VoIP News: Triple Play Services

Despite experiencing difficulties in the UK, Virgin Media looks set to spread its triple play - broadband, TV and phone - service into France. Earlier this year it was predicted by researchers at tech firm Booz Allen Hamilton that triple play would take-off in Europe this year, so it seems Virgin is keen to enter the competition. According to the Times, Virgin Group is in discussions with France's biggest cable TV operator Numericle about re-branding its current 9-million subscriber service under the Virgin Media name.

Packaging television, voice communication and broadband together may be the future for providers, according to a comparison website. Top 10 Broadband said it has observed a shift in the selling practices of broadband providers which has mirrored the desire of consumers for more features at cheaper prices. Over 80 per cent of new broadband sign-ups through its site are now for all-in-one packages, which is a significant increase on the 67 per cent reported in January.

VoIP hardware provider Stratus has launched a new VoIP server aimed at resellers to get a full triple-play system off the ground very quickly. Described as "VoIP in a box" by Stratus' Richard Appleton, the new Ftservers have been upgraded with VoIP, internet and TV software known as Entice which is available as an open source platform. Previously Entice (which stands for Emergent Network Telecommunications Infrastructure Control Environment) had only been available on Dell servers, but after Stratus bought out the developer Emergent it has been ported onto Stratus' Ftservers.

Telecoms network T-Mobile has launched a new service which combines Wi-Fi with its own mobile network in a move that will further sideline traditional landlines. Two specially-adapted handsets are already available in the US - the Samsung t409 and the Nokia 6089 - and will be able to use the normal T-Mobile network to carry calls, but can switch to public Wi-Fi hotspots or the owner's home network if it is in range.

Through bundling services and expanding the overall broadband customer base, service providers can attain greater average revenue per user (ARPU) growth, according to research from In-Stat. The analyst firm said that by enhancing existing voice, data and video services through IP Multimedia Subsystems (IMS), an intelligent, converged network will open up market opportunities for many new services and applications.