VoIP News: July 2009

A satellite designed to help benefit VoIP hardware and deliver broadband services in rural areas is switching rocket systems to get it into orbit sooner. Originally intended to be launched into space on a US-built Falcon Nine rocket, the UK's Hylas spacecraft will now use a more expensive model as ongoing tests on the Falcon Nine have resulted in delays, reports the BBC. Avanti Communications has now gained financial support to pay for the switch as demand for broadband delivered by satellite technology has grown in recent years.

The government's plan to deliver broadband speeds of at least two megabits per second (Mbps) will address issues of social exclusion as well as basic access problems. Under the recently published Digital Britain report, the government has pledged to connect every UK home by 2012 and Stephen Dodson, national director at DC10plus, said the plan could help reach out to sections of society that have previously felt excluded in some way.

New broadband routers are being designed by Goldsmith's University of London and TalkTalk in a bid to make web access more stylish. The routers, which are used to provide broadband access and services such as VoIP solutions, have been designed by students at the university to be used as part of domestic decor, while also maximising the strength of the signal and being energy-efficient. Students have developed the Jellyfish among a range of different designs, which provides a central hub inspired by the biology of the distinctive sea creatures.

Half of Britons who currently have a broadband connection could potentially access faster speeds as they have not changed their provider in four years. Figures published by comparison website Consumerchoices. co.

Using parts of the radio spectrum currently used by analogue television signals could help improve mobilebroadband access across Europe, according to new research. A study from Pyramid Research found that mobilebroadband services in countries such as the UK, Switzerland and Finland could benefit from use of the 900MHz spectrum that will be freed up by the digital switchover taking place over the next few years.