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15/03/2012 - Survey: Move to cloud tough on IT staff

While CFOs are seeing a silver lining in new cloud adoption by their companies in terms of capex and opex savings, their CIO brethren may not be quite as giddy. A new survey shows that 74 percent of respondents are still worried their company's security may be at risk.

The survey, Network Instruments' Fifth Annual State of the Network Global Study, said 60 percent of respondents anticipate half of their apps will run in the cloud within 12 months, 70 percent will implement video conferencing within a year, 25 percent said they expect video will consume half of all bandwidth in 12 months, and 33 percent expect bandwidth consumption to increase by more than 50 percent in next two years.

"While IT teams embrace cloud services and videoconferencing as a way to increase cost savings and business flexibility, these technologies introduce new components and environments which make ensuring positive end-user experience all the more challenging," said Brad Reinboldt, senior product manager of Network Instruments. "The reported lack of monitoring tools, quality metrics and visibility create serious obstacles that prevent IT from effectively managing performance and jeopardize costly technology investments."

Some 60 percent of organizations are embracing cloud services, essentially unchanged from last year, but those companies are anticipating increasing the number of Software as a Service, Infrastructure as a Service and private cloud deployments.

But, the chief bugaboo, security, remains. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they worried about ensuring corporate data security during cloud migration. The number is nearly double that of last year. Lack of accurate end-user experience monitoring and the bandwidth impact of cloud services also were issues.

NI's survey also showed than videoconferencing may finally have arrived, with about 55 percent of companies having implemented it; that number is expected to increase to 70 percent within a year. Close to two of three companies have multiple videoconferencing deployments in their organization, including 75 percent with standard conference rooms, 63 percent with desktop deployments and 30 percent using high-end telepresence.

The survey suggested lack of user knowledge and training were major hurdles, with more than half of respondents citing them as issues. On its heels were concerns about bandwidth (47 percent, and a lack of tools to manage video performance (47 percent).

By the beginning of 2013, nearly one-quarter of respondents expect video to consume over half of their bandwidth.

For more:
- see the report

13/02/2012 - Cable looks to take piece of telehealth market controlled by telcos

editor's corner

Cable companies have, so far, outdone telecoms in the drive to get broadband into homes. In the process, they have managed to take a huge chunk of phone business, in the form of VoIP, away from the traditional landline providers.

Now, as they watch their basic video subscriber numbers erode (as they have every year since 2005), cable companies have begun to look at another telco stronghold--videoconferencing and broadband services--specifically in the health care segment, as a possible prescription to renew their vigor, Bloomberg reports today.

For years, that business has long been the bailiwick of telephone companies, especially AT&T (NYSE: T)--which sells through its AT&T ForHealth division-- and Verizon (NYSE: VZ)--which sells via its Verizon Connected Healthcare Solutions.

But cable companies, worried that margins on their television business also are shrinking, aggressively have begun to sell broadband and videoconferencing to hospitals and doctors offices.

And, to a degree, they've already begun to make in-roads. Early earnings results showed just how much potential there was for cable companies in the sector.

After its business services revenue increased 37 percent in the fourth quarter, Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) CEO Glenn Britt called it the MSOs "biggest success story." And, TWC doesn't expect that it was a one-shot deal: the company forecast the segment to grow as much as 30 percent through the entire year.

Cox said four-fifths of the estimated $460 million healthcare-related services market in its footprint currently is still controlled by telecom companies. The company said health care makes up just 10 percent of its overall revenue from business service, $100 million more than double what it had been a year ago. It, too, expects to see strong annual growth in the segment.

Can cable take the business away? Or at least capture enough of it to change the landscape?

The key is going to be offering products that focus on interoperability, something that increasingly is becoming a buzzword among vendors looking to make the technology ubiquitous. The offerings also will need to be easy to use, contain rich feature sets and be available at an affordable price.

A recent study among rural doctors in Australia showed they were eager to use the technology, but turned to Skype, generally, because they wanted touse something that was simple.

