The UK’s Office of Communications has released the details of new VoIP regulations it is putting in place in the next few months, via the Independent:
Ofcom has established a code of practice for VoIP providers so consumers have more information when subscribing to services. From June, VoIP companies will have to state clearly whether users can access emergency services numbers and the extent to which the service depends on the customer’s home power supply. VoIP providers will also need to inform consumers whether they can keep their phone numbers when switching providers and whether traditional telecoms services such as operator assistance and itemised billing are available.
… Ofcom also said it will open a consultation later this year about whether certain VoIP providers might be forced to offer access to emergency services numbers.
Saturday, March 24th, 2007 | Posted in VoIP News | 1 Comment »
Vonage 
issued a release yesterday indicating that a US District Court in Arlington, VA has issued an order enjoining it from using certain VoIP technology that Verizon claims it has a patent on. However, the order is not immediately effective, and Vonage "is confident that customers will see no change in their phone service.
The court announced its intent to hear stay argument in two weeks’ time. At that time, the court intends to render a decision regarding the stay, as well as making the injunction effective. If the court denies the stay, Vonage will seek a stay through appeal from the Federal Court of Appeals. Vonage is confident it will be able to obtain a stay through appeal.
"Our appeal centers on erroneous patent claim construction, and we remain confident that Vonage has not infringed on any of Verizon’s patents – a position we will continue to vigorously assert in federal appeals court," said Sharon O’Leary, Vonage’s executive vice president, chief legal officer and secretary. "Vonage relied on open-standard, off-the-shelf technology when developing its service. In fact, evidence introduced in court failed to prove that Vonage relied on Verizon’s VoIP technology, and instead showed that in 2003 Verizon began exploring ways to copy Vonage’s technology," she added.
Microsoft gets into VoIP PBX, via iTWire:
Microsoft has unveiled an IP phone system for small businesses, with a voice activated user interface. It will be OEMed by D-Link, Quanta and Uniden, initially.
The move will put the company in head on competition with the leading IP PBX vendors such as Cisco, Avaya and Nortel with whom Microsoft has been collaborating to integrate its unified communications tools with their products.
Code named ‘Response Point’, the product is presently in beta testing and will be generally available later this year as an OEM product. It supports both VoIP and traditional analogue phone lines, and includes a voice-activated user interface. It will be launched commercially as the D-Link DVX-2000, Quanta Syspine and Uniden Evolo.
The product was announced at Microsoft’s annual small business summit by Microsoft COO Kevin Turner who said: " 20 years ago Bill Gates had a vision for our company which said, look, I want a PC on every desk and in every home… Now, his new vision for Microsoft is we need to be that uniquely positioned company in the marketplace that can connect the digital lifestyle and the digital work style. And that’s the vision and aspiration for our company. And no better customer segment, again, fits that than the small business owners. And that’s what we’re working hard on.
WinSock XP Fix is a quick little utility which attempts to fix Internet connectivity issues which are caused by a corrupted WinSock configuration.
If some application has tweaked your WinSock configuration beyond repair, download WinSock XP Fix from Snapfiles.com and give it a try.
It’s one heck of a lot easier than reinstalling Windows.
