VOIP and SIP News

Australia is issuing certain phone codes to VoIP numbers under the guidance of the communications regulator ACMA.

The legislation will allow area codes such as 02 and 03 to be issued to outbound VoIP services, while there will be implications for customers who do not assign geographical codes to their VoIP numbers.

Providers must warn clients that it could lead to them paying more money, as many people use VoIP because it is so cost effective.

An ACMA spokesman said: "VoIP customers who have been issued geographic numbers may also have difficulty porting the number to another carriage service provider."

An alternative is to take the nomadic area code which starts with 0550 and VoIP providers have already been issued with thousands of nomadic numbers.

The ACMA acting chairman, Richard Bean, said: "These amendments represent an important step in regulatory transition to converged services such as VoIP."

The ACMA will follow the 2010 public consultation on geographic number amendments with three more discussion papers in the near future.

The social networking phenomenon Facebook is all about connecting people. Plans to add Voice over Internet Protocol communication to Facebook could be the chosen method of staying in touch for many in the future.

While Facebook has been adding various features including Facebook Places, one user by accident discovered a whole new level of connectivity.

Tipster Williams said: "I was just chatting on Facebook when suddenly an option appeared to 'call' my friend, before quickly disappearing again."

For a short amount of time an option was given to allow the user to place a VoIP call over Facebook, and this is more likely to be a sign of things to come than a glitch.

The idea is hardly revolutionary given Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's plans to add new layers to social networking.

While he denied that Facebook wanted to create a VoIP phone in the mould of Android, he said that the company planned to add a horizontal layer to make every app more social and integratable with Facebook.

While Facebook VoIP apps already exist this would be the first time that the platform itself is VoIP enabled.

Yet there are rumours that Facebook and HTC have teamed up and will release a new smarthone product at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year. That could push Facebook into direct competition with Google and their call phones service.

3CX Phone System developers have now released a Windows-based softphone which is compatible with the iPhone.

Users who enjoy the 3CX IP PBX experience can now make free VoIP calls via 3G or wi-fi on their iPhone.

The 3CXPhone for iPhone app is sure to be popular because it is not locked into any one PBX or provider, which sets it apart from other free SIP phones. That gives customers the freedom to choose various VoIP providers and VoIP PBXs.

Nick Galea, the 3CX CEO, said: “3CX turns the iPhone into a perfect endpoint for a VoIP PBX. Therefore when you are out of the office, 3CXPhone for iPhone can allow you to receive calls to an extension via 3G or Wifi. And when you are in the office, 3CXPhone coverts the iPhone into a convenient and user-friendly wireless desk phone.”

The free app has many benefits including allowing multiple profiles and access to your existing iPhone contact list.

Meanwhile the 3CX iPhone app is the only free VoIP client that can perform unattended transfers and also has a toggle which allows you to switch between an external and an internal PBX server.

Claire Hodgson, the Managing Director of Franklin West New York, said: “Since downloading 3CXPhone for iPhone life has become more efficient, both in the office and on the go. This app is great because it's free and it allows me to take my desk phone with me."

3CXPhone for iPhone features include:

• Fully supports the industry leading SIP standard
• G711 and GSM codec support
• Ability to transfer (blind transfer) and place calls on hold
• Internal and external server configuration in one profile
• Record and playback phone calls
• Profile Names, Caller ID, Proxy Server, STUN and NAT support
• Auto provisioning – SIP PBX’s or VoIP providers can automatically provision the 3CXPhone for iPhone app via multicast

3CX, creator of the award winning 3CX phone system VoIP PBX software for Windows, will offer partner training in the UK in March. The training is free for all 3CX partners.

Training on best techniques for the IP PBX system, such as deployment and reseller advice, will take place over two days - March 14 and March 15 or alternatively March 17 and March 18. The sessions are split into basic and advanced training.

The events take place at the 3CX offices in Saint John’s Road, Kingston upon Thames, with the full address and booking forms available at the 3CX website.

There are a limited number of spaces and 3CX works on a first-come-first-served basis so you are advised to make your reservation as soon as possible.

If your plans change at any time you can cancel the event free of charge up to five days beforehand. You should have your booking reference to hand. There is a £50 charge for late cancellations or non-attendance.

For any further queries you can contact the 3CX events organiser.

Ofcom may be making Voice over Internet Protocol more easily available thanks to a new pricing scheme.

The idea is to help countryside businesses in the UK which struggle to keep up with their city competitors due to slow internet access.

To make cheap VoIP calls (or even free calls in the case of Skype and other providers), fast internet access is a must, at least if you want a half-way decent call quality.

In this way broadband and VoIP solutions can save businesses large amounts of money while also allowing easy communication which in turn facilitates increased productivity.

Which is why that fact that Ofcom is asking BT Wholesale to change its pricing scheme is good news. The regulatory body wants to make sure the market is fair for consumers who don't have a lot of choice in areas where BT Wholesale is the only UK VoIP provider.

That could affect three millions business and homes, especially in the counties of Northumberland, Norfolk, Cumbria and other largely rural areas.

An Ofcom statement read: "The charge controls which Ofcom is proposing could even up the broadband prices paid by consumers in urban and rural areas."

Not only could this make cheap internet more widely accessible, but it is hoped to make BT's internet services across the UK more efficient.

The Treasury of the Australian Government is to bring in a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) system in place of its old private automatic branch exchange (PABX).

To make the Treasury offices more efficient the upgrade will include a number of unified communications benefits such as video conferencing, instant messaging and telepresence. These are all expected to be cost saving solutions.

VoIP will be offered with the help of 1300 standard user handsets, 300 expansion modules, 20 wall mount handsets and 20 meeting room handsets.

The new phone system will provide increased support for the high volume of inbound calls that the Treasury recieves.

Treasury documents stated: “The proposed software console will meet the requirements for directory searching, accepting and dispatching calls, call queuing and reporting.”

Microsoft Exchange 2010 will also be installed at the same time as the upgrade is part of a wider unified communication strategy by the Federal Government.

In November 2010, the Attorney-General offices of the Western Australian government received enterprise IP telephony services.

VoIP will be the next big thing in Australian telecommunications, but not until the speed of braodband catches up with the technology.

So says the senior national marketing executive for Uniden, Brad Hales,
in response to a new Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) report.

The report discusses telecommunications and media plans in regard to the the new digital economy.

It states: “Increasingly generous data allowances are being offered to consumers. These include internet and VoIP bundling as telecommunication providers compete for new business in the rapidly changing digital world."

Current.com.au asked Mr Hales how the mobile and smartphone industry was being affected.

He said his company was intently watching the evolution of digital communication.

“VoIP will be the next big thing in telecommunications but this is still a couple of years off," Mr Hales explained.

“As a company we have supporting products and are waiting to see what will happen, but at the moment the Australian infrastructure to support VoIP is not up to speed.

"VoIP will take off when the National Broadband infrastructure is rolled out and Australia’s internet speeds are acceptable compared with worldwide standards.

Uniden research suggests VoIP uptake is being hampered by poor voice clarity and a lack of reliability. VoIP must first offer reliable, high-quality calls in order to compete with traditional fixed line services.