Communications and Technology Blog - Tehrani.com - IPTV Archives

Video is the Recurring Star

2013-01-30T00:11:15Z

There is an insatiable demand for content of the video variety. It is so great in fact that sports networks like ESPN are getting an outsized portion of your cable bill. The network in fact gets more than $5 per subscriber per month regardless of whether you ever watch their networks. Cable and IPTV companies for their part are in quite a pickle as more subscribers drop their service altogether for OTT competition. The solution to the problem is painful for many but will eventually be taking sports programming and breaking it out into tiers according to Gary Kim who writes on TMCnet. He explains the first step these companies are taking is adding a $3 fee for local sports programming. At some point ESPN will have to be dealt with it seems.

We have all heard content is king and - remember that until recently Netflix took a massive hit to its earnings due to its lack of leverage in negotiating with content providers. The solution? Develop more of your own content. Exactly what the company is going to do with some of the $400 million in debt it just raised.

TMC’s Erik Linask had this to say about the news: “Companies like Netflix and Hulu are proving that the longstanding dominance of mainstream networks may be in jeopardy. The combination of a modern business model, high-quality programming, and multi-device capabilities, present a compelling case for today's connected viewer, potentially disrupting the competitive landscape to the benefit of the consumer.”

To summarize: content is still king but consumers will soon have the ability to pick from infinite monarchs.

And as more of this content is streamed to various devices, networks have become more clogged than ever. The good news is the emerging H.265 standard which was just approved by ITU is twice as efficient as the current H.264 standard deployed on most tablets and smartphones and data centers pumping the content out.

Amazon today deployed news which is wonderful for the video market with the launch of Amazon Web Services Launches Amazon Elastic Transcoder a solution which leverages the company’s cloud to obsolete the entire market of small transcoding companies playing in the video space. Of course your definition of “wonderful” will vary based on where you sit in the food chain.

Can we make a prediction about the future of video? It seems we are taking baby steps to a la carte programming or at least packages which give consumers some additional choices when it comes to sports and other areas. Investors believe there is money to be made in content production which means the Netflix deal may spawn others. Content will still be king but it gets tougher to stand out when there seems to be endless consumer choice in programming. We have seen Yahoo try the video production game on and off without a great deal of success – perhaps they just did a poor job of it or maybe times have changed. One thing in favor of all these video production entrants is the new connected TVs and cheap consumer electronic devices allowing TV sets to easily display video from the Internet.

In 1979 the Buggles launched the hit song Video Killed the Radio Star which at the time seemed to make sense with the advent of MTV which chose this song as its very first video to play. But over the years it seems radio too has evolved being transmitted from space and traveling over the Internet for example. So radio actually never died. Let me clear up the confusion from my younger readers - MTV was a network which at one time actually played music television. But I digress – I wonder if the title of the song should have been “Video is the Recurring Star.”

15 Things to Know About Tim Cook's Comments

2012-05-30T10:27:40Z

Last night Apple's Tim Cook was at The All Thing D tech conference and this is what you need to know about his comments:

He says he will blow us away in 2 weeks at the WWDC
There is more the company can do with Facebook he says - will there be a Facebook branded phone from Apple I wonder.
iPads will be bigger than PCs
Microsoft will suffer if it brings the PC "baggage" to the modern tablet which he says Apple invented
We have a culture of excellence thanks to Steve Jobs
We are doubling down on product secrecy
He wants an Apple product made in the US - the glass for the iPhone and iPad is made in Kentucky today
We need a shift in the US economy to support tool and die skills and a different educational system to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US
Gives a wishy washy answer on the patent wars - he says they are a pain in the ass but it seems Apple patents are viewed as more important than others he believes should be easily licensed
We will keep "pulling the string" on the Apple TV to see where it takes us
Won't say if they are making an "Apple TV" a new real TV but says people aren't pleased with the current TV experience
When looking at acquisitions they don't look for revenue but skills and products instead
Siri will improve over the next few months
Apple does not need to own a carrier or cable company
Apple knows Ping "sucks"

And there you have it - a bunch of rumors have just been killed off if what Cook says is accurate. It will be very interesting to see if there is big Facebook news in the near future and if it puts a floor under the social networking company's stock. Overall Cook did a great job sharing a good amount of information but not giving away too much about the future. He walked the line perfectly and to read more check out this post from Jay Yarrow.

