Tag Archive for ‘VOIP’ at LIRNEasia

Tag Archive for 'VOIP'

LIRNEasia’s Mobile Benchmarks (South Asia and Southeast Asia) and Broadband Benchmarks Report for October 2008 has been released. Click HERE for more information.

What do we know about Sri Lanka’s Telecentres?

Chanuka Wattegama

on November 20, 2008

Here are the summarised results from the telecenter operator survey done by LIRNEasia at the weCan workshop in October 2008. Sample was not representative, but large enough to get a general idea about the telecenter operations in Sri Lanka.

Out of a total of 147 operators surveyed, the bulk, 101 were from Nenasalas, the 500 odd telecenter network created under the World Bank funded e-Sri Lanka programme. 10 were from Sarvodaya multi-purpose telecenters and 6 from others (eg. public libraries) 30 have not specified the type of the telecenter.

Do telecenters in Sri Lanka make money? Yes. They report an average monthly income of Rs. 22,119. (=USD 201) This is associated with a relatively large standard deviation of Rs. 21,714 (= USD 197) indicating a variation within…

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Tags: Broadband, Colombo, electricity, ICT Agency, ICTA, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Internet charges, Internet services, Nenasala, odd telecenter network, print services, printing series, Rs, Sarvodaya, Sri Lanka, survey, telecenter, telecenter network, telecentre, USD, VOIP, weCAN, World Bank, World Bank The.

Internet telephony pioneers stumble

Lorraine Salazar

on October 3, 2007

Last updated 10:01am (Mla time) 10/03/2007, Philippine Daily Inquirer

NEW YORK–In spite of its global popularity, Internet telephony (VoIP), which is almost free for users, has not become a gold mine for its pioneers such as Skype and Vonage.

Popular online auction firm eBay, which bought Skype two years ago for $2.6 billion, affirmed that message in a costly way earlier this week when it devalued the once-darling firm, knocking $1.43 billion off its value.

The accounting move was long anticipated.

“We are glad to see eBay admit that it overpaid for Skype and that much-hyped synergies have not yet materialized to any large extent,” said global financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald.

“We have struggled with the economics of the Skype transaction relative to the financial expectations for the business.”

Read…

1 Comment
Tags: Cantor Fitzgerald, eBay, financial services, Internet Telephony, Internet telephony pioneers, IP telephony, New York, Skype, USD, VOIP.

The rural revolution

Abu Saeed Khan

on August 31, 2007

In the remote agricultural province of Lao Cai in Vietnam a few shared community phones are being replaced with high-speed WiMAX broadband connections and VoIP telephony for thousands of residents.

In rural Cambodia, a new 3G/UMTS mobile network is being deployed for delivery of high-bandwidth wireless services, including live streaming of mobile TV channels.

In rural India, farmers can monitor crop prices and place orders for goods electronically by visiting broadband “community centers” that are taking root around the country.

All are examples of a “rural revolution” enveloping less-developed countries in
Asia and around the world, made possible by advanced telecommunications technologies such as Wi-Fi, WiMAX and 3G.

This revolution is bringing high-speed Internet access and next-generation telephony to millions of users who previously had little or…

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Tags: 3G, Asia, basic telecoms services, Broadband, Cambodia, high-bandwidth wireless services, HIGH-speed Internet access, India, telecommunications technologies, telephony, Vietnam, VOIP.

Travails of Internet telephony

Rohan Samarajiva

on July 18, 2007

Many think that VoIP is the solution to all telecom problems. It is a solution, but not to all problems. It does not give you something for nothing, in the long run, though in the short term, something may be had for almost nothing.

The articles describes the problems faced by VoIP operators in the US, where the basic infrastructure is already in place. In countries of the South, we have to keep in mind that the fiber has not been laid; the households have not all been connected; etc.

Internet Phone Company Halts Operations - New York Times

Start-ups like SunRocket and Vonage, the largest and best known of the group, tend to offer only phone service, and they do not have the ability of the larger…

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Tags: basic infrastructure, Canada, Internet Phone Company Halts Operations - New York Time, Internet Telephony, IP telephony, New York, Pali Research, Puerto Rico, Richard Greenfield, start-up, SunRocket, telecommunications lines, United States, USD, VOIP, Vonage.

VoIP is a four-letter word in USA

Abu Saeed Khan

on July 10, 2007

A new report from the North American research house, Instat, reveals that the US is way behind its European cousins in consumer Voice over IP (VoIP) adoption – and this despite the fact that 2006 was a particularly good year for the technology globally with the wordwide total of VoIP subscribers increasing by 34 million.

