Latest news with #VoIP
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Amid strict surveillance joint UP BEd exam held in Jhansi
Jhansi: Around 89% students appeared for the joint UP examination held across 751 examination centres in 69 districts of the state on Sunday. The exam was conducted under strict surveillance, with only minor discrepancies reported from a few centres. O rganised in two sessions, the examination was successfully conducted for the third consecutive time by Bundelkhand University. The first session, covering general knowledge and language (English/Hindi), saw participation of 3,05,331 out of 3,44,546 registered candidates. Amethi and Balrampur recorded the highest attendance at 93%, while Bijnor posted the lowest at 82%, with Jhansi's attendance at 85%. The second session included the aptitude test and subject proficiency test in arts, science, commerce, and agriculture streams. The examination monitoring was stringent, both at the centres and at the Integrated Command Control Centre (ICCC) at Bundelkhand University. The ICCC, equipped with state-of-the-art technology and artificial intelligence, monitored all 751 centres using 12,000 cameras (15 per centre) supported by AI. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esta nueva alarma con cámara es casi regalada en Merlo (ver precio) Verisure Undo Additionally, 3,600 biometric machines were installed. Artificial intelligence and Real Time Biometric Attendance System facilitated candidate identification with face recognition and fingerprint attendance. All centres operated on a VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) system, enabling secure communication between the organising university and centres. Unauthorised candidates were identified through biometric fingerprint scanning and AI-based facial recognition of Bundelkhand University Prof Mukesh Pandey, who ensured the preparedness for the entrance examination, said, "We used all possible modern technology for the smooth examination while also ensuring that no malpractices were done." Senior organising committee member DK Bhatt said that the first meeting revealed discrepancies in photo matching. In most cases, a single candidate submitted two or more applications, while in some instances, different candidates had the same photo on their applications. Upon investigation, these were found to be photo upload errors, with the actual candidates being genuine. In Ayodhya, a candidate was caught impersonating another and booked immediately. In Ballia, a candidate required to bring additional documents for the second session due to data mismatch did not appear; her case was referred to the Unfair Means Committee. During the first session, at 11.30 am, a student named Pooja Kumari was caught with a mobile phone at a Meerut centre, indicating an attempt at unfair means. The centre superintendent subsequently filed a complaint with the relevant police station according to the rules.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Why States Must Stop Treating Your Smartphone Like A Dumb Rotary Phone
Woman Talking on Telephone (Photo by Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images) Plain old telephone service (POTS) has been dying a slow death in the United States since the turn of the century. The number of POTS lines peaked at 192.5 million in 2000; by June 2024, only 7.6 million residential POTS lines remained. For much of the 20th century, almost every American household used only POTS to make a phone call. Now, only 1.3% of households rely on POTS to do so. What happened? Consumers flocked to mobile and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – advanced platforms that did not exist during the heyday of POTS's monopoly reign. The total number of mobile telephone lines in the U.S. surpassed POTS in 2004. Today, there are more than 388 million mobile lines in service. The number of VoIP lines passed POTS in 2013. There are now more than 64 million VoIP lines in service. This is not news to the tens of millions of Americans who cut their telephone cord years ago and embraced mobile telephony or VoIP and all the advanced features they offer, like nationwide calling and the go-anywhere convenience of a cellphone. Unfortunately, for some state policymakers, the horse and buggy that is POTS continues to loom large, shaping their misinformed view of the advanced communications sector. Worryingly, some states have not only resisted removing outdated POTS laws from their books; they are actively seeking to extend those rules to new communications technologies, which have thrived in a competitive marketplace governed by a deregulatory framework. By doing so, states will undermine investment in new networks, increase prices, and ultimately harm consumers. None of this is good for America. Backwards-looking, heavy-handed regulation never has been. Go Your Own Way…Or Maybe Not? When it comes to applying old rules to new communications technologies, California has been in the vanguard. It has refused requests to roll back POTS-era rules; sought to regulate VoIP like POTS; and is finalizing rules that would hold competitive offerings like mobile and VoIP to a more punitive version of service quality standards originally devised for Ma Bell. At the same time, though, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), along with dozens of other states, have been actively engaged in regulatory modernization aimed at removing POTS rules to incentivize and accelerate the deployment of modern networks. California's approach is misguided and fails to put customers first. States sometimes choose to forge their own path on certain issues. This seems to happen more often in California than elsewhere. Indeed, the state has a history of choosing an alternate path on issues like vehicle emissions and data privacy. In many of those instances, however, California framed its actions as necessary to either fill a perceived gap left by federal inaction, as it did when it passed a privacy law after years of failure by Congress to do so, or to go above and beyond existing federal rules, as it has done with