From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Jun 29 03:24:38 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i5T7Obl27377; Tue, 29 Jun 2004 03:24:38 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 03:24:38 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200406290724.i5T7Obl27377@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #309 TELECOM Digest Tue, 29 Jun 2004 03:23:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 309 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telecom Update (Canada) #439, June 28, 2004 (John Riddell) Re: Internet Phone Service For Every Home Not Far Off (Matt Simpson) Re: Internet Phone Service For Every Home Not Far Off (Justin Time) Pizza... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID Info? (JV) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (Clark W. Griswold, Jr.) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (Ray Normandeau) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Brad Houser) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (John R. Levine) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Joseph) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Gary Breuckman) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Lincoln J. King-Cliby) Leader: The Dirty Little Secret of VoIP (VOIP News) Qovia Readies Tool To Block VoIP Spam (VOIP News) EyeTV 500 HDTV Digital Video Recorder For the Mac (Monty Solomon) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 11:29:32 -0400 From: John Riddell Subject: Telecom Update (Canada) #439, June 28, 2004 ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 439: June 28, 2004 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** ALLSTREAM: www.allstream.com ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca ** CYGCOM INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES: www.cygcom.com ** GROUP TELECOM: www.360.net ** JUNIPER NETWORKS: www.juniper.net ** PRIMUS CANADA: www.primustel.ca ** SPRINT CANADA: www.sprint.ca ** TELUS: www.telus.com ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Shaw Plans 2005 VoIP Launch ** Telus Bid for Microcell Extended ** 10% of Bell Staff Offered Early Retirement ** Bell Union Rejects Contract Offer ** Wi-LAN Sues Cisco for Patent Infringement ** 62 Million on U.S. Do Not Call List ** PrimeLine Destandardized, But Not Canceled ** Telus Appeals Labour Board Ruling ** Cities Want Emergency Access to 9-1-1 Databases ** Telus, Bell Block Some Overseas Calls ** AirIQ to Buy U.S. Telematics Company ** Telus Fast Dial-Up Offered in Quebec ** VoIP Startup Wholesales Long Distance ** VoIP Associations Merge ** Comdex Show Canceled ** Hennessy Confirmed in Top Job at CCTA ** Should VoIP Be Regulated? ============================================================ SHAW PLANS 2005 VoIP LAUNCH: Shaw Communications says it will launch IP-based residential telephone service in western Canada early in 2005. It will obtain wholesale VoIP services, including PSTN interconnection and long distance, from Bell Canada. Siemens will provide the softswitch platform. ** In the three months ended May 31 Shaw's subscriber base increased 2% (Internet), 1.5% (satellite), and 0.1% (basic cable). Consolidated service revenue for the quarter was 8.8% higher than last year. TELUS BID FOR MICROCELL EXTENDED: Telus has extended the deadline for its hostile takeover bid for Microcell to July 22, and has changed the conditions so that only a majority of shares (not two-thirds) must be tendered. ** By the original June 22 deadline, holders of only 14,877 of Microcell's Class A and Class B shares had accepted Telus's offer. Microcell has over 29,300,000 outstanding Class A and B shares. 10% OF BELL STAFF OFFERED EARLY RETIREMENT: As part of a program to cut yearly costs by $1 billion, Bell Canada has offered an early retirement package to about 4,500 of its 42,500 employees. A similar offer has been made to 2,300 unionized employees as part of current contract negotiations. (see next item) BELL UNION REJECTS CONTRACT OFFER: The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union has recommended rejection of Bell Canada's contract offer to 7,000 employees. A membership vote on whether to authorize strike action is currently underway: the results will be announced July 12. ** Bell Canada says its contract offer includes no change to job security provisions, a "wage settlement well aligned to the market," and enhanced benefits. WI-LAN SUES CISCO FOR PATENT INFRINGEMENT: Calgary-based wireless broadband developer Wi-LAN is suing Cisco in the Federal Court of Canada for allegedly infringing Wi-LAN patents for OFDM technology. A previous Wi-LAN suit against Cisco was settled in 2001. 