VoIP News: January 2009

The National Broadband Scheme (NBS) for Ireland is aiming for 100 per cent broadband coverage in the country by 2010, it has emerged. Irish communications minister Eamon Ryan has announced that the €223 million (£209. 6 million) scheme will provide broadband for the ten per cent of the country's population presently unable to receive the service.

The future sustainability of VoIP will depend on the deployment of the technology over 4G mobile networks, a leading organisation claims. According to a report by analysts Maravedis, there is a "great opportunity" for VoIP providers in the extra bandwidth promised by 4G standards and WiMax. However, the report also advises that providers should be careful to set out specific provisions for voice traffic running over their networks in order to ensure service quality issues.

A "surprisingly extensive" network of community-led high-speed broadband schemes has been established in the UK, a leading organisation claims. According to the Communications Consumer Panel (CCP), community-led schemes are bringing broadband to areas which were previously unable to access the service. The independent telecoms policy advisory body has revealed in a review that there are around 40 local schemes currently in the UK.

A new affiliate programme has been launched by a leading website in order to help businesses select the most suitable VoIP provider for their needs. VoIP comparison website WhichVoIP. com has launched the referral programme to offer incentives for website owners to help other businesses select the right VoIP provider.

New two-way satellite broadband could provide reliable internet connections for places which could not previously secure the service. Eurosat is running the ground level operation for Astra2Connect, which offers 2Mbps download speeds and 128Kbps upload. The system does not need an existing phone line to establish a connection, which means that it will not tie up the phone system or fail to work for households without a fixed line.