Will Mobile and VOIP merge into one?

In a move sure to please many, mobile phone company 3 has released a phone that allows you to make free calls.

The 3 Skypephone, which can operate as a normal 3G phone, lets users also make free Skype calls and send free instant messages to other Skype users anywhere around the world.

"People like using Skype and enjoying free calls on their PC, so why not let Skype free on the mobile and in a way that's really easy to use," 3 CEO, Nigel Dews, said.

"This is simply giving people what they want, and challenging the traditional phone company view that dictates customers get charged for everything they do, with access to VoIP (voice over IP) on the mobile being essentially off limits."

The phone will appeal to those with an addiction to text messaging, allowing more than 10,000 free chat messages and 4,000 minutes of call time between Skype users.

Skype calls on the Skypephone go through 3's network, and cannot be used through a WiFi network.

Despite the Skypephone's free calls having the potential to cut into 3's revenue, the phone company is confident the product will help build its customer base.

Read the whole article here.

Benelux IP Telephony Market is strenghtened by Portland and 3CX

Zoetermeer and Nicosia, 17 October 2007 – Telephone communication happens smoothly, more efficiently and less expensively with 3CX Phone System for Windows. 3CX Phone System replaces traditional proprietary telephone systems and implements a software-based PBX that supports the open SIP standard, PSTN phones lines and popular VOIP providers. Furthermore, purchase and maintenance of the system is less costly than a proprietary or Linux-based telephone system.

Step-by-step installation dialogs ensure quick installation and easy maintenance. The 3CX Telephone System elmininates telephone cabling because it uses the existing computer network.

3CX Telephone System main features:

• Complete telephone system, including call transfer, inbound routing and call queues
• Much less expensive then a proprietary or Linux-based PBX
• Scalable to any number of extensions or lines – without the need for expensive system modules
• Adds and Moves of extensions are much easier – no need for patching network points
• Web-based configuration and status monitor
• Receive voice mails by email (Unified Messaging)
• Vendor independent – use popular SIP phones from different vendors

Kim van Brugge, director of Portland Europe said, “With the 3CX solution, we can offer our resellers access to the booming VOIP telephone system market. They can expand their portfolio for existing customers and gain new ones. In the business market, lower costs, flexibility and higher customer satisfaction via a computer-based telephone system are important sales arguments. We expect that 3CX will play an important role in our portfolio.”

Nick Galea, CEO of 3CX Ltd added, “Portland Europe is a prominent Value Added distributor in the Benelux. Their extensive dealer network, as well as, their ability to proactively sell and support our products in the Benelux market make them a perfect distribution partner for 3CX.”

3CX Phone System for Windows is available in three versions: Small Business, Pro and Enterprise. For more information, pricing and downloads, resellers can visit www.portland.nl.

About Portland Europe
Portland Europe is known for quality, easy to use and no-nonsense software. The company was founded in 1997 and was the first software distributor to distribute software electronically in the Benelux. The company has more then 1000 resellers in the Benelux who buy and sell software via the internet. Portland Europe regularly expands its portfolio with well-priced solutions to help companies manage their networks, PC’s and communications. Ease of installation and management are key! Besides 3CX, Portland Europe distributes in the Benelux Alt-N, CA, Centennial, Kaseya, Proofprint, WebSPy and Qbik.

About 3CX
3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. Its product, 3CX Phone System for Windows, has earned Windows Server 2003 Certification and has received numerous awards, including the TMC Labs 2007 Innovation Award, The Windowsnetworking.com Gold Award, as well as, the IT EXPO Best of Show award 2007, all in recognition to the company’s commitment to innovation and quality. 3CX maintains a global presence with offices in four countries and localized information available in Dutch (http://www.3cx.nl/) German (www.3cx.de), Spanish (www.3cx.es), French (www.3cx.fr), Italian (www.3cx.it), Portuguese (www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (www.3cx.jp), Simplified Chinese (www.3cx.cn) and many other languages.

3CX maintains a VOIP and SIP FAQ in several languages, which includes information about SIP trunking, SIP proxy, VOIP Gateways and others. Some of the languages include: VOIP in Swedish, SIP FAQ in Portuguese, in Norwegian, and Danish.

3CX IP PBX for Windows is now available to Danish resellers via Inter-Data A/S

3CX VoIP PBX for Windows is easy to install, configure and manage

Silkeborg, DK – 3CX today announced that a distribution agreement between 3CX and Inter-Data A/S has been signed for the Danish market.

“This enables us to bring new and innovative products to the channel. 3CX offers our resellers an excellent opportunity to move into the VoIP market – a market with rich business opportunities, not only on the hardware, but especially on software and service offerings” said Rene Rasmussen, CEO Inter-Data A/S.

Chris Martin, Sales Director 3CX, added, “Inter-Data are well poised to provide Danish resellers with a complete end-to-end solution by adding 3CX Phone System to their current server product range and VOIP products, and backed up by the Inter-Data A/S Business Team.”

