FVC launches Polycom's CX range of IP phones with end-to-end support for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007

The Polycom product family includes the CX100, a portable Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 speakerphone peripheral, the CX200 speakerphone and handset, the CX400 cordless desktop handset, and the CX700 executive IP telephone.

Office Communications Server 2007 delivers streamlined communications for users, helping them find and communicate with the right person, right now, from the applications they use most. Without expensive infrastructure and network upgrades, customers can leverage streamlined communications, including software-powered VoIP, Web conferencing and enterprise instant messaging, while maintaining the operational control required.

said K.S. Parag, regional director, FVC. 'Our solutions are designed to bring the richness of the PC together with the familiarity and advanced voice capabilities of the desktop telephone, so users can easily locate and engage with customers, partners and co-workers within a secure and productive environment."

"Polycom's CX solutions for Office Communications Server 2007 enable a flexible, engaging and person-centric communications experience with high definition quality sound, PC integration, buddy list call initiation, and cordless design," said Sunil Bhalla, senior vice president and general manager of Voice at Polycom.

The Polycom CX100 Speakerphone is a peripheral device for Office Communicator 2007 that connects via USB to a laptop or desktop PC without the need to install additional drivers. Polycom is supporting the Office Communications Server 2007 public beta with the CX100 Speakerphone that can be ordered through www.microsoft.com/uc, after downloading the public beta.

The highly portable Polycom CX100 enables hands-free, high fidelity, high definition audio and greater group collaboration through robust, ad hoc conference calls that can be initiated from a laptop located in any conference room, office, or remote location such as a hotel room. The CX100 delivers a mobile high definition voice quality experience, which offers more than four times the clarity of the speakerphone capability found on traditional business phones, and has the flexibility to be used in individual or group communication sessions.

The CX100 closely integrates with Office Communicator 2007 and enables one-touch control of answering or hanging up a call, controlling the volume, and enabling mute directly from buttons on the device.

In addition to the CX100 Speakerphone, other Polycom high definition telephone devices that integrate with Office Communications Server 2007 in development are:

• The Polycom CX200 Desktop Phone is an USB peripheral for Office Communicator 2007 that will provide a full duplex speakerphone and handset and a large enhanced presence status indicator.

• The Polycom CX400 Cordless Phone is a wireless handset with a small base station that connects via USB and includes display capabilities with presence, a 30-foot wireless reception range, and 10-hour talk time.

• The Polycom CX700 IP Phone for executive desktops delivers a presence and directory enabled phone with a color touch screen, USB and Ethernet ports, and a biometric/fingerprint reader.

Source:http://www.ameinfo.com/131946.html

Making your Business Conference Calling Effective and Useful

For a business to reach out to their client base, form connections with their satellite operations, and maintain communication levels exceeding that of emails and memos, they must reach those in their professional network by phone. Business conference calling can be done through a number of services, offering low rates, discounted toll free numbers to call in order to connect with everyone else on the call, and a myriad of added services that bolster the effectiveness of business conference calling.

If you are working for a medium to large size business, then you understand the complexities of managing time, resources, and money. The employees may work several hours from your office and need constant support and contact with your department. A business conference calling plan tailored to your specific needs can help you to stay in constant contact with those you are overseeing. For effective conference calls to become a reality, a business must first find the plan that works for them. There are several questions you must answer to find a suitable plan.

1.Do you know how many minutes/hours you will need for conference calls per month?

2.Looking at those numbers, does it make sense to purchase a monthly subscription plan, reducing your per minute charge for your business conference calling?

3.For effective conference calls, have you considered recording the sessions for transcription later?

4.Do you require a toll free number or will a toll number be sufficient?

Once you have the answers to these questions related to your business conference calling requirements, you can begin searching to find the perfect match for your business. The internet offers a wide array of business conference calling plans to match your company's usage and requirements. Once you have chosen the package right for your business, it is only a matter of holding effective conference calls.

Effective conference calls are achieved by strong leadership, focused discussions, and by having an agenda. A conference call can go awry when those leading the discussion lose focus, talk incessantly about one particular to the topic, or crowd the microphone time, eliminating others from the conversation. Effective conference calls should utilize the resources (people and money) to their advantage, bringing everyone together to brainstorm, listen and become informed on a topic, or just to talk about the business needs for them can be an effective conference calls.

By finding the right business conference calling plan, hosts can utilize the tools at their disposal to make it as easy to join and participate on the call as possible. Effective conference calls happen when those conducting the calls can do so without interference of dropped calls or other annoyances. The right service can promote effective conference calls, as much as the right leadership and personnel.