62 MILLION ON U.S. DO NOT CALL LIST: In the 12 months since the Do Not Call Registry was launched in the U.S., consumers have registered 62 million phone numbers and reported 428,000 possible violations. About 200 companies had more than 100 complaints filed against them. PRIMELINE DESTANDARDIZED, BUT NOT CANCELED: CRTC Telecom Order 2004-201 rejects Bell Canada's application to discontinue PrimeLine service entirely, until the telco demonstrates "that most PrimeLine subscribers have been smoothly and satisfactorily migrated from the service." Bell can destandardize the service, but only if it continues to allow existing customers to make changes to their calling schedules. (See Telecom Update #387, 399) www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Orders/2004/o2004-201.htm TELUS APPEALS LABOUR BOARD RULING: Tele-Mobile Company, which operates Telus Mobility, has asked the Federal Court of Appeal to stay and review the Canada Industrial Relations Board decision that added Telus Mobility employees in Central Canada to the Telecommunications Workers Union bargaining unit. Telus says the ruling violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canada Labour Code. (see Telecom Update #434) CITIES WANT EMERGENCY ACCESS TO 9-1-1 DATABASES: In a Part VII application submitted on June 14, several municipalities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and New Brunswick ask the CRTC to allow them to access the telcos' 9-1-1 databases to notify residents in case of emergency situations. www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2004/8665/s62_200405888.htm TELUS, BELL BLOCK SOME OVERSEAS CALLS: Telus and Bell are moving to block calls to destinations frequently involved in "modem hijacking" scams. Beginning July 1, Telus will block customer-dialed calls to Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Nauru, and Sao Tome, and beginning August 1, Bell will block customer- dialed calls to Guinea-Bissau, Nauru, Sao Tome, Cook Islands, Tuvalu, and the Tokelau Islands. AIRIQ TO BUY U.S. TELEMATICS COMPANY: AirIQ, which provides asset tracking services, has agreed to buy California-based Aircept.com, for $23.8 million in cash and shares. Aircept has 43 employees and 80,000 subscribers. TELUS FAST DIAL-UP OFFERED IN QUEBEC: Telus's Turbo GT fast Internet dial-up service, which offers speeds up to 280 Kbps using technology from Slipstream Data, is now available in Quebec. VoIP STARTUP WHOLESALES LONG DISTANCE: Toronto-based Budget Minutes is offering a suite of Voice over IP services, including "click2talk" instant calling, to competitive long distance and phone card suppliers. VoIP ASSOCIATIONS MERGE: The International VoIP Council, an alliance of vendors and service providers including Bell Canada and Telus, has merged into the International Packet Communications Consortium (IPCC), another trade organization promoting VoIP adoption. www.packetcomm.org COMDEX SHOW CANCELED: Comdex 2004 has been canceled because of weak support from leading IT vendors. The Las Vegas show, whose attendance peaked in 2000 at 211,000, drew 45,000 participants last year. Its owner, MediaLive International, hopes to relaunch next year. HENNESSY CONFIRMED IN TOP JOB AT CCTA: Michael Hennessy has been appointed President and CEO of the Canadian Cable TV Association, after "acting" in the position for nine months (see Telecom Update #401). Prior to joining the CCTA in 1999, he held senior regulatory and policy positions at Bell Mobility and the CRTC. SHOULD VoIP BE REGULATED? The July-August Telemanagement, available to online subscribers tomorrow, features Lis Angus's review and analysis of the telecom industry's debate on CRTC proposals for regulation of Voice over IP phone service. Also in this issue: ** Planning for High Availability Networking ** Is There a Future for Frame Relay and ATM Networks? ** Key Issues for Telecom Disaster Recovery To become a Telemanagement subscriber -- including unlimited access to Telemanagement's extensive online content -- visit www.angustel.ca/teleman/tm-sub-online.html or call 800-263-4415 ext 500. ============================================================ HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-MAIL: editors@angustel.ca FAX: 905-686-2655 MAIL: TELECOM UPDATE Angus TeleManagement Group 8 Old Kingston Road Ajax, Ontario Canada L1T 2Z7 =========================================================== HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web on the first business day of the week at www.angustel.ca 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: join-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to: leave-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave subject line and message area blank. We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail addresses to any third party. For more information, see www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. =========================================================== COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2004 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail rosita@angustel.ca or phone 905-686-5050 ext 500. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ------------------------------ From: news01@jmatt.net (Matt Simpson) Subject: Re: Internet Phone Service For Every Home Not Far Off Date: 28 Jun 2004 10:33:20 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com That's a crock. We are still a very long way from "Internet Phone Service For Every Home". Before that can happen, we need broadband in every home. And that's a long way off. The article keeps mentioning how some people have "few choices" of VOIP providers. It doesn't mention that many of us have zero choice of broadband providers, which is a prerequisite for VOIP. ------------------------------ From: a_user2000@yahoo.com (Justin Time) Subject: Re: Internet Phone Service For Every Home Not Far Off Date: 28 Jun 2004 10:53:48 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com VOIP News wrote in message news: http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2004/06/27/News/244994.html > By Wesley Brown > Arkansas News Bureau > LITTLE ROCK - Local phone service in Arkansas and the rest of the > nation