Follow-up: VoIP at LinuxWorld; Digium, Inveneo Make Waves

Even though the LinuxWorld Conference & Expo probably doesn't compare to previous week's VoIP Developer Conference, there are still a few highlights for independent software vendors (ISVs) in the packet communications space in San Francisco.

Digium, the creator of the Asterisk open source IP PBX solution, has leveraged the spotlight of the LinuxWorld San Francisco show to introduce new dual span hardware cards offering added cost reductions for Asterisk-based applications requiring only two ports.

Meanwhile, CommuniGate Systems, a division of Stalker Software of Germany, has kicked off a contest challenging Linux programmers to develop the best "voice application" using CG/PL (CommuniGate Programming Language) and the top VoIP application developed will be packaged with the new release of CommuniGate Pro 5.0. In addition, Inveneo released the software and system design of the solar- and bicycle-powered communications system that was first demonstrated at TMC's VoIP Developer show. (Photos)

"Open source will continue to play an important role in the evolution of telecom, and we are determined to be at the forefront of the innovations," said Mark Spencer, president of Digium.

But Digium's release comes on the heels of a new virtual plug-and-play "appliance" called foneBRIDGE from Redfone Communications that used can be used instead of Digium cards in conjunction with Asterisk. However, Redfone's product is admittedly more expensive.

Digium said its new dual span T1/E1 PCI hardware, the TE205P card and the TE210P card, supports T1 and E1 environments and are selectable on a per-card or per-port basis. This two-span feature enables signaling translation between E1 and T1 equipment and allows inexpensive T1 channel banks to connect with E1 circuits. The TE205P is for use only with a 5.0-volt PCI slot. The TE210P is for use only with a 3.3-volt PCI slot.

Asterisk is also at the heart of the Linux architecture that Inveneo used to develop its solar- and bicycle-powered Linux-based communications system, the non-profit social enterprise organization announced separately. Along with the Open Source Linux code released today, Inveneo admitted that its solution uses standard off-the-shelf PC, VoIP and Wi-Fi components that have been ruggedized as well as open source software adapted for the local environment and language.

"Inveneo has completely embraced the open source development philosophy to bring modern communications to a part of the world that that has minimal communications infrastructure," Spencer added. "We fully support Inveneo’s efforts to narrow the digital divide."

Inveneo is working with various international relief organizations, to install this remote ICT solution in a number of remote villages. Through a series of transmitters and receivers, the Inveneo solution relays connectivity from the nearest PSTN connection thus providing telephone and Internet service. Inveneo’s Linux-based PC with built-in VoIP hardware is designed to withstand the tropical and desert climates of Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. The solution has no moving parts and is designed to be serviced remotely, if required. Inveneo is releasing its software and the solution hardware design to allow others to deploy remote systems.

"We at Inveneo believe that Linux and Linux developers can bring profound, positive change to people’s lives," CEO Mark Summer said. "To this end, we’ve made Inveneo’s Linux software available to as many people as possible to inspire others to build systems that help more villages benefit from access to Internet and VoIP communications."

As for CommuniGate Systems' contest, the company is offering $3,000 in cash and a free license of CommuniGate Pro 5.0 (100 users) as well as the notoriety within the CommuniGate community. Details of the contest can be found on the company's official press advisory.

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Robert Liu is Executive Editor at TMCnet. Previously, he was Executive Editor at Jupitermedia and has also written for CNN, A&E, Dow Jones and Bloomberg. For more articles, please visit Robert Liu's columnist page.

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