April 2006 Archives

VoipReview

April 15, 2006 10:06 PM | 1 Comment
In case you aren’t aware VoipReview.org is a VoIP comparison shopping site for consumers and soon, businesses Eric Laughlin the CEO had a chance to answer some recent questions I had about the site and how he feels about the VoIP industry in general.
 
There are just so many new VoIP sites on the market it is tough to keep track. This is good news for consumers and businesses as there is more and more good information on the market to help everyone make intelligent purchasing decisions. Here is the interview with Eric Laughlin
 
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Why did you start this site?
 
VoipReview.org was born out of personal frustration with the lack of information about VoIP providers. I wanted to subscribe to VoIP service, but couldn’t find any searchable database to find and compare all providers. Essentially, the site was launched to fill a need for objective and searchable information on VoIP providers.
 
How is it going?
It’s clear from the site’s success that there was indeed a big information gap to fill. We are energized by the number of daily visitors who come to find and compare VoIP providers, and the number of providers who list their calling plans on the site.
 
What differentiates the site from others?
 
A few of the primary differences:
 
-VoipReview.org lists each and every provider, regardless of whether they pay to be involved.
-The site has the first and largest searchable database of VoIP providers, including calling plans from more than 60 VoIP providers.
-All provider reviews are written and posted by actual VoIP users, providing the most accurate information. Users are always the best critics!

How do you see the industry shaping up?
Some noteworthy industry trends:

- Mass adoption of both phone line replacement services (i.e. Sunrocket and Vonage) and IM services (i.e Skype) will continue to accelerate.
- In the next few years, the convergence of wireless voice and VoIP will begin to result in least-cost routing solutions.
- Eventually, all telephony will be IP.

How do you get traffic to the site?

Web traffic results primarily from search engines and word of mouth. VoipReview.org also partners with companies like CNet.com to power their VoIP search engines.

What are the biggest advantages of VoIP for consumers?

1. Price. You can’t beat the price for local, long distance, or international calls. According to a recent survey by Consumer Reports, people who have adopted VoIP service save up to $50 each month on their phone bills.
2. More free features. Most providers offer caller ID, voice mail, call waiting, 3-way calling, and a bundle of other features as part of their flat-rate price plans.
3. Flexibility and convenience. Users can keep their existing phone numbers, and even make and receive local calls when traveling domestically or internationally. If they move, they simply plug the device into an Internet connection to get up and running.

Do you think talking about 911 issues is important for consumers?

The issue seems to be resolving with the recent regulations requiring providers to offer 911 service to all new customers. However, consumers should still be aware that they must update their 911 address with their service provider if they change locations. And, they should also be aware that if their Internet connection or power source goes down, so does their phone service.

Also, some consumers don’t understand the difference between phone line replacement and IM based services. They should be aware that you don’t get 911 with services such as Skype or Yahoo! IM.

Does the site plan on focusing more on WiFi telephony?

Yes. As providers offer more WiFi enabled devices, VoipReview.org will begin to provide more information about WiFi, including the capability to “Search WiFi Equipment by Provider.”

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There you have it, some good feedback from someone in the trenches of VoIP comparisons. One of the things that was mentioned by Eric is the convenience of VoIP services – something consumers don’t usually realize. I suppose as prices between the PSTN and VoIP narrow, perhaps convenience will be a more important driver for VoIP adoption.

Vodafone Could Buy Vonage

April 14, 2006 12:07 PM | 0 Comments
Recent reports point to the fact that Vodafone may be targeting fixed line telephony as a way to allow it to offer bundled services. The wireless leader is a global powerhouse and needs to find a way to compete with other companies that are increasingly using bundling to attract and keep customers.
 
The natural expansion play for the company is to purchase cable companies in the US or to focus on WiMAX. Another option is to pick up Vonage or Packet8 so that it can become an overnight VoIP (and thus a fixed line phone) company.
 
Such a large company can do many things to increase its offerings enabling it to one day have a triple-play and eventually a quadruple-play service offering.

GlobalComm Vs. TelecomNext

April 14, 2006 11:49 AM | 1 Comment

There have been more complaints about the TelecomNext show than any event in telecom for 5 years. The conferences apparently are first-rate but there seems to be very low exhibit hall traffic. I did not attend TelecomNext by the way.
 
