News in Review for 9/1/06

Some news stories the past few days that merit a mention:

VoIP quality claimed to beat PSTN - worldwide
According to testing company, Minacom, VoIP phone service worldwide "now sounds better and connects faster than the standard public-switched phone network (PSTN)." However this achievement does not extend to the likes of Skype and GoogleTalk.

Minacom says that data collected over the last 12 months by its standards-based, single-ended service quality test system show that the qua lity of VoIP services offered by telcos, cable operators, and broadband VoIP providers has increased steadily over the past year, with an average Mean Opinion Score (MOS) of 4.2, compared to 3.9 for the PSTN. MOS, an International Telecommunication Union standard, is commonly used to describe speech quality. It ranges from 1 (worst) to 5 (best).

I've already mentioned this. While some folks are questioning Minacom's methodology, what's important here is that VoIP quality isn't a show-stopping factor any more. It's equal to or better than PSTN quality in many cases.

VoIP progress satisfies telecoms sector
01.09.2006 - Overall, Ireland’s telecoms industry is satisfied with the progress of voice over IP to date and steps taken so far, the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) claimed yesterday.

The regulator says it has taken a light-handed approach to regulating the onset of VoIP in order to minimise the barriers to entry.

ComReg says that the onset of VoIP enables greater competition in the Irish market and greater choice for consumers.

This is perhaps larger than it might appear at first glance. Ireland has become a tech powerhouse when it comes to communications and high tech. The development and technical resources there continue to grow, and they seem to often be a trend-setting early adopter in communications technologies.

Kagan Reports on Cable VOIP
MONTEREY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 30, 2006--A new study from Kagan Research reports that in the second half of 2006 cable operators are riding a wave of investor optimism related to the accelerating rollout of Internet Protocol (IP) voice services and the accompanying halo effect on basic subscriber retention and overall revenue per subscriber. Kagan's BROADBAND CABLE FINANCIAL DATABOOK (26th edition) describes the cable industry's stand-out growth stats in a myriad of categories.

The Kagan report is of interest to trend spotters. with some important highlights:

Cable IP voice homes marketed will leap from 31.2 mil. at the end of 2005 to an estimated 68.7 mil. by year-end 2006;
Cable IP voice subs have gone from 600K at year-end 2004 to 2.6 mil. at year-end 2005, and are forecast to jump to 6.5 mil. by year-end 2006.
High-speed data penetration of basic video subscribers hit 39% at year-end 2005 (vs. 32% at year-e 2004) and is expected to grow to 45% by year-end 2006.
Digital cable subs now surpass 30 mil., based on a projected increase from 28.6 mil. at year-end 2005 to 31.6 mil. at year-end 2006.
In 2006, total residential revenue is expected to grow 9.6% to $68.2 bil., at an average ARPU of $87.04 (vs. the $79.42 of 2005).

Sprint settles lawsuit with VoIP providers
Sprint Nextel has settled a roughly year-old lawsuit with two companies which Sprint alleged were infringing on its patents.
In October 2005, Reston-based Sprint filed a lawsuit against VoiceGlo Holdings, now tglo.com, and Theglobe.com alleging that the two companies, providers of voice over Internet protocol telephone services and equipment, infringed seven patents owned by communications provider Sprint (NYSE: S).
As part of the settlement, tglo.com and Theglobe.com (OTCBB: TGLO) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., have entered into a non-exclusive license for Sprint's patents.

Other Stories:
Sprint Partially Settles VoIP Patent Dispute
Sprint, Theglobe.com Settle Patent Dispute But Vonage Case Still ...
Sprint settles patent dispute with tglo.com, Theglobe.com
Wireless Week
Kansas City Star

Nokia N80 Internet Edition: smartphone with VoIP, Yahoo Go for Mobile
Nokia's latest smartphone is appropriately titled the N80 Internet Edition. It's a littler smaller than your average smartphone, which makes it more portable.

Among the Internet functions available are VoIP calling, Web browsing, ebook reading, and photo sharing. An agreement with search engine giant Yahoo has enabled use of the Yahoo Go for Mobile installation.

This being a phone, it also has cellular capabilities, of the quad-band GSM/WCDMA variety. If you're looking to make a VoIP call, the WLAN wizard finds the nearest hotspot for you and logs right on.