Web conferencing technology supports sharing of slides (PDF and PPT), video, whiteboard, chat, voice using Asterisk PBX, and desktops.

Web Conferencing features include the following:
• Asterisk based web conferencing allows instantaneous conference calling where the user can select any group of contacts, or any e-mail or calendar appointment and automatically initiate a conference call to all the recipients
• Web conferencing allows to join the Asterisk VOIP based voice conference from within the client using a built-in SIP phone
• Hosted Asterisk based web conferencing allows chat with other users including private chat
• Web conferencing facilitates to view the presenter’s slides and cursor
• It helps share a video stream (webcam) with other participants
• Web conferencing also facilitates uploading of slides (PDF or any office document supported by Open Office)
• In web conferencing, the presenter can mute or eject listeners from the voice conference. In web conferencing, the presenter can share their desktop (yes, even on Linux).

Also, don’t forget to enjoy the benefits of the best application hosting solutions, such as hosted VOIP PBX, Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, etc., which has become the preferred way for companies to implement business software.

Last year has seen tremendous growth in availability of residential VoIP resources and services, despite SunRocket Inc.’s notable collapse and Vonage’s extremely well-publicized troubles.

Instead, growth has been in nontraditional services very kinds of things that Voice 2.0 movement is all about. Broadly speaking, these services and tools fall into set of categories. The biggest is free desktop VoIP/messaging services.

If you have an ear for the latest computer craze, technology fad, or nifty gadget, then you’ve probably heard about VoIP. What is VoiP? Let’s start by defining what exactly “VoIP” means. VoIP stand for Voice over Internet Protocol. It comprises an emerging set of applications and protocols that allow you to make telephone calls over the internet. The popularity of VoIP has really been catching on and is already starting to replace existing telephone networks. Some people have cancelled their traditional phone service and now exclusively use VoIP.

You may have thought that VoIP only worked from computer to computer, and that was the original intent. Of course, you can use it this way, but VoIP has been further developed into a telephone network in its own right. Using VoIP, you can call any phone anywhere in the world, and can receive calls with phones connected to the internet or a LAN (local area network)

Background

VoIP was born back in the “stone age” of the internet, that is, 1995, when Israeli computer enthusiasts made the first voice connection between two computers. That same year this technology was developed into a software package called Internet Phone Software. All you needed to talk to another computer was a modem, sound card, speakers, a microphone, and, of course, a computer. VoIP was born.

This software compressed and digitized the audio signal and then sent the data over the internet in discreet “packets”. These voice connections could only occur between computers that had the software installed. Like many new technologies, it wasn’t very pretty at first. Sound quality was poor and vastly inferior to the audio quality of a standard phone network, which, by the way, isn’t really that good either, in “hi-fi” terms.

But of course, this was just the beginning. The technology continued to be developed and by 1998 gateways had been established allowing PC-to-phone connections. Later that year, phone-to-phone connections were possible using the internet to transmit the audio. The phone-to-phone connections still required a computer to initiate the call, but once the call was established, callers could use a regular phone set.

VoIP Today

VoIP is fast becoming a big business, with the major telcom’s getting on board offering VoIP service. Service is available for both commercial and residential use, ranging from PC-to-PC service, all the way up to phone-to-phone.

Internet phones (or “ip phones”) are available that plug into a USB port or directly into the PC’s sound card. These phones look much the same as that old thing sitting on your desk, with number pads and customizable ringers. It’s even possible to bypass the computer entirely by plugging the phone into your broadband or cable modem. We find it especially ironic that to bypass the traditional phone network you can plug an ip phone into your broadband modem which is connected to, of course, your phone line.

How does VoIP Work?

The first thing that needs to happen is that your voice needs to be converted into bits and bytes, otherwise known as digitized. Your voice is “sampled”, a process that divides the analog sound into discrete bits of data that are assigned a numerical value. Once digitized, the data can then easily be compressed.

This digitized and compressed data is then split up into packets of about 1500 bytes for easy transmission over the internet. Along with the raw voice data, these packets contain information about the packet’s origin, the intended destination, and a timestamp that allows the packet to be reconstructed in the correct order. Once these packets arrive at their destination, they are put back together (in the right order) and converted back into analog sound so the party at the other end will understand what you’re saying.

Now, this is a lot of stuff that needs to happen at, essentially, the speed of light. To avoid significant delays from occurring, a broadband connection is required to use VoIP. Since more and more businesses and residential customers are now using broadband, converting to VoIP should be relatively simple for many computer users.

And there you have it! A quick introduction into one of the latest hot new technologies! You can save a bundle in long distance charges by utilizing your broadband connection and an ip phone to make and receive calls over the internet with VoIP.

