360networks is expanding its coverage into the state of Iowa by adding 67 new rate centers to its network and providing access to high-quality, cost-effective consumer and enterprise VoIP services to Des Moines, Council Bluffs and the surrounding areas.

With the addition of Iowa, 360networks now covers 913 rate centers across the western states serving over 33 million business and residential customers.

360networks' VoIP360 solutions provide maximum reach, reliability and quality of service. It is 100% IP-based and runs on the company's wholly owned 17,200-mile, fiber-optic backbone. Customers can access 360networks' platform with a single IP connection and feature server. For maximum flexibility, 360networks offers customers an a la carte menu of services such as dedicated IP connectivity, DIDs, CNAM, 911, origination and termination services.

Sogetel has purchased Occam’s Broadband Loop Carrier 6000 solution to complete a significant upgrade to its network, enabling the service provider to offer VoIP and IPTV services to its subscribers. Sogetel maintains offices in Nicolet, St. Paulin, Lac Etchemin, St. Liboire and other locations in the province of Quebec.

Sogetel maintains 26,000 access lines and offers subscribers landline and wireless local and long distance phone service and high-speed broadband services. Engineers are deploying Occam equipment at more than 35 sites across Sogetel’s service area, with a plan to offer VoIP and IPTV over Occam BLC blades. Sogetel has purchased Occam’s BLC 6252 POTS and ADSL2Plus combo blade and BLC 6214 ADSL2Plus blade. Sogetel is also using BLC 6450 blades to accommodate 10G transport rings to accommodate IP traffic increases.

As vendors and service providers worldwide look to maximise revenues, the lack of common remote management capability across all access technologies is a major stumbling block as they look to lower management complexities, minimise truck rolls and introduce new revenue generating services.

The DSL Forum has taken steps to resolve this problem with the approval of Technical Report 142 “Framework for TR-069 enabled PON and fibre related devices”. Developed by the Forum’s DSLHome Technical Working Group, TR-142 defines how Auto-Configuration Servers in the network can remotely configure, troubleshoot and manage a Passive Optical Network optical network termination with layer 3 capabilities using the Forum’s existing CPE LAN management protocol, TR-069.

American consumers have a wide array of choices for personal communication services, but, when it comes to their home, an overwhelming majority -- including those who have a cell phone -- say they plan to keep and continue using their landline home phone indefinitely. Most often the service's proven reliability and safety were given as reasons in a new nationwide survey commissioned by Verizon.

The telephone survey, conducted by KRC Research last month, polled more than 800 consumers aged 18 and over who pay their landline phone bill. It found that:

• Eighty-three percent of the respondents intend to continue using their landline home phone indefinitely -- a strong vote of consumer confidence for landline voice service in a survey group that included a large number of participants who also have a cell phone (74 percent).
• Ninety-four percent of the respondents cited reliability and 91 percent cited safety as the key factors for retaining landline service.
• Seventy-six percent of landline phone owners use their landline phone every day.

AT&T announces the immediate availability of two new music applications mSpot's Make-UR-Tones and Remix and plans to significantly expand offerings for Napster Mobile over-the-air downloads. Make-UR-Tones allows customers to customize ringtones by using their mobile phone, and the Remix application gives customers access to their PC-based music collections directly from their phone. The result for mobile music lovers is more freedom to listen to the songs they want, when they want, on their AT&T mobile phone.

mSpot Make-UR-Tones
With the launch of mSpot Make-UR-Tones, AT&T — the exclusive provider of the application becomes the first national carrier to allow customers to easily use their wireless phone to create a ringtone from their favorite part of a song. The Make-UR-Tones application is designed to give users the flexibility to customize a one- to 30-second ringtone from a full song. AT&T's Make-UR-Tones subscribers can enjoy exclusive access to more than 250,000 titles from music labels EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, INgrooves and IRIS.

TRUE Corporation has selected NICE SmartCenter for its VoIP contact centers. NICE Perform and the NICE workforce management solutions will replace competing systems being used today. TRUE selected NICE SmartCenter to leverage the synergies of the NICE solutions, to improve customer service, dispute resolution capabilities, and operational efficiency.

TRUE Corporation is Thailand’s leading and only fully-integrated provider of telecommunications services, with more than 10,000 employees, and operates five core businesses, including: mobile, business, online business, pay-TV, digital commerce, and digital content. TRUE’s contact centers handle over 8 million annual customer calls covering topics such as account information inquiries, telephony needs, and technical support requests.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of Global - Analysis - The Future of Voice (Fixed, Mobile, VoIP) to their offering.

