In the runup to the electronics annual CES bash in Las Vegas, Vonage have announced that they will be making free calls available to all CES attendees. The free calls will be made available from Vonage’s 13 phone booths operating at locations throughout CES.
It is believed that Vonage will announce several new products featuring tight integration with Vonage at CES.
Logitech and Skype have recently inked a deal that will see Logitech, a leading computer accessories manufacturer, begin to offer Skype-certified headsets.
The new video feature in Skype 2.0 (currently video is Windows-only) has been tested and certified for use with Logitech’s series of QuickCam webcams and PC headsets. According to a press release, Logitech and Skype “worked closely with Skype on usability and performance, to ensure people experience fully synchronized, high-quality video and audio communications over the Internet.”
Both companies will jointly market Skype Video and Logitech’s compatible webcams and headset through a worldwide campaign. As part of the deal Skype will also offer the headsets for sale through it’s online store.
Skype is more popular that Vonage, that’s according to recent figures gained from Yahoo! Search Marketing have shown that the number of search queries conducted at Yahoo! and sites using Yahoo! Search Marketing ads.
There were a total of over 5 million searches for VoIP related terms in the month of September such as “VoIP”, “IP telephony” and “broadband phones”. Out of all the seraches conducted, the most popular generic, non-brandname serach terms was for “VoIP”, which recorded 1,407,465 searches in September. The top 5 list of VoIP providers searched for is as follows:
Even after the deadline set by the FCC for VoIP companies to provide full E911-complience for their customers has passed, yet many VoIP providers still do not offer this service.
The E911 regulations require that the caller’s telephone number and location at the time of calling be made known to the Public Safety Answering Point. Current legislation in the United States bans any VoIP providers from entering a contract to provide VoIP to any new customers in areas where they have not been able to instigate E911-complience. Customers who already use VoIP in an area not meeting E911 service levels are still able to continue using their VoIP phones, at the risk of being unable to contact the emergency services.
The situation between VoIP providers such as Vonage and the FCC is fluid, with the FCC reviewing documents submitted by providers. Meanwhile Vonage and other providers are continuing their efforts to gain new subscribers.
It seems that American consumers are now realising that they can start saving money by dropping their loyalty to expensive traditional landline telephone companies and using a new VoIP connection. According to the January issue of Consumer Reports, consumers are typically saving from $20 right up to $50 per month simply by switching to a VoIP service.
However, Consumer Reports also notes that many consumers still take issue with the more complicated access to vital 911 emergency services. Because of these problems the report recommends that those going for a VoIP solution maintain a standard landline telephone connection just in case of emergency. Despite voicing concerns with the 911 access problem, consumers were generally enthusiastic about VoIP and the cost savings it has brought them.
However, it must be noted that the FCC has directed VoIP providers such as Vonage to guarantee their services are E911-compatible by the 28th of November at the latest. While most urban districts are already reporting successful VoIP calls, some rural areas are still non-compatible.