As high speed and broadband internet connections are becoming more prevalent in homes across the United States, people are asking themselves can VOIP calling save me money on my phone bill? To answer this question you need to take a deeper look at VOIP calling and the expenses related to switching to VOIP.

The first thing to you should know is how VOIP calling works. When you place a VOIP call it works by converting the voice signal that you speak into the phone handset into a digital signal and sending it over the internet. This signal is then converted back into a voice signal and comes out of the earpiece on the other end. By sending the signal over the internet it doesn’t matter how far it has to go, a call across the street costs the same as call across the country. For people who have monthly long distance bills that are over $20, VOIP calling may be able to save you money on your phone bill.

When evaluating VOIP services you should have an idea of your monthly calling volume. The best thing to do is look at your phone bill for the past three months and figure out how many minutes you are using. If you are using less than 500 minutes a month you will find VOIP calling plans that are probably much less than your monthly phone bill. If you are using over 1000 minutes each month you’ll probably find unlimited calling plans will be more cost effective. If you make a lot of international calls, check to see if those calls are included in the plans you are evaluating.

Some VOIP services require that you update your telephone equipment. This is especially important if you have more then one phone in the house. The key to the VOIP system is VOIP router. It connects your broadband internet access to your new phone system. Some routers only interface with newer VOIP phones, meaning you will have to purchase new phones. Some routers allow you to plug conventional phones into them and keep your existing equipment. This really becomes an important factor if you have more than one telephone in your house.

Another factor to consider is the length of the contract. Many companies offer month to month contracts, others offer yearly, and some offer two year contracts. While a two year contract may look attractive from a price standpoint, locking yourself into a developing technology for twenty four months is something to give serious consideration to. A one year contract usually provides the best trade off between price and time commitment.

© Copyright VOIPTelephoneSystem.org, All Rights Reserved.

Jessica Liu writes articles about VOIP for http://www.voiptelephonesystem.org which cover VOIP technology and VOIP related news.

The rotating storm off the coast of Southern California is putting a huge hurt on Southern California. It is rotating like a tropical storm, but in cooler water than we are use to seeing. Some are happy to see the rain because that means that no Santa Ana conditions exist possibly causing or assisting large Wildfires, so in essence for some it is a major plus. However if you live on the coastal cliffs of Southern California for instance in Malibu or Topanga Canyon area, the lingering rains are a scary notion indeed.

Meteorologists have not named the 2005 winter season an El Nino but for a week in mid and late October you could have fooled them. Sure feels and looks like an El Nino with the huge unrelenting deluge of rain with many inches from Santa Barbara to San Diego and from Los Angeles into the high desert regions.

The major problem has been the constant rain as the storm is stalled over Los Angles and is not going anywhere, which is the best scenario for fire season, helping the dried brush stay green incase there is Santa Ana winds later in the Southern California Fire Season. But it is the worst case scenario for those folks who live in areas of recent fires with little water shed to stop flooding. And of course we are to well aware of those who live in the Coastal Mountainous areas like Malibu, Laguna Beach, Palos Verdes and the cliffs of San Diego. It never rains in Southern California, but if and when it does it can be both good and bad. Think on this.

Have you heard the buzz about VOIP (Voice Over Internt Protocol)? Basically, it’s like communicating over the phone without a phone. Instead you plug your microphone into your computer log on to a website and “boom” you’re talking baby. You may be saying “Hasn’t this been around for a while?”, and you’d be right. But with the advances recently made to internet technology this once “nice to have” product available to everyone, dial-up or broadband. No long distance charges, no entry fees, no codes to remember and even better, with the better services, you can share applications and web browsers.

The ease and convenience of unlimited global calling from your computer. In addition to voice communication, you can send and receive group or private text messages. When you make a presentation to a group, everyone can see the same visual on their own screen.

VOIP technology is turning telephone technology upside down! VOIP will soon become the preferred method of communication. This technology allows business managers to conduct meetings with full audio-visual interaction from the safety and comfort of their office or home. Uses are limited only by your imagination.

