VoIP Park

Axvoice, Skype or Vonage – Where to bet your money?

Admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:20:40 +0000

VoIP or internet phone services are available in bulk. However, today, I am about to present you with a realistic comparison as veteran VoIP service user. This comparison will look over three of the top choices that I shortlisted using my wit and experience that I have attained all these years with VoIP.
Axvoice
Axvoice is another VoIP provider that offers its services in the US and Canada. There are several advantages that you can get with Axvoice. The first major advantage is that you can use Axvoice through your mobile phone, PC, or VoIP ATA. You can use any of the free softphone available in the market supporting the SIP protocol. One thing that I would particularly like to mention about Axvoice is that it offers numerous call plans to its customers. Business phone users are segregated into home based businesses and SMEs. In the same manner, residential phone users are divided into domestic and international phone callers. This gives each type of customer the freedom to choose that service call plan, which best suits his particular requirements. I have been with Axvoice for the last two years. So far, I haven’t had any bigger issues to resolve. They have a live chat support that is available 24/7. I must note here that some people prefer a phone number. But I personally believe you are more easily able to connect with the VoIP service through live chat than using their phone number. There were times when I had some problems with the voice quality of Axvoice. But I later discovered that my new internet line’s bandwidth lacked the capacity to smoothly run an internet phone service. I was able to remove the call quality issue by replacing my internet connection.
Skype
Skype is synonymous to VoIP. When it comes to selecting a PC based internet phone, Skype’s name comes on top of all other choices. I have used this service for over eight months. Here is a look at what I make of using Skype.
The first advantage is that it offers free software download. This is a great advantage since all you need to do is download their software and start using their service. Many people use Skype on regular basis. They can even have it on their laptops while travelling. This saves them from spending extra money on use of public phones while abroad. One key aspect of Skype that has often been overlooked is that it does offer you the facility of file transfer. You can even make video calls too while using this internet phone service. Lastly, they keep working on their technology to improve their offerings with the passage of time.
After being done with the advantages, there are some gray patches to look at. As prudent internet phone users, you must know where Skype lacks the ability to impress. The number one reason why people are weary of using it is its poor customer service. I have myself experienced being unable to connect to a support representative on several occasions. Similarly, increased number of subscribers has made it difficult for Skype to keep offering same high voice quality that it once used to deliver. The voice quality further deteriorates once you start dialing internationally.
There is no doubt about the fact that Skype represents a big figure in VoIP industry. However, unless it gets its act together and starts making some visibly positive self-improving strides, it may lack the favorite status.
Vonage
Vonage, another internet phone service in the US and many other parts of the world, leads from the front. Vonage has been the favorite of many internet phone users owing to the different advantages that it offers. There are few other internet phone providers that offer the number of service features that Vonage offers. Another important advantage that this service offers to its users is cost effectiveness. Flexibility of call plans is yet another important advantage. Ooma for example lacks in offering various plans to different types of customers. Another advantage of using this service is that despite of its increased subscribers, it can still offer great voice quality to customers.
However, despite of Vonage’s big name in the VoIP industry, it does lack in some key areas. The main reason why I left Vonage was its poor customer service. The customer care center seems to lack people who are willing or able to help. I personally feel Vonage is underemployed in this department because it takes a lot of time before you are able to connect with customer care. Similarly, Vonage charges a lot of money for getting your connection terminated. These are two of the biggest discouragements for a customer. Why would anyone like to pay for getting rid of a service? Vonage falls short of the repute that it once had.
Final word on selection of service
After all these years of experience, I do not believe in big brand names anymore. Instead, I look for a service that is true to its promise and delivers great value for money. Skype and Vonage have become unreachable to ordinary customers for getting their complaints registered and problems eradicated. I personally believe Axvoice is a clear winner.