Monetizing the Mobile Data Explosion with Tektronix Communications

2012-03-20T19:26:10Z

Remember when you were in the engineering lab and you relied on a Tektronix oscilloscope to analyze signals? I do and I deeply craved one of my own but could never afford one. But the company once part of Tektronix, Tektronix Communications does its best to ensure that not being able to afford their products is not a reason to keep you from buying. The company provides solutions for carriers which help with pre-deployment, network operations, customer care, network and RF engineering solutions as well as business performance. You see they want to ensure the solutions you buy, pay for themselves so carriers are more likely to purchase their products than a college kid eyeing a high-quality scope.

In a recent meeting with Laurence Alexander and Samir Marwaha they shared with me the news that the company has been awarded more than 50% of the LTE monitoring opportunities worldwide partnering with more than 15 tier one carriers around the globe. The company helps its customers across multiple “technology domains” such as EUTRAN, EPC, IMS and VoLTE.

Moreover the company is assisting carriers maximize revenue per subscriber as well as ensuring commercial readiness of LTE networks. They also assist with OTT partnerships between carriers and companies who can utilize such QoS enhanced pipes like perhaps in the video space. According to Laurence this is a win/win because carriers can charge for it and consumers get a better quality service.

Moreover deep packet classification enables service providers to get a better sense of what users are doing on the network. Moreover the company’s solutions allow operators to determine network quality from a user perspective – and at this point they can even alert customer care that a problem is taking place. Quality issues are just one cause of churn but certainly a very large portion of the churn pie. This sort of solution is designed to help carriers be proactive and retain customers – even ones which just had a negative experience.

Certainly one of the reasons carriers to choose Tektronics Communications has to do with the breadth of product line starting with a product like K2Air/NSA for advanced RAN and RF performance analysis to OptiMon for deep drive RAN troubleshooting. Then there is the Iris series – traffic analyzers, session analyzers and performance intelligence solutions – all the way up to touchpoint CEM for customer experience management.

And as the growth of LTE and VoLTE accelerates so should the opportunities for the company to assist carriers in providing better quality of service to customers. In addition, the company aims to help them find new ways to generate revenue by providing differentiated, higher quality services.

Disclosure: I am a shareholder in Tektronix Communications parent Danaher. Pictured is the graphic of Danaher's holdings in the tech, telecom and related spaces.

Super Bowl Streaming to Accelerate Mobile and Web Video?

2011-12-21T22:30:21Z

For the first time you will be able to stream the Super Bowl online and using a Verizon 4G device you can watch for free but 3G device users will have to pay a monthly fee of $10 for access. For users who are at a computer and most likely on a device needing Adobe’s Flash you will be able to watch for free on NFL.com and NBCSports.com.

In another plus, the one event where consumers actually look forward to watching the commercials is the Super Bowl and NBC has confirmed users will be able to watch the TV ads shortly after they air on TV via the web. Unfortunately the default in-game ads for those not watching TV will be different.

On a related note, there is no word yet on the whether any unscheduled wardrobe malfunctions have been scheduled.

Verizon made a smart move by bundling this package with its more expensive 4G plans. As you may recall my last post in fact was a review of the Verizon MiFi mobile hotspot where I discussed whether the service was worth the price. By bundling enhanced services such as football games the carrier is certainly adding value and moreover I can see users requesting their companies pay more for the 4G plan knowing full well they will be able to now see football for free on the go.

It is commonly known that mobile video demand is accelerating and in fact straining networks but now we have the most popular program in the US available to not only everyone with a TV but everyone with an Internet connection.

As the world shifts from watching most of their media on a TV over cable or an IPTV provider to mobile and web streaming, making the Super Bowl as accessible as YouTube could have a major impact on how many video streaming hold outs begin to consume their video content in the future.

And this trend will mean the need to increase network capacity will only increase as will the size of the nation’s wireless bills.