is nearing a big evolution, experts say, meaning that terms > like WiFi, telephony and FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) will soon become > part of our everyday language. > However, it is Internet phone service, more commonly known as > voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP) technology, that many feel will > have the biggest impact on the landscape of the $100-billion-a-year > telecommunications industry over the next few years. > "Clearly, VOIP is going to be very important over the next few years," > said SBC Arkansas spokesman Ted Wagnon. "It is the most substantial > technological advance in 100 years." > SBC, which operates about 950,000 access lines in Arkansas, is betting > on the new technology. On Tuesday, San-Antonio-based SBC > Communications - parent company to SBC Arkansas - announced a $4 > billion to $6 billion expansion plan over the next five years to > install a fiber optic network offering high-speed Internet access, > voice communications and television programming. SBC officials would > not discuss details of the expansion plan. > Full story at: > http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2004/06/27/News/244994.html > How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: > http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html > If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ And Fiber to the curb was to be the NEXT big things of the late 80's if I remember right. Have they solved the problem of who is going to pay for all that bandwidth? That's not to mention the cost of the local loop. Rodgers Platt ------------------------------ From: cyberpizzaguy@hotmail.com (JV) Subject: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Date: 28 Jun 2004 10:56:12 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Ok, I did say Pizza to get your attention, but this question is related to Pizza. Just about everyone orders pizza for delivery ... right? Well on our side, getting pizza orders over the phone is big business. Problem is that sometimes crooks with ill intentions try to lure pizza drivers in to rob them, or worse. Many times they use a pay phone, and the prevelance of cell phones makes this a growing problem for me. My ultimate objective is to determine if the phone call is from a pay phone, cell phone, or land phone to help ensure the safety of the drivers. Though web searches I've read just enough about SS7 & ANI to make my head spin. I'm guessing this is possible because of what 911 can often do ... which is get a latitude/longitude from a cell phone to determine location. I'm not sure what security is around this rather personal information ... but I don't care about the values, just whether or not this is a cell phone. Based on some limited CallerID experience, it appears that no one solution may apply across the country. Is there a way I can tell if a call came from a land line, cell phone, or pay phone? .... Through data received from CallerID? .... Through data received via SS7? .... How big/$$$ a phone system would be needed to accomplish this? Thanks! Cyberpizzaguy [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Unfortunatly there is no way to do it within the reasonable limitations of what a pizza restaurant operator would want invest in a phone system. What you can do, and seems to work pretty well, but not perfectly, is begin to develop your own data base using caller ID, your computer-cash register system, etc. A call rings in and *your* database puts up certain details about the customer such as address, etc. Much of that data is compiled as you go along of course. In the early days of your database, you also rely heavily on criss-cross directories, telephone books, etc. Many times, a cellular phone will give the caller's 'name' as 'Wireless Caller' or a payphone may give the name of the phone's owner as customer. And don't hesitate to wait a couple minutes and dial back the number because 'the clerk who took your order may have gotten it wrong and I wanted to double check, etc'. It never hurts also to have your delivery person drop his money after each order rather than accumulate a lot of it in the course of the evening, **and publicize this fact with customers**, i.e. 'how much change will the delivery man need to bring with him; he never carries any extra money." Oh, and any time a call comes in with ID blocked have the phone company turn on 'privacy manager' so the call never even reaches you unless the person dials back with the ID unblocked. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Clark W. Griswold, Jr. <73115.1041@compuserve.com> Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 12:36:45 -0600 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com >> Does anyone have any recommendations for dependable domain registrars >> that have stability, economy pricing etc, basic services, but do not >> knowingly support spammers? I have quite a few domains registered. Although I've not had an unwanted email problems with BuyDomains, I recently switched over to http://www.1and1.com for my domain hosting. Their prices are very reasonable and they do web hosting inexpensively as well. The only negative I've seen so far is that their control panel is really sluggish. ------------------------------ From: rayta@msn.com (Ray Normandeau) Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Date: 28 Jun 2004 13:14:04 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com