If the videoconferencing industry, with the help of a hungry cable industry looking for opportunities, is serious about democratizing videoconferencing so that it's no longer confined to boardrooms and supplied by a handful of vendors, those are some things to keep in mind.--Jim

13/10/2011 - Cable, telcos square off in battle for subscribers

The migration of consumers from video to broadband viewing and the subsequent change in subscriber numbers in different segments of providers' quarterly reports, is telling: cable operators are losing video subscribers, slowly but steadily. But the raw numbers may not tell the whole story. Editors Jim O'Neill, Sean Buckley, and Steve Donohue take a closer look at the subscriber numbers issue, what those numbers mean for telcos offering broadband and IPTV services and where cable MSOs really stand financially as their video subscriptions drop. Special Report

12/10/2011 - TNCI to partners: Commissions will continue despite Chapter 11 filing

Telecom reseller and VoIP carrier TNCI, which filed for Chapter 11 this week, told its channel partners during an invitation-only teleconference Tuesday, that, despite the filing, it expects to restructure its finances and emerge from bankruptcy quickly. The Boston-based company also assured partners it would continue to make commission payments.

Mike Ketchum, Intelisys' finance VP, told CRN that TNCI assured partners that there would be no disruption in commission payouts. "TNCI has been a trusted partner for a long time, and we take them at their word."

TNCI's filing showed it owes more than $5 million to Sprint (NYSE: S), $1.9 million to CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL), $1.7 million to AT&T (NYSE: T), $1.2 million to Universal Service Administration of Atlanta and $1 million to Verizon (NYSE: VZ).

Under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a company is able to restructure its debt and finances under court supervision.

TNCI President Brian Twomey, in a statement Tuesday, said the company would use the filing to help it "regain our financial health and focus."

"We hope to emerge from Chapter 11 as quickly as possible," he said. "TNCI does fully recognize the importance of the Agent Channel to the future of our business, and every step we are making is to preserve these vital relationships, along with those we have with our customers and our employees."

For more:
- see this FierceTelecom article
- see this CRN article
- see this Telecom Ramblings article

19/09/2011 - Virtual PBX Complete gets 'anywhere' features to enhance smartphone use

Hosted PBX service provider Virtual PBX has rolled out an enhancement to Virtual PBX Complete--VoIP Anywhere, which allows customers to use smartphones and computers as VoIP handsets with complete business phone system capabilities.

The new wrinkle means that, even if a user calls out on a personal smartphone, the caller ID information will show the company's caller ID information.

Virtual PBX was rolled out in February and can function without an in-place VoIP phone system, working as an inbound call router to existing mobile phones.

"Our launch of Virtual PBX Complete has generated tremendous demand from our customers. As they embrace our system, they are increasingly seeking the freedom to access their VoIP business features on any device, wherever they are," said Greg Brashier, COO of Virtual PBX. "By introducing Virtual PBX Complete with VoIP Anywhere, we are delivering that freedom and flexibility to carry their business extension anywhere in the world."

The company said no proprietary software is required and said VoIP Anywhere capabilities can be accessed through any standard softphone, such as those available for Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android phones, Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhones and computers. VoIP Anywhere allows the devices to appear as VoIP extensions in the Virtual PBX system, so calls to and from the softphone have full access to all system features, such as business caller ID for outbound calls, call recording, call transfers, presence management and reporting.

Virtual PBX said it also has reduced bandwidth requirements for VoIP calls, allowing high-quality calls to be placed over even modest data connections, including 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi.

For more:
- see this release

24/01/2011 - Bandwidth.com Enters Into a Groundbreaking Agreement with Verizon

Bandwidth.com, a privately held telecommunications company, announced that it has signed a commercial deal with the Verizon wireline companies under which the parties agree to terminate each other's VoIP traffic at a rate of $0.0007 per minute.

20/09/2010 - Google's VoIP service opening them up to regulation?

Time and again Google has made the claim they are not a carrier and thus shouldn't be succeptible to the same regulations as phone companies. In the past we've covered the call termination debate where companies pushed for Google to follow regulations other companies had to follow. Now with the new calling available in Gmail, should Google be even more afraid of being regulated like other companies providing phone service?

A group of analysts come together in a recent eWeek article to chime in on this issue and the issue seems to really come down to what Google is actually offering. Google is providing an end point for calls through a free software based messaging platform, but broadband services are still being provided by telecom companies. Of course even with that being the case, it's not like telephone companies can manage the phone service Google is providing over their wires--which is often what the FCC regulations are meant to affect.

One analyst at Gartner thinks that if the FCC does decide to classify Google as a carrier of sorts, the company might just drop its offerings rather than go down that road.

For more:
- read the whole debate at eWeek

13/09/2010 - GENBAND expands rural presence with Eastex deal

Moving to IP is what this industry is all about. GENBAND has expanded its reach in the rural market with its latest deal with Eastex Telephone Coop.