In a blog entry last year I pretty much outlined this show was doomed when I published similar comments from Calysto Communications about earlier USTA events.
 
So I wasn’t surprised to hear about a survey from Light Reading indicating that people chose GlobalComm over TelecomNext.
 
But wait:
 
  • CMP has partnered with the TIA the association behind GlobalComm and the two organizations have recently been acting like one.
  • Light reading is owned by CMP.
  • Light Reading performed a survey showing that its readers favor GlobalComm.
 
You know what, although these results could be 100% accurate it seems questionable to have Light Reading putting out something like this as most don’t see the connection between Light Reading and GlobalComm.

Some disclosure points:
 
  • TMC and Light Reading are both working with NetCentrex to sponsor a Triple Play Symposium
  • I have respect for the Light Reading team – The goal here is not to knock them
  • There are much worse problems on the Internet when it comes to communications shows. Some event producers have bought off “independent” bloggers (through special favors, financial incentives, ownership in companies, etc). This is a much worse problem than what I outlined above.

Scary Movie 4

April 14, 2006 11:13 AM | 1 Comment
You may be able to tell this from my writing but I am a HUGE Scary Movie fan and have seen the movies dozens of times. It is actually pretty scary how much time I have spent laughing at these movies which I am sure many think are childish but hey – I think movies should be entertaining and I obviously don’t need prodigious quantities of plot in my entertainment to be happy.

My favorite scenes in the movies are “What’s Up,” where the killer calls Shorty, when the camera assistant steps on Gail’s shoes, and the scene where the white rapper gets thrown out of the rap club after he puts up his hood and it looks like he is from the KKK.

George Carlin’s “Linda” is a bit creepy but still funny.

The movies are able to entertain and be on the edge of what is socially acceptable. They may step over occasionally but hey taking risks is what movie-making is all about.

So now Scary Movie 4 is out and I am dying to see it. Since I’ve had kids I have only seen one or two movies in a theatre. I now see movies when they come to cable. Perhaps this time I will make an exception.

Here is a review of the movie. I haven't read it - I only skimmed. Why did I skim it instead of reading? I hate to know too much about a movie before I see it. Enjoy and let me know if you liked the movie but please don’t tell me anything that happens. You wouldn’t want to ruin the plot for me.wink

High level marketing in Dallas

April 14, 2006 9:15 AM | 0 Comments
I know of a high-level marketing person in Dallas who has years of experience in communications for a very large company. This person is looking for a new opportunity. Let me know if you are interested in connecting with this person.

Of Apple, Apple and VoIP

April 14, 2006 8:53 AM | 0 Comments
The Apple Vs. Apple trademark case is intriguing to me even though it was settled 15 years ago. As you can imagine part of the problem in this case is the name of Apple Computer which as you may have noticed is a bit similar to Apple Corps LTD the record label of the Fab 4.

One of the terms of settlement in 1991 was that Apple the computer company would not use its logo to promote music. Now, Apple, the Beatles' label is suing the computer company because it is using the Apple logo to promote music downloading.

Apple Computer says it is promoting its software, not the music.

So what do I find so interesting here? The fact that when Apple Computer decided to settle by agreeing not to promote music I am sure they never ever thought this would be a problem. Who would have imagined Apple Computer in the position they are now in? They are the online music leader with everyone else a distant second.

It just shows you how difficult it is to predict how technology will morph and who tomorrow’s leaders will be. Perhaps the same is true in VoIP. Maybe a small upstart today or a company we never thought to be in VoIP will be the IP Communications leader of tomorrow.

It could be someone totally unexpected. How about Bose who could deliver a killer noise-canceling VoIP phone. Or how about Sony – they could VoIP enable all their products instantly allowing us to communicate via a camera, TV, whatever.

It could even be a retailer. What if Wal-Mart was to give free VoIP phones out for any purchase over $100 in their store and provide the service themselves. They could partner with AccessLine for example to provide the service.

Perhaps what makes technology so amazing to me is that it is virtually impossible to predict who will lead tomorrow. There is a disruptiveness to our industry that lets the underdog win and keeps the incumbents on their toes.

Technology it seems has reshaped just about every other industry around it making it too more competitive. For example online auction sites even allow people to bid on such things as cars, antiques and fruit.

Speaking of fruit, I am sure Apple Computer wished there was an effective way to use technology to simply delete the Apple Vs. Apple lawsuit.

