Recently in Web Telephony Category

Jon Arnold and I figured that since most everyone else was making some sort of announcement, issuing press releases and generally making noise  -- especially to pull in the crowds at Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO East going on right now -- that it was OK to make some noise of our own.

Hopefully it will be music to your ears

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NEW YORK, TORONTO, and FORT LAUDERDALE, January 23, 2007-- Robins Consulting Group (RCG) and J Arnold & Associates (JAA) – both leading IP Communications industry research, marketing and consulting firms – have proudly announced a new partnership that includes the two firms joining forces to provide an array of marketing, communications, strategy consulting and market research services to their growing roster of IP communications technology vendors and service providers.

In addition, RCG and JAA will be jointly developing new information resources, including an electronic newsletter and related Web site, which will offer unique industry analysis, a healthy dose of opinion, provide a new platform for other industry thought leaders, and offer valuable coverage and information not readily available elsewhere about the rapidly evolving IP communications industry.

Veteran industry thought leader Marc Robins, RCG's founder and Chief Evangelism Officer, has been involved in the IP communications industry since its inception, and has served the industry as a leading reporter and analyst, conference producer and magazine publisher, and marketing executive and consultant.

“I’ve known Jon for several years, and have come to consider him one of the best minds in the industry,” says Marc Robins. “I’m thrilled to be forging this new partnership with Jon and JAA, as I believe the unique combination of our highly complementary capabilities will allow us to deliver even more value to our clients and to the industry at large. I also look forward to working with Jon to create exciting and compelling new resources of industry intelligence to help industry professionals navigate the constantly shifting sands of this dynamic, fast-moving industry.”

J Arnold & Associates, founded by Jon Arnold, one of the IP communications industry’s most highly regarded analysts, is closely associated with VoIP, for both consumer and business applications. His marketing and strategy advice on the broader IP communications market is widely sought from vendors, carriers, the investment community, PR agencies and many facets of the media community.

“Marc brings a rich perspective to this space, and is an independent voice that is widely followed,” says Jon Arnold. “Together, I think can we offer a valuable resource that can benefit anyone involved in the IP communications market. In a nutshell, I’d like to think of us as the go-to-guys for all things IP.”

About RCG (Robins Consulting Group)

RCG, founded in 2003 by Marc Robins, is one of the leading consulting firms for companies in the IP Communications industry, offering market intelligence, high-value strategic planning and communications, messaging and branding expertise, and a variety of marketing consulting services including awareness and demand creation, distribution channel strategies and development, public relations support, and market research and analysis. Prior to founding RCG, Marc served as Vice President of Publications and Trade Shows, Associate Group Publisher and Group Editorial Director at TMC (Technology Marketing Corporation.)

Over the course of his career, Marc has authored hundreds of articles and columns for leading industry magazines, and he continues to evangelize new IP communications trends and technologies as a regular contributor to trade, mainstream and business publications, and as the author of his popular column “Mind Share 2.0” for Internet Telephony® magazine and blog “Beyond VoIP”. Marc is also a frequent moderator and speaker at leading industry events. For more information about RCG, visit www.robinsconsult.com.

About JAA

Jon Arnold is Principal of J Arnold & Associates, an independent analyst and marketing consultancy with a focus on IP communications. JAA works with a wide variety of clients in this sector, with expertise in VoIP, cable telephony, IPTV, Triple Play, enterprise IP, WiFi/WiMax, Peer-to-Peer, Web 2.0 and Open Source. His views are frequently cited in the business and trade press, and he regularly speaks at leading industry events. He also maintains an active profile through his widely followed blog and podcasts. Previously, he was the VoIP Program Leader at Frost & Sullivan, where he was responsible for managing their subscription service for Global VoIP Equipment Markets. The consultancy was launched in March 2005. For more information about JAA, visit www.jarnoldassociates.com.

I'm looking forward to a little travel now, just as the weather is starting to behave wintery (pretty soon NYC will look like this).

Thankfully, upcoming travel will take me south to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for Internet Telephony Conference and EXPO East.

I'll be moderating, checking out the latest technology on the show floor and sussing out the latest trends, holding meetings in the press room and elsewhere in the convention center (maybe out on a sun-drenched  patio) and generally enjoying catching up with folk and putting new faces to new names.

I'll be attending from midday Wednesday, January 24th till the show's end on Friday afternoon. If you're also attending the show and would like to meet up, please let me know.

I've noticed that on occasion, when I've been connected to someone on their mobile phone, Skype will, without warning, drop the call and end the call session. It seems that for some reason, Skype is being "tricked" into assuming the call is finished when it in fact, isn't. Is anyone else having this problem?

The evolution of IP communications technology has wrought profound changes in the way communications networks and systems are architected and designed -- and is surely well on its way towards completely replacing our legacy, TDM infrastructure.

But aside from the disruption this technology is creating within the global telecommunications industry, and the wealth of new features and capabilities being delivered to users, little is being written or said about some of the profound changes occuring in user behavior and expectations as a result of these new capabilities.

For example, I'm sure many Skype users (and I expect members of other competing Web telephony cum "voice community" services) have received calls from complete and total strangers -- even without the "Skype Me" status selected that invites such serendipitous communications.
Recently, I received a surprise call from a student from Moldova looking to make some new friends in America and an opportunity to practice her English speaking skills, which turned out to be fairly decent. (I was surprised since my Skype status was set to "away", and as a result I was not expecting to receive any calls.)

At first, I was sort of taken aback, uncertain how to respond. OK, l'll admit it -- I was suspicious -- deeply suspicious. I wondered if this was some scammer, looking to perpetrate some nefarious crime. After a while, though, I started to realize that my hesistation to engage in conversation with a complete stranger was firmly tied to the old TDM telecom world, where you would NEVER, EVER dialup a stranger, except of course when misdialing a number. You'd certainly never try to engage a stranger in conversation -- they'd surely think you were some kind of kook, making a phony phone call, or worse, and just hang up.