In-Stat Forecasts Bright Future for Mobile VoIP

Admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:17:42 +0000

Market research firm, In-Stat, predicts that mobile Voice-over-IP
(VoIP) applications will generate annual revenues of $32.2 billion by
2013, driven by more than 278 million new users worldwide. According
to them, mobile VoIP will gradually shift from its initial use as a
cheap way to make international calls to a key feature of mobile apps
and services over the next five years.
As the report points out, until now, mobile VoIP has largely been used
by a select few consumers as a means to reduce long distance mobile
calling – and due to technical constraints, cost of deployment, or
just plain defiance to play along, mobile operators have thus far
avoided rolling out mobile VoIP on their 3G networks, some even
banning it altogether.
In-Stat analyst Frank Dicksonn said in a press release, “Applications
such as Skype and Vonage have influenced users to think of voice as a
data application. The increasing penetration of Wi-Fi in mobile
devices was the beach head that Mobile VoIP applications needed. As
user habits are being shaped by rich on-line communication
experiences, mobile carriers control over devices and data
applications is waning. Mobile carrier attempts to slow the spread of
on-line Mobile VoIP are proving challenging as well.”
The In-Stat report finds that the activities associated with early
mobile VoIP successes “are likely to influence LTE operator voice
plans in ways that potentially favor IMS.”
The research firm also predicts that while the EMEA region currently
has more mobile VoIP-related revenue, the Asia-Pacific region will be
the largest market by 2013.

xG Technology Showcases Mobile VoIP

Admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:16:58 +0000

xG Technology, a US based service provider is set to deploy new
solutions that would enable VoIP users to overcome the barriers they
face when using the service. To this effect, xG Technology is opening
its lab facilities which has the potential to dramatically drive down
the cost of calling.
xG Technology has developed xMax—a system that allows consumers to
benefit from much lower-cost mobile calls via the Internet. Major
cellular providers have blocked these Internet calls on their
networks.
xG Technology developed xMax as an alternative solution that enables
consumers to benefit directly using mobile VoIP technology. xMax is
similar to Vonage or Skype, but in the form of a fully mobile handset
that doesn’t require the use and extra cost of a computer or broadband
Internet connection.
Spanning both suburban and urban communities, the xG Technology
showcase allows individuals to make high quality phone calls at
highway speeds with seamless hand offs.
The showcase operates in the Ft. Lauderdale area from six base
stations, with ranges comparable to traditional cell phone
networks-but transmitting at only one watt of power as opposed to up
to 60 watts used by the traditional networks. Because of high
population and business density, this is an area that is prone to
interference issues, but the xMax network operates cleanly and
delivers clear calls without drop-offs, according to xG.

TynTec Partners with Callforeign to Offer SMS to Mobile Phones

Admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:16:21 +0000

TynTec popularly known for offering Mobile messaging today announces a deal with low-cost international VoIP provider Callforeign to provide Internet-to-mobile SMS delivery. Callforeign, which provides users with VoIP services aimed at reducing the cost of international phone calls, will use TynTec to deliver SMS sent either from the web or from a specialized mobile application.
The Callforeign Mobilesip application allows users to make phone calls
over VoIP using either WiFi or 3G on their mobile phone. By working
with TynTec the company has been able to integrate an SMS delivery
element, allowing people to send international SMS over the Internet,
saving a significant amount of money.
Additionally, by working with TynTec, Callforeign is able to provide a
dedicated international SMS delivery portal which allows users to
logon from anywhere in the world and send cut-price text messages.
Both of these applications are using TynTec’s SMS MT service to ensure
every message sent is delivered within 15 seconds to more than 450
networks. This immediately gives Callforeign a huge international SMS
footprint.
Henry Ong, COO of Callforeign said, “As more and more VoIP offerings
come on the market, differentiation is increasingly crucial.
Delivering SMS in this way adds to our mobile presence by giving our
users a unique valuable extra service direct from our platforms.

