EU Regulators Adopt Pro-competitive VoIP Policy

The European Regulators Group (ERG) adopted a common statement on VoIP services aimed at facilitating the roll out and widespread use of Internet telephony in Europe. At a meeting last week in Brussels, the ERG said it was dedicated to creating a regulatory environment in which VoIP services can flourish. Some key points of its 25-page Common Statement on VoIP include:Telecom regulations to date have historically been focused on circuit-switched technologies.The inevitable convergence of telecommunications, media and information technology sectors...

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WSJ: Telecom-Gear Mergers May Start to Heat UP

Industry speculation continues to mount that the planned mergers of SBC + AT&T, Sprint + Nextel, and possibly MCI + another RBOC will lead to another round of consolidation amongst network equipment suppliers. The Wall Street Journal published a report speculating that the carrier mega-mergers have thrust several equipment companies into the spotlight as possible acquisition targets, including Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks and Marconi. Potential acquirers, according to the article, include Motorola, Alcatel, Cisco Systems, Juniper...

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U.S. Wireless Market Expected to Grow 9% in 2005

U.S. spending on wireless communications will grow by 9.3% in 2005, achieving a total of $158.6 billion, according to the newly released 2005 Telecommunications Market Review and Forecast, an annual publication of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). The report predicts the wireless market will reach $212.5 billion by 2008, with a 10 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2005 to 2008. The U.S. wireless market consists of...

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Nuvio Speaks out Against VoIP Tax in Kansas

Jason Talley, president and CEO of Nuvio, testified in opposition to proposed taxation of VoIP providers for 911 service by the State Legislature of Kansas. The proposed state bill would require VoIP service providers to contribute to the Kansas Universal Service Fund (KUSF). In addition to being contrary to recent FCC rulings, Nuvio asserts that requirements for traditional 911 service are technologically impossible for VoIP. There are significant barriers to service implementation including call origination traceability and access to public...

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Brasil Telecom Ends 2004 with 535,500 ADLS Lines

Brasil Telecom ended 2004 with 535,500 customers for its ADSL Internet access service, up from 282,000 customers at the end of 2003. In 2003, approximately 300 cities were covered, and, in December 2004, the service reached over 1,100 municipalities.Brasil Telecom provides local wire line services and national long distance services as a concessionary in region II, which includes the Brazilian states of Acre, Rondonia, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Tocantins, Goias, Santa Catarina, Parana, and Rio Grande do Sul, as well as the Federal District....

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