News and info briefs for the VoIP industry.

Free VoIP IM clients:

• Skype: VoIP client with IM text messaging. Free calling from PC to PC around the world. Free calling from PC-to-phone in Canada and the US until the end of 2006. Varying per minute rates for other types of VoIP-to-PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) calls. Free third-party video calling plugin available. Skype isnow owned by eBay.
  
• Sightspeed: VoIP client with IM text messaging and built-in video calling. Free calling from PC to PC around the world. Varying per minute rates for VoIP-to-PSTN calls. Free unlimited videomail storage for 30 days. Four-way video conferencing available (along with other features) for US$4.95/m or US$44.95/yr. Skype used to be my fave VoIP client; now Sightspeed is.
  

VoIP News:

• True Corp in Bangkok, Thailand, is gearing up to provide VoIP services, selling 400+ mln private shares. Thailand currently only has 10,000 VoIP users, but True forsees the potential for a larger market, given that they currently have 500,000 broadband users and expect 800,000 by the end of the year. [via Bangkok Post]
• Taipei, Taiwan is putting a VoIP infrastructure in place and changing from PSTN to VoIP for their administrative offices and for public schools. They expect to have as many as 200,000 VoIP users by the end of the year. [via News/ TechWhack]
• Affiniti in the UK is partnering with Griffin ISP to offer VoIP services. [via Computing UK] No word on what regions this service will be offered in.
• US telephony vendor Inter-Tel announced a "next-gen" VoIP switch to be released in August. The Inter-Tel 7000 VoIP platform is an open platform, competing with proprietary platforms by Avaya, Cisco, and others. It runs on Intel/ Linux hardware/os combo and is compatible with SIP gateways. [via eWeek]
  
• More and more Estonian hospitals are offering WiFi access, giving patients the chance to work on their laptops or PDA devices. [via Skype Blogs] Excuse me, but isn't the point of being in the hospital to recuperate? I don't know about you, but despite being a hardcore techie glued to my laptop or desktop at least 16 hrs/day, I'd be stressed out if I were in a hospital with a WiFi capable device.
  

Definitions + Acronyms:

• ITSP: Internet Telephony Service Provider.
• PDA: Personal Digital Assistant.
  
• SIP: Session Initiation Protocol.
  
• VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol.
• WiFi: Wireless Fidelity - general wireless network access, sometimes referring to Internet access.
  

These VoIP summaries give you a synopsis of goings-on in the voice and video over IP (internet protocol) industry so that you can quickly browse the info and click on the provided links for more detailed information. This includes information about free VoIP, handsets, headsets, VoIP providers, voice + video calling IM (Instant Messaging) client software, regulations and standards, router and other VoIP technology, and general telephony. On occasion, I've thrown in a bit of commentary as well.