Betamax Offers New VoIP Service Via Rynga.com

Admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:14:35 +0000

The latest addition to the DellMont Sarl family is service called
Rynga available at Rynga.com. It comes with great discount and
offering the cheapest calling rate to many destinations. Rynga works
in the same way other betamax/dellmont providers work.
This newest VoIP service provider offering free calls to Bangladesh
(Landline + Mobile). Among its free destinations, Malaysia (Landline +
Mobile) is there as well. Also offering very low rate calls to India,
is just 1 US cent per minute to Indian mobile and 1.5 US cents to call
landlines. Since most people in India carry a mobile, the deal seems
to be good for India as well.
You can also use rynga with Sip devices like SIP ATA (Analogue
Telephone Adapter), SIP Router, xDSL Modem, SIP softphones and SIP
with mobile
Rynga SIP setting
SIP port : 5060
Registrar : sip.rynga.com
Proxy server : sip.rynga.com
Outbound proxy server : leave empty
Account name : your rynga username
Password : your rynga password
Display name/number : your rynga username or voipnumber
Stunserver (option) : stun.rynga.com
Supported Codecs:
G.711 (64 kbps)
G.726 (32 kbps)
G.729 (8 kbps)
G.723 (5.3 & 6.3 kbps)
GSMFR (13.2 kbps)
Other features being offered include provision of cheap calling rates
(India mobile 0.007 EUR, 0.7 cents per min), 120 free days for free
destinations, SIP calling with Rynga SIP settings, Phone-to-phone,
local access number, cheap SMS and areacode feature. You even have the
chnce of becoming their reseller.

Verizon Shuts Down Wireless Hub VOIP Phone Services

Admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:13:47 +0000

Verizon Communications Inc has eventually announced the closing down
Wireless Hub VOIP Phone Service and it is very unfortunate for them
that this service never took off as a residential phone service. The
Hub was an interesting concept in home VoIP service that fell victim
to a silly monthly fee structure of $34.95 per month, up front cost of
hundreds of dollars, and a requirement that users have a Verizon
Wireless cell phone.
The hub is primarily a VoIP phone, with a wireless DECT handset that
snaps into the device.Among what impressed is the 8-inch color
touchscreen that brings the following features to the device; check
local traffic and weather in the morning before leaving the house;
update your calendar and automatically receive a text when an
appointment changes or as a reminder not to be late, get directions to
the new site when the location for soccer practice is moved, find the
number of the new pizza parlor to order a pie, and a host of other
features that users have so far found very enjoyable.
Despite demoing a second iteration of the product at CTIA with
additional widget functions and other features, Verizon did not have
enough sales of the product to justify continued production. It pulled
the phone from retail outlets months ago, and will cease online sales
of the device immediately. The phone carrier has already stopped
selling the Verizon Hub product via retail outlets and now they
stopped selling via online service. The device was pulled from stores
several months ago, remained available via online sales for a while
before being formally discontinued.
Critics of the device cited its price – $200 for the phone and $35 per
month for service – as well as some of its application limits, such as
lack of email service or Web browser, mandatory VoIP and an
application approach that remained strictly under Verizon’s control
versus a more open app store. Perhaps just as damning was the fact
that Verizon Wireless was pitching the device. The mobile operator
obviously has bigger fish to fry and it is unlikely consumers went to
a Verizon retail location or online looking for an in-home device.

NetTALK Offers Cheap VoIP Services

Admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:13:09 +0000

NetTALK is a new VoIP provider that is offering what the company
called an ultra-low-cost VoIP arena. NetTALK is offering this service
through its TK6000 which it claims to connect people to the largest
digital phone network in the world, the internet, where you can make
unlimited phone calls free.
NetTALK’s TK6000 provides free home phone service once you purchase
our device for a one-time fee. Plug your high-speed Internet and
existing home phone into the TK6000 and call anywhere in the US and
Canada for free. We provide free directory assistance (411) and many
other features that your traditional phone company can provide but
without those monthly fees.
The TK6000 is designed to be connected directly to the router or using
the computers USB connection and it has a compact body making it one
of the worlds smallest analog telephone adapters.
The netTALK service and TK6000 device are available only direct from
the company. For the foreseeable future, netTALK is offering to bill
purchasers in four monthly installments of $24.95.

