© SpecialKRB

Research firm Dell'Oro Group has released a new report which predicts that the IP telephony market will stabilize in 2010.

"The housing market is showing signs of improvement, and this may accelerate the growth of voice-over-IP subscribers during 2010, according to the report," writes TMCnet's Anshu Shrivastava. "In addition, aggressively priced bundled service offerings from service providers are also expected to help in acceleration of VoIP subscribers this year."

"Tools such as speech-to-text will go beyond such providers as Google Voice to be incorporated into other business and residential voice offerings, further driving demand," writes VoIP Planet's Adam Stone.

"Beyond 2010, we forecast the market to grow in the low single-digits through 2014," says Dell'Oro Group vice president Greg Collins. "Future growth in broadband subscribers will likely be boosted over the next five years by government initiatives, such as the National Broadband Plan in the United States, which will target greater availability and adoption of broadband services to hard-to-service customers and customers who otherwise are unable to afford it."

The press release is here.

TelCentris has introduced the VoxOx Universal Translator, a new instant translation app.

"VoxOx users need only open up their VoxOx universal messaging window, pick their language and the language of each person they wish to communicate with, and send text messages, chats or e-mails to any user, whether they use VoxOx or not," writes eWeek's Clint Boulton. "The neat trick here is that only one person need be using VoxOx to have a conversation that is translated between two parties, making it a boon for efficiency."

"It's not known yet how accurate this real-time translation will be, granted that nothing is as 100% as someone telling you in person rather than using an online translator," writes ZDNet's Rachel King. "But it could certainly prove to be useful, especially if you meet a special someone on a trip abroad and want to keep in touch, but don't really speak the same language."

More here from AppScout ... and the press release is here.

© Uwe Hermann

Online chat site ChatRoulette has attracted an enormous amount of attention in a brief period of time — and The New York Times has tracked down its 17-year-old founder in Moscow.

"The concept is simple," writes WebProNews' Chris Crum. "You chat via a webcam or keyboard with random strangers. If you don't like the one you're currently connected to, just click a button (or hit F9), and you're on to the next one. Maybe at some point you can find someone you like, have something in common with, or don't find incredibly repulsive. "

According to The New York Times' Brad Stone, the site was created by a 17-year-old Russian high school student named Andrey Ternovskiy. "I am aware that Chatroulette is popular in USA," Ternovskiy told Stone. "It is interesting, but I have never been to the USA myself. Yet most of my site users come from it. I would love to visit the United States."

"In subsequent correspondence with the Times, he explains how he came up with the concept of ChatRoulette, saying it was originally 'just for fun,' without any sort of financially driven motivation," writes Switched's Amar Toor. "The high school student from Moscow explained that he simply did it because his friends were looking for new, more stimulating forms of communication, as Skype video chats had quickly lost their luster."

© Tambako the Jaguar

VocalTec Communications has been selected by Kenyan ISP Wananchi Ltd. to provide triple-play services in Kenya and Tanzania under the SimbaNET and Zuku brands.

"The company did not disclose the size of the deal, but industry sources estimate it at almost $1 million," writes Globes [online]'s Shiri Habib-Valdhorn. "VocalTec will provide its core VoIP product together with a wide range of supporting applications and prepaid billing solutions for voicemail, fax, conferencing, and other solutions."

"Using VocalTec's Class-5, Essentra BAX Application Server, Wananchi will be able to offer its subscribers the latest in IP telephony services, including an extensive set of applications," according to VoIP Monitor.

"Launching complex VoIP services in Kenya and Tanzania is essential to our advancement," says Wananchi Group CEO Euan F. D. Fannell. "VocalTec showcases its strength in emerging markets by serving as the central component in fulfilling our goal of becoming the first triple-play provider in the region. We see VocalTec as a strong and committed partner in our quest, and we value their extensive experience in building VoIP networks."

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