Here are a few of the uses we have discovered VOIP applications being used for:

• One-On-One Tutoring

• Online Computer Classes

• Communicating with kids in college

• Business Teleconferencing

• Board Meetings

• Blueprint review

• International calling (no extra cost)

• Establishing online communities

• Supporting International Downline Members

• Online Church Services

And the list goes on…There is no need for anyone to know that you are working from your home. One person I spoke with is using the system to conduct a computer class. She simply announces the class topic, dates, times and price. When people sign up she sends them an email with her link and a passcode. No one even knows that she is working from home or that she is the only person in her organization. The technology is reliable, clear and rivals or exceeds any of the online learning environments offered by “online schools”. Another person is using the system as a means of conducting one-on-one tutoring sessions. Because of the fact that she is no longer constrained to people in her “immediate area” her business has expanded and she has actually had to turn away clients.

There are several service providers and the best by far that we have discovered is ICon Communicator by Madison Dynamics Incorporated. The voice clarity is incredible and the options available set it apart from the rest. The prices are more than reasonable and are often lower than their competition for the same number of “seats” (Seats ore the number of people you can have online with you). You can review their service offer at www.MDIVOIP.com.

Other capable service providers are Go To Meeting and Intranets.

About The Author

Yvette McDonald has been an IT Analyst for 14 years and has designed an programmed on platforms from the AS/400 to the Internet.

biz@yomack.com

What is it?

VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. This means your voice will get sent across the Internet instead of through the traditional telephone circuit network.

The biggest question you may have is why should I consider VOIP service over traditional phone service?

This is the question I first had when considering VOIP as well. I found the advantages of VOIP far outweigh that of the traditional phone system. Among these advantages are significant cost savings, unlimited talking over both local and long distance, the ability to select any area code you want, and the huge amount of features available.

Cost Savings

The low-cost was my main reason for moving from the tradition phone system to VOIP. You can pay one low monthly fee and get all the features and advantages associated with Internet phone service. There are not near as many taxes and fees associate with VOIP phone service as there are with tradition phone providers. There are no surprises because you know your monthly rate.

Unlimited Minutes

Another huge advantage of VOIP is unlimited talking minutes for both local and long distance for one low fee. You could be in California and speak to someone in New York at anytime of day for as long as you want to without having to worry about per minute charges.

Portability

VOIP is a very portable service. It can be used permanently at home, or you can bring it with you while you travel. All you need is access to a high speed Internet connection. You can select any area code you wish to have your phone service through. This means you could have relatives a significant distance away whom you talk to quite often and you don’t have to make them call long distance. This service benefited me very much while I was in college in Colorado and talking with my friends and parents in Michigan.

Features

Most of the extra features on traditional phone service lines can cost quite a bit of money. These features are now included as part of your normal rates with VOIP. These included features can include voicemail, caller id, call waiting, call forwarding, 3-way calling, and many, many more. I regularly receive voice messages and they are sent to my email as a sound attachment! I love the convenience.

Other Information

VOIP has so many advantages, but as with everything, there are potential downsides. The technology used by VOIP requires a high speed Internet connection such as DSL or Cable to function properly. There is plenty of bandwidth in DSL and Cable Internet services for VOIP to function properly, but dialup just doesn’t provide the bandwidth necessary.

Learn about VOIP, DSL, and Cable Internet technologies at Cable-VS-DSL.com

Business communications has always been a challenging arena for management….subject to cost, function, reliability, and other pressures and concerns. The emergence of VoIP technology….and specifically application to PBX systems via IP based protocols….has provided an enormous opportunity for companies to reap many benefits.

Many companies today have multiple office locations around the country or around the world. Currently, each office uses its own PBX system and inter-office phone calls are routed through the PSTN and charged long distance and international rates by carriers. Most companies also employ workers on a part time basis who work from their homes. Those workers get reimbursed for telecommunication expenses they incur while performing their duties. It just makes business sense for companies to explore alternatives to consolidate their telecommunication systems and reduce costs.

The answer…..purchase a Voice-over-IP enabled PBX system and deploy it in a Virtual Office setup.

