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VoIP Week in Review from TMCnet
 TMCnet Contributing Editor
On Monday Vonage announced that its subscribers will now be able to access U.S. weather forecasts right from their Vonage-enabled phones. This will be possible thanks to a new partnership between the VoIP service provider and weather information source AccuWeather.com.
Vonage's customers will be able to access the information by simply calling 700-WEATHER from any Vonage-enabled device and get current weather conditions, 5-day forecasts and severe-weather warnings, courtesy of AccuWeather.com. AccuWeather.com offers customized business or vacation travel weather information when subscribers enter any U.S. 5-digit ZIP code.
Specifically, AccuWeather.com will provide weather data to Vonage via synthetic speech markup language (SSML) AccuWeather's forecasts, covering all U.S. locations in the U.S., which are then translated by Vonage into a "realistic-sounding" synthetic voice which will be heard by subscribers they call 700-WEATHER for a forecast.
Vonage made news again on Thursday when it announced that it expanded its coverage area in Florida. The expansion will now enable residents living and working in Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Clermont, Gainesville, Inverness, Leesburg and Milton, Florida to select area codes local to these areas. The expanded coverage will allow Vonage customers to now keep their current numbers or choose telephone numbers within the 352, 239 and 850 area codes.
"With Vonage's greater expansion into the Sunshine State, we now offer residents of Florida more options, including greater area code selection and increased ability to localize or keep their own phone number when they sign up for Vonage’s feature-rich, flat-rate calling plans," said Michael Tribolet, president of Vonage America Inc.
On Monday, Gaithersburg, MD-based VoIP application software provider BroadSoft launched the BroadWorks Assistant - Mobile, a new mobile application that hands the control of VoIP features with smartphones, standard mobile handsets and IP deskphones over to enterprise managers, all integrated into one system. The application is for everyday users of Nokia ( News - Alert) Eseries handsets.
The offering features Simultaneous Ring, Call Forward All, Call Forward No Answer, Do Not Disturb and Remote Office. The application will enable users to place calls from mobile handsets, appearing as if the calls originate from the office; access corporate and personal directories; view call logs, including calls missed when the handset is off (not usually available with regular cell phones); receive enterprise voicemail notifications on mobile phones; and create international profiles.
The VoIP application software provider also made news on Tuesday when it announced that it will release version 14 of its BroadWorks platform and VoIP application software offerings which will now feature fax messaging capabilities. The new release will allow users to manage their messages from any location and over any interface.
The BroadWorks VoIP platform's new fax messaging feature will enable users to send faxes to group distribution lists, just as they would send an e-mail to a group of contacts at the same time. With BroadWorks VoIP platform, fax messages are routed as e-mail attachments, eliminating the need for the need for a physical fax machine.
Also on Tuesday, BroadSoft announced that Centennial of Puerto Rico will now offer mobile PBX ( News - Alert) telephony services to small, medium and large-sized businesses in the Caribbean island; the telecom tapped BroadSoft and Atreus Systems to launch the new offering.
Specifically, Centennial will use BroadSoft's BroadWorks VoIP application platform. The telecom had completed BroadSoft's QuickStart Express program with BroadSoft VoIP provisioning partner Atreus, in order to prepare for the launch of the mobile PBX services.
According to the companies' news release, Centennial will be the first carrier in North America to offer BroadSoft's Mobile PBX application. The application features include remote office, selective call acceptance, call notify, auto attendant and simultaneous ringing—where any call to an office number will automatically ring any other number specified by the end-user.
3Com's suite of switches, routers, IP phones, security and wireless solutions support VoIP traffic. The partnership announced today will give service providers an opportunity to offer small and medium-sized businesses a hosted VoIP system based on 3Com's products, supporting BroadWorks' platform. The integrated 3Com portfolio will also enable service providers to proactively diagnose problems to prevent outages.
3Com made news on Thursday when it introduced the 3108 Wireless Phone, a SIP-based IP device for enterprise users, which integrates mobility with VoIP communications on a wireless LAN (802.11b/g) infrastructure. The phone allows users to roam a building or campus environment without having their calls interrupted, access e-mail wirelessly and run data applications.
The new device also enables users who are connected to an enterprise phone system to answer the calls that are destined for their desks while they are anywhere in a building or campus environment. Users can also use the phone to transfer calls to other departments, gain access to a live receptionist and listen to office voicemail. According to 3Com's news release, the features are delivered with no expensive per-minute usage fees.
The 3Com 3108 Wireless Phone features a "clamshell flip" shape and a high-quality color display. The device's keypad and four-way cursor allows users to manage calls, access their phonebook, view call logs and view e-mails. Users can customize the phone by selecting ring tones, speed dials and connectivity settings via a Web browser-based management tool.
The phone is currently available through 3Com channel partners and distributors at a list price of $415 USD.
There you have it folks, another exciting week in the VoIP industry! Stay tuned and read the VoIP Minute Watch for the latest news…
Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit her columnist page.
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