See more sports technology news at TMC’s Sports Techy site:

Cablevision Brings TV to iPhones and iPods

2011-08-09T13:52:02Z

A few months back, Cablevision released an iPad app allowing consumers to watch hundreds of channels and thousands of video on demand titles. How successful was it? Well it was downloaded more than 200,000 times making it one of the major killer apps for the iPad. Now, the same app has come to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The only limitation of the software is it only allows you to watch TV in your home or as far as your home WiFi network extends. Moreover, the iPad software would run on three devices max and I suppose this total number of devices is still accurate but I have an email out to the company and will update the post when I hear back.

Up to five devices can be registered to stream TV and up to 2 can watch programming at once according tot he company.

I consider this news a tremendous boost to Apple's platform and Google, RIM and Microsoft should be throwing dollars at the company to get them to replicate this software on their platforms.

Disclosure: I own Apple shares

Cablevision Allows E-Mail Sign-ups in TV Ads

2011-06-21T14:07:14Z

Yes Virginia, cable companies are innovating

Just yesterday I discussed in an article about Cisco Quad that it is very hard it is to determine who the leaders in tech will be in the future. And today when I learned that Cablevision added e-mail opt-in for its television advertisers, I got to thinking about how this will change the world for companies like Groupon, Yahoo and Google.

The way the system works is a Cablevision IO TV customer could decide they want to join an e-mail list of an advertiser to receive selected coupons and offers. A screen overlay is presented on the program they are viewing until the transaction is complete.

The first advertisers to use the service are Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln brand, Benjamin Moore & Co. and the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council.

Royal Caribbean's two-week test campaign promoted a “two for the price of one” travel offer. The campaign garnered 3,000 email opt-ins with 24% redemption rates, according to a statement from Cablevision – says DM News.

The end game for Cablevision is to allow advertisers to sell products directly from their TV sets and if the company is successful it will pit it against other online commerce companies such as Amazon, potentially Google and more.

The point is while you may be thinking all the excitement in tech is coming from a new wave of venture-funded dotcoms as well as veterans like Google and Amazon, you shouldn’t discount cable companies who are innovating and improving – knowing full well they have to keep up and lead by implementing new technology or risk getting wiped out by it.

HTML5 Week in Review

2011-06-16T22:08:40Z

Big Facebook, Financial Times and Acrobat HTML5 News

Facebook declares war on Apple: Its only Thursday and this week has been a huge one so far with regards to HTML5 – with Facebook looking like it will have a new HTML5 app which bypasses the Apple App Store. Is it in fact “declaring war?” I am not sure but after the recent news from Microsoft relating to HTML5 – the trend in the market is clear.

HTML5 Video on Set Top Boxes: Then there is the news that ActiveVideo’s new CloudTV platform will have HTML5 support as well. How soon till we can watch all TV on any browser which supports the newest HTML variant?

Really Popular Financial Times: I recently covered the new HTML5 app from the Financial Times which I love. Now it turns out the app has had 100,000 downloads in week! This is a bit surprising to me because as most of us know the app isn’t really a download since it is cloud-based but hey its positive HTML5 news – even if it makes no sense so I thought I’d share.

Acrobat on HTML5 Coming Soon: Finally, the open-source developer community has embraced HTML5 as well – the new pdf.js project in fact isan open-source initiative to bring a native PDF reader to the world of HTML5 and JavaScript – without the need for an external app with its different interface, etc. Here is an excerpt:

What’s next?

We intend to use pdf.js to render PDFs “natively”, within Firefox itself. Our most immediate goal is to implement the most commonly used PDF features so we can render a large majority of the PDFs found on the web. We believe we can reach that point in less than 3 months (the entire code so far is less than one month old, and it already renders a large set of PDF features).

Initially we will make a Firefox extension available to interested users that enables inline PDF rendering using pdf.js, but our ultimate goal is of course shipping pdf.js with Firefox. This will result in a substantial usability but also security improvement for our users. pdf.js uses only safe web languages and doesn’t contain any native code pieces attackers could exploit.