Voice-over-IP (VoIP) is a fairly new technology for transporting voice calls over the Internet which allows users to realize substantial cost savings on long distance and international calls. Besides cost effectiveness, VoIP enabled PBX systems (or IP PBX) offer easy integration with existing telecommunications systems and are characterized with low operating costs as their upgrade is done through software updates rather than more expensive hardware replacement. Additionally, the technology simplifies the communication infrastructure (no need for separate voice and data cables) while offering high scalability.

Virtual Office models are used by companies that want to consolidate their communications, reduce costs and achieve more cohesive corporate images. To implement the model, a company has to install a single IP PBX system in its headquarters and distribute to employees IP phones or regular phones with VoIP adapters. Employees can make intra-office and inter-office phone calls through dialing PBX extensions. Such calls are routed through the Internet and are practically free. Company customers, on the other side, can dial a single inbound number plus extensions in order to reach the company’s employees. The latter receive the calls on their IP/Regular Phones at any location in the world with Internet connectivity.

So what kind of a VoIP PBX solution does your business need? – a turnkey Virtual Office solution that could be customized to meet your company specific needs.

My recommendation for this solution is the highly acclaimed package from Packet8. Recently 8X8, Inc’s Packet8 Virtual Office Solution for small and medium sized businesses received Network Computing Magazine’s Editor’s Choice award over competitive offerings from Covad Communications and Velocity Networks. That’s some pretty stiff competition….and says a lot about Packet8’s performance. The Packet8 Virtual Office solution received the highest overall rating for its rich feature set, call management tools and low subscription price.

The Packet8 Virtual Office is a cost-effective, easy-to-use alternative to traditional PBX systems that allows users anywhere in the world to be part of a VoIP-hosted virtual phone system that includes auto attendants, conference bridges, extension-to-extension dialing, business class voicemail and ring groups, in addition to a rich variety of other business telephone features normally found on high-end, premise based PBX systems. Their Virtual Office reduces an organization’s telecommunications total cost of ownership (TCO) with a minimal initial investment combined with unlimited local and long distance business calling throughout the United States and Canada and Packet8’s low international rates.

Now…..here’s an overview of what to look for when making the business case for investment in VoIP technology for a VoIP PBX solution:

* Ways to save money for corporations…..

- Eliminate or reduce intra-office toll charges

- Avoiding service and support contracts on existing PBX hardware

- Eliminate the need for on-going Centrex services — and charges

- Reduce expansion costs via lower costs for adds, moves and changes; lower user hardware costs

- Reduce the on-going costs for separate voice messaging systems

- Provide productivity benefits for remote and traveling workers who can be empowered with the same integrated capabilities as office workers

- Reduce user training and learning on phone and messaging systems

- Cost-effectively implement unified messaging

- Improve security

- Reduce systems downtime and improve performance

Additional benefits for call centers…..

- Virtualize call centers, allowing more flexibility in the center’s configuration….either helping consolidation efforts, or providing enterprise capabilities to telecommuting call center workers

- Improve customer support services and reduce abandoned calls and call times

- Improve customer satisfaction and reduce customer turnover via improved call center services

Cost considerations….

- VoIP telecommunication hardware and software

- IP phone sets or soft phones

- Network upgrades for possible quality of service and performance upgrades

- Implementation labor and professional services

- On-going support and administration labor

- Support and maintenance contracts

- Increased support calls and potential user downtime losses on initial deployment

- IT Training

- User Training

- Write-off, write-down and disposal costs for existing telecommunication assets

Potential project risks……

- Quality of service/performance

- User training and adoption

- Administration and support skill levels and resources

- Proprietary vs. open systems interoperability

How Does The Solution Work?

Inter/Intra office calls…….

Caller A, who is located in the corporate headquarters, wants to make a call to Caller B, who is located in the corporate headquarters or in any of the company’s offices worldwide.

Caller A picks up his VoIP device (IP phone, phone with adapter or softphone) and dials Caller B’s extension.

The VoIP PBX server searches its internal database and obtains call routing information about Caller B The VoIP PBX server routes the call to Caller B’s VoIP device.

If the destination number is unreachable, the system forwards the call to Caller B’s voicemail.

