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Beyond VoIP

World famous writer and thought leader Marc Robins has joined the family of TMC bloggers with a blog titled Beyond VoIP. Marc has written for TMC publications including Communications Solutions and Internet Telephony for years and had an illustrious career working for Harry Newton (remember him) and was an analyst and the VP of marketing at a company that was in the DSP resource board space.

Now Marc, I thought VoIP was it… The end all, be all. What could possibly beyond VoIP? I guess I better check out the blog to find out! Welcome to the family Marc!

Oh and by the way it seems that according to Tom Keating, Marc has already broken news. Nice job!

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Telx Event

Check out the massive exhibitor list for the Telx Cbx peering event on June 14th 2006.

151Front Street 
360 Networks
3U Telecom
AboveNet
Access Line Communications
ADVA Optical
AGL Networks
American Fiber Systems
American Telisis
A.M.S Voicecom
Ancotel (no cha)
Arbinet
Ascent Media
AT&T
Atlanta Inernet Exchange 
ATT DG
ATTelecom
BCT
Bell Nexxia
Big Apple Peering Exchnage
BIG PIPE
Brasil Telecom / Globenet
Broadview
Broadwing
Cable & Wireless
Cablevision Lightpath
Calltrade
Cantata
Capanis
Capital Internet
Cat Communications
Cbeyond
Charter Communications, Inc.
Cogent Communications
COLT
Comfluent  (no cha)
Comnet
COMPTEL
COMTek Communications
Con Edison Communications
connect.2.world
Covista Communications
Covaro Netowrks
Covista Communications
CRG West
CTC Communications
Cyber Wurx
Dain Communications
DaVinci Integration Inc.
Digital Realty Trust (no cha)
Digital Service Consultants
Direct Partner Telecom
DollarPhone
EasyNet
Eircom 
Entel Chile
Epsilon Telecommunications
Epsilon USA 
Exponential-e
Fiber Rail
Flex Data
Force 10
Gafachi
Gateway Communications
GDXC
Genesis Networks
Georgia Public Web 
GigaBeam
Global Crossing
GLOBAL NAPS
Global Net Access
Global Telecom Exchange
Globix Corp
Go2Call
Great Access
GS Miami
Hibernia Atlantic
HITN
HKCOLO Limited (no cha)
I Flex Soultions 
IBN
IceNet
ICG
IDT
Impsat USA
In Office Networks
InfiniRoute Networks
Instanet
Intermedia.Net
InterMetro Communications, Inc.
Internet Telephony
Interoute Communications
Interra Networks
Intra Global Comm., Inc.
Invision
inZon Corporation 
ION
IP Retail
IPgrade
Jaina Systems Network
Kancharla Corporation
Kayote Networks, Inc.
KeySpan Communications
Keywest Communications
KPN INS
Last Mile Connections
Level (3) Metro Services, Southeast Region
Looking Glass Networks
MarNoel
Matrix Resources
MCI
Moruda
Movaz Networks
Nationsline
NEON Communications
Net Access
Net One International 
NextCarrier
NextCarrier
NextGen
Nobel Communications
NuVox
NY6IX
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
One Ring Networks
OnFiber Communications
Open Access
Optical Communications Group
Orbitel
PAETEC Communications
Peer 1 Network
PPL Telecom
Primus Telecom
Qwest Communications
R&R Telecom
RADCOM,Inc.
Rainbow Broadband
RCN
Reynwood Communications
Rogers
RUSSTEL
sentitO Networks
Simple Network
Sirius Telecom
Stealth Communications
Storewiz
Swiftwill
TelCap
TelCove
Telecom Italia
Telecommunications Magazine
Telefonica USA
Telefyne
Telehouse America
Telemar
TeliaSonera
Telintel
Telstra Incorporated 
Terremark
The Spoken Hub
The Voice Peering Fabric
Think IP
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Telecom
Total Telecom International
Transaction Network Services
Triad Communications Group, Inc
TriMedia
T-Star Italy
T-Systems USA
TT Digital Communications
TuFone
Turin
TVI Connect
Unifi Communications
Universal Access
US Carrier
VeriSign
Verizon
Veroxity Technology Partners
VGM International
Viatel
VoEx
Voice.Sky 
VoIP Corporation
VoIP Logic
VOIPME
Voxbone
VSNL International
Waveleap Communications, LLC
WBS Connect
Westin Building
WilTel Communications
WLexchange LLC
WV Fiber
XO Communications
Xspedius Communications 
Xyrous Communications
Yipes

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Internet Dark Ages

The web should remain neutral and resist attempts to fragment it into different services, web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee has said.

