Some of the most prominent mobile GSM operators, like O2, T-Mobile and Orange in Europe, have banned the use of mobile VoIP services on their phones. Mobile VoIP services are getting more numerous and better. After Yeigo, Fring, Packet8 MobileTalk and YackieMobile, Skype was the last to launch its really open mobile service.

With the main aim of making users save big amounts on their mobile communication, mobile VoIP services are a real threat to traditional mobile operators, which can lose huge sums of money in the process. Some are however more pragmatic in their approach. Vodafone, for instance tries to conform to that, expecting their customers to stick to traditional mobile service for the customer care and quality of service they provide. 3 network not only tolerates mobile VoIP but also go fully with it - it has partnered with Skype to produce the 3 SkypePhone. Now that the tug of war is on, the question is whether the future belongs to mobile VoIP or will GSM keep its place, and for how long.

In my list of VoIP services for mobile phones, I mentioned some time back that Skype was offering mobile service, with its 3 SkypePhone, only to fill the gap of mobile telephony in its services, while Yeigo and Fring were offering real services and softphones for mobile phones. 3 SkypePhone has the limitations of being available in only a very limited number of countries, and of being a mobile phone that works only with Skype. Most people are looking for VoIP services that can be welcomed on their existing mobile phones.

Skype's new application can be downloaded and installed on mobile phones, and used with a service similar to that of Yeigo and Fring (I often take these two as examples; I believe they stand as best in their niche). Skype's new service offers free calls between Skype users, and cheap rates between 'Skyped' mobile phones and other landline or mobile phones. The service however does not go on any mobile phone. Here we come to the limitations. It works only on 3G phones - only a few models. Quite some models, but still not most of them. And then of course there is the associated cost of the 3G data plan to consider. Also consider that voice quality will be an issue. Read review

Related Content:

• Mobile VoIP Services
• Most Popular VoIP Software Applications
• Top Video Conferencing Applications and Services

Jangl is on sale. The Internet and VoIP company started some three years ago, first offering anonymous virtual numbers and then offering free calls through widgets placed on web pages of social networking sites. Now, investors, after having injected $9 million to start the company, deem the VoIP field too competitive and risky to invest any more money on.

Meanwhile, co-founders Cerda and Ben Dean, along with three other employees of Jangl, remaining a team, have joined Jajah, which has taken new strategic routes and serious positions in the market.

Little Elijah died this week before being able to receive medical treatment when he had a cardiac arrest during the night. An ambulance did come when Elijah's aunt called 911, but too late. It was in fact the second ambulance sent. The first one would, according to Elijah's mother, be on time to save the toddler's life had it not been sent to the wrong address by the 911 VoIP service of their service provider. Read more on this event here.

Following this, the whole world seems to be pointing a finger at VoIP and its limitations for what happened. How would things be different had the 911 call been made through traditional PSTN rather than VoIP? With traditional landline, there is a physical and geographical address attached to any phone line, and it is the same as the billing address; so there is very little chance that there is inconsistency. On the other hand, a VoIP number has only an IP address attached to it. The geographical address of the person may change any time without actually requiring that IP location to change. What happened in Elijah Luck's case clearly illustrates the limitations of VoIP 911: The Luck family moved from Calgary to Mississauga some time back. They notified the VoIP service provider, Comwave about that, and their record was updated on the database. But they ignored whether, unlike with PSTN, they had to separately update the 911 address, which could be different from the billing address. That's how the ambulance was sent to Mississauga while they were waiting in despair in Calgary.

E911 has been made compulsory to be offered along with VoIP Services in the US recently; and we are further expecting that something be done to address the perils that VoIP 911 could entail. This time, the solution should come from technical rather than legal minds.

Meanwhile, if you are considering whether to abandon VoIP for your safety, relax. Just make sure your address is well updated in all instances; and then, you can always enjoy the benefits of VoIP while keeping your traditional phone line. Many services allow that.

Related Content:

• Reasons for Going VoIP
• VoIP Drawbacks
• How Does VoIP Allow Calls Between IP Networks And PSTN?
• Types of VoIP Service

I had a briefing last week with one of the founders of Jajah, Daniel Mattes, and we talked about the new strategic moves Jajah is about to make. The news release appeared this end-April: on its second birthday, the web-based telephony service company is making the following new moves.