As soon as Caller B picks up his VoIP device the conversation starts.

During conversation Caller A’s VoIP device convert voice to digital packets and send them to Caller B’s VoIP device and vice versa.

Both A and B can use traditional PBX functionality, like call on hold, caller ID, call forward, etc. Calls are free

Outbound calls…….

Caller A, who is located in the corporate headquarters, wants to make a call
to Caller B, who is a company customer.

Caller A picks up his VoIP device (IP phone, phone with adapter or softphone) and dials the customer’s number.

The VoIP PBX server searches its internal database and obtains call routing
information about the VoIP carrier, who should terminate calls to Caller B’s area code.

The call is routed to the VoIP carrier.

The VoIP carrier terminates the call to Caller’s B number over the PSTN.

During conversation, Caller A can use traditional PBX functionality, like call on hold, caller ID, call forward, etc.

Calls are charged on time basis at pre-negotiated rates with the VoIP carrier

Inbound calls…..

Caller A, who is a company customer, wants to make a call to Caller B, who is a company employee.

Caller A picks up his phone and dials the company’s central access number.

The VoIP PBX server prompts the caller to enter an extension.

Caller A dials Caller B’s extension.

The VoIP PBX server searches its internal database and obtains call routing information about Caller B.

The VoIP PBX server routes the call to Caller B’s VoIP device.

During conversation, Caller B can use traditional PBX functionality, like call on hold, caller ID, call forward, etc.

Calls are either free if the company uses a local access number or charged on a time basis if the company uses a toll free one.

Voice over IP (VoIP) technologies carry great promise to reduce telecommunication and networking total cost of ownership while empowering businesses with new capabilities and agility. When making your decision on deploying a Virtual Office VoIP PBX solution consider the strategic and tangible benefits as well as the costs and risks outlined above. If it all seems too overwhelming seek out the assistance of an unbiased independent advisor such as Business-VoIP-Solution

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications….including DS3-Bandwidth.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you’re always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

Unless you live in a bubble, you have probably been hearing alot of buzz lately about something called Voice Over IP (VoIP). Perhaps you have heard that you can use VoIP to get cheap or free long distance calling, even Internationally. The good news is that this is true!

VoIP, which stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol is an exciting synergy between computers and telephony, but don’t let that scare you. VoIP is just as easy to use as any ordinary telephone. So, you have heard the buzz and perhaps you are curious about taking the plunge and getting set up with VoIP service. Being so new, VoIP is still somewhat shrouded in mystery. Help is here! In this article we will answer several common questions most people have about VoIP Service and help clear up the confusion about the technology and how it can work for you.

What Exactly is VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol)?
VoIP is a new technology that makes use of your broadband connection to route your telephone calls over the internet, rather than using the traditional analog telephone lines. This has proven to be a very efficient and cost effective way to place phone calls to anywhere in the world.

Who Can I call?
This depends upon your service provider. There are a few different flavors of Voice Over IP Service. Most of the larger VoIP service providers you see advertised to the consumer market (such as Vonage, BlueSky, etc..) work just like your existing phone and enable you to call any phone, anywhere.

What’s It Going To Cost?
The cost for this service varies depending on the provider and the service plan you select. Currently, most service providers have plans that cost in the $10 – $25 monthly, which is considerably cheaper than ordinary phone service. Keep in mind that this service includes long distance calls. Usually, you can choose from several plans that vary in cost depending on the level of usage you desire. Most companies also offer an unlimited plan that includes unlimited long distance calls.

You will also be plesantly surprised to find that many services such as caller id, call forwarding, call waiting, three way calling, and even voice mail features often come standard with most VoIP plans. Another great benefit is that as it currently stands (in January 2006), the Government does not apply a tax to your VoIP service, unlike the additional taxes and fees that are applied to your standard phone bill. This can amount to a substantial savings alone, but this may only be a temporary benefit. As VoIP gains in popularity, it is more than likely that the Government will find a way to tax that as well.

Do I Need “Special Stuff”?

