VoIP

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, which is a term used for transmission technologies that deliver voice communications over the Internet. These transmission technologies normally interface with regular telephone networks called public switched telephone networks.

The benefits of VoIP over traditional telephone service can include the ability to add an extra line at home at little cost and encrypt home telephone calls. Extra features that traditional telephone companies normally charge for — such as conferencing, call-waiting, caller-ID, and call-forwarding — can be a lot less expensive, also. While these benefits are availablel, not all VoIP vendors provide them.

There are security concerns with VoIP because a hacker can easily intercept calls using a packet sniffer and even change the call’s content. Additionally, if VoIP networks are not protected properly by a secure VLAN, denial of service (DOS) attacks could be launched against them. 

VoIP has also made it easier (International reach, cheap cost) to set up telemarketing fraud operations and other types of scams involving spoofed telephone calls. A new term called “Vishing,” which is essentially Phishing (tricking people into giving up personal and financial details) by telephone, has been credited as being enabled by VoIP.

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Latest blogosphere posts tagged “VoIP”

• Windstream Expands Enterprise IP Voice Footprint

  
  Telecompetitor — Authority: 504
  Windstream announced their IP powered Total Office and Dynamic Office products will be made available in Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina. Both products target the SMB and Enterprise markets with ‘converged communications services.’Windstream is stepping up its SMB and Enterprise focus, both through ...
  11 hours ago

• Gates Foundation Awards $12.9M in Community College Grants

  
  Gearlog — Authority: 667
  On the heels of awarding $3.4 billion in broadband grants earlier this week, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Wednesday awarded an additional $12.9 million intended to improve education and graduation rates at community colleges. This latest round of grants is part of the Gates Foundations Postsecondary ...
  12 hours ago

• Nimbuzz for Blackberry Launches

  
  VoIP & Gadgets Blog — Authority: 494
  Nimbuzz today launched their social networking, IM, and VoIP app for the Blackberry. Although it doesnt support VoIP. It works on multiple IM networks including Skype IM as well as online chat support for MSN, GoogleTalk, Yahoo!, Facebook & MySpace. Running as a native application it allows Nimbuzz to run ...
  13 hours ago

• Twas the Night before Christmas: As Interpreted by Google Voice

  
  AppScout — Authority: 631
  Clement Clarke Moores poem essentially invented the modern-day image of Santa Clause. So I thought it was only fitting that the online message-handling system thats revolutionizing the way we think of personal phone numbers and voice mail should get a shot at reinterpreting "Twas the Night Before Christmas" for a new ...
  13 hours ago

• Android WiMAX Phone

  
  dailywireless.org — Authority: 480
  Clearwire CEO Bill Morrow promises WiMAX smartphones by Christmas of 2010 . Perhaps it will resemble the one announced this week by a trio of companies to build a WiMAX smartphone based on Android . That smartphone will support VoIP over WiMAX as well as other IP communication technologies and involves ...
  14 hours ago

• Allow Free Markets to Solve the Newspaper Problem

  
  Communications and Technology Blog - Tehrani.com — Authority: 499
  The controversy between newspapers and Google has been going on for quite a while and recently Rupert Murdoch has threatened to pull the content from his various companies such as Fox News and Wall Street Journal off Google and instead allow Bing to have potentially exclusive access for a fee. In my opinion if ...
  14 hours ago

• Rebtel Adds Skype Calling

  
  VoIP & Gadgets Blog — Authority: 494
  Luca has an article today explaining how Rebtel just added Skype support. One capability this allows is for calls to your Rebtel phone number to be sent to your Skype username. In that scenario Rebtel takes the place of SkypeIn. You can also initiate outbound Skype calls to your Skype contacts using Rebtels contact ...
  15 hours ago

• D2 Technologies Bringing WiMAX VoIP to Android

  
  IntoMobile - Cell Phone News, Information, and Analysis — Authority: 738
  IP solutions developer D2 has just cooked up something that should perk any Android fan’s ears: they’re working on VoIP over WiMAX for Android. Elitegroup Computer Systems and Beceem have partnered up with D2 to make this happen, and already have it set up and working in a demo device, the ECS T371. The real ...
  15 hours ago

• VoIP over WiMAX With Seamless 4G Multi-Access Network Handoff Demoed

  
  VOIP IP Telephony — Authority: 141
  VoIP over WiMAX snapvoip.blogspot.comHelloSoft and Beceem have announced the availability of HelloSofts industry leading VoIP solution with seamless 4G multi-access network handoff, enabling phones, MIDs and other devices to be "supercharged" with 4G data capability and VoIP calls that are seamlessly handed off ...
  16 hours ago