The deal will see Eastex deploy the GENBAND C15 Compact Softswitch on its 25,000 customer and 4,000 mile East Texas network. The move comes as the telco shifts from a legacy network to all-IP. With the new GENBAND softswitch the Eastex will be able to offer its rural customers VoIP and data services.

With its acquisition of Nortel CVAS and others such as Siemens' Digital Central Office (DCO) business, GENBAND has recently grown from $2 million in sales and 80 employees to $800 million-plus in revenue and 2,200 employees. According to VON, the company is planning an IPO next year.

For more:
- read the article

30/08/2010 - VoIP companies among the fastest growing in the Inc. 5000

The latest Inc. 5000 is out and among the list of the fastest growing companies are some of the businesses we highlight here are FierceVoIP. What I find most interesting about the way Inc. discusses these companies is that it looks at their last three years of growth. With the economy the way it has been in the last three years, you'd be hard pressed to imagine some of the impressive growth numbers these companies have put up.

VOX Network Solutions which offers design, maintenance and installation of converged voice and data services including IP telephony, unified communications as well as mobile services makes the list at #160. The Nortel partner was ranked #2 Best Place to Work in San Francisco, but according to Inc., most of those employees practice what they preach and telecommute. Back in December, the company launched a mobile VoIP app and recently it launched a service geared towards military families. The company has experienced 1736% growth over the last three years!

Coming in at #254 is Vocalocity--a company that experienced 1218% growth over a three year period. Acquired by ZivVa in 2006, the company has turned its VocalOS VoIP soft-switch technology into a hosted environment to develop voice applications rapidly. The VocalocityPBX runs atop of VocalOS solution. Over the last few months Vocalocity has had a number of funding rounds with the most recent bringing in $3.45 million. Vocalocity focuses on small businesses with 50 customers or less and offers all of its own VoIP technology so that they can handle all of their customer needs where some other companies might need outside technicians to service third-party devices.

Another company that we follow quite regularly that is featured in the Inc. 5000 is GENBAND at #690. Recently purchasing Nortel CVAS and launching its combined roadmap and GENius abstraction layer platform, GENBAND, the IP applications, switching and service solutions company, has made some big moves over the last year. GENBAND's IP solutions are deployed by two thirds of the world's 100 largest service providers. GENBAND saw 445% growth over the last three years.

It is great to see some companies in our industry posting huge numbers and making the Inc. 5000 list. It shows that the VoIP sector is still a place of innovation and growth. With these companies showing such success in even some of the worst of times, it's a great indicator of how well our industry at large is doing. Check out the Inc. 5000 here.--Mike

29/07/2010 - GENBAND's C15 smoothes IP comm transition

GENBAND announced a new Automated Cutover capability to its C15 Compact Softswitch this week. The capability ends downtime that usually goes hand-in-hand with transitioning to IP networks.

The new Automated Cutover capability is a software utility embedded in the company's C15 softswitch that allows service providers to migrate legacy networks to IP while not having to shut down their network or perform flash cutovers that can result in loss of service for customers. Inbound and outbound calls can continue to route to the legacy TDM or C15 softswitch automatically. The feature will allow testing for lines and trunk facilities during and after the migration.

"Migrating our network at any time, across multiple sites, without interrupting our subscribers' service will significantly reduce the complexity of network transformation," said Richie Parker, Chief Engineer, Surry Telephone Membership Corp in the release. "In the past, we were limited to what we could complete in a single evening, during non-peak hours. GENBAND's Automated Cutover capability gives us the flexibility to perform a phased migration and cutover which is more effective when migrating multiple and large central offices."

GENBAND's C15 Compact Softswitch allows service providers to offer upgraded IP services while also supporting older TDM buildouts to help providers ease the transition to all-IP.

For more:
- read the release

26/07/2010 - Telcos not just losing voice subs

I stand corrected. Every report that shows subscribers dropping from telco rolls has had me thinking that they've just switched to using VoIP service over broadband or their cell phones. The broadband move to me usually meant that when a telco subscriber jumps, they really just jump to the telco's broadband offer. Apparently, that is not true anymore... It looks like the VoIP loving cable companies are stealing them all. Article

23/06/2010 - GENBAND announces roadmap and GENiUS platform

This week GENBAND announced their future product roadmap including the integration of the Nortel CVAS line of products.

The key announcement involved the launch of the GENiUS Platform. An abstraction layer to combine GENBAND's many products into various configurations to aid companies with speedy solution launches.

