VoIP News: April 2009

A US baseball team has been enjoying the benefits of a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) deployment, it has emerged. According to TMCnet, the San Francisco Giants implemented a unified communications solution ahead of their 2009 season. The club introduced 450 VoIP-enabled telephones into its ballpark and other facilities to streamline communications between players, managers and staff.

The £250 million surplus from the BBC's digital switchover fund could be used towards providing universal broadband in the UK, it has been announced. Chancellor Alistair Darling's recently revealed Budget unveiled new plans to meet the government's pledge to provide broadband of a minimum speed of 2Mbps to every UK household by 2012. The chancellor stressed the government's commitment to providing "broadband for all", but did not indicate any specific level of public investment into a high-speed network.

Companies can enjoy significant benefits to their cost base with hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), but many are still unsure about taking the plunge, experts claim. According to an article on FierceVoIP, incorporating legacy systems with IP communications is "where the commercial voice market is heading". However, many customers still prove reluctant to change service provider and can often prove unsure about throwing away existing equipment to implement a new system.

MPs representing rural constituencies have hit back after it emerged some communities could miss out on the introduction of super-fast broadband. Communications minister Lord Carter told the Daily Telegraph this week that it may be too costly for the government to deliver high-speed broadband connections to rural parts of the UK, despite the government having previously promised to deliver high-speed services to every broadband connection in the land by 2012.

Businesses seeking to compete on the global stage will benefit from the government's plans to invest more money in the UK's broadband architecture, it has been claimed. BroadbandChoices. co.