In all an awesome week for HTML fans and developers looking for the next big trend in the market. It looks like the 15-year Post Internet Boom Mega-Cycle predicted by Roger McNamee, managing director and co-founder of Elevation Partners has begun in earnest.

TMC where I am CEO is cosponsoring an HTML5 event called DevCon5 in Manhattan, July 27-28, 2011 and the show is a must-attend for developers, designers, media companies and executives who don't want to be left in the dust.

Ericsson Telcordia Acquisition Analysis

2011-06-14T21:38:04Z

TMCnet's latest addition to our writing team is Peter Bernstein and he has some excellent analysis of the acquisition of Telcordia by Ericsson. He believes in general the deal is a good move for Ericsson but as always, there are potential pitfalls which he details.

His intimate knowledge of the companies and space mean he mentions a number of points the financial analysts missed.

How to Watch The Royal Wedding

2011-04-28T20:05:10Z

Personally, I have less interest in the royal wedding than I do in watching milk curdle but I realize I am likely in the minority. And this is why I want to point out this TMCnet article from Juliana Kenny on how you can watch the wedding for yourself. Expect me - as you guessed - to sleep through the whole thing and not even bother to DVR it.

KenCast: Video Streaming Democratization in Action

2011-04-05T20:05:56Z

One of the more interesting companies in the streaming video market is KenCast - and one area of growth for the company is live streaming of sporting events. Recently, the company launched a live streaming coverage online community on TMCnet - and this article The Truman Show: Self-Service Live Streaming Video in Real Time living on the community is worth a read.

One of the differentiators KenCast offers is technology which merges 3G and 4G broadband wireless signals from multiple carriers - allowing a transmission of higher quality than is allowed by the upload speed of a single carrier.

As more 4G networks are rolled out and bonding technology becomes more common, eventually everyone will be able to stream live video from virtually anywhere - rivaling the output from a major television network. And that my friends is the definition of technology democratization.

How to set up live streaming of a triatholon

Bill Steele Chairman and CEO of KenCast Inc. explains how the company does a tremendous amount of video work in the multicasting space as well as providing solutions for the military and applications in retail. He goes on to explain how mobile live video capture is a big area of growth for the company.

Cablevision iPad App Review

2011-04-04T00:19:48Z

The battle to take control of TV 2.0 continues with a new application (iPad link) from Cablevision allowing customers with iPads to view about 300 channels and 2,000 videos on demand from anywhere in the house. I say in the house because you really aren’t supposed to watch outside of your home according to the company's terms of service and you must have a password-protected router, a secure WiFi network and you must not stream Cablevision content via Apple Airplay to other devices. Customers must further agree to use the app for personal, not commercial use and they can register three iPads and use two simultaneously. Support for other devices is said to be coming soon.

Is this App Enough to Reduce Churn?

I asked this past January if pay TV companies including cablecos are suicidal because they were increasing prices at a time when so many people are giving up watching. Furthermore, TMC’s Juliana Kenney recently wrote that she has turned off Cable and we all know others who are doing the same. The question we need to ask is will this app help stem the tide of defections.

TV Apps to Drive Tablet Sales

I am a news junkie – I can’t get enough of it and now I find I can set up my laptop anywhere in the house and watch news on my iPad while I work. For me, this is an invaluable application, making me even happier with my television service. Moreover, users can now watch the news while they shave, brush their teeth, at breakfast, etc. You have to imagine television is now stickier. Moreover, one wonders if iPads and other tablets will be purchased in even larger quantities as they now double as televisions.

Who Was First and What Can We Expect?

Time Warner was first with a tablet app but reports say they have only one-tenth the amount of content that Cablevision provides. That cable company has had to deal with angry content providers – many who feel their content cannot legally be seen on iPads and other devices without an amendment to current broadcast contracts. So basically we can potentially expect Cablevision to get sued or pull channels in the future. The company was sued a few years back over its “DVR in the cloud” strategy where it argued successfully in court that having DVRs in a data center is the equivalent of rolling them out in each subscriber home. The company likely feels that an application running on an iPad is the functional equivalent of a set top box – the same way they feel a DVR in the home is the functional equivalent to a DVR in their offices.

