I'm Back

I apologize to regular readers of my blog that I’ve been out of pocket these past few weeks, but I was faced with a series of personal matters that among other things, precluded my ability to discuss VoIP.

Well, I’m back.

Much has happened in the last two weeks, including the regulatory approval of a pair of telecom mega-mergers (AT&T/SBC & Verizon/MCI).

There was also the just completed Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO, which attracted approximately 7,000 people to the Los Angeles Convention Center. Some of the highlights of that event included keynote speeches by former HP captain Carly Fiorina, erstwhile FCC Chairman Michael Powell, and Susan Kennedy, Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission. I plan to publish the full text of Commissioner Kennedy’s speech in the December issue of Internet Telephony magazine. What she had to say was that good.

And I’m especially looking forward to the next installment of ITEXPO, slated for January 24–27, 2006 in Ft. Lauderdale.

Get your hotel rooms now. They’re going to go fast!

Today’s Web chatter yielded a fairly well supported rumor that the United States Department of Defense (DoD) is interested in acquiring Sprint/Nextel’s iDen network for use by Homeland Security personnel. In exchange, Sprint would get a large swath of spectrum, which they could then use to push their proposed WiMAX offering. The blog then goes on to say how Sprint’s recently announced co-marketing partnerships with a number of cable companies will lead to Sprint’s ability to resell their WiMAX service through cablecos enabling the fourth leg of the Quadruple Play. At first blush this seems like a fantastic idea, of course, it’s still a rumor, but something that bears watching.

I have to point out that one of the responses, or comments, to the blog entry blew me away. With regards to the possibilities that VoIP enables, this guy gets it. (The comment in question was posted by “StarrWulfe” on Monday, October 24 @ 16:27:46 MDT.)

There’s so much more I want to discuss, but I’ve got to get back to work in preparing my Buyer’s Guide issue. By the way, if you haven’t submitted your free listing for inclusion in the 2006 Internet Telephony Buyer’s Guide, I urge you to do so now!

The link you want is this one.