The leading European VoIP adopters over the course of 2006 were France, Germany, and the
Netherlands. According to Instat analyst, Keith Nissen, “The EU market increased by over 14 million subscribers last year largely due to local loop unbundling, the introduction of cable telephony and triple-play service bundles as well as operator consolidation.”

By contrast the US added a mere four million new VoIP subscribers over the same period. Keith Nissen says US…

2 Comments
Tags: cable telephony, European Union, France, Germany, Instat, Keith Nissen, The Netherlands, United States, voice-over-IP, VOIP.

Economics of international telephony and Bangladesh

Abu Saeed Khan

on May 19, 2007

Bangladesh government seems to be convinced to open its last monopolistic area of telecommunications; international telephony. This is a good initiative, which needs to be supported as it would bring quality and cheap international telecoms services. However looking at the on-going debate on various aspects of this subject in the name of “VoIP Licensing” no one seems to focus on the most important area: Whether Bangladesh will come out as winner or loser after liberalization in terms of valuable foreign exchange? Pakistan’s Regulatory Consultant M. Aslam Hayat writes.

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Tags: Bangladesh, Bangladesh Bangladesh government, M. Aslam Hayat, Pakistan, telecommunications, telecoms services, telephony, VOIP.

Following successful course, LIRNEasia plans regular offerings; next course in March 2008 in Singapore

Rohan Samarajiva

on March 19, 2007

Report on the 11th LIRNE.NET Executive Training Course on Regulation, 25 February – 3 March 2007, conducted by LIRNEasia and CONNECTasia Forum Pte.Ltd.

Rohan Samarajiva, Course Director

The 11th LIRNE.NET course on “Telecom Reform: Strategies to achieve connectivity and convergence,” was held February 25th - March 3rd, 2007 at the Changi Village Hotel, Singapore. It was attended by 33 persons from 13 countries, ranging from Mongolia to Congo and South Africa to Bhutan.

Among the participants were 13 persons from regulatory agencies, including three members of regulatory collegiums. Eleven persons from the management of telecom operators, and nine from research organizations, universities and civil society made up the balance. Twenty were men; and 13 women.

The course had two components: a conventional lecture and assignment based module of five…

3 Comments
Tags: Bhutan, Bill Melody, Broadband, Changi Village, Changi Village Hotel, China, Congo, CONNECTasia Forum Pte.Ltd, Dialog Telekom, Evan Due, Hans Wijayasuriya, Harsha de Silva, Hong Kong, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, ITU, M. H. Au, Mongolia, Rajendra Singh, Rohan Samarajiva, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Studies, The 11th LIRNE.NET, Tim Kelly, Universal Service Funds, VOIP.

Is there a future for international voice?

Rohan Samarajiva

on December 1, 2006

Here is what Telegeography has to say on the subject:

Computer-based Voice over IP (VoIP) is nothing new, but Skype is the first such service to break into the mainstream, attracting millions of users worldwide. Skype had 1 million simultaneous users within six months of the release of its first version for Windows in July 2004. By the end of the third quarter of 2006, Skype had 136 million registered users, and the number of users online now regularly exceeds 8 million. These users generated about 6.6 billion minutes of traffic in the third quarter of 2006, and are on track to make over 27 billion minutes of PC-to-PC calls this year. About half of Skype’s traffic is international.

This has prompted worries that Skype–and similar services–could…

2 Comments
Tags: Cable & Wireless, carrier traffic, similar services, Stephan Beckert, telephone network, voice-over-IP, VOIP.

Colloquium on Sri Lanka’s Telecommunications Sector: A Tale of Missed Opportunities?

Tahani Iqbal

on November 28, 2006

As part of the Six Country Indicators Project, Malathy presented the interim findings from the Sri Lankan country study (over Skype). The study assesses Sri Lanka’s telecom sector and regulatory performance. It employs the common methodology and list of indicators adopted for the Six Country study.

1 Comment
Tags: CDMA, India, PSTN, Sri Lanka, VOIP, VoIP technology.

Colloquium: Indonesia Sector Performance/Indicators study

Ayesha Zainudeen

on November 9, 2006

As part of the Six Country Indicators Project, Divakar presents the interim findings from the Indonesia country study. The study assesses Indonesia’s telecom sector and regulatory performance. It employs the common methodology and list of indicators adopted for the Six Country study.

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Tags: 2G services, 3G, ADSL, Bakrie Group, Fixed wireless operators, fixed wireless subscriber, GSM, Harsha de Silva, India, Indonesia, Internet access, Internet penetration, ISP, Java, Lorraine Carlos Salazar, mobile Internet, New government, Philippines, PT Indosat, PT Telekom, Satelindo, Singapore, Thailand, VOIP, wireless access.

