With all the hoopla this week about VoIP provider SunRocket closing its doors, a few of my readers pointed out that BlueSkyPhone has been renamed SunRisePhone (who I won't even bother linking to). Why is this important you ask? Well BlueSkyPhone closed its doors months ago as well and left many of its customers in the dark without any service or answers from head management. This brought many upset BlueSkyPhone customers to VoIP Monitor expressing their feelings about the company and the overall consensus is STAY AWAY from SunRisePhone. I want to thank the commenter's that brought this too my attention and keep up the good work.

VoIP Supply is now offering a suite of cost effective VoIP network assessment packages designed to for those who do not have the in-house technical expertise to design and purchase their own IP PBX system, create technical drawings with documentation, analyze their current data and voice networks, as well as purchase the required hardware, software and telecommunications service components for their VoIP deployment.

The VoIP Supply VoIP network assessment and evaluation packages offer a complete and comprehensive set of deliverables that gives businesses of all sizes the ability to make informed decisions about a potential migration to VoIP.

VoipReview.org announces the top ten VoIP phone service providers as rated by actual customers. According to the Web site, the top-rated VoIP providers are: BroadVoice, Cordia, JoiPhone , Lingo, Sunrocket, VelocityTel, ViaTalk , Voip.com, VoIP Your Life and Vonics Digital. VoipReview.org, which features more than 4,000 user VoIP reviews on 163 VoIP providers, based the list on the highest-rated providers meeting a required minimum number of reviews.

"The user ratings and reviews are among the most popular features on our Web site. People rely on these VoIP reviews to get a true perspective on the quality and service each provider offers," said Eric Laughlin, chief executive officer of VoipReview.org. "The reviews are an excellent tool for newcomers to the world of VoIP who are looking for basic information as well as long-time users who might be looking to switch VoIP providers. Regardless of what stage of the purchasing process consumers are in, they can look to fellow shoppers to help find the VoIP provider that best meets their needs."

Here is a press release pertaining to the previous subject on the Federal Telephone Excise Tax Credit. I first talked about it in my "VoIPMonitor's VoIP News Roundup Yehaw" so here's some additional information provided by Jackson Hewitt Tax Service to assist you in getting your refund.

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service alerts taxpayers to a new credit available for the 2006 tax year - the Federal Telephone Excise Tax Credit. Through this credit, taxpayers who have paid federal excise taxes on long-distance or bundled services through a landline, cell phone, fax and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) over the past three years will be able to claim a refund of those taxes paid. This credit is only available for the 2006 tax year.

SIPphone the makers of Gizmo Project, announced the launch of its web-based VoIP product Gizmo Call, located at gizmocall.com. Gizmo Call lets people call any type of landline or mobile, anywhere in the world, from any web browser, for free. No traditional software download and installation is required, just a simple, lightweight Adobe Flash plug-in that works with a web browser. No registration or account setup is required.

Gizmo Call makes it easier than ever to make free long distance calls. It’s an online service that people can use from any web browser. Gizmo Call is a fantastic solution for users calling from internet cafés, kiosks, traveling laptops, as well as from home and work computers. It’s possible to even make calls simply by typing a number into a field in a browser. Users can use urls like: http://gizmocall.com/18005551212.

The average number of calling features is increasing for VoIP phone service plans while monthly prices remain steady, according to VoipReview.org, the first and most complete comparison shopping and information source for broadband phone service. While the average number of features per calling plan increased from 23 in April to nearly 27 in November, the average price of an unlimited long distance VoIP home plan remained consistent at approximately $25 per month, according to online search data collected from April 1 through November 30, 2006.

"The VoIP industry has steadily improved product offerings over the past year, which means VoIP buyers continue to get more for their money," said Eric Laughlin, chief executive officer of VoipReview.org. "As VoIP providers compete for their share of the marketplace, you'll see more and more calling features offered standard, with prices staying generally the same. In addition to the cost savings over traditional analog phone lines, free calling features are another key reason why more people are switching to VoIP."

Malware spreading over the Skype network Tuesday raised flags across the internet. Websense has since posted a reclassification of the threat as a Trojan horse and its overall impact is declining.

Websense was among the first to post an alert about a possible Skype worm. However, after talking with the Skype security team, which is based in Estonia, Hubbard said he had reclassified the threat as a Trojan horse. "A user with Skype will get a message to download a program from a URL included in a chat message," says Hubbard. "If they click on that, a program runs in the background, then injects itself into the Explorer process. It looks like the Trojan is designed to grab forms and passwords from the browser."

"This is either spreading very slowly, and only regionally, or it's dead by now," Hubbard says.

ViaTalk is putting a little something extra under the Christmas Tree this year. As part of a special holiday promotion, new ViaTalk customers can get a free year of telephone service when they pay for the first year of service in advance.

“It seems too good to be true, but as a thank you to our new customers this holiday season we are giving away two years of our service for the price of one,” said Brendan Brader, CEO. “This is sure to be one of the best bargains this holiday season -- better phone service, unlimited long distance to make all your holiday calls, and at a fraction of the cost of what you are paying now.”