And in addition to the social incorrectness of it all, the prospect of significant toll charges are a great inhibitor to making International TDM calls -- especially from somewhere like Moldova to the U.S.

It turned out she was quite fun and pleasant, and we had a great conversation. After spending a few minutes with her, I realized that she was a new Skype user and was simply enjoying her newfound Skypeness.  She was doing what is a normal -- and indeed encouraged -- practice in terms of the Skype culture. And it didn't hurt that the call was completely free.

Her excitement reminded me of the excitement I felt, when many years ago, I made a telephone ring in Moscow the day International circuits went live between the US and the Soviet Union (I'm sure I made it onto some government watch list as a result

So, it's clear that the open, opt-in communications culture of Skype and it's ilk is changing  social practices and people's behavior with respect to engaging in live, voice communications. There is a grand experiment occuring before our very eyes (and ears), and it's going to be quite interesting to see how it all plays out in the years ahead. And it raises some interesting questions -- especially about protecting our privacy -- in this brave new world.

What do you think? Have you had any amusing, interesting (or even scary) Skype moments you'd like to share?

Skype seems to have dominated the VoIP news and blogosphere today, with their announcement of a new $29.95 annual, "all you can eat" calling plan today. What makes it even sweeter is they are offering a 50% discount to those that sign up before Jan 31, 2007, and throwing in a gaggle of extra bonuses. Check out Tom Keating's lowdow and assessment of the goodies, here.

Unlike Tom, I think this whole move is positive and a sweet deal to boot, and although it may open the door a bit wider for competitors like Jajah and Raketu who are sticking to totally free calling plans, I'm not sure this is going to make the doors swing open that much more for them.

My colleague and blogger buddy Jon Arnold has also written up a great analysis of the announcement, and I agree with everything he has to say on the matter, so I defer to his own words.

The folks at blog VoIP Lowdown have come up with a great list of ten leading-edge VoIP, VoIM, IP and mobile applications we should all be keeping our eyes on -- apps that go WAY BEYOND plain vanilla VoIP calls. The writer -- the mysterious "ewriter" -- is definitely a person after my own heart.

The numbers are in for the first three quarters of 2006: According to Dow Jones VentureOne and Ernst and Young, venture capital firms have invested $455.5 million in 79 deals involving Web 2.0 companies -- more than double the deal flow of the same period in 2005.

The amount represents 28% of the $1.6 billion VCs have plowed into consumer technology firms, and the interest is no doubt due to froth created by the recent Google/YouTube and News Corp./MySpace deals and the hope to get a front row seat for the next great buyout or IPO.

Are we in tech bubble territory? A number of firms feel that too much money is chasing too few good deals, and that there is a sort of "lemming effect" in operation.

However, many still believe that there are still opportunities in the market, and I for one believe that one area that can help an up-and-coming Web 2.0 company distinguish itself in this increasingly crowded space is to integrate VoIP, Video and other IP communications capabilities within their social networking framework. The technology has the capability to act as superglue for an online community -- providing a foundation for incredibly rich collaboration and other applications.

I've written a bit about this juicy opportunity before, most recently in my Internet Telephony magazine Mind Share 2.0 column, VoIP Mash-Ups in a Web 2.0 World.

I'm sure there are a bunch of great examples of IP Comm/Web 2.0 combinations out there -- and I'm all ears if you know of any -- and if so, please feel free to comment!

Tomorrow, November 28, I'm honored to be the opening presenter at the 4th Annual Industry Conference on Broadband Communications and VoIP, hosted by the New York Society of Security Analysts (NYSSA). The event is a half-day investor conference attended by institutional investors and analysts, and features companies that want to get more exposure on Wall Street, and includes CTI Group, mPhase, and VoIP Inc.

The New York Society of Securities Analysts (NYSSA) is the premier membership organization on Wall Street for portfolio managers and security analysts, and the largest society of its kind in the world. Founded in 1937, it is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating investors and advancing the competence of investment professionals. Founders included Benjamin Graham, considered to be the father of security analysis.

In the lastest mash-up of VoIP and a Web 2.0 application, Google's Click-to-Call feature is now available as a free enhancement to Google Maps. Here's how it works: After you find the specific selection you're looking for on a map, you can click on it and a small "click" link will appear. When you click on this link, you'll launch a small box to enter your phone number into. Then Google will call your number and connect you to the number of the map selection.

FYI, Google is using VoIP, Inc. to partner with in providing this service.

First, Skype announced that Skype for Mac 2.5 Beta is now available. The new version is specially designed with exclusive Mac-only features including the ability to send an SMS message to any mobile phone number in the world, and it allows users to make 10-way conference calls.

The second announcement is about an interesting new communications product and service bundle. Skype, SMC Networks and FON have combined their technologies to create a new bundle that makes it easy to enjoy Internet calls without any need for a PC. The bundle includes the SMC Wi-Fi Phone for Skype, FON’s wireless router "La Fonera", 500 minutes of SkypeOut credit, and Skype Voicemail for a year. The bundle is exclusively available to U.S. and European consumers from the Skype Web store, and is priced at 139 euros ($159.99 in the U.S., £99 in the UK).

FON is an interesting company. Founded in 2006 in Madrid, Spain, FON's mission is to stimulate growth of WiFi Internet access through its WiFi sharing community of "Foneros". FON’s La Fonera WiFi routers, which are subsidized for those who join the FON Community, have been specifically designed to enable Foneros to share their home access points with the FON Community. In return for sharing, Foneros gain free WiFi access everywhere in the world. FON's investors include Google, Skype, Index Ventures and Sequoia Capital.