Source:http://www.articleinsert.com/

Conference Call Solutions and Service Providers

Tech savvy corporations and business people are increasingly taking advantage of conference call services that are improving all the time.

Conference calls can be arranged quickly. It may involve just 3 or 4 persons with an audio only link; or it may involve 1000s of persons with audio, video and data links.

The advantages of virtual conference calling are many. Just to name a few:

• Quick to arrange
• Value for money
• Saves travel costs
• Saves Hotel costs
• Saves conference room hire costs
• Reduces administration - try getting a group of 5 from 5 countries to attend a conference at one physical location. Then try the same conference on a virtual basis. Once you have arranged a couple of virtual conference calls, it becomes a snip.
• Cuts out non-productive time: e.g., waiting at airports or for trains, etc. Once the virtual conference call is over, you can get back immediately to the task in hand.

Virtual conferences can be highly interactive: you can include document sharing and board sharing (brainstorm ideas on one virtual page). With a larger audience, you can also include instant polling ("show of hands").

Some of the things you should look our for when sourcing conference call facilities:

• Compare set up fees, if any
• Is there any monthly or weekly "retainer" charge
• Is there a "connection" charge?
• Do you pay only for the seconds and minutes that you use?
• What are the per second or per minute rates?
• Do you pay for each caller who joins the conference call or do they pay individually?
• Can you take advantage of local rate calls?
• Can you offer "free" calls to your invitees?
• Can you access the service 24/7 if your conference calls are international (when different time zones come into play)?
• Is the support responsive and friendly?
• Is there any user experience feedback?
• Do you need to book the conference call well in advance?
• Can you cancel the call without penalties?
• Is there a "welcome" operator or area to introduce participants as they join the conference?
• Can you obtain transcripts or recordings of the conference?

Plan your conference call and have a set agenda. Ensure that all participants are aware of the agenda. Appoint one or more moderators to ensure that the proceedings run smoothly and within time for all Conference Calls.

Always follow up the actions that come out of the conference call.

Enjoy your conference call, share, benefit and prosper!

Source:http://www.ccallinfo.com/

Hands on with the first NZ hacked iPhone

Imagine two people walking into your office on a relatively slow news day. One is the Pope, and the other is carrying the first hacked iPhone that works on the Vodafone network. It's pretty clear who you’d want to talk to first.

John Ballinger, director of IT company Bluespark, received the iPhone as a gift from one of his clients, Vivienne. The phone was purchased in the US and found its way to John’s desk a few days later, he then proceeded to take apart and unlock the phone in a few hours.

"I was so excited when I made the first call and sent the first text message," says Ballinger. ”It took me over an hour just to take the phone apart, it is so beautifully built and no space is wasted. I used an online how-to guide, but I never realised how incredibly small the components were."

Ballinger says he needed help with the hack, but no soldering iron was required.

"You need these incredibly small needles to perform the hack. I brought some normal needles with me, and they were way too big and blunt, which gives you an idea of how small the components are."

Using a Norwegian based how-to guide, Ballinger managed to unlock the phone by installing certain software and performing a work-around on the hardware.

We quickly got our hands on the iPhone and had a play with the different features. We confirmed that everything worked, including trying conference calling and texting. We also had a play with the brilliant camera feature of the phone, and I for one was surprised at how easy the touch screen was to use.

While the iPhone operates happily on Vodafone’s network, there are certain features that have not been hacked yet. GPRS, the email client and the voicemail inbox have yet to get the treatment. The iPhone also does not natively support 3G.

Source:http://blogs.pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/products/

Benifits of Conference Calling Services

conference call facilities to all those who want to perform an audio or web conference at a short notice. The clients can avail their services for a definite fee - that may vary from service provider to provider - and the users in turn are offered the best of services and support all through the session. The costs of a session are generally affordable, especially when compared with the expenses of a business travel and hotel accommodations, but may vary from one provider to the other. But, irrespective of the service provider, at the end of the day, the user may find that conference call services are the most cost effective way to arrange a trans-continental business meeting.

The conference call services – as offered by the conference call service providers – vary from simple audio conferencing to web conferencing, and each comes with different schemes and special offers. Audio conference call services or audio conference calls are for those who want to communicate things verbally, the same way as one does in a round table meeting, without any visual data exchange. On the other hand, web conference calling involves not only talking, but the participants can also see each other and share a document or parts of a document online if wished so. Audio conference call services are usually charged on a per minute basis while online conference calls levies a fee on a per seat per month basis. It may be $100-150 for a web conference session on an average and $60 for audio conferencing. Concessional rates may be offered to those who are using these conference call services quite frequently.