vehicle emissions (California's federal waiver allowing it to impose stricter emissions standards is at risk of being revoked). On issues of national importance, outlier approaches create collective action problems, which stifle progress towards achieving a shared federal goal. Assuring an orderly and timely transition away from POTS has been a national imperative since the early 2010s, when the Obama-era FCC began taking steps to relieve POTS providers of monopoly-era obligations so they could invest in modern networks and improve the services that consumers are actually using. Each subsequent FCC, under both Republican and Democratic leadership, has taken additional steps down this path. This reflects and furthers the country's bipartisan light-touch approach to regulating advanced communications platforms at a national level. Consistency and predictability are critical to maximizing investment, innovation, and overall consumer welfare gains. California has lost its way. Its proposed service quality rules illustrate just how far outside the mainstream the state is on these issues and how continued pursuit of its unique – and highly regulatory – agenda for communications services could impede national transition efforts. Welcome To The Hotel California The notion of service quality rules might sound innocuous, but the rules proposed in California are incredibly exacting and could end up harming consumers rather than protecting them. In a nutshell, California seeks to regulate voice service quality by applying standards governing how providers of all ilk – POTS, mobile, and VoIP – address almost every aspect of service, including how quickly they act in response to an installation request; reporting on and fixing outages; crediting customers for service disruptions; and how long it takes for a customer service rep to pick up the phone. In many cases, the proposed rules are stricter, and the penalties more punitive, than the rules devised just for POTS, the antiquated technology deployed and governed as a natural monopoly service. Where's the beef? Numerous stakeholders of all sizes have faulted regulators for failing to provide compelling data demonstrating actual negative trends in service outages or degradation in service quality. For example, many have argued that the outage data cited by regulators in support of their rules generally fail to account for the underlying cause of the disruption. Oftentimes, a mobile or VoIP outage is attributable to a loss of electric power, a common occurrence in California that is beyond the control of communications service providers. For these reasons, the FCC has rightfully forged a different approach, one that supports investment in network reliability and encourages collaboration among communications providers and electric utilities to restore service. At the same time, there appears to have been little effort by regulators in California to weigh the compliance costs for providers against the benefits the proposed service quality rules purport to deliver to customers. This is especially relevant in the context of POTS, the user base of which is rapidly shrinking. Per the latest FCC data, there are less than 600,000 residential POTS subscriptions in California (population: 39.4 million). POTS prices will inevitably rise as service providers pass through some portion of their higher compliance costs to a smaller number of customers. Meanwhile, the compliance costs for newly imposed standards on mobile and VoIP providers will also likely be passed through in part to customers, resulting in higher prices for them as well. To the extent some of these costs cannot be recouped, there will be less capital available to service providers to invest in next-generation networks or to invest in the same customer service tools the rules claim to incent. This ultimately harms consumers and frustrates timely realization of an overarching goal to move on from POTS so that new platforms are not burdened, directly or indirectly, by monopoly-era rules. What's Next California is not alone in dragging its feet on the transition away from POTS. Numerous states still have POTS-era rules in effect. Some, following California's lead, are also exploring whether to regulate broadband, VoIP, and mobile like traditional telephone service. Inevitably, these actions will trigger lawsuits, with service providers arguing that federal law limits state authority to regulate non-POTS services. Even in the context of POTS, arguments could be made that state efforts impeding fulfillment of national goals for the POTS transition might also be susceptible to preemption. A sounder approach would be for state policymakers to listen to what consumers are telling them about their communications preferences and react accordingly. In the case of voice communications, consumers have been voting with their feet for years. Unlike 50 or 100 years ago when POTS ruled the world, there is no shortage of options for people to communicate with each other. And now with satellite 'direct to cell' technology rolling out alongside grant funds via the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, which will facilitate universal broadband availability, there are few parts of the country where some form of non-POTS communications platform is unavailable. In this new environment, providers are aggressively competing on service quality, speed, latency, price, and a host of other service parameters. Regulation is not a bad word, but in the advanced communications arena, the type of regulation being considered by California and others is simply not necessary. If a customer feels let down by one voice or non-voice service, they can easily switch to another. And that is exactly what they are doing. Any action that impedes these dynamics should be flatly rejected because unnecessarily regulating a competitive marketplace will only harm consumers. States might also take a page from the FCC and adopt a 'delete, delete, delete' mindset and begin to actively review and repeal antiquated regulations. Regulators can do their job if they deregulate. There is no requirement that they must regulate just for the sake of regulating. Finally, the spate of recent regulatory actions in California only adds to the urgency for Congress to update federal communications law. This is long overdue and critical now that the Supreme Court has made clear that administrative agencies like the FCC can only act according to specific Congressional delegations of authority. An update that empowers the FCC to facilitate a smooth transition from POTS by allowing it to preempt burdensome and backward-looking regulatory actions like those in California is needed.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Time of India