With its 2 million users, it is launching Jajah Managed Services for businesses; and is partnering with Yahoo! on a voice venture to provide a richer premium voice service to the already existing 97 million Yahoo Messenger users. A so-called next-generation telephony infrastructure is planned to offer payment-processing and customer care. Other ventures include call monetization through ads while call-making users wait till the other party picks up the phone. A person spends two weeks in life waiting for someone to take up phone calls, and Jajah aims at harnessing that into monthly credit for users and advertisers, creating cunsumer relationship in the process.

According to Daniel Mattes, Jajah being so innovative and different, a number of other players in the telephony market have approached them and they are currently studying partnership with landline operators, cable companies, mobile carriers and other technology partners. We will know more in the coming weeks.

Related Content:

• Types of VoIP Service
• Most Popular VoIP Software Applications

Discussions on VoIP services in forums, besides being very informative and indicative, are quite funny - you can read things in both extremes. Some posts show how gratified users have been while others express the anger of unsatisfied customers... of often the same service. I believe that before shouting out through the window, one should take the time to check if there isn't anything wrong in the setting up at their own place.

Is your IP phone and ATA far enough from your ADSL router? Is your cabling correct? Who knows, a reboot from zero could set things right. Rik Fairlie's tips on troubleshooting your VoIP phone setup will help many of you out there with calling problems like calls drops, static, connection failure, etc.

Related content:

• Common VoIP Hardware Devices
• Factors Affecting VoIP Voice Quality
• Types of VoIP Service
• Top Residential VoIP Service Providers
• Connecting All Your Home Phones To Your VoIP Service

Our guide to net security, Tony, writes, "VoIP networks, if not designed and protected properly, are vulnerable to a wide array of threats. Attackers can disrupt, or possibly even intercept communications. For organizations that have already deployed, are working on deploying, or are considering deploying a VoIP solution (that should cover just about every organization in some way), it is important to understand the security concerns, and what the countermeasures or mitigating controls are that can be used to protect your VoIP communications. In Securing VoIP Networks, Peter Thermos and Ari Takanen attempt to illustrate the many ways VoIP is vulnerable, and provide the information you need to secure it." Read his review of the book.

Related Content:

• Most Common VoIP Security Threats
• Making Your VoIP Secure

Last week, I made a list of the different types of VoIP services users can consider, depending on their communication needs. I go deeper in the subject this week, putting links in the list with details to each type of service provider, with top ranks, tips and examples.

Residential users who don't want to move from that phone set centered paradigm can choose subscription/hardware based services, while those who can do with a PC have a very large range of software-based services. Businesses have plans designed for them in these same subscription/hardware-based services if they don't feel ripe enough to embark on a VoIP solution for SMBs. Mobile users can choose among a few pioneering mobile VoIP providers in an expanding area. The new trend for residential users is device-based services, where once you buy a device, you use it without receiving monthly bills. See the list.

I find the name quite funny: two dims for what looks to be a bright tool. Dimdim is a web meeting and video conferencing tool that offers more than any other tool of the like offers for free: up to 20 people in a video conference call, show desktop, share documents and files, talk, chat, video broadcast etc. The paid version comes with more advanced features, like accommodating hundreds of people in a video conference.

There is no softphone or chat client to download or install; everything works through the web interface. Dimdim is still in beta, and since its launch in September 2007, nearly 400000 people have used it, including teachers for online classes, business people for online meetings, university students, etc. Even preachers find audience there. I'll be reviewing it soon. How do you like it? How dim or how bright it is? Site

Related Content:

• Top Video Conferencing Applications and Services
• Most Popular VoIP Software Applications
• VoIP Services For Mobile Phones

Have you chosen the right type of VoIP service? It might be that you could have a better VoIP experience if you reviewed the flavor of VoIP you are enjoying. You might save more or do more. The type of VoIP service you register for has to be determined by your communication needs: Are you are a residential user? A business user? You want to use VoIP over your mobile phone or device? You want to make and receive calls through your computer or handheld device? etc. Here is a list of the types of VoIP service that exist on the market.