SELLCOM Tech support wrote in message news:... > Does anyone have any recommendations for dependable domain registrars > that have stability, economy pricing etc, basic services, but do not > knowingly support spammers? I have quite a few domains registered. GoDaddy.com Read their anti-spam policy. They are serious. Domains start at $4.95 ------------------------------ From: Brad Houser Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 12:37:37 -0700 Organization: Intel Corporation PAT wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie > two way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of > using a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was > actually a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone > which in addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type > 'loudspeaker' type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? > PAT] Exactly. You select a name, push a button and the recipient (also a Nextel user) hears a beap and your voice. "Hey Joe, you got the invoice ready yet?" Conversations continue as one way "push to talk" snips. Don't know if you can easily switch to phone or if you have to redial as a regular call. They use different frequencies than other cell phones. You can also get groups to hear it at the same time. Good for construction and other similar applications. Mostly a Nextel thing, it is their major selling point for some. Sprint has started to offer it. Maybe others. Brad Houser ------------------------------ From: johnl@iecc.com (John R. Levine) Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: 28 Jun 2004 19:33:05 -0400 Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA > Last year, it seemed like everybody was using the 2 way "walkie > talkie" feature on Nextel phones (probaly others as well), and I > would see a lot of "2 waying" going on on busses, in supermarkets, > etc. For the past few months, there seems to have been a sharp > decrease in people "2 waying", and I rarely see it anymore. I live in > LA, so I see plenty of people using cellphones, but nobody seems to > use the walkie talkie feature anymore. Nextel's walkie-talkie feature is still very popular, but not among the trendy crowd. Their main market is blue collar workers who use it many times a day to do things like talk from one end of a construction site to the other and say "we need 20 more 2x4s and a couple of pounds of nails," just like they used to do with CB walkie talkies. Nextel uses a scheme called IDEN which directly supports the direct connect feature in the radio protocol. I gather that other carriers are faking it with speed dial, but they don't get the very fast connection times that Nextel does. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies", Information Superhighwayman wanna-be, http://www.johnlevine.com, Mayor "I dropped the toothpaste", said Tom, crestfallenly. ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 17:37:33 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.NONOcom On 28 Jun 2004 02:31:27 -0700, Telecom Digest Editor noted: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie > two way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of > using a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was > actually a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone > which in addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type > 'loudspeaker' type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? PAT] Here's some of the scoop: The digital two-way radio service uses a half-duplex signal. A normal cell phone call uses two separate frequencies, one to send and one to receive, for each call while a Direct Connect call uses only a single frequency. Direct Connect relies on the proven technology of Push To Talk (PTT), commonly used in dispatch radio systems. PTT requires the person speaking to press a button while talking and then release it when they are done. The listener then presses their button to respond. This way the system knows which direction the signal should be traveling in. To enable Direct Connect, Nextel configures your phone to use the dispatch call service to reach the person or persons you specify. This person (or group) must use Nextel's service also. When you make a Direct Connect call to someone, here's what happens: You hit the Direct Connect button, which is configured with the number(s) of the person (or group) you are calling. Your phone establishes a session with the Nextel iDEN-based network. The network determines that this is a dispatch call (Direct Connect) instead of an interconnect call (a normal cell phone call). The network then determines if it is a one-to-one or a group call. If it is a group call, the network duplicates the digital voice packets for each phone in the group. The network routes the packets to the phone (or phones) of the person (or group) you are calling. Their phone alerts them that they have a Direct Connect call. They answer the call by pressing the Talk button. Whoever is pushing the button, whether a one-to-one or group call, is the speaker. The call is completed and everyone disconnects. Full article: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/question530.htm Other PTT implementations used by Verizon, AT&T Wireless and others do not use the same PTT technology and do not use SMR as Nextel does. Other non-Nextel services have a lot more latency than the Nextel implementation. iDen had direct