The communication domain is a fast changing one and hence it is only a matter of time before newer and better technologies emerge and replace the existing ones. In other words, web and audio conferencing, as it exists now, may be substituted by newer technologies in the near future. But until that happens, business will continue to rely on conference call services for their mass business communication, as a cheaper alternative for the costlier business travels, since conference call services are easy, cheap, and effective.

Source:http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/5-18-2006-96545.asp

Lypp’s Free-n-Easy Conference Calling

New group calling service set to launch a private beta in September. There are a lot of conference calling services out there already, not least among them being the full blown meeting applications (GoToMeeting, WebEx). However, Lypp wants to make initiating a conference call dead simple (download free) over IM, SMS, and email. The service will be free at the time of launch (each user will get 500 minutes of free calling, no per-min charges, no monthly fees).

IM will be the first mode for initiating conference calls. Users will associate an IM ID with their service and add Lypp as a friend. You’ll then be able to initiate a call by sending a command to that IM buddy, such as call [number, number, number]. Lypp will call your phone and those of your friends, connecting you all in a conference call. Most likely the calls are initiated and tied together over a VOIP bridge. Typing in my friends numbers instead of just selecting contacts on a downloaded application seems like it could get annoying, though.

They’re keeping it simple for launch, but have plans for an API, advanced in-call controls, recording, and possible location based. The API will integrate with calendaring, address books, and other complementary applications.
Source:http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/08/22/

One Voice Launches MobileVoice Landline in Mexico

One Voice Technologies has announced the availability of One Voice’s MobileVoice Landline service in Mexico.The service has been offered to select subscribers of Teléfonos del Noroeste, S.A. de C.V. (TELNOR), a subsidiary of Teléfonos de México, S.A.B. de C.V. (TELMEX) TELNOR will offer a package of services under the brand IRIS that will include: Voice Dialing, Group Conference Calling and Conference Calling, along with Reading and Sending E-mail.

CEO of One Voice Technologies expressed his company’s excitement at the availability of IRIS and their strong relationship with TELNOR.

Weber explained that with IRIS users can simply pick up their phone and tell the system to call someone, read-send e-mail or make group calls to friends, family or business colleagues.

One Voice Technologies made news last week when the company, LTB Audio Systems, signed a strategic partnership to offer One Voice’s Media Center Communicator, voice recognition for Windows Vista Media Center, with LTB Audio’s new Q-Bean, a digital wireless device which offers everything from digital CD-quality streaming audio to a built-in microphone for voice control of Windows Vista Media Center and wireless Skype (News - Alert) phone calling.

One Voice Technologies, located in La Jolla, Calif.,. develops fourth-generation voice solutions for the telecom and interactive multimedia markets. Their Intelligent Voice solutions employ revolutionary, patented technology that allows people to send messages (E-mail, SMS, Instant Messaging and paging), purchase products, get information and control devices - all by using their voice.
Source:http://www.tmcnet.com

Skype's free VoIP conference software brings new possibilities

Conference calling is an easy and effective way to be in contact with your colleagues who are far away and close by. Voice over IP makes this mode of communication even easier -- and it saves money. Skype is one downloadable program that helps you do this and what's more, you can do it at no cost. Free VoIP conference software from Skype can make conference calling so simple.

Skype's free VoIP software allows you to hold conference calls with up to five people. All you need is the free download and a headset, and you can enjoy crisp, clear communication through your Internet connection. Skype is a secure way to make calls, so you can hold a conference with your coworkers with the peace of mind that what you're sharing stays confidential.

As long as the computer you want to reach has Skype installed, the calling service remains free. There are other plans available that allow dialing in and out to telephones for a small price. A PC Magazine review asserts that the Skype calling interface is as easy to use as a standard instant messaging service.

Because Skype's VoIP conference calling is free, you won't need to sign a contract or make a commitment. It's a great way to try using VoIP in your business communication because there isn't a financial risk. All you need is an Internet connection -- a faster connection makes for a better call -- and a headset to make secure, convenient conference calls that can help cut down on face-to-face meetings and improve productivity.
Source:http://www.web-conferencing-zone.com/

Cheap conference calls - Flat rate conference call services and more

Cheap conference calls – as the first term suggests – is the relatively cheaper version of conference call services. For all those who want to perform an audio conference calling or web conference calling at a short notice, and that within a limited budget, this is the right choice. It does the balancing act between reliable service and cost per minute. In the following paragraphs, we’ll see the advantages and pricing of flat rate conference call services, discounted conference calling rates, and how the company manages to offer such a concession in a realistic domain.

