Droplet Technology has acquired privately-held Sipcall. Christian Rees, Sipcall's President and Founder, has joined Droplet as Director of Service Platforms. Financial details of the deal were not announced.

In April 2008, Sipcall launched "Hipsip," a mobile data service that allows users to make carrier-friendly VoIP calls worldwide from any mobile phone's web browser, using only their local mobile calling plan. Droplet has already begun integration of the Sipcall SIP infrastructure into Droplet's interactive mobile video service platform.

Ingate has entered a partnership agreement with Codima. Ingate and Codima will create a vertical offering to provide SIP-based VoIP pre-assessment and post-deployment tools from Codima Toolbox combined with Ingate Firewall and Ingate SIParator products, to enable successful VoIP installations.

The market for Unified Communications is expanding rapidly and the partnership leverages the need for robust SIP-based VoIP solutions. Organizations today are looking for new opportunities to communicate such as Instant Messaging, presence, conferencing capabilities, the ability to share applications and more. At the same time, they are relying on their business-critical communications systems to perform 24/7. Opening up new ways to communicate cost-efficiently, SIP-based VoIP installations benefit from the innovative technologies developed by Codima and Ingate.

CounterPath has launched Bria for Microsoft Outlook. The offering integrates CounterPath's softphone technology directly into Microsoft Outlook, providing users with all-in-one access to their VoIP and personal information manager services. Appearing as part of Outlook's toolbar, the Bria plug-in provides a non-intrusive VoIP interface that does not infringe on the PIM's traditional three-pane design or workspace real estate - preserving the productivity benefits of Outlook while integrating value-added VoIP services.

Enterprise customers will be able to get a bigger bang for their VoIP buck by leveraging several enhancements to Verizon Business' leading global VoIP portfolio.

New capabilities announced Thursday (Dec. 4) include:

• A new Verizon VoIP Interoperability Lab where customers can test drive the compatibility of their premises equipment with Verizon's VoIP or IP Contact Center products.
• Certification of an additional Nortel IP PBX for Verizon's IP Trunking offering.
• Availability in Europe of automatic call rerouting for VoIP customers, to provide business-continuity benefits unavailable in a traditional voice-communications environment.

Coms launched its VoIP DECT System, a fully wireless version of its VoIP business telephony service. The Coms Wireless VoIP DECT system gives customers crystal clear voice coverage from 300 meters to an area up to 64 Sq kilometres using repeaters and additional base stations. Handset battery life is also dramatically improved, allowing 150 hours of standby and 10 hours of talktime, as well as access to all the usual business telephone system features e.g. call hold, call transfer, voice mail to email, etc.

Several years ago, VoIP was one of the hottest and most hyped technologies in the communications industry. Today, with approximately 30 percent of all international voice traffic occurring over VoIP, people are wondering what's next? What does the future of VoIP look like?

Nortel knows one thing is for sure - the future of VoIP is more than just voice. VoIP is a building block for next-generation networks that include both voice and multimedia to enable innovative communications applications. Nortel has deployed more than 100 million VoIP ports around the world and believes that the future of VoIP is all about changing our lives, homes and businesses in interesting new ways.

Described by Apple itself as the ‘funnest’ iPod ever, the iPod touch may now be the ‘useful-est’ too thanks to FREE software - Truphone for iPod touch - that effectively turns one into a mobile phone.

Not only is the software free, but calls made using Truphone’s application for the iPod touch are also FREE - just in time to save precious cash when making those Christmas calls to friends and family.

Packet8 has joined national efforts to relieve cash-flow burdens on small businesses by reducing monthly service charges for its Virtual Office Business Phone Service by 50% for new subscribers.

Normally priced at $49.99 per month/extension, Virtual Office hosted PBX phone service, an all inclusive Internet-based telecommunications solution which combines unlimited local and long distance calling with advanced PBX features, is now available to companies who subscribe by December 31, 2008 for a monthly fee of $24.99/extension or a one-time annual fee of $250/extension for the first year of service. New customers must purchase 8x8's new Internet protocol phones and agree to keep service for a minimum of one year in order to be eligible for the promotion.

Nortel has selected Verizon IP Trunking service with Burstable Enterprise Shared Trunks, which will enable Nortel to consolidate its U.S. corporate voice infrastructure. Under a new three-year agreement, Nortel will evolve its traditional voice system to Verizon IP Trunking VoIP service, which is based on SIP. In addition, Verizon Business will manage Nortel's existing Verizon Private IP network, enabling Nortel to benefit from expanded managed network service capabilities and industry-leading service level agreements.

Streamcore released its 5.2 software for its StreamGroomer appliances and centralized management. The new software offers enhanced capabilities for managing and measuring end users’ quality of experience at branch offices.

D-Link and New Global Telecom agree to co-market phones and services for small business users using Microsoft Response Point. The pairing of NGT Digital Voice phone services that connect directly to the D-Link VoiceCenter phone system will provide the small business with an affordable solution to seamlessly merge traditional phone systems with feature-rich, affordable VoIP services without needing telephony expertise. By creating an all-in-one phone solution, small businesses can realize an increased value proposition, saving up to 50% in costs.

Raketu Mobile for Google's G1 Android mobile has been released. The new service allows anyone with a G1 using roaming data services or WiFi to connect to the Raketu mobile services to make phone-to-phone calls, send sms-text messages and email, send and receive instant messages, store and share pictures, and more, all without a download. The new service is in addition to Raketu's existing communications, information, entertainment and social networking features where users can make international calls computer-to-computer, computer-to-phone and phone-to-phone, send sms-text messages, instant message, and email totally free or at Raketu's ultra-low rates -- all from any device, anywhere in the world, mobile or desktop/laptop.

Cellcrypt releases its Cellcrypt Mobile v4.0 to provide end-to-end voice encryption on Nokia Smartphones and, for the first time, on a range of Windows Mobile devices.

Cellcrypt Mobile 4.0 delivers a radical change in the way sensitive conversations are protected on mobile phones, ensuring you can talk in complete confidence wherever you are on the latest commercially available handsets. Cellcrypt Mobile is a next generation software solution that is easy to download and run on standard mobile phones and uses VOIP to deliver secure phone calls with unparalleled voice quality, low voice delays, global coverage and international call capability across 3G or GPRS mobile networks and Wifi.

Allin is pleased to announce that they have earned the third Unified Communications competency specialization in Voice through the Microsoft Partner Program. Earning the Voice specialization requires the completion of competency testing and a rigorous technical readiness program that includes specific staffing requirements and an internal deployment of the complete Microsoft Unified Communications offering. Microsoft partners who achieve the Microsoft Unified Communications competency Voice specialization are qualified by Microsoft to deploy Microsoft unified communications technologies such as Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, including VoIP and audio, video, and Web conferencing.