This depends on the provider, once again. One thing that you must have is an always on broadband internet connection. This means DSL or Cable Internet, for home users. Depending on whom you get service with, you will likely have to connect just regular phone to an adapter, or maybe purchase a special phone to use with the service. Check for specials before you sign up, sometimes the equipment is given away for free to encourage you to sign up. Regardless, the investment in hardware for home users of VoIP is very minimal, if it costs you at all.

Can I call 911?

You need to check with the provider to ensure that they do indeed provide this functionality. That said, in May 2005, the US Government ordered all interconnected VoIP Providers to provide 911 functionality to their subscribers.

Sounds… Too Good, What’s the Catch?

Well, there is a minor catch which is that if your internet goes out, so does your phone. This isn’t usually too big of a problem, however as most modern broadband ISPs do a great job of maintaining reliable service.

Where Do I Find VoIP Providers?

Usually, it is not important that you find a local provider just as long as the provider you choose is based in the same country. Therefore, the internet is a very valuable resource for finding and comparing VoIP providers.

Which one Do I choose?

The VoIP provider that you choose is a personal choice, as they all tend to work slightly differently. What sounds the most feasible for your setup and usage requirements is the best choice for you. Do keep in mind that this is a rapidly maturing technology and that changes are occurring all the time. You will want to choose a company that you feel will be able to provide you reliable service in the future.

For more information on VoIP(Voice Over IP) technology and to compare VoIP Providers, visit us at http://www.VoIPVolt.com

As broadband Internet becomes more mainstream, one of the most common questions we get is: which is better, cable or dsl?

The answer to that question is not so definite. Many factors come into play when deciding which high-speed connection to choose. Regardless of which you choose (DSL, Cable, or even Satellite) it’s going to be a ton better (and faster) than that ancient dialup modem you’ve been using. Not to mention, your Internet experience will be much more enjoyable.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)

Just like your existing dialup modem, DSL uses your existing copper wire phone line to deliver data at high speed. To qualify for DSL, you need the following:

- a phone line

- a DSL modem (which normally comes with the service)

- an Ethernet card or an available USB port ( most DSL modems allow both connections, but Ethernet is recommended).

- a phone company (ISP) that is offering DSL service (e.g., Verizon)

One important factor that will influence your DSL connection is the distance between your home or office and the phone company’s central office. The farther away you are from the central office, the signal becomes weaker, thus a slower connection. With that said, DSL is not as available widespread compared to cable. You’ll need to contact your local phone provider to check availability.

Speed wise, depending on the package you choose, DSL can range from 128 kbps to 3 Mbps. Generally, the faster your connection the more expensive your service will be. You can expect to pay around $25-$30 a month for a 768 kbps connection, which is roughly 13 times faster than a 56k dialup modem.

::Pros::
– Relatively cheaper than cable
– Dedicated line, so speeds are almost guaranteed
– You can talk on the phone at the same time while surfing the net

::Cons::
– Slower speeds compared to cable
– Speeds drop the farther away your home/office is from the central office
– Not available in all areas

Cable Internet

Cable Internet gets our recommendation. Cable, which you can probably already tell, uses the coaxial cable that your television uses. To qualify for cable internet, you need the following:

- a cable modem ( which normally comes with the service)

- an Ethernet card or an available USB port (most cable modems allow both connections, but Ethernet is recommended)

- a cable company offering cable Internet (e.g., Adelphia)

Unlike DSL, cable Internet does not depend on the distance between your home or office and the central office. However, unlike DSL, cable connections are typically shared among your neighbors. Although, most cable companies provide pipelines with huge bandwidth that this rarely becomes an issue.

Speed wise, cable Internet typically ranges from 3 Mbps to 10 Mbps, up to 3-4 times faster than DSL. However, expect to pay more for the service – $40-$50 per month.

::Pros::
– Faster speeds than DSL
– More widespread than DSL
– Distance does not affect speed

::Cons::
– More expensive than DSL
– Line is shared with other users

With all that said, you need to think about what type of user you are. If you are a heavy Internet user and downloader, you would highly benefit from a broadband connection. For the light users who use the Internet just to check emails, are probably better off with a dialup. However, if you are willing to splurge some cash on a broadband connection, then by all means, upgrade!