Despite retaining their role as cash cows for incumbent operators, fixed and mobile voice services are progressively being overtaken by broadband. Increasingly, operators will need to take a holistic view of the market, necessitating a total review of this 100-year-old product. For various reasons, fixed-line operators have not introduced significant new products, services or cost-saving technologies in the same way that mobile operators have. There is certainly room for new premium voice services, based on more intuitive navigation, CD sound quality and interactivity between handset and TV. Fixed-line voice will probably be with us forever, but will become a subset of broadband, instead of the other way around. Broadband will combine voice and data, providing the opportunity to open up a number of triple play markets. High mobile charges are also an interesting target for VoIP over wireless broadband. This report includes BuddeComm’s analysis of the future of voice, with a focus on fixed, mobile and VoIP.

Tpad announces the availability of a free SMS text service that will automatically setup a WiFi enabled mass-market mobile phone that will bring free or ultra low cost mobile VoIP calls to millions.

The SMS text service is currently configured for Nokia's latest E and N series phones and will be constantly updated when leading mobile phone producers such as Samsung and Motorola release their brand new WiFi phones later this year.

Mobile calls between Tpad users are free worldwide if the calls are routed over their WiFi Connection. All other PSTN calls from the user's WiFi mobile to any other landline or mobile in the world will be charged at the usual low Tpad VoIP rates.

Thomson's VoIP softswitches have been selected by the telecommunications group artelis for deployment of IP telephony by its subsidiaries in Luxembourg and Germany with more than 250,000 subscribers.

The owner of two telecommunication companies - Cegecom in Luxembourg and VSE NET in Germany, artelis also provides wholesale communications services to other operators. artelis has chosen Thomson's Cirpack VoIP platform in order to launch a double play offer packaged with primary line telephony to its residential customers as well as "IP centrex" services with advanced business features to enterprise customers.

Jangl announces the debut of its services in one of the world's fastest-growing social networks, PerfSpot.com, an eight million-member community designed to be the "perfect spot" for people to share, create, discover, and socialize. Jangl's free service will let PerfSpot members connect with each other via text messages, phone calls and voicemail all without sharing their real numbers.

In allying with PerfSpot, Jangl widens its lead as the company bridging consumers' online lives with their mobile devices. Jangl's texting, calling and voicemail services are now available in almost 90 million online profiles, with applications in top social web communities that include Facebook, Bebo, Match.com, Friendster, Plentyoffish.com, AdultFriendFinder, Tagged and Fubar.

Camiant has been selected to present at the "Mobile VoIP" panel being held at this year's CTIA Wireless 2008 conference, April 1-3, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The panel will focus on the maturity of mobile VoIP technology and provide real world insight into a multi-vendor Mobile VoIP trial. The panel will discuss the challenges of managing large scale Mobile VoIP within Mobile Broadband and will provide a comprehensive analysis of the most important business and technical aspects of its deployment. The panel is open to all CTIA Wireless 2008 attendees and will take place on Tuesday, April 1st from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM in Room N252 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

U.S. small businesses can soon take advantage of VoIP phone service on Microsoft Response Point phone systems to improve their business communications. At the third annual Microsoft Small Business Summit, Microsoft announced it will release a feature update, Service Pack 1, to its Microsoft Response Point phone system software this summer, available free via a simple download.

Response Point SP1 will enable small businesses to easily supplement their existing phone service with VoIP services. As customers become more comfortable with the reliability and quality of service offered by VoIP, they can seamlessly move from analog to VoIP without needing telephony expertise.

Although VoIP may be on its way to widespread adoption, research indicates that many US businesses haven’t yet taken steps to increase security for VoIP systems, reports In-Stat. As businesses extend their IP telephony deployments to locations beyond the LAN, securing the VoIP infrastructure will become increasingly important, the high-tech market research firm says.

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• Over 80% of survey respondents have deployed some type of VoIP solution in their companies.
• Between 2007 and 2010, 168 million IP PBX lines will be shipped into the business premises.
• Usage of collaboration and conferencing products that leverage VoIP is increasing.

A judge ruled in Vonage's favor barring the Nebraska Public Service Commissions from collecting a state service fee. This court order is the latest victory for Vonage in its fight to keep its customers from having to pay into state Universal Service Funds. The funds would help help subsidize phone and Internet services to poor and rural areas, schools and libraries.

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Vonage said other courts have sided with them in allowing Vonage to not pay regulations and fees.

U.S. District Court Judge Laurie Smith Camp of Lincoln agreed and ruled that the Public Service Commission cannot collect the fees from Vonage.

BitWine and JAJAH are pleased to announce their technology partnership. Consultants within the BitWine network specializing in categories from business to nutrition now have the ability to transfer their knowledge to individuals in need through a simple and affordable JAJAH phone call. JAJAH's Voice 2.0 platform merges VoIP and traditional telephony to connect two callers on regular phones -- landline or mobile -- via the Internet, allowing BitWine's community of experts to provide their professional services over any phone line, in real time.

BitWine allows experts to provide paid professional consultation via the web, whether on their own personal sites, BitWine's website, or via third-party online communities. BitWine enhances the value that online communities give their members while monetizing their loyalty. Participants or affiliates wishing to share their expertise on a paid basis can immediately connect to potential customers or they can interact as peers.