Mobivox VOIP Service Acuired by Sabse

Admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:11:13 +0000

Following a successful acquisition of Jaxtr some two months ago, Sabse Technologies, a VoIP services company based in Mountain View, Calif., has acquired Mobivox for an undisclosed amount in order to bring voice-activated services to carriers and their customers across the globe.
Sabse Technologies has combined a robust infrastructure and enhanced voice services set – including mobile VoIP, Hosted PBX and audio conferencing – into a market-leading telephony-as-a-service (TAAS) platform that its partners around the world are deploying to improve ARPU and customer retention.
Co-founded by entrepreneurs Yogesh Patel, now CEO, and Sabeer Bhatia, its chairman and co-founder of HotMail, Sabse Technologies develops and offers value-added applications, such as audio conferencing, hosted PBX, fax-to-email – for telecom providers, under the brand name of Sabsebolo.com.
Under the terms of this new acquisition, the Mobivox voice-user interface (VUI) will be added to Sabse’s telephony-as-a-service (TAAS) platform, which allows company’s carrier partners to deploy innovative consumer and small business applications around the world.
Sabse Technologies said that the latest acquisition of Mobivox would
facilitate company’s global network of carrier partners to quickly
deploy voice-activated services to their customers. In addition, the
company’s TAAS platform helps its partners to improve ARPU and
customer retention.
Mobivox is an international calling service much similar to Skype. It
leverages VoIP and interactive voice response (IVR) technologies, in
order to offer registered users with a natural speech interface and
low calling rate plans. It also provides users with a contact list,
instant conferencing, group calls, and more.

XConnect Gets $10m for Expansion of Interconnect 2.0

Admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:49:18 +0000

XConnect has announced that it has now raised about $10 million in
Series B funding. It was able to raise this amount with the aid of
many different investors, which included Accel Partners of the UK,
Crescent Point Group of Singapore, Venrock Associates of the US, and
Grazia Equity of Germany.
XConnect plans to use the funding to finance the expansion of its
Interconnect 2.0 portfolio, which is composed of multimedia and
Carrier ENUM-registry hub services.
The Interconnect 2.0 portfolio has a full suite of services that are
designed to meet growth of operators so that they can easily add on
the delivery of the growing array of multimedia services such as video
and voice high definition services.
XConnect’s Interconnect 2.0 offers the most comprehensive suite of
services tailored to address operators’ increasing requirements to
deliver multimedia services such as high-definition voice and video,
across IP networks.
In a related development, the company also announced the appointment
of Torsten Kreindl and
David Hand to its board.

AT&T Says Blockage of VoIP on its Network is for Lower Calls Cost

Admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:42:53 +0000

AT&T has eventually admitted to the fact that it prevents VoIP
callings from reaching its network. The mobile carrier made this
confession while fielding questions from the the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC). The company argued that it became
necessary for them to prevent VoIP on its network to enable the
company to realize profit from its current voice plans.
It is a common knowledge that VoIP technology offers cheap ways of
communicating through telephone and this in a way is affecting
revenues being generated by cellular carriers. As a matter of fact all
the mobile providers in the USA prevents VoIP calling across their
mobile network.
AT&T who is a xG technology company expressed concerns on low revenue
generation stressing how important this is to the survival of the
company. Speaking through its chief technology officer of xG
Technology, Joseph Bobier, AT&T stated that “No U.S. carrier currently
allows VoIP across mobile networks. Given the billions of dollars they
spent acquiring spectrum, building and deploying their cellular
networks, the economics simply would not work. VoIP
saves consumers money, but the flip side of this benefit is that this
means less revenue for operators. In fact, the only two major wireless
carriers in Europe that allow mobile VoIP traffic added charges that
essentially strip out the savings that VoIP delivers. By contrast, xG
Technology recognized that Internet based calling-VoIP-will be
the technology of the future and we designed our mobile system from
the ground up with that in mind.”
The cellular carrier also revealed that consumers stand much more to
gain from the xG Technology. It was said of the xG technology that is
a company that believes mobile VoIP can provide significant savings to
consumers and still be profitable for carriers. The company has
strived to achieve lower costs of of operation by developing a network
that uses free spectrum instead of the carrier paying billions for
licensed spectrum.