Nepal Parliament directs unlicensing of WiFi frequencies

Rohan Samarajiva

on August 25, 2006

There has been considerable discussion in Sri Lanka about the need to unlicense the 2.4 GHz band used for WiFi. The Director General has assured that a Gazette reducing the license fees to LKR 100 is on the way (it would good if this can be posted on the TRC website).

While this constitutes significant progress and is indicative of the progressive approach of the current leadership at the TRC, the fact remains that a license fee of LKR 0 with a postcard notification, or complete unlicensing is the right solution. A user will have to spend hours if not days especially if he/she lives outside Colombo) fullfilling the requirements of a s. 22 license; transaction costs will exceed the LKR 100 that is to be…

4 Comments
Tags: Colombo, Development Committee, LKR, Mahabir Pun, Ministry of Information & Communications, Nepal, Nepal Government, Nepal Parliament, Nepal Telecommunication Authority, Nepal Telecoms Authority, Parliamentary Committee, Satish Kharel, Shohan Bahadur Nyachon, Sri Lanka, Suresh Kumar Pudasaini, Tanka Rai, VOIP, Wireless Networking project.

Talk is cheap and getting cheaper

Sriganesh Lokanathan

on August 15, 2006

With so many options becoming available to consumers to circumvent their mobiles and fixed phones, I wonder how much longer we can expect a single tier internet.

The linked BBC article examines some new VOIP companies which are providing last mile access (for PC/PHone to phone communication) for free.

1 Comment
Tags: BBC, tier internet, VOIP.

Taipei to replace cellular with wifi?

Abu Saeed Khan

on July 12, 2006

Taipei to replace cellular with wifi?
10 July 2006

Source: www.telecoms.com/itmgcontent/tcoms/news/articles/20017362396.html
Taipei’s City Government has launched a voice over wifi trial it believes could lead to 200,000 using the technology by year end.

Dubbed ‘Taipei Easy Call’ the service is based on Taipei’s city-wide “WiFly” WLAN network and is backed by ten companies, including the Taipei Computer Association (TCA).

The idea is to saturate Taipei with wifi hot spots enabling those taking part in the trial to switch from regular cellular networks to wifi when a signal is available.

“This is the world’s first internet phone system using the whole city, rather than a spot, as a wireless operation environment,” Mr Wongg of the TCA told AFP news agency.

According to reports the initiative will also involve switching schools and government offices…

2 Comments
Tags: AFP, internet phone system, internet telephony system, Ma Ying-jeou, regular cellular networks, taipei, Taipei Computer Association, Taipei\'s City Government, VOIP, wireless operation environment, WLAN, Wongg, www.telecoms.com/itmgcontent/tcoms/news/articles/200173.

FCC to levy USF charges on web phones

Sriganesh Lokanathan

on July 6, 2006

June 21 (Bloomberg) — Vonage Holdings Corp. and other providers of Internet-based telephone service must help subsidize services in rural and low-income areas, U.S. regulators said.

A rule adopted today by the Federal Communications Commission requires providers of Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, service to contribute 10.5 percent of their long-distance revenue to the Universal Service Fund if the calls pass through traditional phone networks. Mobile-phone companies such as Cingular Wireless LLC may have to pay more as well.

“We take these actions because we recognize the changing telecommunications marketplace,” FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said during a meeting today. The rule is an interim measure that will help maintain the stability of the fund while the commission works to create a long-term, “technology-neutral” contribution system, Martin…

1 Comment
Tags: Cingular Wireless LLC, Federal Communications Commission, Internet-based telephone service, Kevin Martin, phone networks, telecommunications marketplace, United States, Universal Service Fund, voice over internet protocol, VOIP, Vonage Holdings Corp..

Cheaper alternative to mobile phone calls?

Ayesha Zainudeen

on July 6, 2006

BBC News | Taipei to embrace net telephones

The city of Taipei, in Taiwan, could have 200,000 people making phone calls using wi-fi by the end of 2006.
Ten companies are pushing a “Taipei Easy Call” initiative which involves mobiles which can switch between calls using wi-fi and the phone network.

“If this is successful, then the model could be copied in cities elsewhere in the world,” said Daniel Wongg, of the Taipei Computer Association.

The wi-fi mobiles provide a cheaper alternative to mobile phone calls.

6 Comments
Tags: AFP, BBC, cellular telephone, Daniel Wongg, internet phone system, internet phones, internet telephony system, Ma Ying, phone network, taipei, Taipei Computer Association, Taiwan, voice over internet protocol, VOIP, Wi-Fi, wireless operation environment.

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