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With the allegations of telephone hacking conducted by tabloid newspaper The News of the World making big headlines, any small to medium business that is taking advantage of IP telephony may have good reason to scrutinise the security of their phone network.

VoIP hardware manufacturer snom is set to unveil its new range of IP PBX phones at the ITEXPO East, which takes place in Miami, Florida, between February 2 – 4.

The ITEXPO is a conference specialising in communications and technology, but also has many training elements to offer visitors. This year, small to medium enterprises, VoIP resellers and government agencies will have the chance to learn how to choose the best fax, video and business phone systems to purchase for themselves or resell onto their clients. It is also an opportunity to see the latest in business VoIP, gain an insight into what customers will be clamouring for in 2011, make new business relationships and secure deals.

Social media giant Facebook looks set to take on Skype and Google for a slice of the domestic Voice over Internet Protocol (IP) telephony market.

It has so far remained tight lipped on the matter, but a screenshot has surfaced on the internet of what keen-eyed observers say is a ‘call icon’, and would explain the rumours about a Facebook phone said to be in the works.

Any businesses looking to expand into Tunisia will have been keeping a careful eye on recent political developments there.

The country has experienced a period of political upheaval, with Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali ousted from his presidency and forced to flee the country earlier this month amidst scenes of riots and protests.

IP telephony hardware manufacturer Snom has announced its first PA system capable of announcement broadcasting using a VoIP enabled telephone.

The new device will allow anybody with a SIP based internet telephone to be integrated as part of their public address system. The hardware, which has been christened the PA1, is to have its first public outing at the Hanover CeBIT (Centre of Office and Information technology), due to take place this March.

Business and domestic broadband users are set to receive more value for money with their broadband service according to proposals by Ofcom (The Office of Communications).

The industry regulator has proposed that the prices that BT charges in areas of the UK where it is the only provider of broadband services should be slashed. This would mainly apply to small towns, hamlets and rural areas.

The United States Federal Department of the Treasury has announced that it is seeking a provider to update its existing business phones systems to take advantage of Voice over Internet Telephony (VoIP).

IP telephony providers have been asked to tender for the contract, which will be in effect for 36 months and include the delivery of the core aspects of it, such as its design, supplying hardware and designing the system. The winning bidder will also be responsible for training Treasury staff in its use and maintaining the system.

VoIP equipment provider DrayTek has come up trumps at the 19th annual Taiwan Excellence awards.

The Taiwanese company, which specialises in broadband hardware such as Virtual Private Network devices, DrayTek routers, firewalls and wireless LAN, beat off competition in the to take one of the top prizes for its VigorIPPBX 2820 and VigorFly 200.

Technology giant IBM has conducted a survey of more than 2,000 medium sized businesses and how they plan to take advantage of technology such as business VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) over the coming 18 months.

The results, which account for firms in over 20 different countries, indicate that budgets will increase for customer service solutions, collaboration, analytics, and most notably, cloud computing.

A market research company has claimed that headsets making use of IP telephony are set to edge out traditional landline phones.

According to Tavis McCourt, MD at internet telephony analysts Morgan Keegan, business phone systems will soon jettison traditional landline telephones altogether as more companies turn to the internet for all of their communications.