VoIP News: October 2008

A tenth of all searches on a new search engine were related to VoIP phones in October, statistics have shown.

It means that VoIP phones and IP telephony in general were the biggest single topic users were looking for on Conjungo, which contains a database of UK IT suppliers.

Conjungo contains 15,000-plus listings and has more than 100 technology areas.

"Considering how many potential areas of content we have on our site, ten per cent is actually a huge percentage of users interested in one area," said the company's chief executive, David Cruse.

"We believe this is an indication of the potential for rapid cost savings that VoIP technology offers combined with a need for truly independent advice for small business on how to find and implement the best solution and supplier."

Last month Point Topic released research which showed that VoIP had been a large driver of the broadband value added services market.

VoIP and related security services accounted for 56 per cent of the $25.7 billion worldwide market.

Posted on: 2008-10-31, in: General VoIP

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VoIP phones can be used by companies in remote areas if they get a satellite internet connection, according a report.

The IT Business Guide said that many companies rely on dialup access but this "prevents them from exploiting the internet to its full", including the ability to use VoIP phones or online video.

This will lead to them becoming uncompetitive and behind in technological terms, the guide explained.

However, satellites can be used as a 'last resort' if no other way of getting fast online speeds can be obtained.

"High above the UK there are satellites that are capable of carrying business related internet data such as email traffic and web browsing support," the guide said.

A supplier must be found who can install the required equipment - a satellite dish, feeder cable and internal system.

However, the guide did warn that the cost of using satellite internet is higher than a landline-based connection, although it suggested checking with local regional development organisations which may be able to provide financial assistance.

Posted on: 2008-10-31, in: General VoIP

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Businesses which want to let their employees telecommute should deploy VoIP solutions, an industry commentator has recommended.

However, Piers Daniell, from ITProPortal.com, warned that a high-speed network is required if VoIP solutions are to be up to scratch.

"To make telecommuting work well companies need excellent reliability and speed of communication," he wrote.

"A fast data network is important for VoIP which not only makes interoffice calls free, but also makes the employees feel like more part of the day's activities being only an extension away."

He also recommended services which can spread a company's security through a larger location, using wide area networks.

This allows protection from viruses and other threats, while enabling content to be managed by the head office.

A survey released earlier this month by the Computing Technology Industry Association found that more than two thirds (67 per cent) of respondents felt that their business has seen better employee productivity since introducing telecommuting.

This was mainly due to the time people saved by not having to go to and from work.

Posted on: 2008-10-30, in: General VoIP

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Businesses which choose hosted PBX (private branch exchange) over conventional IP PBX models save themselves initial set up costs, according to an expert.

Samuel Schneider, Bandwidth.com marketing director, was asked if the outlay and upkeep of IP PBX could stop smaller companies from deploying VoIP solutions.

He said: "The prohibitive cost and maintenance demands of traditional IP PBX technology was responsible in part for the emergence of the hosted IP PBX model, which charged businesses monthly fees per seat or per employee, instead of a heavy initial investment."

A PBX is a private network which is set up within a company, where users share a number of outside lines.

As well as being cheaper than connecting an external line to every phone in the business, it allows internal phone calls to be made by dialling a small amount of digits.

An IP PBX is a similar system, which can either be software or hardware, and transmits voice using IP (internet protocol).

Posted on: 2008-10-30, in: IP PBX

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Fixed-line broadband is double the speed of mobile on average, according to new research.

A study by comparison site Broadband Expert found that the average fixed-line speed was 3.61Mbps whereas for mobile it was only 1.57Mbps (based on 308,584 and 5,345 tests respectively).

It was also suggested by the company that the gap was becoming larger; fixed-line connections are 0.66Mbps faster than in February, while mobile has only speeded up by 0.1Mbps since April.

Broadband Expert technical director William Harvey believes that the improvement in fixed-line is because of the faster services that have been offered, which have been supported by both demand and technology advances.

He said companies are "phasing out slower services with many providers entry-level packages starting at up to 8Mb and a number of providers upgrading customers on slower services free of charge".

In terms of the future, Mr Harvey explained that increased 3G coverage will cause the average mobile speed to rise, but it will still be behind fixed-line as home broadband companies make large improvements to their networks.

Posted on: 2008-10-29, in: Broadband

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