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In Spain, a phone company called Telefonica is giving unemployed customers a break on their bill. Nice gesture. Read about it on VoIP Watch.
Smith on VoIP names six VoIP alternatives to AT&T’s CallVantage, which is being shuttered.
Free Skype to Skype calls in the UK? Yep, with 3UK and a 3 SIM card. Read about it [...]

A factor that could make a big difference to the cost of VoIP solutions for small businesses is tax. In comparing plans between VoIP and regular phone providers you need to know how much tax you will be charged. At the moment the only VoIP Taxes charged on a VoIP bill in the U.S is Federal Excise Tax. This is only 3% of your bill compared to regular phone service bill which incorporates several other taxes and fees.

With the regular phone service, state and local taxes are based on where the phone call originates from. This is usually a home or business. However with VoIP the location of the caller is not always known and you are able to connect to the Internet and call from any location using the same phone number. The issue of VoIP taxation has been raised by U.S Members of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee as it is clear that technology has outpaced the rules for taxation for telephone services.

Regulation of VoIP Around the World

In some countries the introduction of VoIP solutions has prompted governments to impose restrictions on how VoIP solutions can be provided. High taxes are imposed on VoIP businesses in Panama and Columbia and Mexico only allows for existing operators to offer VoIP.

It is also strictly banned in Ethiopia, where the introduction of VoIP solutions has had a negative impact on revenue generated by the government owned telecommunications company. India has plans to allow unrestricted VoIP services but currently only the sale of long distance calling cards are allowed.

In developing countries VoIP solutions providers are a threat to existing traditional teleco companies however government restrictions only deny small businesses of the opportunity to utilize new technology and be on par with their counterparts around the world. There is a lot more information about hosted VoIP for small business and T1 business internet on our blogs.

Point. Click. Go. That’s one of those easy, fun things about web-based VoIP solutions. But hosted IP PBX solutions traditionally lacked that capability … until now.
A user dashboard for hosted IP PBX applications? Oh yes. Vocalocity has just released on, bringing click-to-call functionality and on-screen ease to the hosted IP PBX environment, which has traditionally [...]

If you are familiar with VoIP, the acronym for Voice Over Internet Protocol, then you know that it is one of the latest and greatest ways of communicating. Instead of making a phone call using the telephone, people can now communicate by voice over the Internet. But is VOIP truly all that it is cracked up to be? Lets look at both the pros and cons of VoIP technology.

There are many benefits to VoIP. The only requirement you need is a broadband connection with either DSL or cable. If you have this, you can use VoIP. If you use VoIP through a PC-to-PC connection, then your calls are free anywhere, as long as, the receiver of the call has VoIP also. In addition, most VoIP providers offer unlimited calling plans for calls made within a certain area, for one monthly fee. There would be a nominal charge for calls made outside this area. In all cases, traditional phone service is much costlier. Most providers also offer extra premium services such as caller id, without additional charges.

Another benefit, with the integration of voice and data, is that there is a need for only one system. This makes for easy installation and saves money. An IP address, or number identifies each IP phone, and it is known by this address no matter where it is plugged in. The only thing required would be a broadband connection. This makes for easy moving or addition.

Along the lines of easy transportability, phones can be utilized anywhere as long as they are connected to an IP network. This assists telecommuting and international offices. All of these relate to cost savings. They are also very light and easy to carry.

There doesn’t appear to be any downsides to this new technology or does there? One of the biggest problems with VoIP is that it is run by power. If there is a power outage, your communications are down. This is unlike traditional phone service, where you can still use your phone without the aid of electricity. Refer to VOIP for more information.

There are also problems with dialing emergency 911 numbers. Normally when an emergency call is placed, the call is traced back to the sender and routed to the nearest 911-communication center in that area. In the case of VoIP, numbers cannot be traced to a location. If you are unable to talk, that 911 call will be useless, as it will not be capable of leading rescuers to your sight.

Voice quality, in general, is efficient, but when you get into cable broadband, high traffic times could result in poorer qualities. Since the data is broken down and transmitted, sometimes a packet of data is delayed and will be dropped. This will result in silent periods.

You may also need to update your phone equipment since VoIP may only work with newer phones. Depending on how many phones you have to replace, this could be an expense.

The fact is that VoIP still has some kinks to work out. It is anticipated that these bugs will be resolved sometime during 2007. They are temporary annoyances, which will be soon be eradicated. As you can see, VoIP’s benefits far outnumber its negatives. From all aspects VoIP is the phone of the future, but the future may very well be here and now. Visit VOIP for further information.

Call centers are important to businesses of all sizes. They instill a sense of confidence in customers, since someone from the company is available to answer questions at reasonable times. But the cost of creating a call center used to be prohibitive to smaller companies.
That’s not the case anymore.
IP Telephony, and specifically VoIP, has allowed [...]

We’ve all heard about the Stimulus Plan that President Obama passed soon into his presidency. But what does the influx of money earmarked for IT development actually mean for IT organizations and how should IT org actually optimize their networks this year? How can you apply for grants for your organization?
These questions and more are [...]

