VoIP News: January 2009

Businesses introducing VoIP technologies are able to achieve a better work-life balance for their employees, a leading expert claims. Writing in the Aberdeen Press & Journal, Converged Communications business development director Andy Pearson described VoIP as the "technology of the century". He explained that this is because it can deliver significant cost benefits and provide a more unified communications infrastructure.

The government has confirmed its intention to ensure that every household in the UK can access broadband of a minimum speed of 2Mbps by 2012. Unveiled yesterday, Lord Carter's interim Digital Britain report has studied the future of domestic technical infrastructure, as well as the media and public service broadcasting. "We will develop plans for a digital Universal Service Commitment to be effective by 2012, delivered by a mixture of fixed and mobile, wired and wireless means," the report said.

Despite it facing financial difficulties, British Telecom (BT) has announced that it plans to push ahead with broadband fibre roll-out plans. The telecoms giant previously unveiled a mission to provide broadband of up to 40Mbps to ten million households by 2012. However, around £1.

MobileVoIP provider fring has teamed up with online radio streaming website Last FM for a new interactive service. By using VoIP infrastructure, the company is offering a radio add-on application which is designed to encourage users to connect and share experiences online. This includes communicating in real-time via instant messages or VoIP calls, as well as listening to a wide range of radio channels.

A pilot programme launched in Scotland could bring the advantages of high-speed broadband to two remote communities in the Shetland Islands. Residential and business customers on the island of Fetlar and in the village of Vidlin have previously suffered with unreliable and slow broadband connections. However, Shetland Islands Council (SIC) has invested £100,000 in a three-year pilot programme with broadband carrier Thus to provide an ADSL service of 2Mbps, reports the Shetland News.