He warned that if the US decided to go ahead with a two-tier internet, the network would enter "a dark period".

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Globalcomm Party

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Vonage News Page

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Vonage Stock price Drops

I told a reporter yesterday that I wasn’t sure if I would invest in Vonage as it first goes public but I would if it dips a bit. I don’t know where the magic number is but I get the feeling this will be a volatile one.

If I am right and it is volatile then the question is what is the low and high point for the stock. I would likely invest if it drops to $12 because I get the feeling that they will soon exceed numbers. I don’t have inside info so consider this pure conjecture and put as much value in this as me telling you to bed on red in roulette.

Here is an article on the stock dropping on early trading.

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More On Inveneo

Over a year ago I wrote about a company called Inveneo – a nonprofit producing a bicycle/solar powered VoIP system that can be used in villages where electricity and cell phones are not available. The bike runs on Asterisk and I have had a chance since to pedal this bike.

About 13 months later, Time magazine has gotten into the game and has also written about Inveneo. Here is their excellent article.

Here is an excerpt:

Inveneo was launched in 2004 by three Silicon Valley veterans--Mark Summer, 36; Kristin Peterson, 45; and Bob Marsh, 59--who share a passion for high tech and an interest in the developing world. They had done enough volunteer work overseas to see how wireless communications might improve and save lives--through phone calls to health clinics, fast reporting of natural disasters, support for trading co-ops and better educational opportunities.

So they designed a solar-powered Internet network that is inexpensive, easy to install and nearly maintenance free. At its heart is a regional hub from which wireless relay stations--some bolted to trees--fan out for up to four miles and connect a network of PCs. Total cost, including solar panels and relay stations: $1,995.

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Call Centers Changing Lives

I actually felt good writing this story. Like I was contributing to something bigger than anything I have written about previously. I hope you read it, it moves you and you find a way to have your corporation participate in this program.

Please enjoy my unedited High Priority column from the June, 2006 issue of Customer Interaction Solutions.

---


I grew up in the call center business and couldn’t be more proud. Call centers have been used for such admirable activities as coordinating live-saving organ transplants to fundraising for virtually all the top charities. More recently call centers have been responsible for adding jobs to regions of the country and world where jobs were once scarce. This industry has given hope to millions – some of which could not find work or were not able to work in other areas.

Millions and millions of jobs are attributable to call centers around the world. Ironically, I had many people in the industry tell me in the late nineties that the Internet would wipe out the call center business. This was common wisdom but apparently was not only wrong but was the exact opposite of what seems to be happening. Sure websites in many cases take the place of call centers but for at least a decade after the Internet started to become popular, call centers have continued to explode with growth worldwide.

I thought I was aware of all the ways call centers proven good for humanity but recently I learned about a new one that I thought worth sharing. I received an e-mail from Ken Smith, Program Manager of the new call center training center supported by the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

I had to learn more. There seemed like a great human interest story here but as I peeled away the layers I found that beyond human interest there is a great call center story – one that could change much of the common wisdom of the convential US call center industry.

How it got started

In November of 2005, the Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation or MOPHSF started its first class of 15 disabled, combat wounded veterans in an online call center training program called Veterans Business Training Center or VBTC.

This training was 15-weeks, 600-hours long and focused on the Five9 dialing platform. As it turns out, Five9 gave this agency very favorable rates for their service and they should be commended for doing so.

The foundation allowed the trainees to use this platform to call prospect donors on behalf of the foundation to solicit contributions in the state of Virginia. The program was a huge success. It has now expanded into 25 states, and the VBTC is accepting applications online at its website.

Ken forwarded me a press release that was issued late last year about this program and some interesting details emerge when reading it. For example there are now over 221,000 veterans who have been deemed unemployable by the VA. In the same release Senator Larry Craig who chairs the Veterans’ Affairs Committee had the following to say,

"It was just a few weeks ago that my committee held a hearing concerning the dramatic increase in the number of veterans deemed unemployable by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. I’m pleased that the Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation has stepped up quickly to help veterans with disabilities get the training and support they need to reenter the workforce. "I am sensitive that many veterans deemed unemployable may never return to the workforce. But I believe that there are some, perhaps thousands, who could be helped emotionally and financially by working, and this program is an important step in that direction."

The Purple Heart Foundation's new initiative is called the "Business Training Center" and will provide remote and virtual in-home national training in the near future. The 15-week program will provide 600 hours of training for positions in the information industry.