Is Cablevision and the Industry on the Right Track?

Last September I wrote about what Cablevision and by extension, the industry needs to do next and one area of improvement was the company’s iPhone app which was sluggish and didn’t have a great user interface. This new application however is a leap forward allowing you to set up favorite channels, browse content by genre, view on demand content easily – even free programs and more. You can even set your DVR to record programs and see what’s already scheduled for recording. But sadly, you can’t watch any of the stored content on your iPad.

What Else Can it Do?

When you launch the application you are presented with a screen which shows you available on-demand content, live channels and a faded window with the last channel you were watching. You can click on the content playing to bring it into full screen mode or flick through the available channels. You can also use the channel guide to see all the channels available or use the settings button to modify parental controls, DVR settings and more.

Unlike other cable companies you don't even need to have Internet access from Cablevision or any internet to be able to access this service as you can get a special router which will stream your video content via WiFi from within your home.

Room for Improvement

In a few hours of use the video streamed stopped a few times for no apparent reason. Closing and opening the program or changing channels were a few options which fixed the problem. I have suggested that Cablevision’s remote control work over IP and this application would ideally be configured to work with the set top boxes in the home allowing you to quickly move content from the tablet to the television of your choice. Another minor point is that when searching for content, you can press the play button even though a program is not currently playing. This causes the app to sputter and give a series of error messages.

I would like to also suggest a split screen with four windows which can be viewed at once. Moreover, it should be made easy to flick oneof the channels to the set top box of your choice. And of course an iPhone app with similar functionality can't hurt.

Conclusion

Applications which bring the cable television viewing experience onto tablets and other computing devices make cable television that much better. Sure, there are products like Slingbox on the market which are similar and even better because you can use them outside the home – but the benefit of cable television supplied apps is there is no cost associated with giving the service a try.

Obviously content providers would go crazy if Cablevision allowed you to watch television anywhere you went but as a subscriber, why would I want a content provider to tell me where or when I can watch the content I pay for? For example, will the people at the New York Times outlaw its subscribers from bringing the newspaper into the bathroom? Is that their right – or do subscribers have the ability to do what they want with content they pay for? We all know the answer and it seems that content providers are going to have to loosen up their stranglehold or they may face a potential backlash from customers.

You Want a Gun With That Satellite Dish?

2011-03-28T12:39:59Z

At a Montana Radio Shack you can get a free gun when you buy a satellite dish and if you don't want the gun you can get a $50 Pizza Hut gift certificate instead. And it seems Montana is a great state in which to have such an offer as there is no permit required to purchase or to carry one concealed outside the city limits.

And its worth mentioning that customer service at this store is probably among the best in the world as no one wants an upset customer who you know with 100% confidence is armed.

Update 3/29/2010: Apparently this offer has been widely successful and - surprise - controversial - check this out: Montana Gun-With-Satellite-TV Deal Draws Criticism as Sales Soar

How YouTube Takes Consumer Time from TV

2011-03-10T17:39:38Z

In the past I have discussed how TV disruption may happen more slowly than you think because of the tens of billions of dollars in affiliate fees changing hands. But this doesn't mean there aren't brilliant innovators out there using YouTube and other sites to become stars.

Consumer warning: Craziness, profanity and catchiness below

For example I was sent this Charlie Sheen Winning music video today and it is quite catchy. I found it playing "itself" in my head at lunch. Its a Songify This creation by the Gregory Brothers and a look at some of their top videos shows views in range of the many millions - about 60 million "season one" in fact.

So the challenge for TV is not only new methods of delivery but competition for the viewer's time. You see, the ability for anyone with a great idea to become a massive star without showing up on TV is a real threat.

And this is why you see more and more network news broadcasts incorporating hot videos from the web - trying to leverage "pop culture."

This further backs up my previous thesis that the TV end game has Google (YouTube) written all over it.

Electronic Warfare is the Future. Are You Ready?