Communications Alliance has published the ‘So you want a VoIP service?’ Customer Booklet designed to assist consumers and small businesses who are considering a VoIP service for their home or office.

The 28-page booklet was developed by Communications Alliance with substantial input from industry representatives on its VoIP Working Group and was launched at the organisation’s third annual VoIP Forum in Sydney.

The booklet takes readers through “The seven steps to VoIP” under the following chapter headings:

• Why do you want a VoIP phone service?
• Things to consider
• Ensuring that your broadband is up to it
• Deciding on a VoIP service provider
• Connecting it all up
• Using your VoIP service
• Customer service and your rights

The media release of the launch of the ‘So you want a VoIP service?’ Customer Booklet can be found here.

Great review by Arik Hesseldahl over at BusinessWeek.com entitled, "Netgear's Phone in the Rough." I enjoyed reading his article because, it's nice to hear personal opinion about the latest VoIP gadgets on the market.

His review of the NETGEAR SPH101 Skype Wi-Fi phone is a good one. He begins with his skepticism of internet calling services and asks himself, "What exactly, aside from cost, is so wrong with either conventional land-line phones or wireless phones that we really need a third option—especially one that typically has to go through a personal computer." However after watching the popularity of Skype and The Gizmo Project take off he seems to warm to the idea of VoIP. Throughout the article he talks about the Netgear's phone complex setup, password bugs, and sound quality from both stateside to dialing Hong Kong.

You'll just have to read his article to see for yourself.

As new technology continues to disrupt legacy platforms in all industries, Speecho has just beta launched the newest in Web 2.0 social networking websites by providing its registered members free voice telephony services on a global scale. In addition to all the functionality we have become accustomed to with MySpace, YouTube, and others, such as personalized profiles, blogging, photo and video uploading, Speecho.com has extended the social network with the addition of proprietary voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services not even available through Vonage or Skype. Speecho.com is an open, unrestricted online community that allows and encourages members to meet new friends and invite and reconnect with friends they invite into the service. Members can talk for free with anyone, anywhere, in a public voice chat, party-line session, or in a totally private room.

Raketu announced their Call Home Free For The Holidays promotion. Consumers will be able to call to their families and friends free to locations in over 40 countries around the world, regardless of where calls originate, using Raketu’s PC based "RakOut" dialout voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services.

“When you can’t get home for the holidays, it’s nice to be able to speak to friends and family,” said Greg Parker, President of Raketu Inc. “We want to make it possible for everyone to call home this holiday season, and encourage them no matter where they are, or where they are calling to, to call free with our Call Home Free For The Holidays promotion.”

I came across this nice article today by Brett Markham, "Not all VoIP is created equal". I believe it could help VoIP users understand why their quality of service could be lacking.

"Every week BELD Broadband’s help desk receives calls from broadband Internet subscribers who use third-party Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services such as Vonage and SunRocket. These calls are usually complaints about call quality. The reason we receive such calls explains both the strength and weakness of these services."

"VoIP is a protocol that handles dialing functions and translates analog voice signals into packets of data similar to music mp3s, though of lower fidelity. The packets of data are then routed across one or more networks in order to terminate in a telephone switch that connects the caller with the phone number being dialed."

"The idea of using the Internet as an alternative to the telephone network is not new, but the software that makes it possible certainly is revolutionary."

These are the thoughts of the authors of a new VoIP handbook entitled, 'VoIP4D Primer - Building Voice Infrastructure in Developing Regions' released yesterday.

The book's primary target are users in the developing world, but it has enough detail and hands-on information to be useful to a broad range of users new to voice over ip (VoIP) software.

The free guide is available in four major languages and is an effort to examine the use of telephony over the internet in developing regions.

On4 has launched a free prize draw following a poll of its customer base. On4 which is a Desktop technology delivering free VOIP, video and audio messaging, SMS and regular phone calls at low rates, chat and a comprehensive range of other services asks it's customers for ideas. Overwhelmingly they all wanted fun and intrigue, and of course discounts or money back schemes.

On4 is built using SIP, the open, global internet telephony standard and to use the system everyone has to have an identity. On4 doesn't make people get a new phone number and the system is free to use for anyone. Anyone signing up to On4 who provides their mobile phone number will receive a text message with their free draw number, and all they have to do is check to see of their number has been selected and displayed on the News Tab of the ON4 desktop. If their number is displayed they have to claim their prize that day. If they don't claim they don't win. Prizes will change frequently and include free CD vouchers, games consoles and cash, up to $1000. There are no charges whatsoever, and anyone anywhere has a chance to win. The only rule is that you have to claim on the day and upload your photograph, so that the On4 world can see the happy winner. If they don't have a mobile phone, ON4 has also hidden a unique draw number on every On4 desktop, and if a customer can't find it, all he has to do is call the operator for help.