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VoIP Regulation, SIP Insurrection

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the insurgents-vs-incumbents dept.

Chris Holland writes "As voice communications are evolving beyond traditional phone systems and making better use of the Internet, Aswath Rao is offering regulation-advocating counterpoints to Dr. Daniel Ryan's original analysis of various VoIP industry players' arguments for deregulation. Many of the above discussions revolve around closed, regulatory-scrutiny-fostering voice communications ecosystems reserved to a small, resourceful elite. Meanwhile, an open Internet protocol which provides support for all forms of real-time communications including Text, Voice and Video, with a few open-sourced server implementations and free client solutions is starting to gain serious ground: The Session Initiation Protocol enables just about anybody with little resources to become their own Real-Time Communications Giant."

11 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. SIP behind Nat by Albanach · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Sip works well, but doesn't like NAT'd connections though it can be made to work. IPv4 and forcing customers to use NAT are the technologies that will continue to be used to keep provision of a lot of these technologies in the hands of the ISP's with the potential to bill customers.

    The ability to circumvent NAT is why programs like Skype have such popularity and why Linux users looking for more control have been quick to investigate Asterisk and it's IAX2 protocol.

    Open standards are all very well, but for the time being at least, SIP is going to be a good technology so we can connect our computers to big carrriers and interoperate with the POTS. Other technologies have the potential to completely circumnavigate POTS and the big carriers - you cna bet your life they'll do everything they can to make sure they're not adopted.

    1. Re:SIP behind Nat by luvirini · · Score: 2, Interesting
      (argh html formatting, disregard previous)

      Well, our quite Small( less than 250 employees) but international(18 countries) company is allready circumventing the POTS systems a lot. We actually have soft PBX in all our locations and thus allow us to talk within the organisation without charges. Also the callout rules use a combination of local calling from nearest office and VOIP terminations.

      Recently we embarked on a trial project to connect directly to some of the people we do a lot of business with. We sent out an inquiry about 2 months ago to around 100-120 companies and if I am correct(not directly involved with day to day on this) allready few (way below 10) dial rules go directly to some other company's PBXs bypassing the POTS.

  2. Spam by awhelan · · Score: 1, Interesting

    After reading the blog entry, VOIP looks like it is very susceptible to spam. Some of the limits of telemarketers today are paying to make the calls, and accountability. New spammer/telemarketers could use a semi-anonymous SIP address.... or use a virus to control someone else's and send out millions of bulk recorded messages. Also, spam detection software to prevent something like this would be infinately more difficult to create than email filtering software.

    1. Re:Spam by luvirini · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Actually this might help in reducing spam if properly implemented.

      As atleast all the "real" revices are programmabel, you just give a voice menu that a human can easily select past.

      "You have called the residence of (insert name), the calls here are subject to licence agreemennt, Press 1 to accept the lisence, press 2 to listen to the lisence or hang up."

      On 1 it connects.

      on 2 it says something like "This is a legal agreement between you, the caller and (insert name), the called party. if you are trying to sell a product or a service, you must provide full company and personal details and to present the product truthfully. You will be billed 20 Dollars a minute for the call. Any lie or omission of fact on your part will result in a 500 dollar fee for for each such instance. By continuing this call you are accepting these conditions. if you do not jave the authority to accept contracts by phone, hang up now." And then continue about everything else you can think of..

      Thus everyone can just press 1 to continue and the phone will ring as normal, but try getting a spam to do that.. and all the telemarketeers are promising to pay you 20 dollars a minute to listen to them.. :)

  3. Hooray! by drewzhrodague · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Friend of mine called me from his Asterisk box last nite -- I picked up the call on my cell phone. His voice was clear, crisp, unjittered, no echo -- sounded like he was on a landline handset.

    So, I'm now experimenting with Asterisk...

    --
    Zhrodague.net - I do projects and stuff too.
  4. Magic Beans by Bookwyrm · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The Session Initiation Protocol enables just about anybody with little resources to become their own Real-Time Communications Giant.

    And anyone with a hoe and a little water can become a Real Farming Industry Giant! Or, If You Have A Few Bucks, You Can Buy This Bridge I Can Sell You.

    The ... protocol (sic) does not function as a magic bullet. Just waving the SIP spec at a traditional telcom does not knock them over. (Okay, throwing the entire printed version of all the SIP specs might...) This isn't about anyone with just 'a little resources', this is about people with resources, a lot of technical know-how (SIP is easy only in the sunny day cases), and LOTS OF TIME.

  5. No 9-1-1 by ebbyfish · · Score: 2, Interesting

    VoIP (and similar technologies) does not provide any address information when you call 9-1-1 (I know neither do PBX's, but most people do not have one of those in their houses). That is a really big issue if someone reports his or her address wrong to the 9-1-1 Dispatcher (it happens all of the time, all over the country - I call this the grey side of innovation). Deregulation certainly has its pluses, but what are they worth if you or someone you know doesn't get they help they need? There is a public perception that 9-1-1 will come to your aid if you call them, many people were taught this as children. If these VoIP companies choose not to address this issue, then where does that leave the whole EMS system? How can they assist the public if they do not know where they are calling form? Just some thoughts.

    --
    When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.
  6. Re:$50 Open Source Wifi SIP Server! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    It's not quite open source and they are selling it and are happy to use the DMCA to stop anyone from distributing it, I'm too tired to explain, just RTFA here.

  7. Re:No one cares... by faedle · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The irony, of course, being that SIP has MORE THAN ONCE been suggested as a replacement open IM protocol...

  8. Re:Have to agree by Afrosheen · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sucks going with a proprietary, closed vendor sometimes. We've been very happy with our Sip-enabled Polycom phones though, we have an office full of them now and they work like champions. Nobody has even noticed that there are no phone lines in the new cubes and that the handsfree is full duplex now. I like it when new tech makes you take things for granted.

  9. No accountability by Omega · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Here's why a lack of regulation for VoIP is A Bad Thing(TM). When you pick up a phone using POTS you always and immediately get a dial tone. If your phone service goes out for any reason, you can contact the Public Utility Commission and they will be on the phone company's ass right away. If your VoIP goes out, you have no recourse. Not to mention the fact ISP's do POP maintenance all the time -- I'm a little uncomfortable with knowing there's a time of day when I might not have phone service. When's the last time your phone company told you that phone service will be taken down between the hours of 11-12?

    I'm not trying to impugn the technology -- I think VoIP is great, but if it's going to replace POTS, it needs oversight and regulation as a public service.