New satellite to improve VOIP

A satellite designed to help benefit voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP) hardware and deliver broadband services in rural areas is switching rocket systems to get it into orbit sooner, states Telappliant.

Originally intended to be launched into space on a US-built Falcon Nine rocket, the UK's Hylas spacecraft will now use a more expensive model as ongoing tests on the Falcon Nine have resulted in delays.

Avanti Communications has now gained financial support to pay for the switch as demand for broadband delivered by satellite technology has grown in recent years.

Nortel is rolling out its Communications Server 1500 to integrate its VOIP and application solutions, reports TMCnet.

The CS 1500 is scheduled for release in the third quarter of this year and will offer a single broadband connection with both voice and data traffic to small and medium enterprises with on-site PBX's.

The CS 1500 allows carriers to deliver IP-powered applications like unified messaging, click-to-call, single-number service and end-user Web portals.

Argentina's Communications Secretariat has rejected plans by the country's leading multimedia conglomerate, Group Clarin, to offer VOIP services, says The Wall Street Journal.

The rejection came just a week after the Secretariat had approved Clarin's plans to start offering telephone services through its Internet provider, Cablevision.

The Secretariat claims Cablevision doesn't have the necessary business licence required to provide telecommunications services, a charge Cablevision fiercely rejected.