Voxbone announces availability of its local number service in a 50th country: South Africa. Carriers and large enterprises wanting a local-call presence in South Africa now can purchase direct-inward-dial numbers and origination service through Voxbone, which carries the call over the long international leg via IP, delivering it to the network of the end user.

With this milestone, Voxbone establishes its first offering in Africa, after providing local DID coverage for all European Union and North American nations, as well as many Latin American, Asia Pacific and Middle Eastern countries.

Wananchi has selected VocalTec’s VoIP solutions, as part of its plan to launch the country’s first triple-play service. VocalTec will be providing its core Voice-over-IP solution together with a wide range of supporting applications and prepaid billing solutions. This comprehensive offering will enable Wananchi Group to provide VoIP services to both enterprise and residential users in Kenya and Tanzania, under the SimbaNET and Zuku brands. Using VocalTec's Class-5, Essentra BAX Application Server, Wananchi will be able to offer its subscribers the latest in IP telephony services, including an extensive set of applications. These include voicemail, fax, conferencing and others. The deployment also incorporates VocalTec’s Essentra EX, Peering Manager, and Essentra CX, Media Gateway Controller, which provide complete Class-4 capabilities including secure interconnection between disparate VoIP networks, as well as seamless interconnection to legacy PSTN environments.

Digium and DOW Networks announce that DOW Networks has become a Digium Solutions Partner. DOW Networks as a key integration partner has used Asterisk, the open source telephony platform created by Digium, for years to create complex solutions for call centers and enterprises. DOW Networks’ products include domestic and international toll-free service, SIP trunks, Asterisk-based IP PBXs, hosted predictive dialer software, toll-free numbers and a complete portfolio of call center solutions.

The Forrester Research Group predicts that nearly 5 million U.S. households will have VoIP phone service by the end of 2006.

With this technology evolution, it has become apparent that the African continent needs to make a change and keep abreast of these technologies for the betterment of African businesses. There is no better place to execute this than at VoIP World Africa 2007 which will take place from 2- 4 May 2007 at The Michelangelo Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the common industry meeting place where new technologies can be discussed, contacts can be made, experiences shared and alliances forged.

Verso announced that VoxTelecom has expanded its Verso Clarent VoIP solution with an SS7 interconnect system.

The solution is combined with a session border controller for IP-based interconnection to existing Verso softswitching technology located with the incumbent fixed line operator as well as South African mobile operators.

Subsequent to the Amitelo African Kick off conference held on 22.06.06, attended by the Ministers of African states and presidents of incumbent African telecom companies, the Moroccan Prime Minister, Mr. Driss Jettou and Mr. Hassan Bernoussi Director of External Investment received the Board of Directors of Amitelo AG on Friday 23rd June 2006 for the purposes of the discussion and presentation of the rollout of the VoIP products and services of Amitelo in Morocco and further into other African states.

AMITELO Afrique SA., a subsidiary of AMITELO AG., is signing a co-operation agreement with "SOCIETE DES TELECOMMUNICATIONS DU MALI" (Sotelma), the state-owned telephone company in Mali. The aim of the co-operation is to provide the inhabitants of Mali with modern voice over IP (VoIP) and Internet services. For AMITELO Afrique SA., the contract is another milestone in opening up the region of West Africa. AMITELO Afrique is already operating in Senegal, the neighbouring country; a very lucrative project was implemented recently with PAMECAS Mutuel, the state bank of Senegal.

AMITELO Afrique SA., a subsidiary of AMITELO AG, is continuing its successful expansion strategy in Senegal and neighboring countries. Last week saw the start of the installation of the Voice over IP (VoIP) network for Bank PAMECAS Mutuel - AMITELO Afrique was able to successfully implement the plans for modernizing the communication network and is now commencing with the realization of this lucrative project.