Just last month, 3CX Phone System for Windows received a “Best of Show” Award at Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC®)’s INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO West 2007, in the United States.

Mr. Rasmussen confirmed, “Our ID Business team has tested several different soft VOIP PBX’s, and has without doubt found 3CX Phone System the easiest to work with, both in terms of initial installation, configuration and management – We are confident that our channel partners will benefit from the innovative 3CX IP PBX for Windows, with SIP trunking, SIP server, VOIP Gateways, SIP proxy, etc.”

About 3CX
3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. Its product, 3CX Phone System for Windows, has earned Windows Server 2003 Certification and has received numerous awards, including the TMC Labs 2007 Innovation Award, The Windowsnetworking.com Gold Award, as well as, the IT EXPO Best of Show award 2007, all in recognition to the company’s commitment to innovation and quality. 3CX maintains a global presence with offices in four countries and localized information available in Dutch (http://www.3cx.nl/) German (www.3cx.de), Spanish (www.3cx.es), French (www.3cx.fr), Italian (www.3cx.it), Portuguese (www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (www.3cx.jp), Simplified Chinese (www.3cx.cn) and many other languages.

3CX maintains a strong VOIP and SIP FAQ including facts about SIP trunking, SIP servers, VOIP and SIP phones, VOIP Gateways, and it is present in several languages, such as VOIP in Finnish, a VOIP and SIP FAQ in Dutch, in Hungarian and in Romanian.

About Inter-Data A/S
Inter-Data A/S were founded in 1993, and are specialized in PC manufacturing and value-added distribution. Inter-Data A/S employ 60 highly motivated employees at both the head office in Silkeborg and branch office in Copenhagen. Inter-Data A/S Business department focusing on channel development on innovative products like 3CX, Supermicro, Thin Clients ect.

Inter-Data A/S is distributing a range of leading brands, like Supermicro, Samsung, Synology, Xerox, MSI, iGEL, Kingston, Microsoft, 3CX and many more.

Canada Wants To Become The Next India For U.S. Software Companies

West Coast-based American companies are more likely to choose Canadian cities, namely Vancouver, for outsourcing work, according to a new survey.

By Marianne Kolbasuk McGee
InformationWeek
October 2, 2007 04:20 PM

Could Canada become the next India for American-based software companies outsourcing work?

Not exactly, major lack of sleep there. However, Canada is becoming an attractive option many American software developers are eyeing for their future outsourcing strategies, according to a new report released on Tuesday by SD Forum and Luxoft, a Russia-based outsourcing firm.

Of the 200-plus U.S.-based independent software developers that took part in the survey, 94% say they're outsourcing project work, either domestically, offshore, or near-shore, or in some combination of all three. India is the leading offshore destination of those companies outsourcing, followed by Singapore, Russia, and China.

However, Canadian cities, including Vancouver and Toronto, win out over India for future outsourcing strategies by American independent software vendors, particularly among those that use a mix of offshore, domestic, and near-shore work.

Read the whole article here.

3CX chooses Zen Software as distribution partner in UK and Ireland

3CX VoIP PBX for Windows enables businesses to break free from their proprietary PBXs

London, UK – 3 September 2007 – SIP Server software developer, 3CX and UK-based software distributor, Zen Software have entered into a strategic relationship to promote and manage the distribution of 3CX - a VoIP phone for Windows - in the UK and Ireland markets. Together they plan to establish 3CX as a leading player in the VoIP market for SMEs, providing a solution which enables resellers to expand the services they offer their customers.

3CX is an open standard, fully featured IP PBX server built to SIP standards. A cost effective, easy to use alternative to traditional hardware PBXs, 3CX seamlessly integrates: existing PSTN lines using VOIP gateways, VOIP providers and SIP compliant handsets or softphones, providing a comprehensive PBX server without proprietary hardware or software restrictions. 3CX benefits include:

• Reduced call charges using VOIP providers (SipGate, Blueface etc.)
• Web-based, easy to use administrative interface
• Auto Attendant, Ring Groups, Call Queuing, and Voice Mail for flexible call routing
• Hot Desk - move phones from one desk to another without re-wiring or re-configuring
• Allows remote employees to pick up their extension from anywhere.

3CX maintains a VOIP and SIP FAQ in several languages, including: a VOIP FAQ in Greek, in Japanese language, a SIP FAQ in Korean, in Chinese, Hong Kong, etc.
To read the whole article, click here.