Mark Pascua is the webmaster of PersonalConfuser.net, a computer how-to and tips website.

No home office is complete without an Internet connection, because more and more business is being conducted on the Internet, and if you are not connected you are missing out on a great opportunity to connect with your clients, potential clients and of course your suppliers. Internet access will provide you with many opportunities to increase your productivity, although you will want to be careful that you do not use the Internet as a distraction or that it doesn’t become one by accident.

The first thing that you will need to do is to contact your local Internet provider. There may be a few in your area, so shop around for the best deal before you sign up. Often there are Internet providers competing for your business so you should get a good deal. There will be a few different levels of service and speed that you can choose from. If you are going to be sending a lot of files, or large files through the Internet, you will want high speed service. However, if you do not plan on using the Internet much, you may want to opt for a dial up connection if you are on a budget. Do bear in mind that dialup is being offered by fewer Internet providers each and every day.

Once you have the Internet access you will need to set up an email account for your business for clients to contact you. More and more people are using email to contact friends and family so you will not want to miss out of this invaluable connection tool. When you set up an email address you should keep it simple and easy to remember. However, it is important to keep it professional aswell. Keep it as close to the name of your business as possible.

If you really want to maximize your growth and productivity, you should consider starting a webpage for your business. A webpage is a great way to tell people about you and what you do. On your webpage you can easily show off your skills, or pictures of your products. Include information on pricing or rates to make it simple for potential clients. And be sure that you make it easy for potential clients to contact you if they have more questions. With more and more people surfing the Internet these days, you can take advantage of this inexpensive marketing tool.

While having Internet access is a great boost to your business, you must be careful to avoid the trap of the Internet as well. It is easy to get lost surfing the Internet or sending emails and lose productivity. Be sure that you monitor yourself to stay productive while you are working from home. It is a good idea to turn your email off and only check it at designated times every day instead of every time you get a new message. At least this way you can stay focused on the tasks you need to complete – those that are a priority.

What is VoIP?

VoIP, or Voice-Over-Internet Protocol, is literally a phone call placed via an internet connection. VoIP has been a long time coming and early internet phone calls were not that reliable and a bit garbled. But they were free. Over the last decade, VoIP has increasingly made its way into business and is now making its way into more and more homes, as people find better, more affordable ways to communicate with convenience.

An internet protocol is a way in which data is handled over networks. It is typically a standard method for passing data from one point to another point via network cable. Voice-Over-Internet protocol is the method by which one’s voice is translated from an analog signal to digital 1s and 0s then transported over broadband network connections, often still for a fraction of the cost of long distance phone calls.

Advantages

According to many experts VoIP is expected to be the phone protocol of choice for the future, alongside the ubiquitous wireless calls. VoIP is flexible, and affordable. As long as one has an internet connection, some free or inexpensive VoIP software on their PC, and a microphone, VoIP is viable. It is a simple communication method to setup. The major phone companies already use the technology that makes VoIP possible. They must move large bundles of long distance digital data known as packet switching quickly and conveniently.

One of the most attractive advantages to VoIP is the ability to receive internet phone calls anywhere you are, as long as you are accessible to the internet. Like wireless technology, this frees you from the constraints posed by a phone line connected to a wall jack.

What You Need

There are a number of ways to currently use VoIP. The easiest and least expensive by far is the PC-to-PC connection. Requirements are a PC that is connected to the internet, preferably with a cable or DSL connection; a microphone, speakers, and VoIP software that can still be had inexpensively, even free in many cases.

An increasingly popular method for VoIP is the use of the proprietary VoIP phones that are becoming a standard for many businesses. Companies such as IBM and Cisco Systems are well known for their VoIP phone systems that are designed to become a seamless addition to any large or small business network. Many bundle video along with them making long-distance conferencing effective and affordable for business.

Disadvantages

Currently, the disadvantages to VoIP are the reliability of packet switching technology to seamlessly transport important voice data streaming, real time conversations over the long haul of network cable. Businesses that rely on such technology must be willing to accept the risks involved with poor internet connections, lost signals, and dropped data packets. The internet as a real time communication tool is still in relative infancy in comparison to the technology behind the analog telephone system that has been in existence for well over a century.