Google Talk Creates Universally Available VOiP Service With past record of Google’s ability to enter into and quickly dominate entirely new fields, an incursion by Google into new territory is definitely something worth taking seriously.

Voice over Internet Protocol technology is no different, and right now Google appears to be making play for a greater share of the VoIP market.

VoIP solutions are being utilised by people all around the world to make long distant calls. The users can make use of the broadband phone to terminate calls while also sending messages. The user-friendliness of the technology enables people to avail the services very easily.

With this technology, it is actually easy for people to make calls at a surprisingly low rate. The billing procedures are simple and users can actually pay their bills without having to visit offices personally. Bills can be payed online with complete authentication.

With the introduction of this technology, business has grown at a rapid rate. It is possible for people to use the system to make international as well as local calls at an amazingly low call rate. The business VoIP solutions serve as an uncompromising means to avail telephony services for professional requirements. The technology has all the latest features that make it possible for people to remain connected with people all the time, send messages and share files with others. There is also the facility of 3 way calling that is very beneficial for any sort of business to prosper.

Moreover, with the emergence of the VoIP solution provider the technology has reached every corner of the world. Now, it is very easy for people to get all the latest facilities with the service . People just need to have an internet connection for availing the services of Voice Over IP. The system can be accessed on computers, laptops and mobile phones.

The VoIP solution providers are available with both wholesalers and resellers. The resellers actually lease the services from wholesalers and that is the reason why they can provide VoIP phone services to the customers of their region. Thus the VoIP solution have reached every segment of the society with innumerable resellers coming into picture. The wholesalers play a dominating role as they provide free minutes to resellers.

Call centres rely on the business VoIP solutions for meeting their business needs. Such organisations have to make calls to clients frequently. It is necessary for them to make cheap calls and so they rely on this technology for call making. Calling at low cost is possible with this technology, as Voice over IP does not make use of long driven wires as in traditional forms. In fact, the technology is completely digital. That actually helps in delivering calls and messages at a surprisingly low cost rate. What VoIP does is that it converts voice signals to digital packets and that helps to send files, messages and voice in compressed format.

So, with this high speed data transference, it is actually possible for people make calls and indulge a number of people in conference calling. The 3-way conference is brought to use for this purpose. The users feel contended to make use of the technology for it a real boon for their business.

Detailed information about VoIP solutions and VoIP solution providers are available on the internet. People just have to surf through all VoIP related websites to get information about the service. They can also register with a service provider online in-order to avail the services of VoIP.

If you configure your wireless device with hosted Microsoft Exchange, you can get easy access to your Outlook inbox. Yet, prior to syncing with Exchange Server 2007, you should check your phone’s compatibility with Ecuador’s wireless companies. Also being an outsider in Ecuador, you should ensure that your local wireless service providers have compatibility with the roaming arrangements of the carriers in Ecuador.

The population of Ecuador is close to 14,790,608 people. The main language of the country is Spanish. However, the Spanish-speaking populace of Ecuador can be carefree as Microsoft Exchange Server hosting is available in different languages.

SharePoint Sites of the company are also accessible from any part of the world. So any change that needs to be done on the content posted on free hosting templates or SharePoint Server 2007 can be viewed, reviewed, edited and deleted easily by just logging in using the credentials.

Cuba is a country with a population of more than 11 million. The major spoken tongue of the country is Spanish. Furthermore, people of Cuba can make use of Microsoft Exchange Server hosting in their own tongue as this product is available in umpteen languages.

Also, you should make sure with the country’s foremost cell phone service providers about their offers and plans on Hosted Microsoft Exchange. If you are visiting from a different country, you should with your native country about their compatibility with check with Cuba’s wireless carriers.

What more, not only your mailbox, you can also access your company intranet portal with SharePoint Server 2007 and SharePoint Server 2010.

It is not uncommon for people to look for low rate VoIP. In general, all forms of VoIP services are already cheaper than the usual telephone service. Since there are many VoIP providers however, service prices also tend to vary. Depending on several reasons and factors, some providers are really cheaper than others. Here are a couple of things you should know about low rates for VoIP.

Free VoIP Services

Rarely do we ever hear of truly free things these days. With VoIP becoming more popular, it is hard to imagine that anyone would offer it for free. There are however some instances when VoIP can be had for free. If you are looking for the lowest VoIP rate, nothing can go lower than free. Here are some points to consider about free VoIP services.

- Some providers may offer VoIP for free but only as part of a promo. The free service may not last for long so you should make sure to check the fine print before using VoIP with a provider.

- Some providers offer 100% free VoIP but only for a limited number of places. In some cases, they may limit the number of hours you can use the service. They may also limit the number of IP addresses you can send to.