2011-02-14T15:16:46Z

Stuxnet is Victory at Entebbe 2.0

The Stuxnet worm alleged to be the work of Israel and the US was designed to target and disable Iranian centrifuges by increasing their speeds to dangerous levels while reporting to operators that all was well. The latest report from the New York Times shows this worm has also hit five industrial sites in the land of Ahmadinejad.

It’s no secret most of the world does not want Iran to get nuclear weapons and the best weapon being used to deter the country’s nuclear program was sanctions and if they are working it would be tough to know it as the country are prospering greatly as the price of oil is much higher than what Iran has budgeted.

So electronic warfare is a nice and neat way to disable a portion of the country’s operations without the need to go to war, risk lives, etc.

Because of the nature of this attack some predict the Iranian nuclear program has been set back by two years, making this attack historic in its ingenuity. It is really Victory at Entebbe 2.0. As you may recall, Operation Entebbe was a daring hostage rescue mission pulled off by the Israel Defense Forces in 1976.

Cyberattacks are not new by any means but the level of sophistication and damage created by this attack make it something bad guys everywhere will be trying to emulate. And this means as we interconnect more systems from smart grids to smart homes… From automobiles to transit systems and full cities, we need to understand the stakes are higher than ever. Rogue countries and terrorist organizations have a new standard to try to beat and it is not out of the question to see countries engaging in more frequent cyberwars in the future. This could be in conjunction with conventional wars like when Russia and Georgia had their recent conflict or full out cyberwars like Stuxnet or when Russia targeted Estonian web servers with DDoS attacks.

For the tech industry this means massive new budgets will be allocated to not only defending against such attacks but developing ingenious new ways of disabling enemies.

And while cyberwar sounds less ominous than having bombs dropped on your head, there is no telling what sorts of damage citizens of the future will be facing if cyberterrorism and cyberwar escalates.

ITEXPO East 2011 Schedule

2011-01-28T02:04:24Z

Dear ITEXPO attendees - thanks again for registering and we look forward to hosting you next week. My team just sent out this email of schedules and happenings from the show and it is so detailed and explains so much that I decided to pass it along. I hope you find it worthy of keeping on hand at the event.

ITEXPO

February 2-4, 2011

Miami Beach Convention Center

As you know, ITEXPO is next week at the Miami Beach Convention Center, February 2-4. Save time and money by sourcing products and services from hundreds of companies and gain industry knowledge through the conference program in one convenient location.

Below are some details and information that make your experience at ITEXPO great. As always, if you have any questions, please check the event site or contact Frank Coppola or 203.852.6800 x131 to register.

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REGISTRATION INFO

When you arrive at the Miami Beach Convention Center, please go to the Hall B Lobby and proceed to the registration counter to register and/or receive your badge. (You will need a photo ID.) Stop by the registration counter to pick up a badge and your conference bag, and you're ready to go.

REGISTRATION / KEYNOTES / EXHIBIT HALL HOURS

Wednesday, February 2

Registration: 7:00 - 5:00pm
Conference: 9:00 - 5:30pm
Keynotes: 3:30 - 5:30pm

**Kevin Martin (Former Chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Board of Directors, AirWalk Communications) Keynote Added at 5:00pm! Don't Miss It!

Keynote Giveaways: 5:30pm

**Exhibit Hall Grand Opening: 5:30-7:30pm (**NEW TIME) **Welcome Networking Reception: 5:30pm, Sponsored by Aculab (**NEW TIME)

Thursday, February 3

Registration: 7:00 - 4:00pm
Conference: 9:00 - 5:00pm
Keynotes: 10:00 - 11:00am
Keynote Giveaways: 11:00am
Exhibits Open: 11:00 - 4:00pm

International Networking Reception: 4:00pm, Sponsored by Rackspace Hosting ITEXPO Conference Party on South Beach at Mango's Tropical Café: 9:00pm (Visit Website for complete details) Sponsored by AudioCodes, DIDx, Eaton, Lockheed Martin

Friday, Friday 4

Registration: 7:30 - 3:00pm
Conference: 9:00 - 12:45pm
Exhibits Open: 11:00 - 3:00pm

WIN A JEEP! Jeep Giveaway at 2:45pm - Must Be Present to Win

See below for a complete, updated schedule or visit www.itexpo.com

Keynote Schedule: (Open to all attendees - Room B217/218)

