Archive for December, 2005
Gary Price over at Search Engine Watch has found that Google is being sued by a company called Rates Technology for patent infringement on the VoIP functionality of Google Talk.
The little known company claims it holds two patents, granted in 1995 and 2001, that help minimize the cost of long distance calls using the Internet. Apparently the company has patent agreements with over 700 companies.
Rates is seeking an injunction against Google, enforcement of the patents, damages and attorneys fees. A preliminary hearing will be held in February.
Here’s the complaint. (pdf)
More from Search Engine Watch.
(more…)
Countering previous speculation of an impending IPO, VoIP service provider Vonage announced that it raised US$250 million in a convertible debt issue to previous and new investors, increasing its total of investments to $658 million.
According to reports, the company is still seeking an IPO or to sell out, with an estimated value of $2 billion.
Wednesday, December 14th, 2005 | Posted in VoIP News | No Comments »
A little off topic, but interesting survey from the WiFi Alliance:
Austin, Texas, Dec. 13, 2005 – Wi-Fi goes beyond wirelessly connecting computers – it also connects people. A new lifestyle survey timed for the holiday season makes it clear that while enhanced productivity is one good reason to get Wi-Fi, enhanced relationships just might be the most compelling benefit of all.
Approximately 1,000 Americans from all income levels and walks of life were polled by survey.com for the Wi-Fi Alliance from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1.
When surveyed, 65 percent of respondents said Wi-Fi technology helps them stay in touch with friends and family via tools such as instant messaging and email, and 53 percent said that Wi-Fi gives them freedom to socialize online. Moreover, 46 percent of those surveyed said they agreed that the time gained from using Wi-Fi allows them to dedicate more time to marriage or personal relationship.
Among other findings: 68 percent said Wi-Fi technology helps them become more productive at home, doing things like online shopping and banking; and 61 percent said Wi-Fi technology helps them free up time to do other things they want to do.
“We have seen considerable anecdotal evidence that Wi-Fi can change the way we work, play and live, and these results give us considerable insight into how wireless networking can improve daily life,” said Wi-Fi Alliance Managing Director Frank Hanzlik. “As Wi-Fi is now shipped in millions of products and deployed in millions of homes, business and hotspots worldwide, the technology has moved beyond the realm of a computer feature. Wi-Fi has fast become a cultural phenomenon.”
For those shopping for Wi-Fi equipment, seeing the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo on a package or store display instills confidence. 60 percent were more likely to purchase a device labeled Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ over a similar but uncertified device. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo indicates that the equipment has passed rigorous interoperability testing conducted by the Wi-Fi Alliance.
From CNET News.com:
Microsoft is expected to begin testing soon of Windows Live Messenger, an update that expands the consumer instant messaging software into areas such as Internet phone calling.
The revamp is essentially an expansion of MSN Messenger. It adds a number of features and continues the program’s migration from a place to share short text messages into a manager for any number of modes of communication.
Various enthusiast sites, including Mess.be and BetaNews, reported that a private beta of Live Messenger is imminent, while another fan site, Messenger Blog, offered purported screenshots of the new software. Microsoft declined to comment on Monday, but had promised a beta version would come this month.
BT plans to fight back by significantly undercutting Skype pricing, in a move that many traditional telecommunications operators have been wary of doing, for fear of cannibalizing their circuit-switched telecom revenue:
It had to happen, but to date, the backlash from traditional telecommunications carriers over the proliferation of VoIP application providers piggy-backing on their networks and competing with them has been very low-key.
But “Operation Backlash” may have begun in
London
with BT Group’s announcement that it is slashing its prices for voice services in half and offering free calls to 30 different countries during the holiday season.
In a surprising move, BT, the largest carrier in the
United Kingdom
, mentioned Skype by name in its announcement. The company said that international calls made from PCs to regular telephones are already cheaper with its BT Communicator than “with rivals such as Skype.”
To further drive home the point that the carrier is targeting Skype and other similar services, BT said it will introduce an enhanced voice over Internet offering in the spring that will be available globally and feature its enhanced sound quality.
The carrier also said it will launch its new video phones next spring, which will allow its broadband users to see each other during their conversations.
Six months ago we started posting stories predicting that Yahoo would offer VoIP service, and today Yahoo has finally announced that it would.
Dubbing the services "Phone Out" and "Phone In" (hmm.. this sounds quite a bit like "SkypeOut" and "SkypeIn", doesn’t it?), Yahoo will offer some of the best pricing around:
Phone Out will offer outgoing calls from less than one cent per minute in the US or less than two cents per minute to more than 30 major countries. Outgoing calls can be made to over 180 countries.
Phone In will enable customers to receive unlimited phone calls from $2.99 a month or $29.90 per year.
The service will be integrated in an forthcoming upgrade to Yahoo! Messenger. Last week, Skype released video phone capability, further bringing Yahoo’s and Skype’s offerings in line with each other.
Given how hot the competition looks to be just between Skype and Yahoo, it’s going to be interesting to see if eBay gets its money worth for the few billion it paid for Skype. The landline-replacement VoIP providers seem poised to stir up trouble, to boot. Case in point is SunRocket’s new $10/month pricing plan.
How much lower are prices going to go??
From Consumer Reports:
Consumers tired of paying big bills for traditional landline telephone service are increasingly turning to Internet phone service programs for some financial relief. According to the January issue of Consumer Reports, consumers are saving $20 to $50 or more a month by using VoIP and enjoying many more features and capabilities. But the experts at Consumer Reports note that consumers who use VoIP phone services may also have limited access to emergency 911 services and for this reason, Consumer Reports strongly recommends that consumers keep a basic landline even if they get VoIP for day-to-day use. Despite drawbacks and limitations to VoIP phone service, a nationally-representative Consumer Reports survey of 201 VoIP users shows that more than half were highly satisfied using VoIP in light of costs, service, and problems. A free comparison chart of some of the major VoIP service providers and plans is available at http://www.ConsumerReports.org?source=CR50.
VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, transmits voice calls over the same Internet lines that carry e-mail. Along with lower rates, most VoIP providers also include typical add-on features such as voice mail, caller ID, and call waiting, plus others such as the ability to make local calls using a home number even when thousands of miles away from home. Consumer Reports points out that VoIP requires a broadband connection such as cable or DSL, and the service won’t work if the power goes out or the Internet connection is lost.
In less than 18 months Time Warner rolled out its Digital Phone VoIP service to all of its markets and has signed up more than one million customers.
"This achievement was made possible through the dedication of all 33,650 Time Warner Cable employees. Our engineers, installers, customer service reps, and operations executives are responsible for our successful entry into the phone business," said Landel Hobbs, Time Warner Cable Chief Operating Officer. "And this is just the beginning. With the recent launch of Caller ID on TV, Time Warner Cable customers are already seeing that adding Digital Phone to their cable and high speed data bundle offers more than just a competitive price."
Time Warner has hit a million customers in less than half the time it took Vonage to do so, and is now only the second US based VoIP service provider with that many subscribers.