VoIP Going Mainstream

April 13, 2006 12:35 PM | 0 Comments

My friends in the North Carolina area have probably already seen that I was quoted in the local newspaper, this morning. The Charlotte News & Observer has an article that is written by John Murawski which discusses the mainstreaming of VoIP services.

The article was prompted by a company Bandwidth.com who recently signed an agreement with CompUSA to deliver VoIP service in their retail stores.

John’s article is certainly balanced with a a good smatteringof examples and lots of research which is evident in excerpts like this:

Southwest Durham Family Medicine switched to VOIP as a cheaper way of getting voice and data services from the same company, said David Brooks, manager of the six-employee medical practice. Brooks described the service quality as excellent.

"Sometimes it's so clear on the phone, there's no static, and people think the call's been dropped," Brooks said.

This particular statement is why some vendors actually put noise on the line intentionally so people don’t think the call has been dropped!

Here is my quote:

"This is another step in the mainstreaming of the VOIP market," said Rich Tehrani, editor and publisher of Internet Telephony magazine. "You're getting a virtual phone system."

What isn’t mentioned in the article is that Sylantro Systems is powering this hosted offering. Sylantro seems to be making some smart moves lately as they look to increase adoption of hosted communications solutions by companies everywhere.

CLECs to build metro fiber

April 13, 2006 9:25 AM | 0 Comments

As I wrote about recently, Shrihari predicted that we should see more fiber being put in the ground as a response to the network neutrality situation with the LECs. This article explains the details although it is more enterprise focused than consumer – for the moment.

 

Coexist

April 12, 2006 4:10 PM | 0 Comments

To all my religious (and other) friends I would like to wish you a happy religious week. In order to not play favorites here I would like to send a religious greeting to all of my friends and will use alphabetical order to ensure no one religion takes precedence.

Atheist/Agnostic

To my atheist/agnostic friends (lets face it there are only agnostics – really no atheists) happy week. I hope your days are enjoyable and you and your families are healthy and happy.

Christianity

To my Christian friends – Happy Good Friday and Happy Easter. Have a great weekend and enjoy!

Islam

coexistTo my Muslim friends – Happy Mohammed’s birthday – which was this week on Monday. Hopefully you are all having a great year.

Judaism

To my Jewish friends, have a Happy Passover and enjoy your matzo this week.

To all other religions of the world – I love you too and have a great week and healthy and happy year.

Recently I saw a shirt in a store in Ft. Lauderdale, FL just after the Internet Telephony conference that said Coexist on it but it integrated the symbols from the three religions above. It is worth looking at this site to learn more.

Cacti

April 12, 2006 12:53 PM | 0 Comments
When IP based call centers first came of age there was a challenge presented in how to record VoIP calls and further, where to record them. I met a number of call center companies at TMC’s VoIP Developer show who were there to solve this precise problem. There are now a number of companies targeting this situation. Once company that has made this once prickly situation easier to deal with is Cacti.

The company’s Converge VoIP platform supports SIP and H.323 as well as many of the current compression standards. There is integrated e-learning and web enhanced replay. In addition the company provides concise reporting features and other bells and whistles. You may want to investigate Cacti’s products in your IP-based call center.

Search Engine Research

April 12, 2006 12:07 PM | 1 Comment
Wow! Is this a powerful survey. iProspect says that if your search results are not on the first three pages of reach engine results you pretty much need to give it up. Why? Because 90% of searchers don’t look beyond page 3 for results.

Other interesting data from this survey: 62 percent of people click on results on the first page returned.

Oh but wait, there is more: Over one-third (36 percent) of surfers today indicate they believe that the companies whose Web sites are returned at the top of the search results are the leaders in their field!

I cannot overemphasize this point. If you are able to get search engines to rank you up at the top of their results, more than one-third of the searching population will assume you are a leader in your field. Imagine this for a moment. You can be a start up or a company that just knows how to get a high ranking and voila, you are now a leader in your space.

With research like this emerging it becomes more and more important to improve your organic search results.

Incidentally, TMC has recently launched a program to help companies increase their search engine rank. It is a relatively new and we have basically succumbed to all the people who have asked us over the past few years to help them. We are focusing on technology companies for now so if you are interested in learning more, feel free to drop me a line and please put SEO in the subject.

