By Amy Tierney, TMCnet Web Editor
Digium, the Asterisk Company, and Skype, an online videoconferencing service provider, today announced the availability of Skype for Asterisk.
The Skype for Asterisk technology brings Skype features and functionality to Digium's Asterisk software, which lets customers make, receive and transfer Skype calls from within their Asterisk phone systems. It encrypts all voice calls and lets businesses manage their Skype accounts through Skype's Web-based Business Control Panel, according to the company.
By Marisa Torrieri, TMCnet Editor
As Pandora expands its mobile presence, Tim Westergren, one of the company's founders and its chief strategy officer, spoke to me on the eve of ITEXPO West, which takes place Sept. 1 to 3 in Los Angeles, about the company's excitement over 4G, as well as his thoughts on the iPhone application's possible expansion to other carrier networks.
By Erik Linask, Group Editorial Director
Everything is becoming more social, Dunay predicts, and non-social networkers will run the risk of becoming social outcasts in 20 years.
By Erik Linask, Group Editorial Director
Hmmm, take the two slowest moving providers in the traditional industry and force them to reconcile a completely overlapping business model, product offer and distribution model and what will you get? Massive opportunities for competitors, I guess.
By Erik Linask, Group Editorial Director
Current economic conditions are prompting many customers to listen to offers with short term benefits, ignoring customer care efforts designed to build long-term loyalty. Those in the communication industry must deal with the conflict of investing to retain and grow a larger percentage of their customer base by providing additional value vs. competing on short term promotions as a defensive measure.
By Erik Linask, Group Editorial Director
As an industry, we've certainly come to the point where a customer won't even consider new technologies unless the vendor can demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt that the product or application will have a profound impact on the bottom line. If this need cannot be proven, chances are it will be a very short conversation.
By Marisa Torrieri, TMCnet Editor
Allied Fiber CEO Hunter Newby - whose Manhattan-based company is working to pave the way for wide broadband access, wireless backhaul and lower latency through next-generation long haul dark fiber construction - sheds some light on this question at his ITEXPO West 2009 panel, "How New Fiber Drives Broadband VoIP," on Tuesday, at 12:45 p.m.
By Erik Linask, Group Editorial Director
The communications industry, while not entirely immune to it, has felt less of an impact that most during the economic downturn that has crippled more than just a few companies (even some in the telecom space). In fact, many telecom providers and vendors have experienced growth during the recession, like 8x8, which recently moved into a new corporate headquarters facility that could accommodate its growth.
By Kelly McGuire, TMCnet Editor
IQ Services' Vice President, Business Development, Mike Burke will be speaking during the session on topics including performance management reporting, call monitoring and multi-layer monitoring as a means for proactively managing a call center.
By Tim Gray, TMCnet Web Editor
Montreal-based provider of multimedia and signaling technologies and platforms Dialogic Corporation has introduced its latest open source project designed to allow developers access to portions of its product portfolio in an effort to expand communications technologies among the community.
By Michael Dinan, TMCnet Editor
According to Laith Zalzalah - director of carrier and hosted solutions at Mitel, whose international headquarters are in Kanata, Ont. - the situation is akin to computers with word processing applications that made typewriters obsolete without fully replacing every single feature or capability of a typewriter.
By Marisa Torrieri, TMCnet Editor
Whether a company is just beginning to plan, or is already deep in the trenches of developing a UC strategy, Tuesday morning's panel discussion, "Unified Communications in the Contact Center," kicks off ITEXPO West 2009 on Tuesday at 9 a.m., is a must-attend event.
By Bob Emmerson, TMC European Editor
Smart grids need wide area deployment of smart utility meters. Meshed RF technology creates local area grids that aggregate meter data and cut communication costs. Home displays bring consumers into the loop and encourage the use of alternative energy resources. And there's more.
A European directive in 2006 required governments to ensure that customers have meters that provide actual overall and time-of-use consumption levels. The meters must be "financially reasonable and proportionate to the potential energy saving." In Holland, my backyard, the energy authority wants all households to have a smart meter, but nothing is mandated: it's down to the free market.