VoIP scam busted in Ahmedabad, gang uses fake TRAI threats to cheat thousands
Both accused in police custody AHMEDABAD: A sophisticated cybercrime involving Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calling scam — was dismantled in the city which cheated citizens by impersonating officials and threatening to block their sim cards. Two alleged members of a cybercrime gang, Lovekesh Kumar and Anubhav Gupta (also referred to as Anurag Gupta), were arrested earlier in Delhi and Uttarakhand respectively. The gang members impersonated as officials fromthe Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and threatened victims that their sim cards would be blocked within two hours. Those who fell prey to this initial threat were then targeted for cyber cheating, including digital arrest and investment fraud. The operation, running since 2021, involved making fraudulent calls through VoIP from countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, and Hong Kong. These international calls were routed through servers in Germany and then to a server located in a building near PERD centre in Thaltej. 'The choice of Ahmedabad city as a hub was due to the city's STD '79' prefix, which usedto create an impression that the calls were local mobile numbers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo They planned to expand similar operations to Indore and Bangalore,' said a senior police official. 'The two suspects were in contact with Cindy Wan, their Chinese associate,who had instructed them to provide certain services. They are also linked to criminal gangs operating in Thailand, Malaysia, Iran, and Iraq,' said cyber crime DCP Lavina Sinha. The criminals used Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) lines for VoIP calls, initially purchasing 500 sessions and planning to expand. After a tip off from the Gujarat ATS, a raid was at the Thaltej building where three servers were located. Assistant police commissioner H S Makadia and inspector J P Thakor, along with their teams, used technical and human intelligence to identify the suspects. A company for this operation was established by Kumar and Taruna Wadhwa. They initially had 1500 call lines and later added two more, allowing for up to 4500 simultaneous calls. This meant making around 65,000 calls daily between April 20 and 24 targeting people across India. Kumar had a previous visa fraud case against him in Karnal in Haryana. His accomplice Anubhav Gupta from Dehradun, provided technical support. Gupta was earlier booked for a similar crime in Sonipat, from which he was bailed in March 2023.
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Business Standard
23-05-2025
- Business Standard
Andhra police arrestes international cyber fraud syndicate, 33 held
The Andhra Pradesh police has busted an alleged international cyber fraud syndicate operating from Achyutapuram here, with the arrest of 33 people and seized high-end tech equipment and Rs 3 lakh cash. Anakapalli district Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Vishnu Swaroop led simultaneous raids at three major locations on Thursday following a complaint from a Village Revenue Officer and intelligence inputs. Items including computers, network devices, and luxury furnishings were seized. This was a full-fledged call center targeting United States (US) citizens through impersonation and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) scams using Amazon support as a cover, Swaroop told PTI on Friday. According to police, job seekers were hired through online portals, trained in impersonation techniques, and then deployed for scam calls to extract sensitive financial information from US citizens The recruits, mostly from Assam and northeast India, were provided food and accommodation. In a week they were trained; the next week they were on calls, he added. The scam followed a four-layer structure, dialers posing as Amazon support, American bank officials, and managers who lured gullible American citizens with 'gift card redemptions' and other tactics. A suspected fifth super-layer exists, handling final laundering through virtual private networks (VPNs) and fake numbers. We don't know their identities or locations yet, said Swaroop. Gift cards were primary tools. Victims were instructed to buy them, share codes, which managers redeemed and routed to unknown higher-level handlers using international channels. Two masterminds, Punit Goswami from Maharashtra and Avihant Daga from Rajasthan have been arrested. Others are being interrogated to map the complete syndicate hierarchy. Each closure agent handled multiple victims daily. Police suspect more than Rs 600 crore might have been fraudulently extracted, though exact figures are still under investigation. Most first-level recruits stayed only for one or two months. However, those in closure and management roles remained for 8 to 12 months, indicating deeper knowledge and complicity. Roughly 6070 per cent of those caught are beginners. But third and fourth layer operatives are experienced, and the operation runs daily, he said. The scam caused major losses to US citizens, damaging India's reputation, said the official, adding that the operation used sophisticated tech, fake identities, and masked communication via spoofed VoIP. Police registered a case under Section 318(4) BNS, Section 61(2) r/w 3(5) BNS, Section 111(2)(b)(3) BNS, Sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act, and Sections 420, 120B, and 34 of the IPC.