The biggest advantage with cheap conference calls is that the clients do not have to make advanced reservations. Instead, he/she can avail the service by calling a toll-free number and other participants can join the conversation using a secret entry code, which the organizer of the conference provides to the participants. Further, in order to make use of discounted conference calling rates, one need not have to own any costly infrastructure. But one can manage the entire session with a normal telephone with conference features, whatever is the strength of the conference. Then there is added advantage if the customer buys bulk minutes; the service provider charges only lesser cents per minute if the customer buys more minutes.

Flat rate conference calls, on the other hand, charges a flat rate per month irrespective of the number of minutes of used. Such a scheme is suitable for those customers who consistently spend over $155 (say) a month on conference calls. The more calls they make, more they save.

You may wonder how the vendors are able to offer conference facilities at such cheaper rates. But the thing is that not all vendors are offering such services. Only those who have their own conference call bridges and phone infrastructure provides discounted conference calling rates and flat rate conference calls, and they could manage it as they do not have to pay for any over head, which is generally charged over the customer bill by most non-discount players.

Cheap conference calls are comparatively cheaper. But it is advisable to check the exact rates and conditions with the service provider before start availing the facility. The rates may vary from one vendor to another.
Source:http://www.buzzle.com

Tell Me More: Conference Call Bridge

Getting people together from different locations for a conference call doesn't have to be a painstaking process. You can use a conference call bridge to allow several individuals across multiple conference sites to share information and video in real time.

For companies doing more than six hours of conference calls per month, a conference call bridge can reduce hefty toll charges. Purchasing a bridge for your business is expensive, around $10,000 to $20,000 for the equipment and hundreds to thousands of dollars per phone line. You can request a separate recording device for archiving conferences for future playback, or use your own in-house recording equipment.

You can rent a bridge from a Conference Calling service provider to help alleviate the costs, but only if you use conference calls sparingly. Whether you buy or purchase, your participants are responsible for long distance charges on their end.

There are two ways to connect using a conference call bridge: dial-in and dial-out. Dial-in provides codes for you and your guests. You simply provide participants with the date, time, and access codes to join the conference call. With dial-out, you have additional flexibility to invite participants to join at the last minute. With both options, all participants are muted and can't communicate with each other. Your visitors wait until everybody has connected to the bridge and then you indicate when you begin.

Source:http://www.buyerzone.com/

Affordable Conference Call – How You Should Plan To Get Most Out of It

Advancement of internet and VoIP, made affordable conference call a realty. Due to low cost, all kinds of conference calling like audio, video are fast becoming popular in our daily social or professional life.

Here you will get information on how low cost audio, video conference call has really reduces monthly household and business phone bill. You will find simple advises on how to select conference call providers.

Affordable conference call made communication simple and cheap with guaranteed quality of services. Now conference calls are within budget to small business owners as well as family with tight budget. Affordability of conference call made it popular amongst students' community and for amongst senior people whose children or other family members are staying abroad.

Organization can buy costly equipment to be installed in their own premises, which provide maximum security or can use equipment on lease and pay as they use.

Why conference call made high impact on daily life?

1. Quick support to customer is the most important parameters for any enterprise. Just imagine, while there was no conference calling facility, people need to travel to customer place to support or for any sales discussion but now using a simple audio conference call , same can be achieved within an hour time.

2. Sometimes corporate requires brainstorming session to address a particular challenge. Earlier, it used to take a lot of time, as people need to travel from different parts of the world to attend the meeting. This includes travel cost and time. Now, the same can be achieved using a dedicated video conference call. If there are no stringent security requirements, it can be achieved easily with web based conference calling functionality like netmeeting.

3. Biggest benefits of low cost conference calling are working managers need not to worry for the expense incurred. Due to low cost, employees are now empowered to take quick decision to use different conference call equipments.

4. People who are traveling can remain in touch with their near ones at home. Inmates of a family can all join in a conference call to greet somebody or to have a simple chat. Affordable net based conference call makes all these possible. Some people also use conference calls for social reasons.

5. Audio and video conferences are extremely helpful for patients as they can consult specialist doctors without any hassles of traveling. There are occasions, where doctors from different parts of the country supervise a critical operation using video conference facility.

How you can also take advantage of conference call in your family life

You should educate your family members to use yahoo netmeeting, instant massager or google talk. You can easily keep contact with them, chat with them and even can physically see them from your laptop sitting in hotel room or airport.

Many conference call service providers are willing and able to create customized affordable plans for small businesses houses. You just have to take the time to shop around for the best phone rates, and the type of service plan that best suits your individual business needs.

