Packnet Blog

Major UK telecommunications network supplier, BT, is recruiting staff from among former military personnel to work on the installation of its high speed broadband fibre-optic cable connections.

Via its network engineering division, Openreach, BT is planning to integrate the ex-service staff into a mobile unit with responsibility for cable installations across the country. The new recruits will work alongside the 3,000 or so full-time specialist engineers currently assigned to the project.

A recent survey has shown that the low cost of calls made via business VoIP connections may possibly also contribute to cheaper legal bills for both businesses and consumers.

Law firms questioned in the US by consultants, Mattern & Associates, have revealed that clients are increasingly querying – and in some cases declining to pay – charges relating to telephone calls made in the course of legal casework.

Major UK telecommunications network company, BT, has signed an agreement allowing multi-media organisation, Sky, to access its infrastructure of poles and ducts for the installation of Sky’s own high-speed fibre-optic broadband cable lines.

The deal between BT and Sky follows a recent direction from UK telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, instructing BT to open up its network to other potential suppliers in order to encourage competition regarding the supply of broadband cable. It is anticipated that other companies may soon follow Sky’s lead in negotiating access to the BT network.

The director of the Wales division of UK telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, has said that businesses in the region would benefit substantially from the introduction of reliable high speed mobile broadband access.

Speaking to attendees at a recent meeting of the Wales business interests group, the Cardiff Breakfast Club, Ofcom director for Wales, Rhodri Williams, said he believes that the capacity to access high speed broadband whilst away from the office is essential in ensuring that businesses in Wales can continue to operate on an even keel with rival companies around the world.

Top VoIP equipment manufacturer Snom has suggested that its 870 CryptoPhone handset boasts so many superior features that it meets all the specifications required under US President Barack Obama’s reported request for a ‘cool’ new White House phone.

Mr Obama’s request was featured in a recent report by the Press Association; and Snom’s response, on the company’s website, although slightly tongue in cheek, is clearly designed to highlight the effectiveness of one of the latest models from a major supplier to the internet protocol (IP) telephony market.

UK employers association, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), has called on the country’s government to take steps to ensure that the UK has the fastest broadband connections in Europe by 2030.

The CBI says it believes the fastest European broadband service will be one of several essential services that the UK will need to be able to offer in twenty years time in order to attract investors. The CBI ranks the importance of high-speed broadband for UK business competitiveness on a par with favourable tax incentives; high national levels of attainment in education and skills; and the establishment of fully viable low carbon energy systems.

Leading VoIP handset provider, Cisco, has urged small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to switch to business VoIP services in order to take advantage of what it claims could be substantial savings over their existing phone costs.

The advice has come from the UK and Ireland’s business manager in charge of small business sales for Cisco, Patrick Tarbitt, an acknowledged expert in the field of business VoIP (voice over internet protocol).

A new survey by research company, Infonetics, has revealed that adoption of SIP trunking among US companies has continued to grow at a partial, evolutionary pace, rather than in a revolutionary fashion.

According to the survey, even those companies which had recently incorporated SIP trunking within their phone network systems were still relying at least in part on traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN) trunking connections.

Take up of IP telephony solutions in Europe is expected to continue apace, particularly in central and eastern areas, according to new report from Business Monitor International (BMI).

Major international business phone systems supplier, Yealink, is about to launch its new series of internet protocol (IP) telephony handsets, under the umbrella name, T3XG SIP.