The Star
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Skype shut down for good, but users still have these alternatives
LONDON: Skype is dead. What now? Microsoft's shutdown of Skype on May 5 sent millions of users scrambling to find an alternative to the pioneering Internet phone service. Skype, which Microsoft bought in 2011, was beloved by a dwindling group of users who appreciated how it let them make cheap long-distance calls as well as communicate with other users through chat messages, voice or video calls. Some liked its simplicity and ease of use – an advantage, for example, when setting up a communications app for an elderly parent living far away. Or they just used it out of habit. Skype was founded in 2003 and was among the first in a wave of communication services that used voice over Internet protocol technology (VoIP), which converts audio into a digital signal. Skype's disappearance also inconveniences Americans and other expatriates living overseas who signed up because they needed an US-based number to receive text authentication codes from, say, a bank back home. It was also handy for calling 800 numbers for free even if you weren't living in North America. Here is a guide for life after Skype: What's happening Microsoft announced in late February that it was shutting down Skype on May 5 and shifting some of its services to Microsoft Teams, its flagship office videoconferencing and group collaboration platform. Skype users can use their existing accounts to log into Teams and have the option to automatically migrate their contacts and chats. If you had a Skype number or a calling subscription, it stopped automatically renewing on April 3. If your account still has credit, you can access Skype's dial pad from the web portal or Teams to make calls. Skype numbers won't immediately expire on May 5 so you'll still be able to receive calls until your subscription expires. But you'll have to use Teams or keep the Skype dial pad open on the web portal to receive them. Porting your number(s) If your Skype number hasn't expired and you don't want to lose it, you should transfer it to another provider. Skype numbers can be ported to a phone carrier or any number of other VoIP services. But you'll have to start the process through the new provider, not Skype. Google Voice Google users can access the online search giant's Internet phone service to make calls from a smartphone or a desktop web browser. You can get your own Google Voice phone number and use features like call forwarding and voicemail. Or you can port your number from another service like Skype, but it will cost US$20 (RM85). Calls to US, Canadian or Puerto Rican numbers are free. Rates for other countries vary. The free version of Google Voice is only available to US residents physically located in the 48 contiguous states, so that means expatriate Americans can only use it if they registered before they moved overseas. "You cannot sign up for a Google Voice number while outside the USA,' according to a help page. "Do not try to circumvent this by using a VPN.' Viber Owned by Japan's Rakuten, Viber was long considered one of the closest competitors to Skype. One key difference is that Skype users don't need a phone number and are identified by their usernames, while Viber users need a number to register for service. Similar to Skype, Viber users can buy credit or packages to call phone numbers around the world but it's no longer possible to get a Viber number to receive calls. Zoom The videoconferencing service that's become a byword for online company meetings offers a calling service, Zoom Phone, and features like number porting and the ability to send and receive SMS text messages. Take note that Zoom Phone isn't free. There are various calling plans that involve a monthly subscription cost and extra fees for international calls. Teams Microsoft users have the option of making calls on Teams, dubbed Teams Phone. Like Zoom Phone, you'll need to buy a subscription and pay extra for international calls. But it's not an option for regular people because Microsoft says Teams Phone isn't for consumer use and is only available to small and medium-sized businesses. Wireless carriers If you absolutely need a US number but live overseas, sign up for service with a low-cost virtual wireless carrier that offers cheap cellphone plans or pay-as-you-go rates. One provider, Tello, offers monthly plans for as little as US$5 (RM21) and says users can activate its service even if they're living outside the US. Because mobile virtual network operators like Tello are essentially wireless phone companies that piggyback off a bigger carrier's physical network, you can't use it to make calls on a computer or an app. VoIP it There are a slew of Skype pretenders offering phone calls over the Internet, such as Zoiper, CallCentric, Mytello, and Virtual Landline. Many are aimed at business users. Some are capitalising on Skype's disappearance. Hushed, which started as an anonymous calling app, bills itself as a Skype alternative. Users can buy a phone number from the US, Canada, the United Kingdom or Puerto Rico or port their own number. It warns that some of its numbers aren't guaranteed to work with third-party verification text messages. "We do not intentionally block anyone from receiving these codes, but it's common that some services will prevent verification texts from being sent to certain phone numbers due to their own security policies," Hushed says on its website. Park your number Maybe you can't decide which calling service you want to switch to. If you want to save your current number, there are services to just park your number like and They let you store a phone number for a monthly fee while relaying any text messages sent to that number. You can port the number to another service whenever you want. Beware, you can only port in US or Canadian phone numbers. eSIMs What about an international eSIM? They're the virtual version of the mobile phone SIM card that you can buy and add to your phone when you're on a trip to save on roaming fees. They offer cheap data access rates so you can use the Internet without worrying about racking up a huge bill when you get home. Unfortunately, you can't port a Skype number to an international eSIM because of "the fundamental differences" between VoIP services and traditional mobile networks, said Pedro Maiquez, co-founder of eSIM provider Holafly. "Skype numbers are not tied to a mobile carrier's physical infrastructure, making them incompatible with mobile eSIM solutions." – AP