2X opens Asian Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan to serve booming Asian server-based computing software market

2X opens Asian Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan to serve booming Asian server-based computing software market
Tokyo, Japan, 23 July 2007 – 2X Ltd, developer of thin client computing software, envisages its 2X ThinClientServer and Citrix-like 2X ApplicationServer products, will be vital to Asian companies, as the demand for manageable, low energy consuming and affordable IT infrastructure explodes. In view of this, 2X has opened an office in Tokyo to facilitate in expanding the Asian partner network, as well as help support Asia-based users.
Thin client / server based computing growth in Asia-PacificThe thin client market in the Asia-Pacific (including Japan), or APJ region, has recorded strong year-on-year growth, from 171,000 units in 2004 to 280,000 units in 2005, representing a 64% expansion. The growth has been fueled by a strong vendor push across the countries in the region, as well as growing acceptance of the thin client concept, as vendor presence increases across APJ. (Excerpts from: Asia/Pacific (Including Japan) Thin Client Market 2005-2010 Analysis and Forecast by Market Research.com)
2X will be capitalizing on this growth and is setting up a partner network of resellers and distributors across the region. To this end, 2X has opened the Asian headquarter office in Tokyo, Japan and is planning to open another office in China in the coming months. 2X will shortly set up localized websites including Japanese (www.2Xsoftware.jp), Traditional Chinese (www.2Xsoftware.hk) and Simplified Chinese (www.2Xsoftware.cn). In addition, 2X will be localizing the interface of 2X ApplicationServer for Windows Terminal Services.

For more, go to http://www.2x.com/news/2xasia.htm

3CX Phone System Provides Economical Enterprise Telephony on Windows

3CX frees the Enterprise PBX from proprietary hardware, dramatically reducing the cost of Enterprise telephony

Miami, Florida – 26 June 2007 – 3CX today released the Enterprise edition of its new product 3CX Phone System, a Windows-based IP PBX that completely replaces a proprietary PABX. 3CX Phone System is based on the open SIP standard and interoperates with a wide range of popular SIP phones, VOIP Gateways and SIP-based providers. The Enterprise edition of 3CX Phone System implements enterprise telephony features such as Call Queuing and Exchange 2007 integration. It has been independently tested and certified for Microsoft Windows 2003.

The Call Queuing feature allows companies to hold callers in a queue, whilst agents answer calls. Agents are able to login and logout to queues from Windows seeing the exact number of callers in the queue.

The Exchange 2007 integration feature allows 3CX Phone System to use the Unified Messaging Server in Exchange Server 2007 as the voice mail server. This way, users can connect to their Exchange Server to listen to their calendar, have Exchange read out mails and receive their voice mail in their email inbox.

“The release of 3CX Phone System Enterprise edition is set to accelerate the massive change occurring in the Enterprise Telephony market space. With 3CX Phone System Enterprise Edition, advanced features such as Call Queuing can now be obtained for a fraction of the price of traditional Enterprise PBXs. What’s more, advanced features such as integration with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 unified messaging are not even available on today’s proprietary PBXs,” said Nick Galea, 3CX CEO.

Key features of 3CX Phone System Enterprise Edition:

• Complete phone system - provides call switching, routing & queuing
• Eliminates phone wiring & patching of extensions to a particular network point
• Makes teleworking easy because employees can answer extension from home
• Purchase cost dramatically lower than a traditional hardware PBX
• Scalable - Unlimited extensions and phone lines. No proprietary expansion modules needed!
• Web-based configuration & status indication - Easy phone system management!
• Unified messaging - Receive voice mail via e-mail
• Auto attendant (e.g. 1 for sales, 2 for support etc.)
• Reduces long distance and inter office call costs using VOIP providers.
• Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging integration
• Call Queues
• Certified for Windows 2003

Four available editions: Small Business, Pro, Enterprise and Free
3CX Phone System for Windows is available in 4 editions: The Small Business Edition supports up to 25 extensions, the Pro edition supports an unlimited number of extensions. The Enterprise edition includes advanced features such as Exchange 2007 integration and Call Queuing. Pricing is competitive: Small Business costs $350, the Pro runs at $895 and Enterprise costs $1250.

3CX Phone System Free edition
A free edition, supporting an unlimited number of extensions, is also available. The main difference with Pro and Small Business is that it’s not possible to buy a support package for the free edition, nor does it include the advanced features of 3CX Call Assistant. Not withstanding, the Free Edition does more than most commercial PBXs do; including an auto attendant, voice mail and even user-to-user support via the 3CX moderated product forums at http://www.3cx.com/forums/. The free edition can be downloaded from http://www.3cx.com/ip-pbx/index.html.

About 3CX
3CX is a privately held company with a management team backed by years of experience in developing and selling network infrastructure software. It maintains a global presence with offices in 6 countries and localized information available in German (www.3cx.de), Spanish (www.3cx.es), French (www.3cx.fr), Portuguese (www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (www.3cx.jp), Traditional Chinese (www.3cx.hk), Simplified Chinese (www.3cx.cn), Vietnamese (www.3cx.vn) and Korean (www.3cx.co.kr). Furthermore a localized website is maintained for all major countries: www.3cx.it, www.3cx.nl , www.3cx.ru, www.3cx.pl, www.3cx.ae, www.3cx.gr, www.3cx.cz, www.3cx.dk, www.3cx.fi, www.3cx.hu, www.3cx.jp, www.3cx.com.tr, www.3cx.no, www.3cx.ro, www.3cx.com.my and www.3cx.se.