connect in the design of the service from the outset. Other PTT schemes work differently. Here's how PTT works with Verizon Wireless: Motorola's V60p is a standard ultra-compact flip phone; the only visible difference is a small black PTT button on the left side. When you push the PTT button, you see the list of your PTT contacts. Using up and down arrow keys, you highlight the individual or group you want to call. Then you push and hold the PTT button, wait about two seconds for a beep that confirms the connection, and start talking. At the other end, everyone in your group hears a notification beep and then your voice. If the V60p is set in speakerphone mode -- recommended for PTT communication -- you'll be heard clearly even if the phone is clipped to a belt or purse strap. When you finish talking and remove your finger from the PTT button, everyone else hears another beep. The next person to press his or her PTT button gets to respond. Someone else in the group hitting the button a second later gets a busy signal beep and has to wait.>> http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6637702.htm [Personally, I find any kind of PTT service whether it's Nextel's or the competition extremely annoying. It's bad enough with people who do not know how to use a regular cell phone who insist on increasing their speaking volume threefold. All the squawks and beeps with direct connect phones is at best annoying.] As to the original poster's question other articles I found when looking up PTT I've found that while there may have been some initial interest in PTT services there's just not that much interest in it and it's really a specialized market which Nextel caters to (the trades for instance) that has interest in the direct connect feature. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - remove NONO from .NONOcom to reply ------------------------------ From: Gary Breuckman Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 23:09:07 -0500 Organization: Puma's Lair - catbox.com In article , "Proprclr" wrote: > Last year, it seemed like everybody was using the 2 way "walkie talkie" > feature on Nextel phones (probaly others as well), and I would see a lot > of "2 waying" going on on busses, in supermarkets, etc. For the past > few months, there seems to have been a sharp decrease in people "2 > waying", and I rarely see it anymore. I live in LA, so I see plenty of > people using cellphones, but nobody seems to use the walkie talkie > feature anymore. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie two > way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of using > a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was actually > a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone which in > addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type 'loudspeaker' > type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? PAT] Nextel phones have two operating modes, one works just like a cell phone, you place a call have a normal conversation. The other mode works much like a radio -- you place a 'call' to the other unit (or to a group) and then use a press-to-talk key just like a radio. The other party responds in a like fashion. Once the call is dialed it appears much like a radio, but of course the traffic is not direct, it's sent to Nextel and back out. But it only occupies a channel when you transmit, so it's very efficient use of the channel space, and very practical when there is 'work' going on and you are only talking a small percentage of the time. As to why it's dropping -- normal cellular has gotten less expensive, and many carriers are offering unlimited 'mobile-to-mobile' calls to phones on the same carrier. -- Gary Breuckman ------------------------------ From: chsvideo@hotmail.com (Lincoln J. King-Cliby) Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: 28 Jun 2004 21:52:22 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I think part of it is the novelty wearing off, the other part is people realized that the "DirectConnect"(r)-type feature can be more than twice as da*n annoying as a regular cell phone conversation. The fact that its half duplex doesn't help. (a) Novelty Wearing Off: There was a time when the 2Way features were being _heavily_ promoed-- people were extremely aware of the feature and no doubt a few people signed up as a result of this feature -- they used it for a while, became aware of the limitations (half-duplex, no cross-network stuff, etc.), and just kinda forgot about it. (b) More annoying than a tradidional cell phone. My employer (an agency of the State of California) provides me with Nextel cell/radio service. I love it for asking coworkers quick questions, etc. One must realize that it can be annoying. With a typical cell conversation you only hear one end of the conversation -- the person may be screaming at the top of their lungs but you only have to suffer through that side. With a radio conversation 99% of the time you hear both sides of the conversation (often with the volume up to 11 on a 1-10 scale). You also have that nice loud beep at the start and end of each transmission. (c) Half duplex. You don't realize how valuable full-duplex conversation is until you ask a co-worker a question and you suffer through a 5 minute rambling answer to a different question [Yes, I have discovered a way to kill a call, but its still not as convenient as just saying "No, what I really need to know is ..."]