Wireless Internet is rapidly taking to the airways and that leaves some people wondering whether VoIP services on planes will make en-route calling a possibility. Airline carriers are attempting to adapt to the varied needs of all of their customers by allowing in-flight wireless connections but are considering limiting those connections to reduce hassles on their flights. One of the wireless services that might be cut from the list of services is in-flight VoIP.

VoIP News recently reported on in-flight VoIP and the limitations that might be imposed by carriers as the details of the service are sorted out. While they note that there are pros and cons to the service, they focus on one key point of on-plane VoIP that gives cause for many people to oppose it: the annoyance factor.

Via: PCWorld

Speculation is growing that China could be about to relax restrictions on its voice over IP (VoIP) market.

A report last week in The Beijing News said the Chinese government has granted a VoIP licence to a southern Chinese telecoms company for a pilot programme, and telecom carriers and virtual network operators (VNO) will be allowed to apply for the licences starting in 2007.

Via: Silicon.com

Revenues from Voice over IP (VoIP) services in the business sector will reach $18 billion by 2010, according to a new study by Juniper Research. VoIP Growth will be driven by: The replacement of existing business circuit switched connectivity; The lower cost of calls; Massive growth in the Chinese telecoms market; Businesses reaping the efficiencies of carrying voice and data traffic over one network; and the realisation that integrating voice functionality into business critical IT applications will improve business productivity.

VIa: Light Reading

Broadband telephony, better known by the acronym VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), is penetrating American households like never before. According to a recent study, an estimated 3.9 million households were using VoIP as of January 2006, up from 2.9 million in June 2005.

Via: TMCnet

United Online, a provider of consumer Internet subscription services, announced that it is bundling its NetZero Voice 100 Internet phone plan with its accelerated NetZero HiSpeed 3G Internet service, the fastest accelerated dial-up service available. HiSpeed 3G users will now be able to make 100 minutes per month of free calls to any phone number in the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico using their computer.

Via: Light Reading

You’ll now be able to make VOIP calls using your 3G phone or a data card in your laptop thanks to a recent deal between Skype and Hutchinson 3. Working together, Hutchison 3 Group and Skype plan to give people the freedom to enjoy Skype anywhere they go, whether at home, in the office or on the move while on Hutchison’s 3 networks.

Via: Doctor’s Gadgets

A lot of phones have popped up over the past year that allow a person to make phone calls over the Internet, provided the person is talking in a place that offers wireless Internet, or WiFi, access. But Santa Clara’s TelTel, in a partnership with D-Link, has put a new spin on that idea, offering a WiFi phone that has neither cords nor cordless “base stations.”

Via: Mercury News

Internet telephone service is explosively growing from a nascent idea to a viable market contender to traditional phone service, according to the latest numbers released by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). According to TIA, the number of residential Voice over IP (define) customers more than tripled to 4.2 million users last year and is expected to hit 18 million within the next three years.

Via: Internet News

Hutchison Whampoa’s Italian unit, 3 Italia, has launched its voice over Internet Protocol service (VoIP), allowing customers to make international phone calls over the Internet. The new service, called “International No Limit” will enable users to make calls for EUR0.5 an hour, up to a maximum of 10 hours a day per month, 3 Italia said in a statement.

Via: Yahoo

Half of UK consumers are aware of VoIP, but take-up of internet telephony remains low, according to Ofcom. The regulator’s Interim Report into the UK’s Communications Market found that 49 per cent of UK consumers are aware that calls can be made over the internet. This rises to 59 per cent among internet users and 63 per cent among broadband users.

Via: The Register