VoIP News: May 2009

New technology has been released to help provide feedback on the quality of service on offer from a variety of VoIP solutions, reports VoIP News. Version 2. 0 of SQmediator from software firm Telchemy has been designed for use with medium-sized and large providers of VoIP hardware and works by sending data to the companies to help pinpoint any technical problems.

Funding has been awarded for research into a new satellite system that could address the problem of how to offer web connectivity to rural communities. Avanti Communications has been awarded €250,000 (£220,172) to research a system named Hercules, which could help provide broadband services of as much as 50 megabits per second to rural communities in the UK. The company will receive the money from the European Space Agency and the research is to clear any issues that may exist with Hercules if the UK's Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform chooses to adopt it.

The proliferation of VoIP hardware being adopted by private web users and businesses is contributing to bandwidth issues, according to a study from NetEvidence. According to the network performance management company, many web users are choosing to adopt VoIP solutions in order to save money on telecommunications expenses during the current recession, but the scale of take-up has led to reduced performance on some older browsers.

New research from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has placed the UK fifth for the scale of its broadband market. The study reveals that the UK has one of the highest numbers of broadband subscribers in the world, with over 17 million in December last year potentially installing VoIP solutions and shopping online. Britain ranks behind only a few countries such as the US - which had 80 million subscribers - Germany and France, with overall subscriptions across the 30 OECD nations rising by nearly 15 per cent throughout 2008.

A company which provides high-speed internet access through fibre optic networks could be able to address technical problems more quickly with a new acquisition. Cyclops, a firm which works in CCTV and UV lining, has been bought by broadband provider i3 Group (H2O Networks), meaning sewers laid with fibre cabling can be monitored more effectively and problems responded to more quickly. The firm already has partnerships with several water companies, but these relationships could be improved now that fibre broadband experts will be more readily available to spot any issues.