VoIP News of the UK report that college tutors are using VoIP to get parental contact with their students.
The VoIP Weblog reports that the founders of Skype want their company back.
VoIP Watch reports that there are Google Voice apps coming for the iPhone.

Have you ever given serious thought to the incredible benefits that having an auto navigation system will bring to your life and your travels? The truth of the matter is that the more sophisticated systems on the market today provide much more than simple directions from point A to point B.

Today’s auto navigation systems are your one stop travel shop when it comes to finding points of interest, restaurants, fueling stops, and places to sleep along the way. Some day, you may also have your small business telecom hooked right in as well.

If you’ve never given it much thought, perhaps learning a little more about how an auto navigation system really works will give you something to think about when you get around to considering the impact that a device such as this can make in your life and the lives of your family members.

The thing to remember is that not all GPS or auto navigation systems are equal. There are different manners of creation along with different manners of functionality and design. However, they all work on very similar principles.

GPS systems use satellites that orbit the earth in order to send signals that are received by the GPS device. The system has software that interprets the signal and uses that data in order to form conclusions about the current location based on the time it took to receive the signal from the satellite, and the exact location of the satellite that sent the data.

By combining that information a conclusion can be drawn by the GPS or auto navigation system as to the exact position of the GPS device. Three satellites are used in order to determine the point of intersection and a fourth satellite insures the accuracy of the data.

Auto navigation systems are more sophisticated and much more functional than the original military GPS devices that were used. You can not only get directions to guide you on your trip, to make up for detours, and get you back on track after wrong turns, but you can also get information about local destinations, restaurants, hotels, gas stations, and a few other points of interest along the way.

Many auto navigation systems have upgrade packages that allow you to purchase a subscription, which will provide you with up to the minute information about traffic, weather, and construction along your route. The subscription costs for these services may be a deterrent for the casual driver but will prove invaluable to those who rely on correct directions and being on time while traveling extensively through work.

Be sure that whenever you purchase a GPS or auto navigation system that the system you purchase is not only full upgradeable but also easily upgraded. It does no good to have a system that is capable of being upgraded if you can’t figure out how to upgrade it. Many of these systems can be upgraded by using a something as simple as a CD or DVD in order to deliver the information and upgrades.

If you can’t upgrade your system it will become obsolete in time as new roads are constantly being made and old roads are often closed for construction and upgrades. If you do not have the latest data on roads you are essentially driving just as blindly as you would be without an auto navigation system.
You can get lots of techno and gadgets info about VoIP For small business on our blog.

Cablecom, the largest cable-network operator in Switzerland, is going to use SmartNode 4630 Multiport BRI VoIP Router for its connect PBX ISDN VoIP and data service for SMBs.
“As a business service provider, we require innovative technology with the highest level of reliability, and SmartNode hits both targets. Partnering with Patton-Inalp enabled us to establish our [...]

technology has advanced to a stage where VOIP is no longer an interesting start up, but a strong and valid technological force that offers so many benefits, not the least of which is huge savings in long distance phone calls. Many businesses have gone from expensive and complicated intra-office phone systems to switching to a VOIP system because of the increase in efficiency and strong decrease in cost. The continuing advancement of VOIP technology is what makes this possible.

Residential VOIP refers to the software that allows you to download the technology onto your computer and then communicate with family, friends, and acquaintances in the same way you would on the telephone, but your computer is used as a telephone instead. Because the technology is based on phone communication through the Internet, anyone you want to contact will also need to download the same technological software on their computers, but don’t worry, this is actually very easy!

What if you still want to call people who don’t have VOIP? One of the smartest technological advances by the companies encouraging the development of VOIP technology was creating an adaptor. An adaptor hooks up to a regular phone, and hooks it up to your VOIP so you can still use the residential VOIP to call any phone, whether it is a VOIP phone, a landline, or even a cell phone! This little piece of equipment allows you all the benefits of VOIP without any of the potential restrictions that could make people hesitant to invest in this service.

With the advancement of portable VOIP phones (Vonage is perhaps the best known company that provides this service), the question has been brought up of whether or not VOIP phones will be able to ever replace cell phones, and what would the difference be? While the technology is there for this to happen, the infrastructure isn’t there yet; though it is getting closer with each passing day.

The advantage of this would be that VOIP would be far cheaper, since long distance wouldn’t cost nearly anything and there would be no restriction on minutes. A wireless VOIP phone is also referred to as a “Wi-Fi VOIP phone,” and needs networks in the same way wireless internet needs networks, to work, but more are popping up every day, and many cities plan to increase the number of hot spots, which would make this a more and more viable option.

Many cell phone companies, sensing ahead of time what this could mean for them if they refuse to adapt, now design phones that not only work as regular cell phones, but also have features that allow the user to switch to their VOIP account if they are close enough to a hot spot. While complete VOIP is a long ways off, the beginning structures are there, and as the VOIP technology improves, it would not be surprising to head towards the day where VOIP isn’t a side game, but the main choice available to all phone users. Visit VOIP for further information.