Monetizing IP Communications - Mobile devices Archives

White Label Cool Mobile Voice Video IM App Vippie

2013-02-12T17:38:00Z

Vippie mobile dialer created more than a stir at ITEXPO East 2013, and now, those who can make it to Barcelona for GSMA World Mobile Congress ... can be a part of the action again. Some may think that I am such a blatant marketer or marketeer, but when I find any app, service, or product that is useful, life-enhancing, and lucrative, I am there sharing what the team behind it ... has to say. Vippie mobile app is available for white label, and it is compatible with iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, and Symbian.

Michael Bibleman notes the features and gives a demo on video.

Open the app, and you're greeted by a calmly colorful screen. Browse and choose from your phone contacts. Phone them, have a video chat (high quality VGA resolution), or instant message (IM). Send attachments such as short videos, audio notes and pictures. Vippie can be integrated with Social Hub, Facebook and GTalk on mobile devices. All of this for free.

Users can place phone calls to international phone numbers at much lower rates than using standard mobile phone service.

Thousands of downloads occur each day, so no wonder there was such a crowd of mobile operators, ISPs, VoIP companies, social networking companies, and other types of telecoms and entrepreneurs crowding the VIPPIE (VoIPSwitch) booth around the corner from me (DIDX - Techistan magazine booth) and Comptel.

Free Phone Calls from USA to Mexico and Canada via Credo Mobile?

2012-11-16T16:43:33Z

Something like that! USA mobile phone users are used to unlimited calling nationwide on mobile service plans, but add unlimited calling from USA to Mexico and Canada, and you've got a dream come true for at least ** 1.6 million Canadian immigrants and at least * 12.7 million Mexican immigrants who live in USA. This does not count in the number of people who are not immigrants who need to call either country for personal or business reasons. The Credo Mobile announcement was made on November 5, 2012: "In keeping with its progressive values, CREDO Mobile announced today that calls made from the U.S. to Mexico and Canada will be included in all voice plans at no extra charge starting mid-November."

Talk about uniting the Americas and making personal and business relationships among the people of these three countries (U.S.A., Mexico and Canada) easier than ever! The potential! The opportunities!

You know me and social marketing, especially anything that I believe is extremely empowering or innovative. I immediately dialed Credo Mobile headquarters from my LG Android phone, which uses Credo Mobile phone service, to see if I could interview them. Listen now to a recorded audio podcast on iTunes or DIDX between me and Credo Mobile's Haruko Kurata, VP of Product Development, and Becky Bond, their VP and Political Director.

What we talked about ...

Credo Mobile's voice and new MiFi service:
The choice to add calls from USA to Mexico and Canada to all mobile plans without adding extra cost is a result of their customer-centric approach. There is not any other mobile phone service that offers this. Credo Mobile will also add a new data product soon that enables customers with Android smart phones and the ability to "HotSpot." Becky Bond, after testing it, says that up to a total of three devices can access Internet at one time on the plan.

Credo Mobile's progressive vision and activism:
See, I asked a seventy-two-year-old neighbor of mine in Northwest Florida why he cast his presidential vote as he did. The first of many reasons he gave me include the fact that the Koch Brothers bought the company he worked for and laid him off. It took him four years to find another job. He had a wife and children to support.

Poll Workers for Democracy has an aim to make sure that every eligible voter can cast a ballot that counts. It is one of the many powerful progressive programs of Credo Mobile. I have an intense interest in this program since I have been driving elderly citizens to the polls to vote for the past three elections. One probably does not realize how difficult it is for these "politically-savvy persons who just happen to be older" people to get to the polls, to be treated fairly and to be taken seriously at the polls where they have a right to vote. It feels like poll-bullying. Such a small thing that I do ... but, everytime I visit my own 70-something-year-old parents and listen to their wisdom and experience, I know I have to do this every four years.

"CredoMobile shifted its focus from "the right to vote" to forming a Super-PAC of its own and working to defeat ten of the worst tea party Republicans in the house," Becky Bond said. "Go door to door ... make phone calls ... give voters rides to the polls ... of the ten, we defeated four ..."

Becky Bond stated, "Volunteerism ... is what it takes to keep this country in the hands of the people and not corporations."

She also shared that Credo Mobile is a "social change organization with an awesome mobile phone service."

(My experience and reason for using Credo Mobile: I've been using their service because I of that very combination. I like the quality, the price and the fact that I can be a part of such practices that are important to me ... such as a more shared economy, elderly citizens' rights, and support of diplomacy instead of more costly wars at the expense of education and other domestic needs.)

