VOIP and SIP News

VoIP is driving market growth in Israel according to a new study by Pyramid Research.

The company found that the Israeli markets would benefit from multiplay and and 4G services over the next five years as opposed to increased penetration rates. The wide availability of broadband is also a driving factor.


The sector is currently worth $6.9 billion US dollars but is forecast to increase to $7.1 billion US dollars by 2015.

Kerem Arsal, an analyst at Pyramid Research, said: “As the ability to offer multiplay services becomes more important in the Israeli market, operators look for mergers or partnerships that will allow them to expand their product ranges. Therefore differentiation through discounted bundles and value-added services becomes vital."
He added: “With 85 per cent of households having fixed broadband access and the proliferation of 3G networks by all mobile players, the market is ripe with opportunities for convergence and multiplay offers."
The report predicts increased opportunities for convergence once IP-based 4G and LTE networks roll out and data usage gains importance. Pyramid Research predicts LTE network subscriptions will increase to 12 per cent by 2015.

Israel has a highly competitive VoIP market both for vendors and operators. That is why multiplay offerings are particularly popular. Meanwhile impending licenses for MVNOs and WiMAX will provide further opportunities to virtual network enablers. Much depends on the Ministry of Communication timetable.

YouGov, the British polling organisationis to conduct a survey of the broadband market which includes enterprise VoIP and video capabilities.

The idea is to find outwhat level those services are at and how much satisfaction United Kingdom customers are getting from said products.

A recent poll by BE Wholesale found that 72% of UK businesses thin they would be improved by having a more reliable and faster internet connection.


Marek Vaygelt, who is YouGov head of technology, consumer and telecoms consulting, said: "As consumers become more tech-savvy, Internet Service Providers need to manage network performance and subscriber satisfaction."


Helping YouGov will be internet speed measurement specialist Epitir. Meanwhile a consumer panel of around 300,000 people will also be involved in the study.

Users will be asked to give their opinions on issues such as performance, value and overall satisfaction of hosted IP telephony web-surfing and video streaming.

The findings of the Broadband Report will be published in the first quarter of 2011.

A new book is out to give guidance on the latest release of the 3CX VoIP phone for Windows.

Kerry Garrison, a 3CX Certified Professional who is vice president of Strategy for 888VoipStore, has written the book titled 3CX Version 9.

This is a comprehensive book on installing, configuring, deploying, maintaining, and even selling 3CX-based phone systems.

The chapter for resellers gives tips and techniques to close more sales and improve profitability. It is also good for end-users so that they think through deployment plans thoroughly.

Other chapters cover such topics as “Designing a good call flow”  and "Deployment Planning” as well as a look at best 3CX practices.

The 3CX Version 9 book is completely up to date with its material covering even the latest service pack 4 release. Until the end of November you can get 15% off the normal price

3CX, which produces the award-winning VoIP phone for Windows, has now released the 3CXPhone for iPhone.

After getting the go-ahead from Apple, the 3CXPhone for iPhone is available immediately via the Apple Appstore. It can also be used on iPad and iTouch devices which run iOS 4.0 or above.

The 3CXPhone for iPhone works as a SIP client and allows customers to make and receive 3CX Phone System calls by use of Wi-Fi or 3G Internet connectivity. Calls will work out cheaper thaan on an expensive wireless phone.

Using your existing extension credentials it can be operated in combination with a deskphone so that calls ring both on your deskphone and iPhone.

3CXPhone for iPhone also works with other SIP standards based PBXs, as well as numerous VoIP Providers.

It is easy to configure 3CXPhone for iPhone for use with 3CX Phone System so that extension settings are automatically provisioned.

3CXPhone for iPhone was tested in a limited beta program. You can contact 3CX with any feedback or questions.

The research analyst Infotech has said that China is a driving force in the VoIP market by increasing supply, which in turn lowers prices.  

The directing analyst for VoIP at Infonetics, Diane Myers, stated: "The number-one story in 2010 for the carrier VoIP  market is China, where conditions are driving volumes up and pushing prices down.

"Large network transformation projects are underway in China, so demand for equipment is very strong. But at the same time vendors are willing to push the pricing limits to get strategic accounts."

Looking at the third quarter of 2010, the report found that every product category except media servers was impacted by pricing pressures. Therefore even though shipments were up for most segments, total worldwide revenue was impacted negatively.

Infotech believes that solid VoIP growth will only come about through a migration to all-IP networks, such as Session Border Controllers.

Furthermore the Asia Pacific region is the only region which is expected to post revenue growth in 2010 for service provider VoIP equipment.

Other points of interest:

 - The total service provider VoIP equipment market, including trunk media gateways and voice application servers, decreased by nine per cent from the second quarter to the third quarter 2010.

- Although revenue is down, shipments for almost all segments in the market are up sequentially

 - In the third quarter Genband leads the combined carrier VoIP and IMS equipment market for worldwide revenue

Search giant Google has given an early Christmas present to its Gmail customers.
Google is offering free calls in North America until the of 2010 through the Gmail 'Call Phones' VoIP service.

The service is on view for users in the US and Canada when they log into the chat window, and all you have to do is click and accept the terms and conditions.

They are then presented with a phone number dial pad which is similar to the one found on VoIP services like Skype.

Until the end of the year they can make unlimited free calls within North America and purchase pre paid credits for international calls.

Initial feedback on the service has been excellent with no disconnections and clear quality reported. There were also comments on the ease of use provided through the Gmail contact book. However some users have had difficulty locating the offer which they claim disappeared.

A row has erupted between Nortel and Genband about purchasing their VoIP solutions.

The Nortel carrier applications and VoIP solutions unit is known as CVAS and originally a deal was struck to sell CVAS to Genband 182 million dollars.

However although it is thought that the deal was finalised in February, Nortel has now claimed that Genband is trying to "improperly and drastically" reduce the purchase price by 40 million dollars.

A company statement said: "Genband has attempted to disregard the clear terms of the original sale agreement."

Nortel filed for protection from creditors nearly two years ago and is trying to maximise all business investments to keep up payments to them.
But on the other side Genband is asking the US Bankruptcy Court in Delaware to arbitrate on the matter.

Genband initially offered 300 million dollars for CVAS. There was a 'stalking horse' deal which would have resulted in an auction but without any other bidders the unit fell to Genband by default.