Google bites back at VOIP claims

Google has denied allegations that it's blocking voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services like Skype on Android devices, reports PC Mag.

USA Today accused Google of blaming T-Mobile, which provides service for Android phones, for blocking Skype and only allowing Skype Lite, a version of the service that runs over traditional phone networks, not the Web.

Andy Rubin, vice-president of mobile platforms at Google, says: "While the first generation of our Android software did not support full-featured VOIP applications due to technology limitations, we have worked through those limitations in subsequent versions of Android, and developers are now able to build and upload VOIP services.”

Unified communications (UC) security provider Sipera Systems is working with Westcon Group to provide security solutions for resellers, says TMCnet.

Duncan Potter, chief marketing officer of Westcon Group, says Westcon has been educating its resellers about the efficiencies that UC applications offer, but also why it is so important to make sure the applications are secure.

The joint solutions enable protection against denial of service attacks, eavesdropping, and toll fraud.

O2 Germany is allowing its users access to VOIP services via their wireless mobile network, states VOIP News.

In the past, all German mobile providers such as T-Mobile Deutschland, blocked VOIP applications, including VOIP applications for the iPhone, but now with O2 opening the door, this may change.

Lutz Schuler, marketing director of O2 Germany, says that since O2 is one of the fastest growing networks in Europe. Schuler adds that by allowing VOIP services the company has set a new precedent for mobile broadband in Europe.