While the country feels the almost Day After Tomorrow-style effects of a fully active Icelandic volcano, over at Fierce VoIP Mike Dolan has highlighted the fact that the economy halting ash cloud cannot stop businesses that have implemented VoIP Solutions into their company communications infrastructure.
Instant messaging, video conferencing and the 21st phenomenon of the mobile workplace are all key to a business surviving natural disasters.
Read the full blog post here.
A study by business analysts Frost and Sullivan, has revealed that 2009 was a good year for VoiP despite all thw worries surrounding the global economic downturn.
The Frost and Sullivan report, focused on the videoconferencing market, revealed a growth of 18 percent (equating to revenues of 184.2 million USD) for the North America market.
The report looked at two primary service models – Hosted Videoconferencing Services (services primarily bought by users that don’t have VoIP equipment) and Videoconferencing and Telepresence Managed Services (services which are operated by a managed service provider (MSP) and offer a full range of end-to-end services).
The article notes that despite the surprising growth in 2009, the videoconferencing marketplace is still far from reaching critical mass, with IT managers having to up bandwidths to cope with both video and communications, and integration between systems both new and old requiring the skills of and increading workforce of experts.
When projected to 2016, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is expected to the be 18.4 percent, equating to a staggering 599.6 million USD.
A more detailed overview of the report can be found here.
Unified communications provider Mitel, have recently launch the latest version of their VoIP application, UC Advanced 3.1.
3.1 sees improvements web browsing and mobile phone portals, as well as location software for BlackBerry smartphones.
The benefits of the upgrades will be seen most by those who wish to switch from a desk-bound work environment to a mobile environment as the software allows the user to access UC Advanced remotely.
All important business information such as user contacts, call history of calls, and voice mail messages can be accessed via the web portal from either a remote pc or via a smartphone.
The Blackberry addition acts as a locator so that users can update contactsa on their whereabouts while on the move.
If that wasn’t enough, Mitel also announced that UC Advanced 3.1 will be available as a server appliance meaning a low-cost, easily implemented VoIP solution for Mitel-using businesses of any size.
For more information, read the full press release here.
Mobile provider, Orange France have pushed new boundaries in the world of VoIP by installing a number of payphones around Paris that, through the miracle that is VoIP, allow a user to engage in internet browsing as well as phone calls.
Browse the web, check emails, look for local services, and make crystal clear quality phone calls all at one stylishly designed booth.
The twelve booths are the result of collaboration between Orange France and furtniture designer JCDecaux and were designed to match the current look of Parisian urban furniture.
While the mobile age has all but done away with the need for payphones, the addition of internet services provides a possible lifeline for people who’s phone batteries are low on charge. The booths are being trialed for 6 months with a decision on whether to be deployed at a national level to be made afterwards.
The full press release can be found here
Reports from the US have revealed that up 48% of government sector locations are now employing VoIP technology in some capacity.
A research paper released by Research and Markets states that the government market in the US is among the most promising in terms of actual and potential adoption of VoIP solutions.
So much so that a recent survey reported that 48% of government institutions have VoIP deployed in at least one of their locations.
The key towards this high level of adoption seems to be in the scalable features and capabilities of VoIP when compared to conventional communications solutions.
The report went on to reveal that Verizon are the most cited VoIP Provider among government institutions.
The full report can be purchased here
The Apple iPad must be one of the most hyped electronic devices of the last few years. Depending on your stance on all things Apple related, Steve Jobs and co. have either “done it again” and released a new edition to their burgeoning portfolio of products, or worked a near miracle in convincing people that a keyboard-less, USB-less, non-multitask computer is the way forward.
Despite calls from ardent admirers and fans of Apple products, it is yet to be seen how the iPad is going to change the game in the world of portable internet devices.
Already though, there are developers furiously working away at new apps for the Apple iPad and one area that has been looked into is IP based communications.
The iPad doesn’t come with any phone software or hardware but with the addition of the TruPhone application, the iPad can quickly be turned into an effective voice communications device.
Truphone allows customers the option of free calling to other Truphone and Google Talk users when connected over a Wi-Fi network, and also offers international calling to mobile phones and landlines for as low as $5 USD per minute.
We feel this might just be the tip of the iceberg as more VoIP Solutions start to appear for the Apple iPad over the coming months.
Though the iPad is definitely marketed at the casual user, it will be interesting to see if it signals a change in the business sector in anyway in which case business VoIP solutions will definitely be at the forefront of future development.