Source:http://www.buzzle.com/

The Best Service For Your Audio and Video Conference Call

There are a great deal advantages to incorporating audio and video conference calls into your daily business communication strategy. Audio and viedo Conferencing One of those advantages encompass making truly that your staff receives the same data, that the data is delivered in real time, that your customers are kept apprised of strategies that affect their bottom line, etc. Conference Call Hosting One convenient way of accomplishing these communication objectives is through an audio and video
conference calling.

When selecting your provider to be responsible for these audio and video conference calls it is significant to take into consideration a number of factors. In addition it is significant that you keep in mind the pricing of this service.

Factors In Choosing Your Audio Conference Call Provider

One of the key factors in choosing your audio conference call provider is to determine what your teleconferencing needs are. Dial In Conference Call These needs can be based on whether you be forced to have an international teleconferencing line set up, lot of minutes you estimate that will be needed for teleconferencing purposes, the number of individuals that can be on the call at any given time, whether you wish to utilize facilitator services, etc.

Another critical component in selecting your audio conference call provider is to investigate the varied companies that offer conferencing call services. Team Collaboration Particular attention should be given to the technological equipment that they utilize. Their equipment ought to provide the proper bandwidth for performance, thinkable use of fiber optics for clarity, noise reduction, optimal use of switching equipment, etc. Since communication is a critical component in the successful operation of any business, an meaningful factor to contemplate, before selecting your audio conference call provider, is their level of providing service which is of the highest superiority. For example, if you are in the midst of an important teleconference call with a customer and other staff members and the call is "dropped," this could have serious consequences.

Therefore, it is significant to do determine the quality of service that the audio conference call company provides. Ordinarily when you contact the provider they will provide letters of endorsement from satisfied customers. Premiere Conference You can accept these letters at face value or you can and also ask if it would be acceptable to contact these companies to ask secondary questions.

source:http://www.conferencecallconnections.com/

Automated VideoConferencing - ACT Teleconferencing Launches ReadyConnect Video in the UK

DENVER, COLO. - ACT Teleconferencing, Inc. a worldwide provider of audio, video and web-based conferencing products, today announced the introduction of ReadyConnect Video, a cutting-edge reservationless videoconferencing technology, to its UK customers. On Wednesday 17th May, ACT's senior management is meeting with its UK clients to demonstrate ReadyConnect Video at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, in London.

The UK event is a continuation of the global road show that originated in Asia Pacific. The Company successfully launched ReadyConnect Video in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia in March. Throughout the summer, the Company will introduce this innovative videoconferencing product at events throughout the U.S. and Canada.

"We are very excited about introducing ReadyConnect Video to our UK customers. After receiving a positive response from our customers in Asia Pac, we look forward to introducing the product to our clients over here," said ACT President and Chief Executive Officer Gene Warren. "This product is a natural extension of our global platform and existing audio and video conferencing products."

An automated service, ReadyConnect Video eliminates the need for advance scheduling and the heavy technical support required by traditional videoconferencing. The product is available 24-hours, offers a user-friendly interface, and the ability to archive and stream presentations. To host a videoconference call with slides, users merely log on to the Internet-it is that simple! Participants without videoconferencing equipment can join a conference Call via the telephone or the Internet.

About ACT Teleconferencing

Established in 1990, ACT Teleconferencing, Inc. is a leading independent worldwide provider of audio, video and web-based conferencing products and services to corporations, educational organizations, and governments worldwide. ACT is the only conferencing company with integrated global audio and videoconferencing platforms that provide uniform international services, customized uniform billing, managed services, and local language services. The Company's headquarters are located in Denver, Colorado, with operations in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, the U.K. and the U.S., and virtual locations in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Poland and South Africa.
Source:http://www.newsaboutav.com/ACTTeleconferencingReadyConnectVideo.html

Where Talk is Cheap

There are a number of vendors that offer free conference calling for calls made in and between the USA and Canada. The limits
generally are on the number of participants and the time frame.Some vendors limit the conference calls to 50 participants,
while most allow up to 100 to attend. Time frames are generallyone to three hours, with one hour being the usual. Where the
cost comes in with these free USA and Canada free conferencecalling meetings is not with the vendor, but rather with the
phone carriers. There is no toll free number to dial in withthese free conference calling vendors so you may incur a long
distance charge when you call within the USA or Canada.

Some vendors allow you to reserve your free conference calling within the USA and Canada, while others only offer audio
conferencing that is reservationless. Let’s look at one vendor offering USA or Canada free conference calling.