Wednesday, February 2

3:30pm: Danny Windham, CEO, Digium
4:00pm: Charles D. Vogt, President & CEO, GENBAND
4:30pm: Pritham Shetty, VP of Product Management and Engineering for Rich Media Solutions, Adobe Systems, Inc.
5:00pm: Kevin Martin, Former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Board of Directors, AirWalk Communications

5:30pm: Keynote Giveaways

(1) 32GB iPad with 3G
(1) Sony Dash

Thursday, February 3:

10:00am: Alan Pound, Managing Director, Aculab
10:30am: Aaron McCormack, CEO, BT Technologies

11:00am: Keynote Giveaways

(1) 32GB iPad with 3G
(1) Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device

WORKSHOPS at ITEXPO - Open to All Attendees

Ingate's SIP Trunking Workshop-Begins One Day Prior to ITEXPO-Free Workshop Tuesday, February 1 - Friday, February 4

Learn how SIP trunking can expand your marketshare at the free pre-conference workshop, "The Case for SIP Trunking," a half-day seminar series at ITEXPO tailored specifically to service providers - focusing on the issues you need to address now.

Presented by Ingate Systems and their partners, this workshop will be held on February 1, 2011 - one day before the ITEXPO opens - to give you in-depth information and one-on-one access to the experts.

Reseller Week-Free Workshop

Wednesday, February 2 - Thursday, February 3 - 2-day Workshop open to all Resellers and Agents

This two-day seminar teaches attendees how to effectively sell IP Communications equipment & services, with proven tips and best practices for addressing the challenges resellers face in today's economy.

Reseller Week provides you with a forum for you to learn about cutting edge new solutions you can represent, to meet with many new potential partners, and to study proven sales techniques to help improve your team's performance.

StartupCamp 3: Comms Edition-Free Reception and Networking Event Thursday, February 3

StartupCamp 3: Comms Edition spotlights early-stage entrepreneurs and innovators in communication technology. Industry leaders, investors, developers and media to network and validate entrepreneur pitches in this energetic, unique setting.

MPLS University Session-Free Workshop

Thursday, February 3

Sessions at MPLS University are targeted to IT and business professionals to learn more about secure networking including connectivity and managed security options, regulatory requirements, and security standards.

Join us for two FREE training sessions--Learn how to improve the utilization and security of your network.

IMPORTANT LINKS

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OFFICIAL SHOW HOTEL - The Doubletree Surfcomber Hotel has been added, with a special rate for ITEXPO attendees until the room block is filled

SHOW LOCATION

Miami Beach Convention Center

1901 Convention Center Drive

Miami Beach, FL 33139

305.673.7311

QUESTIONS?

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I look forward to seeing you in Miami at ITEXPO and know you will have a great experience. Thanks!

Rich Tehrani

Conference Chairman

ITEXPO

ITEXPO EVENT AGENDA-PRINT THIS OUT AND BRING WITH YOU!

Tuesday, February 1

1:00pm - Ingate's SIP Trunking Workshop
2:00pm - Telecom One-on-One, a JS&A Power Networking Event
4:45pm - Interactive Intelligence presents Cloud-Based Communications, an interactive event at the Gansevoort Hotel (registration)

Wednesday, February 2

7:00am - Registration Opens
8:00am - Conference Breakfast (Paid Attendees - Room B214/215)
9:00am - Enterprise
9:00am - The Mobile Workforce
9:00am - Digium|Asterisk World
9:00am - 4G Wireless Evolution Conference
9:00am - Smart Grid Summit
9:00am - Business Video Expo
9:00am - M2M Evolution Conference
9:00am - VIPeering Conference
9:00am - Super WiFi Summit
9:00am - Ingate's SIP Trunking Workshop
12:00pm - Conference Luncheon (Paid Attendees - Pickup Ticket at ITEXPO Business Office in Exhibit)
3:30pm - KEYNOTE: Danny Windham, CEO, Digium (Open to all attendees - Room B217/218)
4:00pm - KEYNOTE: Charles D. Vogt, President & CEO, GENBAND (Open to all attendees - Room B217/218)
4:30pm - KEYNOTE: Pritham Shetty, VP of Product Management and Engineering for Rich Media Solutions, Adobe Systems, Inc. (Open to all attendees - Room B217/218)
5:00pm - KEYNOTE: Kevin Martin, Former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Board of Directors, AirWalk Communications (Open to all attendees - Room B217/218)
5:30pm - Keynote Giveaways: (1) 32GB iPad with 3G & (1) Sony Dash
5:30pm - Exhibit Hall Grand Opening
5:30pm - Welcome Networking Reception, Sponsored by Aculab
5:45pm - Reseller Week: Part 1: Reseller Sales Sessions