. I love my Nextel -- I really couldn't imagine having a job without one, in a campus environment ([bignum] acres) plus off-campus facilities an occassional national travel it's really handy ... Especially for those really short things like "Can you reset the MPIPC Server" or "Bring the screw gun back with you please"... But I keep my speaker volume fairly low and turn off the speaker in sensitive areas (i.e. when I walk into a classroom). To answer Pat's question ... I'm not entirely sure how Nextel's PTT service works, I believe it is unique [based on Motorola's iDEN] and I also beleive that at the beginning Nextel was a Commercial Radio service that happened to have a few bridges to the PSTN. I don't thing PTT and phone traffic are handled in the same channels -- I've had situations where PTT wouldn't work but phone service would I think I read somewhere that the others offering PTT services were using a VOIP-type implementation, but I really am curious myself. balanco01@yahoo.com (Proprclr) wrote in message news:: > Last year, it seemed like everybody was using the 2 way "walkie > talkie" feature on Nextel phones (probaly others as well), and I would > see a lot of "2 waying" going on on busses, in supermarkets, etc. For > the past few months, there seems to have been a sharp decrease in > people "2 waying", and I rarely see it anymore. I live in LA, > so I see plenty of people using cellphones, but nobody seems to use the > walkie talkie feature anymore. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie > two way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of > using a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was > actually a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone > which in addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type > 'loudspeaker' type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? PAT] ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 00:44:08 -0400 Subject: Leader: The Dirty Little Secret of VoIP Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://networks.silicon.com/telecoms/0,39024659,39121732,00.htm by silicon.com How an industry standard can dampen competition The market for voice over IP -- the routing of phone calls over data networks -- is finally taking hold after many years of talk thanks in part to the emergence of a standard known as Session Initiation Protocol, or SIP. Or so say many industry experts. SIP enables communications between multiple users involving voice, video, instant messaging and other multimedia elements. At least that's the best we can explain it in plain English. Everyone we talk to tells us it's quite complex. The good thing about SIP, say the experts, is that it allows for interoperability. It provides a way for companies to know whether the software they buy from Vendor A will work with what they already have from Vendor B, and so on, and thus makes them more inclined to switch to VoIP than they were in the past. Hence the recent uptick in the use of the technology and the bullish predictions for the future. The bad thing about SIP is that it is such a complex standard. Because it's complex, it's very expensive to implement and support into a VoIP product. This naturally creates a high barrier to entry for smaller, cash-strapped players or even large players who don't want to invest huge sums to get in on VoIP. Full story at: http://networks.silicon.com/telecoms/0,39024659,39121732,00.htm How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 00:47:59 -0400 Subject: Qovia Readies Tool To Block VoIP Spam Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20040628S0009 By Antone Gonsalves, TechWeb News Qovia Inc. on Monday unveiled software that would block spam from entering the networks of corporations that have replaced traditional telephone systems with Internet telephony. The Frederick, Md., company said the anti-spam software would be available in the fourth quarter as a module for Qovia's VoIP Monitoring and Management System. Because voice over Internet protocol uses technology similar to email, it's vulnerable to the many of the same abuses, such as spam. To avoid overloading corporate mailboxes with junk voice mail, Qovia's technology would scan incoming traffic at the voice server, blocking spam before the calls are directed to recipients in the corporate network. Full story at: http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20040628S0009 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 18:45:11 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EyeTV 500 HDTV Digital Video Recorder for the Mac Elgato Unveils First HDTV Digital Video Recorder for the Mac; EyeTV 500 for ATSC Digital Terrestrial Television in the U.S. SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 28, 2004--Elgato Systems today announced the release of EyeTV 500, the first high-definition television (HDTV) solution for Mac OS X, specially designed for the thriving North American digital terrestrial television (DTV) market. EyeTV 500 allows users to watch, record, timeshift, edit and archive free over-the-air HDTV and digital standard-definition television (SDTV) on the Mac. EyeTV 500 is a FireWire(R)-powered, 100% digital, fully HD capable solution, based on Elgato's proven EyeTV 400 technology. http://finance.lycos.com/qc/news/story.aspx?story=200406281946_BWR__BW5818 ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. 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