid admissions are always nice to hear. His comments came at a Hungarian technology conference.

Zennstrom added that he believes Skype is growing at a satisfactory pace and that, "You need to look at the long-term value of companies." Alas public companies don't often have that luxury--shareholders want results on a quarterly basis. Zennstrom's other startup, online video purveyor Joost, opened to the public last week.

Source: Wired.com 

Posted by Dal at 01:03 PM | Direct Link | TrackBacks (0) Posted to Skype

Posted by Dal at 05:37 PM | Direct Link | TrackBacks (0) Posted to Asterisk Releases