Inter-Tel Power Struggle

April 12, 2006 7:56 AM | 1 Comment
There is a power struggle at Inter-Tel. I find this surprising as from where I stand the company is running better than ever. I haven’t been digging into the financials mind you but they are rolling out new products that are doing well and are doing a great PR job.

Still, it is possible that Inter-Tel will go private as a result of this struggle. It is also possible that it will be acquired. In my opinion going private will be good for the company as it will allow Inter-Tel the flexibility to focus on long-term growth and not short-term earnings. In addition the Sarbanes Oxley tax is quite a burden on companies and anything that can reduce a company’s distraction-level is likely good for their customers and the bottom line.

Audrey Audix

April 12, 2006 7:37 AM | 0 Comments
Lorraine Nelson may be the most famous person you've never heard of. I suppose famous may not be the right word as she is not really well known -- her voice is. Loraine has the distinction of being the voice of Audix the voicemail on Avaya PBX systems and her voice is in over 100 million mailboxes including systems such as Intuity and Definity!

She tells me that the first voicemail systems on the market had a Texas accent and then a faster voice was used. Lorraine says the fast voice seemed to upset men who felt like they were being talked down to.

So Lorraine came up with a nice voice that is about as charming as charming gets. Incidentally the voice used is not really Loraine's real voice so if you think you are going to overhear her in the mall and recognize who she is, you aren't. The charming voice is Lorraine just being charming when she turns on the charm and says "invalid entry" on the phone it is truly something pleasant to hear.

Lorraine is often referred to as Audrey Audix and is available to record greetings for your corporate IVR/voicemail system. She says she used to get referral business from Avaya but moved out of the country for some time and when she got back to the states she lost touch with her contacts at Avaya. She is rumored to be deceased but she is very much alive and welcomes being contacted by the good people at Avaya and others who are looking for that Audrey Audix personal touch.

Audrey went to live in the Caribbean for three years and has returned to Connecticut to. Being that TMC is also based in Connecticut -- I imagine Audrey Audix is a big fan of cold weather and snow – just like the TMC team.

In speaking with the voice of voicemail by phone Lorraine explained that she really focused her delivery on narrowcasting or speaking directly to you. She says this differs from radio where the voice is more like yelling.

When Lorraine first got started recording she says there were no human factors people involved. She received a script and did her best to make the voice as pleasant as possible. She wants you all to know that there really is a person behind all those greetings -- someone trying to be nice. She never wants you to think she was rude.

So the question you must all be wondering about is what does Lorraine feel when she calls a voicemail system and hears her own voice? Honestly she says it feels a bit weird. While it may be weird for her, it would be weirder for all of us if her voice wasn’t in all those voicemail boxes and I for one appreciate knowing there is someone trying to be pleasant on the other end of all those calls.

Blog as Memory

April 12, 2006 5:27 AM | 0 Comments
Written on my way to CTIA last week

I am on my flight out to Las Vegas and something kind of funny keeps happening to me. I keep getting confused about my flight. It started at the gate where I passed by it because I saw a banner that said US Air. I of course am flying America West. I asked a friendly gate agent where America West ticketing is located and she pointed me back to the area with the US Air banner.

So I got my ticket and didn’t think much of it.

Later I boarded the flight and before takeoff a video was shown mentioning US Air throughout. Weird I thought. Perhaps I am on the wrong flight I wondered. I looked at the empty seat next to me (the only empty seat on the flight -- thanks America West) and it had the America West logo.

OK so I guessed I was in the right spot after all.

Again, weird. Perhaps they were sharing the airplane I surmised.

I just took a break to stretch my legs and opened up my Verizon XV6700 and saw a comment on my blog that was e-mailed. I get an e-mail every time there is a new blog comment. The comment was about It a frequent flyer class action suit.

I scrolled to the top of the message to see which blog entry was being responded to and it was titled US Air and America West merge. Too funny I thought. I forgot this merger ever even happened. If the web is the consciousness and history of humanity then the blog is the same for the individual.

Deutsche Telecom Leaving The NAP?

April 11, 2006 11:21 AM | 4 Comments

There are rumors circulating throughout the peering community that Deutsche Telecom is planning on leaving Terremark’s NAP of the to relocate to another Florida location. Apparently there are some problems with the NAP’s pricing and/or policies.

 

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