Microsoft has debuted the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 (R2), an update to Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 at the VoiceCon event in Amsterdam. Customers will be able to purchase the release, currently in private beta testing, beginning in February 2009.

“Office Communications Server 2007 R2, debuting just one year after the Microsoft unified communications launch, highlights the pace of innovation that is possible with software,” said Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft Business Division at Microsoft. “This new release puts Microsoft on a rapid path to deliver voice software that does much more than a network private branch exchange (PBX) and with much less cost.”

Microsoft has also released some really exciting features of the upcoming R2 update for Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007.

• Dial-in audioconferencing. This feature will allow customers to host their own on-premise audioconferencing bridge that is managed by IT instead of having it outsourced from a 3rd party provider.
• Desktop sharing. This feature enables users to seamlessly share their desktop, initiate audio communications and collaborate with others outside the organization on PC, Macintosh or Linux platforms through a Web-based interface.
• Persistent group chat. This feature allows users to participate in topic-based discussions or chat rooms. The chat rooms are archived periodically to allow for easy searching on past discussions.
• Enhanced Voice and Mobility
• Attendant console and delegation. This allows receptionists, team secretaries and others to manage calls and conferences on behalf of other users, set up workflows to route calls, and manage higher volumes of incoming communications through a software-based interface.
• SIP trunking. This feature enables businesses to reduce costs by setting up a direct VoIP connection between an Internet telephony service provider and Office Communicator 2007 without requiring on-premise gateways.
• Response group. A workflow design application manages incoming calls based on user-configured rules (e.g., round-robin, longest idle, simultaneous), providing a simple-to-use basic engine for call treatment, routing and queuing.
• Mobility and single-number reach. This extends Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile functionality to Nokia S40, Motorola RAZR, Blackberry and Windows Mobile platforms, allowing users to communicate using presence, IM and voice as an extension of their PBX from a unified client.

The Microsoft OCS R2 will be launched on February 3rd 2009 and you can find more information about Microsoft OCS R2 at www.microsoft.com/communicationsserver.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Finally, VoIP is now available on iPhone and iPod devices after Apple approved Fring, an application that enables VoIP to iPhones and iPods connected to WiFi networks. Aside from VoIP access, fring for iPhones and iPods will also allow ‘fringsters’ to enjoy live mobile instant messaging like Skype, MSN, Google Talk, ICQ, Twitter, Yahoo! and AIM, no matter what device their contacts are using.

The 3.0MB application can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store. To get more information about this service, please visit the Fring website.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Jason Ostrom, a telecommunication security expert has unveiled UCSniff, a tool that demonstrates how easy it is to intercept Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls.

UCSniff is a next-generation VoIP-sniffer software tool that allows penetration testers to assess the security of VoIP calls over a network. A computer running UCSniff can be connected to the Ethernet port of the network you want to probe, A VLAN hopper automatically checks the network under probe until it accesses the part that carries VoIP calls. The UCSniff then injects spoofed Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) packets into the network allowing all VoIP traffic to be routed to the computer running UCSniff.

UCSniff creator Jason Ostrom said, “It’s silently intercepting all the traffic and forwarding it to the phone, so a regular phone user would not be able to tell the difference.

“They think they’re talking directly to the other phone when in fact the tool is actually intercepting all the traffic.”

UCSniff can catch bi-directional conversations and record them in a single audio file. It automatically records calls that use the G.711 and G.722 codecs. However, UCSniff cannot be used to probe a remote network, you need to be directly wired to the network to conduct a probe. UCSniff will be available for download in the coming weeks from Sipera Systems for free.

UCSniff is definitely a tool that every security and VoIP owner should have.

Popularity: 2% [?]

SkyPilot has released the SkyConnector Mini, a new generation Broadband Wireless Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) for long-range connectivity to broadband wireless subscribers. The SkyConnector Mini costs 50%  less than the current generation of SkyConnector while maintaining advanced wireless features including a high-gain antenna, high-power radio, OFDM modulation, AES encryption, and QoS capabilities.

The SkyConnector Mini’s deployment can be outside of commercial or residential buildings. Upon establishing a link, the CPE automatically configures itself and once connected, it provides an Ethernet connection to subscribers. The SkyConnector Mini includes extensive options to define and manage per-user rate control and other quality-of-service parameters. The SkyConnector Mini connects to a SkyGateway or SkyExtender point-to-multipoint base station.

Features of the SkyConnector Mini include:

• Low Cost – a per-unit MSRP as low as US$199
• Long Range – wireless connectivity up to 7.5 miles/12 km from the base station
• High Capacity – up to 13 Mbps of throughput
• Non-Line of Sight – industrial-strength OFDM improves deployment flexibility and resiliency
• Synchronous QoS – deterministic latency and jitter guarantees for applications like VoIP
• Encrypted Security – hardware-based AES encryption
• Frequency Flexibility – access to entire spectrum from 5.250-6.075 GHz
• “Zero-Touch” Configuration – auto-discovery and auto-provisioning via SkyControl™ EMS
• Traffic Management – Layer 2 networking with per-subscriber rate limiting and VLANs

The SkyConnector Mini is available from SkyPilot’s distributors and resellers. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is US$299 per unit for individual units and US$199 per unit when purchased in a bundle of 100 units.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Digium and Skype have announced the availability of a new channel driver that will enable Asterisk users to access Skype features integrated with the features and capabilities of Asterisk. The new Skype for Asterisk Beta allows the creation of native Skype trunks inside Asterisk 1.4 or 1.6. The Skype wideband codecs that provide excellent call quality to Skype calls will be built into the module. This will allow the transcoding between Asterisk codecs and the Skype SYLK codec.

Beta testing for the Skype for Asterisk has started and it is limited to a small group selected to represent a broad cross-section of potential users and developers.

The new module requires a per-channel license fee, therefore it is not going to be an open source. The Skype module will be available through the Digium Asterisk Marketplace.

Click here for more information.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Digium has released the AEX410, a modular four-port analog PCI-Express x1 telephony interface card for Asterisk. The AEX410 is the PCI-Express version of Digium’s existing TDM410 product.

The AEX410 provides analog (FXS) ports and trunk (FXO) ports for POTS/PSTN connectivity. It may be connected to the PSTN, to other PBXs, or to analog handset devices with those modules. Optional DSP-based 128ms line echo cancellation for the AEX410 is provided by Digium’s VPMADT032 G.168 module. The optional hardware echo cancellation provides 1024 taps of echo cancellation for superior voice quality.

The naming convention for the AEX410 part numbers is as follows:

AEX4XYZ

Where X indicates the number of FXS (station) modules (ports)
Where Y indicates the number of FXO (trunk) modules (ports)
Where Z indicates either B for bundles not containing DSP-based echo cancellation or E for bundles that do contain DSP-based echo cancellation.

Click here to read the complete announcement

Popularity: 2% [?]