Packnet Blog

Get the latest VoIP news, views and opinions with the PackNet VoIP blog. Keep up to date with the latest happenings in the world of telecommunications.

Report confirms continued shift towards global VoIP adoption

June 21, 2011 | Callum Douglas - Byrnes

A new report by UK broadband information organisation, Point Topic, has produced findings which will come as no surprise to those already familiar with the rapid adoption of business VoIP; that worldwide take up of VoIP services in general rose by 12.6% in 2010, and is also predicted to continue to increase substantially over the next five years.

The Point Topic report points to the main driving force behind the huge upsurge in VoIP adoption as the considerable cost savings enjoyed over traditional telephone company landline call connections.

Read the article

Report demonstrates link between internet expansion and GDP

June 20, 2011 | Callum Douglas - Byrnes

A report by the highly respected McKinsey Global Institute has highlighted just how important internet applications such as business VoIP (voice over internet protocol) and IP telephony are to economic growth.

According to the report, since 2006 the internet has directly contributed towards 21% of the combined GDP growth of the G8 countries and other advanced nations including Sweden, South Korea, Brazil and India. The report also points out that for every job lost owing to the expansion of internet technology, 2.6 new posts are generated in return.

Read the article

The PR advantages of business VoIP

June 17, 2011 | Callum Douglas - Byrnes

Although not normally considered a ‘public relations’ or ‘image making’ tool, business VoIP (voice over internet protocol) has in fact shown itself to be a key factor in helping individual companies maintain or even improve their standing in the eyes of potential customers.

The first, and perhaps most obvious way in which business VoIP can bolster a firm’s reputation, is through its ability to allow customer calls to reach company staff even where those staff are unable to gain access to their normal place of business; such as during adverse weather conditions.

Read the article

Successful VoIP installation in US high school shows VoIP potential advantages

June 16, 2011 | Callum Douglas - Byrnes

Whilst business VoIP is quite rightly often cited as being of huge benefit to a company’s bottom line, by way of reduced phone costs, a successful recent VoIP installation by a high school in the US also highlights the superiority of VoIP as a method of managing institutional and business phone systems.

Read the article

Suffolk to benefit from local government £10 million high speed broadband investment

June 14, 2011 | Callum Douglas - Byrnes

Suffolk County Council, together with several local councils throughout Suffolk, has announced it intends funding high speed broadband development in the county to the tune of £10 million over a four year period.

The move follows a recent failure on the part of the County to win a £20 million subsidy from the UK government’s Broadband Delivery UK scheme – an initiative designed to increase high speed broadband penetration throughout the UK. The Council now intends submitting a fresh bid to try and secure a matching £10 million from the government.

Read the article

European access to high speed broadband increases thanks to new specialist satellites

June 10, 2011 | Callum Douglas - Byrnes

Two commercially-owned space satellites have begun offering dedicated high speed broadband access to areas of Europe generally considered unreachable by conventional broadband cable networks, such as some remote parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Eutelsat-owned Ka-Sat satellite and the Hylas-1 craft run by Avanti carry ultra-high frequencies known as ‘Ka band’ frequencies; and it is these Ka-band frequencies which facilitate the fast data transmission required for broadband-quality communications.

Read the article

Surrey to invite tenders to help achieve 100% high speed broadband access

June 10, 2011 | Callum Douglas - Byrnes

Surrey County Council has launched its own broadband supplier tendering process in an effort to ensure that the county achieves full high speed broadband coverage by 2013.

Although national telecommunications supplier, BT, has committed to extending its high speed broadband network throughout the UK, Surrey County Council says that without its own private tendering initiative up to 20% of Surrey addresses will still remain unable to access high speed broadband – especially those businesses and homes based in the county’s more rural areas.

Read the article

Hampshire fire service to set up its own VoIP facility

June 9, 2011 | Callum Douglas - Byrnes

Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service is to introduce a VoIP (voice over internet protocol) facility for its 1,935 staff based at various locations across the county.

In common with much of the business VoIP capability currently being acquired by many commercial firms in both the UK and around the world, Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service’s VoIP service will rely on access to a high speed broadband cable network; in Hampshire Fire Service’s case, this will be in the form of a recently installed public sector network (PSN) – itself utilising high-speed fibre-optic cables already laid down by Virgin Media Business.

Read the article

Why the flexibility of business VoIP can appeal as much as the cost savings

June 8, 2011 | Callum Douglas - Byrnes

Going down the route of fully embracing business VoIP may initially appeal to most firms but some may still be reluctant converts; perhaps a business might not consider that it receives enough calls every month to warrant taking advantage of the cost savings associated with VoIP; or perhaps expenditure priorities might appear to lie elsewhere. Yet, reliable advice on the merits of VoIP can often throw up some very tempting considerations for almost all businesses.

Read the article

UK Cookie law

June 3, 2011 | Callum Douglas - Byrnes

UK Cookie law has come to force from 26th May, 2011 and UK websites are given 12 months to make necessary changes that would make it comply with the guide lines. The UK government’s Information Commissioner’s office (ICO) has issued a guide line (which can be found here ) on what needs to be done by UK websites in order to comply with the EU directives. The new amendment states that the websites should give clear information about the cookies that will be set in the user’s device (PC, mobile etc.) and get consent from user or give the option to opt out.

Read the article

Our Technology Partners

Snom, Gigaset, Draytek, Yealink
RIPE NCC, Linx, Comms Council UK, Ombudsman Services