TMCnet SIP Phones Week in Review

It's that time again: time for another Week in Review. This week, in SIP Phones, held a few notable developments, including new product availability at IP Phone Warehouse, Acme Packet (News - Alert) SBC deployment, a Voice2Phone reseller program and the question, "can mobile networks rival sluggish broadband connections?"

First up, it was reported that IP Phone (News - Alert) Warehouse, an authorized Barracuda partner, would be adding new VoIP PBX communications servers to its business telephony lineup from Barracuda CudaTel. These systems are based in standard SIP, making them compatible with leading SIP phones and VoIP service providers.

The new VoIP PBX (News - Alert) communications servers offer unlimited user support as well as a variety of features aimed at businesses of all sizes. Furthermore, they are easy to set up, install and provision.

Next, TMCnet Contributer Beecher Tuttle pondered the strength of broadband connectivity in more remote locations, pointing out that the performance of VoIP phones and other SIP end points would obviously suffer with such a poor connection. Apparently, mobile Internet is a viable solution to this issue.

Recent network upgrades to 3G HSPA+ service have made mobile Internet stable enough for consistent home use. In addition to consistent, fast coverage, most 3G Wi-Fi hotspot devices are capable of providing coverage to an entire house. With download speeds of 10 Mbps and upload speeds in excess of 2.5 Mbps, 3G service can even rival the speed of some broadband service.

In other news, Bouygues Telecom, a leading fixed and mobile service provider in France, started deploying Acme Packet Net-Net Session Director session border controllers (SBCs) in its IP Multimedia Subsystem (News - Alert) this week. According to Acme Packet, its SBCs fulfill a number of IMS functions at both the access and interconnect borders for greater security, interoperability and network quality.

"Acme Packet's SBC is a key part of our IMS network, built to enable innovative services and deliver enhanced customer experience to our fixed and mobile customers," said Jean-Paul Arzel, Bouygues Telecom networks director.

Lastly, Voice2Phone launched a reseller program this week, allowing third party vendors to sell and distribute its results-drive auto dialer technology. Resellers could stand to make at least 40 percent commission on products sold, which was limited to Voice Broadcasting Auto Dialer edition and Auto Dialer Operator edition.

Voice2Phone's software is compatible with pre-existing VoIP and SIP phone systems, only requiring a computer with Windows and a sound card to work. Both versions of the software available in the program are capable of making up to 20 phone calls simultaneously to landlines, cell phones and SIP phones.

That's all for this TMCnet Week in Review; be sure to check out the SIP Phones channel for more news in this sector.