The idea then was to find a local college the program is located in Annandale Virginia, and Smith had positive conversations with a large community college named Northern Virginia Community College or NVCC.

NVCC accredited the course syllabus and this allows the foundation to have veterans use their educational benefits to attend the training, and furthermore, the Veterans Administration can reimburse the costs of this training. The foundation pays trainees $11 per hour while in training and the total costs of training, including this stipend are $8700.

NVCC will be offering this fall, a 300-hour module that will train a disabled veteran in ways to start, operate and manage a 15-30-seat call center. It will assist these veterans in gaining the required recognition that is needed to compete for the government contracts under DVAAP.

DVAAP

This acronym stands for Disabled veteran affirmative action plan and it requires that the federal government award 3% of all federal contracts to disabled veterans. With the US government doing 2 trillion dollars a year in contracting, the foundation estimates that there are 60 billion dollars worth of DVAAP contracts available.

The point here is that since so many disabled veterans were once deemed unemployable it was impossible to hit this 3% number. However since disabled veterans can now work remotely from their homes many more of them will become employable. So some disabled veterans will be able to start companies which hire other disabled veterans and these workers will be in an excellent position to get work since they will virtually be required by law to be hired.

In addition, the foundation is in communication with FEMA (125 seat virtual call center), Department of the Treasury (325 seat call center), Department of Veterans Affairs (75 seat call center), HUD (50 seat call center), DOL (100 seat call center), Halliburton Corporation, Home Depot, FEDEX, UPS, and a host of 2nd and 3rd tier companies to place veterans.

Veteran Computer Hospital:

Imagine a disabled veteran trained on the use of the Five9 predictive dialer. Then imagine that same vet trained on Citrix. Using his computer to help other veterans with simple computer issues remotely. The foundation envisions this concept to begin with a simple “Emergency Room” visit to their website requesting help with a host of issues.  Using another anticipated partner, XoftspySE, they would be able to run a simple diagnostic that removes malware, spyware and browser hijacking files, and perform this feature from the at home agents desk. At the same time, other “Tier 2” trained agents would handle the more challenging cases and conduct training online to those who wished to progress. All the while offering this service to the city, county, state and federal government all under the DVAAP umbrella.

The veterans who participate range in age from 25 to 65. They encompass all wars; all services and both men and woman are participating. They have bi-lingual veterans and the most important feature each veteran brings is the command of English and the understanding of the geography of the United States. They plan to compete for the business that is currently being offshored.

There are 225,000 qualified disabled veterans that are receiving services from the Veterans Administration today. They plan on penetrating upwards of 10% of those and training them in call center technologies.

One last point is that there is a tremendous incentive for any corporation to hire a wounded veteran. Currently there is a tax credit of up to $7,500 per wounded veteran hired. Apparently there is a complex formula needed to figure out exactly what this credit is.

Here is part of the last e-mail that Ken sent me on the matter. It speaks for itself so I thought I would pass it along as is:

We are asking the staff of Senator Craig (chairman of the Senate veterans affairs), and the staff of Congressman Steve Buyer (Chairman of the House veterans affairs)to clarify the process, and for those veterans who are 100% service connected disabled, (they are currently receiving $26,000 per year tax free), we are asking that this group be awarded a tax credit of $12,500 per veteran ( placing them on a level playing field with Manila, India etc) -- reducing by half the exposure that the government is currently paying. Also keeping that tax credit in place indefinitely, assuring that the company hiring the veteran has an incentive to keep him/her long term.

Mostly everyone is rooting for us to do well, and while we are rookies in this game, we are quick learners, and have approached the problems we are facing from an "operations planning" point of view. We have "lessons learned" from things we did wrong, and would be willing to discuss our strategy with anyone who reads your article.

Could you have the email address ksmith(at)purpleheartfoundation.org and the phone number of 703-340-8763 put into your article somewhere, in case someone is interested in hiring some disabled vets, or wants to have a special class trained (up to 100 at a time can be done).

In closing, I must say I am as proud as I have ever been to be part of an industry bringing jobs to those who were thought to be unemployable. In addition I think what Ken and his team are doing is fantastic for the call center industry, disabled veterans and the corporations who hire these vets. In the long run I hope there is some certification a company can proudly display if a certain percentage of their workers are made up by disabled veterans (and perhaps other groups as well). This emblem could be a sign of the compassionate company doing good for their country and humanity. In the end of course companies primarily focus on profit but if we can find ways to incent companies to not only be profitable but to give back to society, we have a true win/win formula on our hands.

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Streaming

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