If you’re wondering what the catch is with this free conference calling with this and other vendors, and you don’t think it
could possibly be free, think again. Just as with other free “come-ons” in any other industry or market, free is an
enticement. This vendor, like the others, offers the free conferencing calling in the USA and Canada in hopes that you’ll
purchase some upgrades such as digital recordings, operator assistance for question and answer sessions and surveys as well
as reports. They also make additional money selling conference call toll free numbers and contracts with larger corporations.

Another additional fee is for a greater number of participants.One vendor who looked at allows up to 50 participants with its
audio only free conference calling in USA and Canada. The number used to call in is a toll call for long distance participants.
Should a client wish to invite additional participants the prices are $75 per month for dial in codes for up to 100
participants, $100 a month if you’d like to invite up to 200,and $150 a month for a conference call among 500 participants.

From iPhone Hype to iPhone VoIP

As iPhone Atlas reports (how quickly an iPhone-blog community is springing up) when Talkety calls you, it asks you to enter a verification code, probably to prevent the service from being used for VoIP spam. iPhone Atlas also notes good voice quality on Talkety calls but also some latency.
A Few More Features

Talkety has several other features that aim to attract both Apple and Windows users:

1. A Talkety Firefox extension allows users to call phone numbers they find on Web sites by right-clicking (or Ctrl-clicking, for Mac users) the number and selecting Talkety from the resulting pop-up menu. The only drawback here is that you must set Firefox to allow pop-ups.
2. Apple users will enjoy a dashboard widget that enables fast Talkety calling even with no browser open, while Windows users will appreciate an Outlook plug-in that serves a similar function: letting users make calls directly from their Outlook contact list.
3. Talkety has several other features, including the ability to import from and synchronize addresses with Apple’s Address Book and other vCard-based systems.

You Must Pay

Note that Talkety’s consumer and business accounts both cost money. For example, consumer-account users get 30 free minutes for starters, then have to pay for calls at Talkety’s rates . But in exchange for parting with some money, you are getting mobile-to-mobile VoIP on phones that have Web browsers — and for much less than the cost of either landline or mobile calls.

While regular Talkety accounts only let users make conference call with two other people, a Talkety Pro account for business users expands the conference-calling service ability up to 50 people at once. A Talkety Pro account costs a minimum of €10/month — yes, that’s euros, don’t be intimidated — which translates to about $13.60 per month right now. That price includes up to 500 minutes of what Talkety calls 'International Flatrate,' which allows you to call more than 20 countries, regardless of where you are located, for a flat per-minute rate. Those rates can range from a low of $0.0164 per minute to call within Germany to $0.0363 per minute to call Iceland, with only Turkey coming in higher at $0.0519 per minute.

The advantage here is not the rate, which is low enough, but the fact that Talkety increases the transparency of international-call pricing. In addition, the company is happy to invoice you each month rather than demanding you have money in a Talkety account, in the extraordinary case that your phone calls take longer than you expect.

Talkety is trying to be the first service on the block to promote iPhone-friendly VoIP. If you have a new iPhone, it couldn’t hurt to try Talkety VoIP on it, and potentially make calls for quite a bit less than Ma Bell charges.
Source:http://www.voip-news.com

