Mobile

FCC requires VoIP providers to report service outages

The Federal Communications Commission has decided to require all interconnected VoIP service providers to report network outages in much the way landline and cell phone service providers must follow.

The goal of today's ruling is to build a more reliable 911 emergency call-in system and to make all of the U.S. communication infrastructure readily available in times of crisis.

"We are helping ensure that consumers will have access to reliable phone service, particularly when calling 911, whether they are using a traditional telephone or one that operates by interconnected VoIP service," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a more

Portable device lets travelers make mobile calls over the Net

A new portable device will soon be able to help people make cell phone calls in other countries without relying on local 3G networks.

That bit of technical magic comes courtesy of a new device called an attocell, or a personal femotcell. Created by U.K.-based femtocell company Ubiquisys, the device is a small base station that can provide broadband Internet access to an iPhone, BlackBerry, Android phone, and virtually any other 3G mobile phone. But since it's smaller than a traditional femtocell, the attocell is designed to be portable.

The attocell from Ubiquisys connects to a laptop through a USB port, providing both the juice and the Internet access, according to Ubiquisys. From there, the device figures out which country it's in so it can determine the allowable 3G power consumption, which then dictates the range of the attocell to the phone. Depending on the country, the 3G range of the device could be as small as a fraction of an inch or as large as an entire room.

If the range is small, the user can place the phone on top of the device and make calls via a headset or speaker. Otherwise, the caller is free to roam around the room.

CES: Skype acquiring mobile video expert Qik

Skype, a powerhouse in the area of voice and video chat over the Net, said today it's acquiring Qik, a mobile video specialist.

The move stands to expand what Skype can mobile phones. Today it's got apps for voice chat, but Qik brings video to the party with applications that run today on Android, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.

"Together, Skype and Qik will focus on providing a richer, more integrated experience that will allow people globally to share experiences in real-time video across different platforms, as well as store those moments so they can be viewed more

Google testing voice calling in Gmail

CNET has learned that Google is testing a Web-based service within Gmail that will allow users to place phone calls from their in-boxes. It's launched from the Google Chat window on the lower left-hand side of a Gmail page and allows users to place and receive calls from within their contacts through a user interface that strongly resembles the one used in Google Voice.

Google has been edging in this direction for some time. Google Talk was released years ago as a VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) desktop client, and it has also spent a lot of time and more

Deal brings Skype to Verizon 3G phones

Skype and Verizon announced a partnership Tuesday to bring the Internet-calling technology to a number of 3G BlackBerry and Android phones starting in March.

Under the deal, the Skype mobile software will be available on a variety of smartphones: RIM's BlackBerry Storm 9530, Storm2 9550, Curve 8330, Curve 8530, 8830 World Edition, and Tour 9630 and Motorola's Droid, Eris, and Devour. Customers will need to have a data plan to use the application, the companies said in an announcement at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona.

Skype, independent once again after an eBay spinoff last year, is more

Report: O2 to buy VoIP start-up Jajah

O2, the mobile arm of Telefonica Europe, appears to be the winner of a bidding war for voice over IP start-up Jajah, according to a report on TheMarker that Reuters is citing.

O2 is expected to buy Jajah this week for $200 million, according to a report on the Hebrew language news site. Cisco Systems and Microsoft were rumored to have been competing for the VoIP start-up.

Jajah representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Jajah, which provides low-cost international calling to more than 25 million users, already has the ability to terminate calls or transfer calls from more

Demos to show spying on mobile IP calls

Using VoIP-based mobile devices over Wi-Fi or IP video phones? Be careful.

Researchers plan to demonstrate this weekend how they can eavesdrop on voice over IP conversations made using an iPhone over a Wi-Fi network and snoop on video and audio communications between IP video phones.

These types of man-in-the-middle eavesdropping attacks aren't new, however these could be the first public demonstrations of them on these particular platforms.

In the VoIP demo at ToorCon in San Diego on Saturday, Jason Ostrom, director of Viper Lab at Sipera Systems will listen to the conversation of someone talking on an iPhone more

Apple approves Vonage mobile VoIP app

Vonage announced Tuesday that its mobile voice over Internet Protocol app has been approved for use by Apple on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The Internet telephone service provider said it's conducting a beta test of the app and that general availability will be announced at a later date.

Last week Apple confirmed that Vonage's request for app approval was being held up by technical issues with the Vonage software. An Apple spokesperson told CNET News at the time that Apple was working with the developer to resolve the issue but would not elaborate on the nature of more

Truphone 3.0 improves call quality, unifies IM

A new version of popular voice over IP app Truphone just hit the App Store, offering better call quality, single-screen instant messaging, and various interface improvements.

In case you're unfamiliar with it, Truphone leverages Wi-Fi networks to provide free voice calls--worldwide--to other Truphone users and to your Google Talk and Skype contacts. In other words, if you're in range of a hotspot, you can gab all you want without spending a penny.

Truphone also lets you call landlines and cell phones at low rates--great if you routinely burn through your allotted AT&T minutes and don't want more

AT&T cuts cord on VoIP service

AT&T has pulled the plug on its CallVantage voice over IP phone service, according to letters from subscribers this week.

The service competed with other VoIP services like Vonage. VoIP services use broadband networks to place phone calls. These services are much less expensive than traditional landline phone services and cost between $20 and $30 per month. But even this price is proving too high for consumers who are cutting their traditional phones to use their cell phones or are signing up for voice services with their cable providers, which are bundling the phone service in with broadband more