I've spotted several news items that bear mentioning. I've grouped a series together here.

VoIP may be next for archiving regulations

 

Will VoIP conversations have to be stored like emails to keep in with data laws?

Martin Courtney, IT Week 15 May 2006

 

IT chiefs were have been warned to prepare for the possibility of new corporate governance rules that would require them to keep records of voice-over-IP (VoIP) conversations alongside email, instant messaging and other forms of communication.

    While this story is centered in the UK, record retention issues, especially where Sarbannes-Oxley compliance is a concern, are likely to send ripples across the pond toward the US. This is an issue we'll be faced with in the US.

VoIP engine targets Windows Mobile devices Spirit DSP has launched an SDK (software development kit) for building VoIP (voice over IP) capabilities into Windows Mobile devices. TeamSpirit Mobile enables high quality voice and video on resource-constrained devices, and is the first engine to run VoIP on CPUs with clock rates below 200 MHz, the company claims.

 This story caught my eye as Spirit DSP is one of the companies I have queued up for an interview soon. Mobility is a huge business drvier. This announcement looks to play directly into fixed mobile convergence. 

Airspan Announces "VoiceWIP" -- VoIP Admission Control Over Airspan's WiPLL Networks

Airspan Combines WipLL and VoIP to Provide High Quality Voice

BOCA RATON, FL --  (MARKET WIRE) -- 05/15/2006 --  Airspan Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AIRN), a leading world-wide provider of WiMAX-based broadband wireless access networks and carrier class Voice over Internet Protocols (VoIP) and Wi-Fi Hotzone systems, today announced the launch of "VoiceWIP," a software suite that gives operators using Airspan's WipLL systems the ability to provide VoIP admission control and to control the user experience of VoIP calls over WipLL networks.

On all IP-based wireless networks such as WipLL, the capacity available to any user varies over time.  Factors such as the number of other users, the radio conditions, and the type of compression used determine the maximum capacity of calls a wireless base station can support.  VoiceWIP enables a wireless operator to prevent network congestion.  The software's call admission control, a term well known in the VoIP world, prevents oversubscription of VoIP traffic.  It allows an operator to control the type of traffic allowed on a particular network or segment of a network, preventing existing voice traffic from degrading in quality as additional traffic tries to gain access.  VoiceWIP enables an operator to allocate a specific amount of bandwidth for voice calls.  Without VoiceWIP, overbooking can easily take place, resulting in call degradation and/or call disconnection for callers.  With VoiceWIP, an operator can guarantee a consistent voice quality to its subscribers at all times.

Another fixed mobile convergence player, with a bent toward WiMAX. While current WiFi offerings are popular and widely deployed, the technology has some limitations. Even in an outdoor meshed environment, the costs often outweight the returns. WiMAX holds great promise for the next generation of wireless LAN technologies.

Selligent, LignUp Combine VoIP, CRM Products

By David Sims

TMCnet Contributing Editor

Selligent, a European vendor of CRM products, and LignUp Corporation, a vendor of converged communications products, have announced a partnership to deliver communications-enabled business process (CEBP) products by integrating the LignUp Communications Platform with Selligent’s enterprise and web-based customer relationship management products.

I've written several posts pointing out the real value in convergence - the integration of applications and network servcies. Here's another of a CRM and VoIP solution in the offing.

Analysts: Telco Rivals Cannot Promise More Privacy       By Sinead Carew, Reuters and Yinka Adegoke, Reuters May 16, 2006 NEW YORK (Reuters)—Consumers concerned that the largest U.S. telephone companies may have let the government track call records might find few options for more privacy, despite increasing competition in the market, analysts said. USA Today reported Thursday that the National Security Agency was compiling millions of call records from Verizon Communications, AT&T Inc and BellSouth Corp., to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist plots.

Recent news stories about NSA monitoring and privacy of communications have taken center stage in many conversations. The telco issue of wiretaps today is also a VoIP issue that raises its head often.