FCC Referees Dispute Over Free Conference Calling

Large telecom carriers complained that free conferencing and similar voice services are a scam that take advantage of a loophole in long-distance price regulations. Small providers of the services complained that the carriers have no right to block their customers' calls.
Late Thursday, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission stepped into the dispute, giving both sides something to cheer about.
The FCC ruled that large carriers cannot resort to the "self-help" measure of blocking calls without its permission. But the agency also said it was suspending the termination fees charged by 39 rural carriers due to "substantial questions raised" about the legality of the long-distance termination fees they collect.
The dispute began early this year, when AT&T Inc., Qwest Communications International Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp. filed lawsuits against two rural local exchange carriers (LECs) and 10 chat-line service operators in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. In March, complained that the three telecom carriers were blocking customers from calling its service.
Conference calling gives its customers free voice conferencing services when they dial a long-distance number provided by the company.
Here's how it works: Under legacy telecom regulations, telecom carriers must pay termination fees when their customers make a long-distance call to a telephone number controlled by a local exchange carrier (LEC). The termination fees vary greatly, from about US$0.01 to $0.13 per minute, with rural LECs generally collecting higher fees.
Conference Calling and similar businesses make money by sending long-distance traffic to LECs with relatively high termination fees and splitting the termination fees with the LECs. Customers calling the service generally have to pay long-distance fees.
Other businesses using the same model include free voice mail services, sex chat lines and services that forward international calls.
AT&T, in an April letter to the FCC, complained that these "traffic-pumping arrangements ... are scams, pure and simple." One rural Iowa LEC changed its termination fees and went from charging AT&T about $2,000 a month to more than $2 million in a single month, wrote James Cicconi, AT&T's senior executive vice president for external and legislative affairs.
"The end result is millions of calls to the advertised phone numbers, millions of dollars in monthly access charge billings, and enormous windfalls both to the ... LEC and the calling service provider, all funded by and their customers, the vast majority of whom never call and want nothing to do with these services," Cicconi wrote.
Alex Cory, CEO of FreeConference parent company Global Conference Partners, said some abuse of termination fees may exist, but his company isn't one of the abusers. FreeConference uses large LECs that generally have termination fees in the $0.03 to $0.04 range, while carriers like AT&T collect close to $0.08 per minute for a long-distance call, he said.
Even with the termination fees LEC partners collect, the long-distance carriers still make money, he said. "Essentially, this is a revenue-sharing business," Cory said. "I continue to be bewildered that the major carriers aren't interested in business models profitable to them."
The major carriers have complained because Conference Calling offers a cheaper service than their own conferencing products, Cory said. "They were looking to shut down competition," he said.
Conference Calling complained to the FCC that AT&T and other carriers were violating the agency's common carrier rules by blocking calls from its customers. FreeConference filed a lawsuit against AT&T in March, but later withdrew it when after it said AT&T stopped blocking its calls. FreeConference continues to have problems with quality of service on telephone networks operated by major carriers, Cory said.
Source:

A Conference Call is usually needed for those organizations that need more then one calling party to listen to their talk. In these types of telephone calls the calling party often interacts with one party and is so designed that another party can listen to the call.

The telephone call is usually a two way process where one party calls and the other party responds but in a Conference Call more than party can listen to the call. It can be set up in two ways. A Conference Call can be set up in two different ways. It can be so set up that the called party can only listen to the call or it may also be designed in such a way that the third party is able to interact with the other participants in the call. These kinds of calls that are set up are usually called Audio Tele-Conference or ATC calls. There are also such modes where some of the callers can call in themselves and get added to the Conference Call automatically so that they can participate in the conference that is going on. This automatic log in is done with the help of a conference bridge. This is a particular kind of electronic equipment that connects different phone lines together. The participants have to call into a conference bridge or what they can also do is they can use a particular number to call that would be set up especially for providing

this service.
Many of the organizations and companies that use the facility of the Conference Call take it from a service provider. These service providers are specially equipped with the kind of facilities and advanced technology that is required for a Conference Call. The service providers have to offer a conference bridge and also different telephone numbers that are needed to gain entry to a meeting or a conference via a Conference Call. A Conference Call is also termed as a three way call and is provided by the service provider usually at an extra charge to the customer. These services are provided either to the customer at his home or to offices on their phone lines. In these services the caller is allowed to add up a second out going call to the call that is already connected to another call. These Conference Calls can be used by various organizations. Varieties of businesses use the conference call facility in order to connect to those clients who are located very far. Communication becomes real easy when it is done through the system of Conference Calls. For both internal operations within the organization and communication outside the company a Conference Call is a wonderful application that can prove to be very useful. When one is doing a sales presentation, or team meetings are organized for individuals who are working for the same company but in different locations.

Source:http://www.encyclocentral.com

Cellular carriers block conference calls

Are you familiar with FreeConferenceCall? It’s a plain old telephone service that lets you set up multiparty teleconferences free of charge at your own personal dial-in number.

Recently, however, it appears that cellular carriers AT&T/Cingular and Sprint Nextel have been blocking mobile calls to FreeConferenceCall numbers. The issue seems to be that independent phone companies in rural locations charge heftier termination fees to complete phone calls than do incumbent carriers in major metro areas. This is allowable so that the small telcos can recover costs in what are low-population (and thus low-revenue) locations.

The provider passing the traffic to the terminating local phone company—for example, a mobile network operator such as Cingular or Sprint—pays the termination fee. Apparently, FreeConferenceCall is helping local phone companies bring in scads more revenue by having its conference call numbers terminate in those rural areas with the comparatively high termination fees. As a result, this is costing the cellular carriers more than they budgeted for.

AT&T is actually suing a number of the independent phone companies for fraud and last week filed a letter with the FCC asking that the agency discourage such practices.

In a statement, AT&T said: “Ultimately, our goal is to address a serious and growing abuse of the regulatory process that is harmful to consumers. It is harmful to consumers because it threatens our ability to offer affordable unlimited calling plans.”