According to Natasha Tamaskar, VP of Product Marketing at GENBAND, "the GENiUS platform is a middle layer that abstracts the software applications from the hardware. We see going forward the need to bring different types of components together in our solutions rather than just one product. If we have a common middle layer we can deploy solutions much faster than anyone else. With the common middle layer we can tune systems quite efficiently in terms of taking different configurations... We can also bring products to market much faster than what you would typically look to do if you have an extensive product line."

The GENiUS platform is an all-IP Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) system that will encompass GENBAND's application, call control, session border and security product lines incorporating computing hardware and Service Availability Forum (SAF) compliant middleware.

Additionally, GENBAND reviewed their various appliance series as part of their roadmap of offerings. With the recent addition of Nortel CVAS, GENBAND now has one of the industry's broadest VoIP professional services portfolios. The company has deployed 200 million VoIP ports, has over 600 customers which include two-thirds of the world's marquee service providers over 80 countries.

For the rest of the roadmap:
- read the release

31/05/2010 - Genband and Nortel CVAS complete deal

Happy Memorial Day weekend to Genband and Nortel CVAS! Finally they can take a rest after working on the asset purchase deal and have a happy family BBQ together. The two companies completed the deal on Friday.

With the deal finally on the books, Genband/Nortel CVAS was able to announce some key endorsements from AT&T and Verizon. The merged company also announce that Nortel CVAS' head quarters in Richardson, TX would be combining with Genband's in Plano, TX. Genband is planning some bigger announcments this week including revealing the combined executive team.

For more:
- read the Connected Planet article

22/04/2010 - GENBAND's Nortel CVAS purchase: Good or bad for business?

Phone+ has an interesting write up about the recent ratings that GENBAND has received based on its acquisition of Nortel CVAS. Standard and Poor's gave the company an negative outlook because of the deal, while Moody's outlook was a little more rosy. The VoIP softswitch and media gateway segment may be a little rough, but Nortel's CVAS has been getting top marks. What do you think? Read the article here...

04/03/2010 - Bankruptcy courts approve Nortel CVAS sale to GENBAND

Nortel just got approval from the bankruptcy courts in the U.S. and Canada that they could go through with the sale of their Carrier VoIP and Application Solutions (CVAS) assets to GENBAND.

Apparently, the deal still requires the approval of Israeli courts. After that, the companies hope to work through the second quarter of 2010 to transfer the assets, products and customer accounts over to GENBAND.

According to the agreement, GENBAND will pay a purchase price of $282 million, subject to balance sheet and other adjustments currently estimated at approximately $100 million for a net purchase price of approximately $182 million. GENBAND launched a stalking bid for Nortel's CVAS unit in December 2009.

For more:
- read the release

18/02/2010 - Report: VoIP growth to focus on optimization

Research and Markets has debuted a new report offering some insights into the growth of the VoIP market. The "US Business VoIP Overview: Optimization Trumps Expansion" report takes In-Stat's recent claim of 79% penetration of VoIP in businesses by 2013, and states that much of the focus in the industry will be on optimizing current systems and upgrading headquarters rather than bringing more VoIP systems to satellite offices.

The 79 percent figure represents company's having VoIP deployed in at least one of their location, meaning the universal use of VoIP throughout these companies is not being implied. The study also found that Hosted IP Centrex is now the leading revenue generator over Broadband IP Telephony for carrier-based business VoIP solutions.

For more:
- read this release

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16/02/2010 - GENBAND offers any-to-any interconnect

Migration to VoIP for fixed line and mobile calls has many service providers looking at how they handle interconnection issues. The old TDM network might not be sufficient anymore to handle the volume and complexity of rich IP offerings. What to do? GENBAND is offering up one answer with its Interconnect Solution which allows for seamless any-to-any interconnection of fixed and mobile traffic between any IP or TDM network.

GENBAND's Interconnect Solution provides support for the gamut of traffic and signaling types: TDM to TDM, IP to IP, and IP to TDM signaling and media interworking. “With our Interconnect Solution, operators are able to cap or replace their legacy TDM networks yet interconnect and route traffic on an any-to-any basis, which simplifies and future-proofs their networks,” said Mehmet Balos, Chief Marketing Officer of GENBAND in a release.