• Budget VoIP Phones For Christmas at VoIP Converse

  
  Existem Affiliate Management Existem Affiliate Management — Authority: 151
  Do you have family or friends abroad? Do you want to wish them a merry Christmas? With a VoIP phone you can! Plugging one of these phones into your computer and using software like Skype will enable you to speak to them using the internet rather than phone lines. Contents:- Budget VoIP Phones Voucher Code Budget ...
  17 hours ago

• Rebtel Adds Skype Calling To Their Service

  
  LucaFiligheddu.com — Authority: 119
  A little bird dropped me a DM on Twitter pointing out a new feature added by VoIP service  Rebtel today… and I immediately jumped to Rebtel’s website… In a nutshell, they added Skype as one of the ways users can connect to each other through Rebtel. This basically means three new features : 1) Now you ...
  17 hours ago

• Comcast Buys 51 Percent Stake in NBC Universal

  
  Gearlog — Authority: 667
  As expected, Comcast on Thursday announced that it has brokered a deal with General Electric to acquire a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal (NBCU) for $6.5 billion.The arrangement puts the value of NBCU at $30 billion. As part of the deal, GE will acquire Vivendis 20 percent stake in NBCU for $5.8 billion, putting GEs ...
  18 hours ago

• Improve the PBX or UC with Skype for SIP Open Beta

  
  Free Call, Free Text, VoIP, Skype, Calls, Free Phone, Fring, Mobile, Win Nokia Video Mobile Phone — Authority: 124
  http://www.skype.com/business/products/pbx-systems/sip/ Skypes Beta Programme (SIP) opens to integrate the existing business IP telephony / PBX / Unified Communications (UC) systems with Skypes popular VoIP services: Andy Abramson rightly pronounced a hello to the Skype Pipe ! ...
  20 hours ago

• SIP PBX Implementation, Part II: How Do PBX Vendors Handle the Media Relay Dilemma?

  
  VoIP Survivor — Authority: 120
  [ Matan Barth is the author of a series of posts about media relay. The first part described relaying media . The current part explains how major PBX vendors handle the relay media dilemma.] In Part 1 of this series I described the media-relay dilemma . This time I want to share a few thoughts about how vendors ...
  21 hours ago

• DTV madness to be trumped by “all-IP phone transition”

  
  Gadgetsteria — Authority: 492
  Oh god, I can see it now — madness in the streets when when the FCC publicly announces a plan to move over the entire countries ancient switch based phone network to an all IP network model. If you thought you had seen confusion and the highest amount of confusion spewed forth, boy are you in for a treat. It will ...
  22 hours ago

• FTTC 10Meg up install

  
  trefor.net — Authority: 131
  We did our first FTTC 10Mbps uplink trial installation yesterday in Muswell Hill in North London. The customer is very happy with the performance. It will take 10 days to bed down but I’ll take a look after then and report back on speeds. The installation itself, once the Openreach modem has been put in, is ...
  1 day ago

• XO Launches SIP for Multi-Location Businesses

  
  T1 Rex's Business Telecom Explainer — Authority: 126
  XO Communications, a major competitive carrier, is now offering a solution for businesses with multiple locations to enjoy the benefits of enterprise VoIP throughout their far flung operations. SIP trunking is fairly well established as a way to connect business locations to a telephone service provider for ...
  1 day ago

• Fring brings video calls to iPhone, iPod touch and Nokia smartphones

  
  D' Technology Weblog — Authority: 546
  Fring a mobile chat service announced world’s first video calls over internet on the iPhone and iPod Touch ! Right now iPhone and iPod touch, and selected Nokia device users can receive and make fring and Skype video calls entirely over Internet connection for free! and see person on other end. When a front ...
  1 day ago

• Say Hello To The Skype Pipe

  
  VoIP Watch — Authority: 564
  Skype for SIP is now live and in my view Skype just created a massive pipe into the corporate market. While some may immediately want to draw unfair comparisons to SIP Trunking , Id dubbed this the "Skype Pipe" as in all reality now Skype has the pipe into the business phone market that have for years been off ...
  1 day ago

• FCC Seeks Input on Transition to VoIP

  
  IP Carrier — Authority: 139
  The Federal Communications Commission wants public and industry comment on the policy framework for a transition from circuit-switched to voice services on all-IP networks. The FCC will use the comments to issue a possible "notice of inquiry" on the subject. "In identifying the appropriate areas of inquiry, we seek ...
  1 day ago

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