- A number of small independent providers may offer free services with few limitations. These may be small companies though and they may not always offer the features that bigger companies offer. Voice quality may also no be as excellent.

Low Rate VoIP

You may think that free services aren’t for you. You may want to have some features that just aren’t available in free services. If this is the case, then you might just want to settle on paying for low rates. Again services, with low rates have a couple of considerations:

- Price isn’t the only indicator that should influence your decision. The lowest VoIP rates don’t always mean that you have a great deal. The low rates may be because a company is not yet well known. It may also be because they really don’t offer good services. Before signing up for VoIP providers with low rates, make sure that they have fairly tolerable services.

- You may be able to get lower rates if you choose your features carefully. You may for example, not need 3-way call or redirect call features. If you want to have VoIP simply for making basic, personal and local calls, then you can pick the package with less features so you also pay less.

Checking Out a Comparison Site

Online Comparison – The best way to find the best VoIP rate deals is to go to comparison sites. Various sites rate, rank and review VoIP services. Depending on the site you are on, they may also provide the specific features of various VoIP providers.

It would be good if you picked a comparison site that actually really tests VoIP. Some sites may only offer reviews based on second hand information. An alternative would be to go to a site that has consumer reviews in it.

Low rate VoIP may not be that hard to find. You do have to spend some time though, finding out if you really have a good deal on your hands.

Are you using VoIP yet? If not, statistics indicate you’ll be replacing your traditional land line phone service with internet phone service within the next year or so. Chances are you’ve heard about VoIP, but you may know of it as “digital phone service”. This is the marketing term cable television provider’s use when advertising their version of internet phone service.

The terms VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), internet phone service, broadband phone service and digital phone service are used interchangeably, and all refer to the technology used to make telephone calls over the internet. VoIP started becoming popular as a money-saving replacement for “land line” phone service a couple of years ago, and now it is quickly becoming the residential phone service of choice.

According to the Telecommunications Industry News, the number of VoIP users in the United States doubled from 1.5 to nearly 3 million between 2004 and 2005. Voip Monitor estimated there were approximately 6 million users in September 2006, and projects there will be 24 million users by the end of 2008. Internet phone service is here to stay, and it’s only a matter of time before you consider switching to VoIP.

Why are so many millions of people disconnecting their regular “telephone-line” based phone service in favor of VoIP? To save money!

Regular phone service relies on millions of miles of telephone cable, millions of switches and millions of technicians and support personnel to maintain the telephone in your home. This costs a tremendous amount of money, and the costs are passed on to us consumers in our phone bills. Most people pay $40 a month or more for the privilege of having a dial tone. When you add long distance charges to that, it’s not uncommon to see $100+ phone bills every month.

Internet phone service relies on a broadband internet connection to route calls over the World Wide Web, to anywhere in the world. VoIP providers only have to maintain a room full of servers and switches, internet connectivity and a staff of technicians in order to provide consumers with high quality internet phone service.

Although prices differ among VoIP service providers, you can expect to pay $20 – $40 a month for internet phone service, and this usually includes unlimited local and long distance calls! Most VoIP providers also throw in tons of free phone features too – like caller ID, call waiting, voicemail and call forwarding – just to name a few. If you really want to save a lot of money on phone service, consider using a VoIP provider that offers an unlimited annual plan. These plans usually run $199 a year (paid upfront). Voip.com and Sunrocket are two good companies that offer an annual option.

If you make international calls, VoIP service will save you a ton of money vs. traditional phone service. International long distance rates are usually only pennies per minute with VoIP, depending on where you call. If you make frequent international calls, consider subscribing with a VoIP company that offers an international calling plan. Sunrocket, Packet8 and Vonage are three good providers that offer an international option.

The only requirement you’ll need to meet in order to use residential VoIP service is a broadband internet connection.

Most people already have broadband internet access (over 60% of Americans), so this makes switching to VoIP a really easy process. After choosing a VoIP provider that offers the calling plan that is right for you, sign up for service on their website. In many cases, you can keep your existing phone number. The provider will send you a small device known as a Voip adapter (also known as an ATA). When you receive it, installation is a simple matter of connecting a few cables and dialing a special number to activate service. No tools or technical skills are required in order to install internet phone service, and you can use your existing telephone.

If you don’t have broadband internet service yet, you’ll need to get this before you can use VoIP. My recommendation is to use cable internet service. Although this may cost you around $20 a month more than your current dial-up service, you will more than make up the difference once you subscribe to VoIP service and disconnect your land line phone. An added benefit is that you will be able to surf the web at high-speed while talking on the phone at the same time!

Most people who switch to internet phone service save around $500 a year on their phone bill. VoIP looks and feels just like regular “land line” service. The only thing different that you’ll notice is extra money in your pocket!