Saving On Telecommunication   Credit: By Unknown

     Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE:Q - News) today announced the results of its national enterprise voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) survey, which found that U.S.-based companies anticipate saving 40 percent on telecommunication costs as a result of implementing VoIP. Additionally, 100 percent of information technology (IT) managers surveyed plan to install new or additional VoIP services within the next year.

When asked what the primary influencer was to install VoIP, 64 percent reported cost savings, while 36 percent noted it was the availability of features and improved productivity.

"The findings show that VoIP has arrived. It is being adopted by mainstream businesses -- not just technical companies which typically embrace new technologies first," said Eric Bozich, vice president, national network services for Qwest. "We've moved past educating customers on 'what
VoIP is,' to demonstrating 'what VoIP can do.' This is evident in the survey findings, and we are finding productivity gains and feature benefits are emerging as key drivers for implementing VoIP. Cost savings are always important, but the real benefit of VoIP will be the long-term productivity benefits."

Tracking phones for traffic reports.    Credit: By Matt Richtel The New York Times

     Some U.S. states prohibit drivers from talking on hand-held cellphones lest they become distracted, slow down traffic or, worse, cause an accident. Others are finding that cellphones and driving might not make such a bad mix. Several state transportation agencies, including those in Maryland and Virginia, are beginning to test technology that allows them to monitor traffic by tracking cellphone signals and mapping them against road grids. The technology highlights how readily cellphones can become tracking devices for companies or government agencies - a development that troubles privacy advocates. These new traffic systems can monitor several hundred thousand cellphones at once. The phones need only be turned on, not in use. And sophisticated software now makes it possible to discern whether a signal is coming from, say, a moving car or a pedestrian.

State officials say the systems will monitor large clusters of phones, not individual phones, and the benefits could be substantial. By providing a constantly updated picture of traffic flow across thousands of miles of highways, they argue, cellphone tracking can help transportation agencies spot congestion and divert drivers by issuing alerts by radio or on electronic road signs. Next month, Maryland, with the help of the University of Baltimore, plans to begin tests for a cellular tracking system in the Baltimore area. Virginia also plans to test a system around the Norfolk beltway. Similar technology is already in use outside the United States, including in London, Antwerp, Belgium, and Tel Aviv. "The potential is incredible," said Phil Tarnoff, director of the Center for Advanced Transportation Technology at the University of Maryland. He said the monitoring technology could possibly help reduce congestion in some areas by 50 percent.

But he, and other people involved in the emerging technology, said there were critical hurdles. Chief among them, Tarnoff said, is getting the cellular carriers to collect and share the cellphone data.

Help out in a crisis - with ICE  Credit: By www.eastanglianambulance.com

     Cambridge-based paramedic has launched a national campaign with Vodafone to encourage people to store emergency contact details in their mobile phones. Bob Brotchie, a clinical team leader for the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust, hatched the plan last year after struggling to get contact details from shocked or injured patients. By entering the acronym ICE – for In Case of Emergency – into the mobile’s phone book, users can log the name and number of someone who should be contacted in an emergency.

The idea follows research carried out by Vodafone that shows more than 75 per cent of people carry no details of who they would like telephoned following a serious accident. Bob, 41, who has been a paramedic for 13 years, said: “I was reflecting on some of the calls I’ve attended at the roadside where I had to look through the mobile phone contacts struggling for information on a shocked or injured person.

“It’s difficult to know who to call. Someone might have “mum” in their phone book but that doesn’t mean they’d want them contacted in an emergency.

“Almost everyone carries a mobile phone now, and with ICE we’d know immediately who to contact and what number to ring. The person may even know of their medical history.”

The campaign was launched this week by Bob and Falklands war hero Simon Weston in association with Vodafone’s annual Life Savers Awards. Vodafone spokesperson Ally Stevens said: “The Life Savers Awards already demonstrate, through practical example, the important role a mobile phone can play when minutes matter in an emergency.

“By adopting the ICE advice, your mobile will now also help the rescue services quickly contact a friend or relative – which could be vital in a life or death situation.”

The campaign is also asking people to think carefully about who will be their ICE partner - with helpful advice on who to choose - particularly if that person has to give consent for emergency medical treatment.