Sprint has been cagier: As of this writing, Sprint users reported being blocked from their FreeConferenceCall numbers, but Sprint help desk staff didn’t acknowledge any deliberate blockages.

Now, from the customer standpoint: This seems another example of the cellular carriers’ ferocious attempts to protect their “walled gardens”—closed networks in which the carriers dictate what resources its subscribers can access. According to FreeConferenceCall, a Cingular spokesperson has gone on record and stated that their terms of service "gives them the right to block any number they wish.”

Some FreeConferenceCall users chatting on the company’s Web site about this issue say there is nothing in their terms and services that give them a heads up that calls can be blocked at the will of the mobile operator. Others have terminated their Cingular contracts.

Source:http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/wireless/2007/0409wireless2.html

Get connected to as many participants through conference callings easily

When the need for a conference call arises, the last thing you have time to worry about is whether or not your service provider can handle the number of participants that need to attend, or if the integrity of the call will be disrupted in some

way during the course of the conference calls , as a result of poor service. You also don't need the added stress of whether or not a line will be available at the time during which your conference is scheduled to take place.

you've just become aware of some critical information that needs to be shared with a number of other individuals around the world without delay. There's no time to schedule a telephone conference or go through a lot of red tape with conference call service provider. In addition, you don't have the budget to pay buckets of money for a conference call that includes participants who are overseas. Yet, you've got to get everyone into the loop as fast as possible, regardless of the circumstances, and discuss the information in detail.

While this may seem like an extreme set of circumstances, it happens all too often, in both the small and large business environment. Those who don't currently have a conference calling service provider in place may find themselves up against the

proverbial wall when just such a scenario rears its ugly head. Fortunately, there's now a way to overcome all of these obstacles by using a service provider that offers features that will meet all of these needs.

Since you must plan for the need for conference calls at some point in your future, it's best to choose a provider that can give you a full-service package from the beginning, rather than spend a lot of time shopping around and comparing benefits among a large number of providers. Your best plan of action, then, is to set up an account with a service provider that

offers conference calling without the need for advanced reservations, that has the capability of accepting a large number of participants within the framework of one call and that doesn't charge extra for overseas calls. Believe it or not, these are

available and, in addition, can offer 24/7 phone access to meet all of your conference call needs.

Providers such as can help you to set up an account that offers those features and more, at good rates that don't mask any hidden fees, with billing that you won't need your accountant to help you to understand. Better yet, if you have specific needs, service providers such as this one will help to customize your account so that you'll receive a comprehensive service package that includes all of their regular benefits.



source:http://www.icallglobe.com/articles/conferencecalls.html

How To get cheap conference calling card

Approximately 500 million calling cards have been sold annually over the past decade. Calling cards may be purchased anywhere from convenience stores to gas stations. Calling cards may also be purchased online. With the Internet you have a much easier way to shop around and compare so you'll be able to get the best deals.

Prepaid phone cards came as a great advancement for communications, particularly for long distance calling. Calling cards give you an affordable way to keep in touch with your loved one's and friends or business associates. The prepaid International long distance card has brought people in different parts of the world closer together. Low priced calling cards have made it affordable to stay in touch. Prepaid phone cards can also be very handy during emergencies.

When you are considering which calling card to buy, you need to be aware that they are not all the same. The rates and fees charged to the card can vary widely. You will want to read the terms and compare the services for any phone card before deciding to make a purchase. Than may sound easier than it is to be done.

Calling card marketers tend to stress the cost per minute rate on the packaging, advertising copy, and on the card itself. Unfortunately, the cost per minute doesn't give you an accurate picture of what you will actually pay. Several surcharge fees, such as for pay phone usage, can be added to the price of using a phone card. As a general rule the lower the cost per minute rate is, the higher other surcharges may be.

Many calling cards will have a per call charge, or connection fee. Often this charge can be high enough to significantly increase your actual per minute cost. A lot of cards will also have a higher surcharge for International long distance calls. This fee can tack on several dollars to a single phone call. Other surcharges can include tax and account maintenance fees.

Before you make that final decision on which prepaid calling card to get you will want to think about your calling habits. If you make frequent, short calls the best card for you would be one that has the lowest per-connection and "minimum rounding" fees.

If you make less calls and talk longer you need a card with the lowest per minute rates, but with some surcharges, which will give you a bargain for your money. The average person makes different types of calls and may want to carry a calling card of each situation.

A prepaid calling card can give you many advantages. Just be certain to compare services before choosing which card to use so you will get the maximum benefit from your calling card.

Source:http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/How-to-Choose-the-Best-Prepaid-Calling-Card/173009