Thursday, February 3:

7:00am - Registration Opens
8:00am - Continental Breakfast Served (Paid Attendees - Room B214/215)
9:00am - Unified Communications
9:00am - Conferencing / Collaboration
9:00am - Service Provider
9:00am - Digium|Asterisk World
9:00am - 4G Wireless Evolution Conference
9:00am - Smart Grid Summit
9:00am - Cloud Communications Summit
9:00am - Business Video Expo
9:00am - M2M Evolution Conference
9:00am - Super WiFi Summit
9:00am - Ingate's SIP Trunking Workshop
10:00am - KEYNOTE: Alan Pound, Managing Director, Aculab (Open to all attendees - Room B217/218)
10:30am - KEYNOTE: Aaron McCormack, CEO, BT Technologies (Open to all attendees - Room B217/218)
11:00am - Keynote Giveaways: (1) 32GB iPad with 3G / (1) Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device
11:00am - Exhibit Hall Opens
11:00am - Reseller Week: Part 2: Reseller Focused Presentations
11:15am - ChannelVision Expo (CVx)
12:45pm - Conference Luncheon (Paid Attendees - Room B214/215)
2:00pm - MPLS University Workshop
4:00pm - International Networking Reception, Sponsored by Rackspace Hosting
4:00pm - EEVA Awards Reception
4:45pm - StartupCamp 3: Comms Edition Reception & Networking Event
9:00pm - ITEXPO Conference Party on South Beach at Mango's Tropical Cafe (Visit Website for complete details) Sponsored by AudioCodes, DIDx, Eaton, Lockheed Martin

Friday, February 4:

7:30am - Registration Opens
8:00am - Conference Breakfast (Paid Attendees - Room B214/215)
9:00am - VoIP Essentials
9:00am - Call Center
9:00am - Service Provider
9:00am - Digium|Asterisk World
9:00am - 4G Wireless Evolution Conference
9:00am - Smart Grid Summit
9:00am - Cloud Communications Summit
9:00am - Ingate's SIP Trunking Workshop
9:00am - Regulatory 2.0 Workshop
9:00am - SIP Tutorial 2.0: Bringing SIP to the Web
9:00am - Aculab to host AMS Server 'test drive' for application developers (registration)
11:00am - Exhibit Hall Opens (Hall closes at 3:00 pm)
11:15am - ChannelVision Expo (CVx)
1:30pm - How To Sellecom Hosted PBX session?
2:45pm - WIN A JEEP! Jeep Giveaway-Must Be Present to Win

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Visit ITEXPO Sponsors in the Exhibit Hall!

Diamond Sponsors

Aculab: Booth 617
Digium The Asterisk Company: Booth 901

Platinum Sponsors

Interactive Intelligence: Booth 607
AudioCodes: Booth 507
Ditech Networks: Booth 501
Sansay: Booth 516
BridgeWave Communications: Booth 211
Commilogik: Booth 801
Dialogic: Booth 806
Sonus Networks: Booth 634
NEXTUSA: Booth 534
Applianx by Aculab: Booth 617

Gold Sponsors

MegaPath: Booth 706
888VOIP STORE: Booth 701
Speedflow: Booth 422
ADTRAN: Booth 300
ABP Tech: Booth 322
Sangoma: Booth 401
tw telecom: Booth 328
Kutenda: Booth 716

Complete Sponsor Listing

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