For more:
- read the release

05/08/2009 - Badnwidth.com rolls out developer program

Bandwidth.com announced a new project it's calling the Developer Sandbox Program, which the company said will solicit developers to create new IP communications, FMC, and open source telephony products through the FreePBX open source software program it sponsors. The company, which is a nationwide CLEC that owns and operates an IP voice network, said the initial internal products would focus on hot trends such as HD voice, next-gen VoIP codes, one-number access for FMC, SIP-based SMS, and other new telephony applications.

Todd Barr, VP of marketing for Bandwidth.com, said the Sandbox program will be a great foundation for new open source telephony applications.

"We have a number of goals with the initial roll out (of the Developers' Sandbox)," Barr said. "We want to try to find outside help to optimize uses cases for the platform, and we hope network problems might get solved more quickly due to the developer community."

Bandwidth.com said the Sandbox program would "catalyze the next generation of telephony applications" by letting developers leverage the open source code of FreePBX, providing open access to Bandwidth.com's extensive VoIP network, and arranging partnerships with other industry players such as CounterPath and Ditech Networks' toktok service.

For more:
- see the press release here

30/07/2009 - MetaSwitch exceeds 200 ILEC customers

MetaSwitch announced it signed more than 200 new ILEC customers in the second-quarter and now has deployed its IP communications software to more than 200 ILECs. The company said the strong growth in this market shows that while some providers are hesitating to deploy new network equipment during the recession, others are going forward with IP transitions to position themselves to grow when the economy recovers.

Carol Daniels, director of marketing for MetaSwitch, said the company's reputation with other ILECs will position it well to try to win business from ILECs receiving broadband stimulus grants.

"It's (broadband stimulus) definitely an opportunity, and we're assisting customers with information about it whenever we can," Daniels said. "There are a lot of different sources for information, so our carrier customers are still deciding, but momentum is building, and with more info later in the year coming, I think they'll get the answers they're looking for soon."

Daniels said that when Tier 2 and Tier 3 carriers are considering a network upgrade, MetaSwitch is almost always one of the companies invited to bid, because of positive references from existing ILEC customers. While competitors surely will balk at that assessment, MetaSwitch's solid customer acquisition in this space is difficult to ignore.

For more:
- see the press release here

20/07/2009 - Mobile Broadband Could Reach 418m in 2017

There could be 94 million people using VoIP hardware over mobile broadband connections across Europe by 2017, according to new research.
Figures from the Coda Research Consultancy suggest the uptake of mobile broadband will continue to expand significantly. This could potentially change business practices as more people have the option of working from home rather than heading into the office.

08/07/2009 - Demand for VoIP Solutions Likely to Rise with Spread of Satellite Broadband Technology

VoIP solutions are likely to benefit from more people around the world seeking to access the internet using satellite technology, according to research from Global Industry Analysts.
The technology has been tipped as a possible way to provide broadband services in more remote, rural communities where it will be much more difficult to deploy conventional broadband infrastructure.

17/06/2009 - Media5 SIP Softphone App Turns iPhone into IP-PBX Extension

Media5 has released a SIP client application that allows the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch to be used as a IP-PBX extension.
The company says the full-featured softphone enables the Apple devices to be used to access the same phone services and features as if they were in the office.

03/06/2009 - T-Mobile Deutschland Reverses VoIP Ban, Levies Surcharge

T-Mobile has confirmed that it is to end its ban on mobile VoIP applications within its German network - but will charge customers upwards of EURO € 9.95 per month for the service.
The operator justified the surcharge by explaining that billions of euros invested by operators in the roll-out of networks in recent years were based on rate costings with income from voice telephony and mobile data.

29/05/2009 - NextGenTel buys 23,000 VoIP sub lines

TeliaSonera subsidiary NextGenTel announced it purchased 23,000 VoIP subscriber lines from Tele2 Norway. NextGenTel will pay roughly $15.5 million for the VoIP lines and 74,000 additional broadband subscriber lines.

The acquisition, which is pending approval from a Norwegian regulatory body, also will give NextGenTel technical assets and supplier contracts.

For more:
- see the voip.biz.news.com article here

Related article
TeliaSonera taps Infinera for U.S. network

29/05/2009 - NextGenTel Buys Tele2 Norge Broadband/VoIP Operations

Norway's second largest broadband supplier, NextGenTel, has bought the broadband and VOIP business of Tele2 Norway.
The deal will strengthen NextGenTel's position in the Norwegian market by adding 97,000 broadband subscriptions - of these 23,000 are VOIP subscriptions.

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