Sara Chambers is a marketing consultant and an internet content manager for
http://www.voipweblog.com

Is the Internet evolving into a Billion Channel
Universe where each website’s content is broadcasted
directly to thousands or even millions of users.
Instead of material just sitting on a web server waiting
for visitors — are we at the stage where a site’s content
is broadcasted wirelessly to all interested parties.

More importantly, is the function, how we use or will use
the Internet — really changing? Are we going from a
re-active system to a pro-active one?

A billion channels? Sound too farfetched, total nonsense,
hogwash! Get the hook! Where is that Gong?

Don’t be too quick to dismiss this idea, the genesis or seeds
for a Billion Channel Internet may already be amongst us!

Years from now, researchers will scan and search for
the genesis of the Billion Channel Internet — when did it
all start? When did the Internet change from being a file
sharing warehouse into a full blown broadcasting system;
delivering or broadcasting content directly into the
biosphere — to be picked up by anyone, anywhere.

A totally wireless global broadcast system with a Billion
Channels or more!

But what were those seeds? What were the indicators? What were
the precursors to this billion channel universe? Will the
researchers be focusing on our present time period and the
events that’s happening at this very moment. Are
the seeds already sprinkled amongst us? What will they
consider:

Will it be RSS?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication
and it basically syndicates your site’s content to all
interested parties. It’s original acronym stood for
Rich Site Summary and it is a way of broadcasting
your site’s news, content and information.
Will they look closely at Podcasting, which is
using RSS feeds to syndicate audio files in MP3
format. Or will they concentrate on Broadcatching
— the video version of this system.

Regardless, Blogging and RSS feeds really did or does change
how content is moved around on the Internet. There is a
slight change in how we get our content — don’t come to us,
we will deliver it to you. This is more in line with broadcasting
than your garden variety Internet download or surfing.

Will it be Verizon Wireless 3G EV-DO network?

Verizon Wireless 3G EV-DO (evolution-data optimized )which began
commercial operations in Oct. of 2003, is now expanding to
over 125 million U.S. consumers by the end of 2005.

With this kind of system and the ones coming very soon,
we are very close to a totally wireless global web.
VCAST (which came online on Feb. 1st) even provides video
broadcasts thru this wireless system. In order to have a
broadcasting system – you must have a broadcasting
mechanism in place. Is this the first peg in a global
broadcasting network that will produce the billion channel
universe?

Will it be Google Video?

Google has recently introduced Google Video and members
can now upload their videos to be broadcasted (technically still
called downloading but that will change as the Internet Changes!)
to the masses. Is this a forerunner of things to come…

Of course, in the Billion Channel Internet – Google will
be our TV Guide — who else?

Will it be the notebook computer?

What?

It’s not as strange as you may think — don’t underestimate
the revolutionary power of this little device. The notebook
or laptop computer is doing for the Internet what the cell phone
did for the phone industry. Making it wireless, portable, and
accessible anywhere.

No small feat in itself, but perhaps it’s the fundamental change
in our psyche that the little notebook has contributed which
may be more important. The Internet was always viewed as a wired
connection, something physically connected together with lines
and cables, a file sharing warehouse with wires.

The portable, wireless notebook computer freed us not only
from those wires but also from the notion that the Internet
is tied to this grounded connection. In essence, liberating it.

Maybe all this discussion is relatively pointless, it might
not be that much of a stretch to suggest — isn’t the Billion
Channel Internet already here and all these seeds are already
working together to present it to us!

If you have a website and syndicate your site’s content by
an RSS feed and it’s picked up by thousands of users using
Verizon Wireless Vcast network on their notebook computers — don’t
you basically have a rudimentary broadcasting system already
in place?

So it might only be a matter of time before technology gives us
a totally wireless world and download speeds that can handle
video/audio feeds instantly — we will be able to tune in or
turn on this billion channel Internet anytime, anywhere.

Just imagine the size of those couch potatoes. Better yet,
let’s just hope this system comes with a remote!

Pass the chips!