Verizon to Push VoIP

Verizon, who I always consider a follower, not the leader–even if they become the giant, has announced a major push into VoIP. They also are pushing higher speed DSL rates in order to compete with the cable companies…oh can you see the price, service and port blocking wars coming down the pike…I can.

Powell Warns Telcos on VoIP

Michael Powell yesterday told the incumbent carriers, watch out. VoIP is likely to change their world. Haven’t I been saying that here for months, as has Om Malik and Jeff Pulver. The VoIP game is only beginning. Yesterday I used my AT&T CallVantage to organize a conference call. Cost. Free. For conference calls for up … Read more

NYT On Cable and VoIP

Today’s New York Times (registration required) provides a recap of what the USA cable companies are saying and doing with VoIP. For some, like Cox, they keep selling an ATM over Sonet based solution. For others, it seems to be hybrid, leveraging their existing cable plant. While the concerns about voice quality may have been … Read more

My CallVantage Service Is Working

Less than a week ago I signed up for a trial of AT&T’s new CallVantage service. Based on some initial calling I can only say that people on the other end have no clue I’m using VoIP until I tell them so. The call quality is as close to PSTN as I have heard to … Read more

Good Morning Vietnam

In an article that is largely driven by Net2Phone, Internet Week draws attention to the expanding role VoIP will play in the country if Vietnam. VoIP will indeed play a role in many countries. Given the developing nations status of Vietnam, VoIP has a chance to possibly make the country the next Singapore. Already the … Read more

When Giants Unite

A non-exclusive alliance between Cisco and Ericcson is rather interesting, especially when one realizes that a few years back Cisco struke deals with USA based RBOC’s to be integrators with them. The implecations are far reaching, with the biggest being that CISCO can leverage already existing Ericsson softswitch technology and add onto it at both … Read more

TechCentralStation Launches VOIP Central

In case you’re not getting enough VOIP information and insight here, Techcentralstation.com has launched VOIPCentral, a news and opinion aggregation site. While it’s got a nice format, I much prefer Om Malik’s VoIP Daily. Not only does he link back here from time to time but he gets the stories I miss. His candor and … Read more

FCC Summons Packet 8

8×8 NASDAQ: EGHT), the parent company of Packet8, has regularly been the subject of e-mails to me from some shareholders who feel that their marketing is rather anemic in light of all that Vonage and AT&T are doing. I tended to agree, for they have not really reached out to the media and embraced them … Read more

USA VoIP Legislation Battles To Begin

The battle over whether or not VoIP is a service or an application delivered over the Internet is gearing up in the United States’ Congress. eWeek’s article provides a nice backdrop and helps clarify a situation that will only get murkier. Here’s why. First the FCC is really not making decisions around VoIP, despite the … Read more