Credo Mobile business:
They are now a progressive MVNO and in business for 25 years. They are also a long distance phone company, originally named Working Assets, of they still have many landline users. Hiraku mentions Credo Mobile's past Green Power and Working Assets Radio as well as their new interest of participating in a shared economy. (Shared economy examples are peer-to-peer marketplaces such as DIDX, LendingClub and Airbnb ... the last which enables New Yorkers to offer free housing for Hurricane Sandy victims.)

As political director, Becky Bond helps CREDO customers and CREDO Action members fight for progressive change in Washington, D.C. and in state capitols. She is the president of CREDO SuperPAC and serves on the board of the New Organizing Institute. Becky ran CREDO’s campaign to register more than one million voters in 2004 and the successful effort to defeat California’s Prop 23 in 2010. She was the producer of Working Assets Radio, which aired on San Francisco’s NPR affiliate KALW from 2001–2003. Before that, Becky ran a conceptual art practice in San Francisco called South to the Future. She is a Nashville native and a political science graduate of Williams College. Becky uses a bicycle as everyday transportation and hasn’t owned a car since 2006. She is proud of having been arrested twice during her tenure at CREDO—protesting the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and protesting the Keystone XL pipeline at the White House in 2011.

From Suzanne Bowen Mobile Photo Gallery

Haruko Kurata oversees the acquisition and development of all mobile phones and related products at CREDO. Before joining CREDO, she served as Product Manager at Moderati, a mobile content provider. She worked with Qualcomm, as well as other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and operators to create content training and provide marketing support for Qualcomm's embedded multimedia software. Haruko holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Washington and an M.S. in electrical engineering from Santa Clara University. Throughout her career in technology, she has always been one of only a handful of women—something she hopes to see change in the future. She looks forward to a day when being a woman at the Consumer Electronics Show isn't an oddity.

The original Credo Mobile press release, regarding the addition of calls from U.S. to Mexico and Canada at no extra charge in all Credo Mobile voice plans, is at PR Newswire. Visit CredoMobile, CredoAction and the CredoMobile Facebook page for more.

The recorded audio podcast interview is on DIDX and on iTunes. Complete lists of audio podcasts with Suzanne Bowen and the movers and shakers of social media for business, mobile, and IP communications worlds are at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/didx-podcasts/id322949120 and http://www.didx.net/podcast/?p=archive&cat=all. Connect with me on Linkedin where I network and collaborate with hundreds of USA and international business movers and shakers like you. (Pictured at the top of this blog post are Haruko Kurata, Credo Mobile's VP of Product Development; Becky Bond, Credo Mobile's VP and Political Director; and Suzanne Bowen, Monetizing IP Communications blogger and audio podcaster.

* According to 2008 Pew: http://pewhispanic.org/files/factsheets/47.pdf

** According to 2009 CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2009/10/28/canada-emigration-c.html

What is that Box at the Bottom of the Cell Tower?

2012-07-05T17:17:52Z

All of us in the Internet protocol-based communications and technologies business are some of the luckiest professionals in the world. Whether you have a liberal arts or engineering or science or other background, there is room and need for all of us. People who know me laugh at how much I talk about flying around to different conferences, exhibitions or just to meet a dozen customers within a couple hours' drive from each other. The reasons that I travel and participate in these meetups and other events are not just a part of sales or customer service or vendor / partner search.

A huge part of my rationale is to learn more about the jargon, the horizontal and vertical applications, the building blocks such as the open source and proprietary, the people who invent, the ones who make it work, and the ones who evangelize. Once I learn anything new, I can't wait to share that knowledge with others. The most recent "gem" I found is Transition Networks and their Senior Product Manager Jon Collins, a company that provides networks over fiber to anywhere from anywhere. How did I found out about them? An annual highly important conference in Singapore named CommunicAsia!

There's an audio podcast interview you can listen to between me and Mr. Collins. Feel free to listen. In it we discuss:

1. Transition Networks S3280 for mobile and backhaul delivery
2. Their network of resellers in over 100 nations
3. How Transition Networks compares to competitors
4. Metro Ethernet forums
5. IEEE 1588 Timing
6. IPV6 and dual stack addressing which eliminates network address translation
7. ITU G8031 and G8032 for protection mechanisms
8. Failover
9. Bandwidth rate limiting
10. Small form factor that is easily added to the base of a cell tower
11. At 7:02 into the podcast ... a very easy to understand explanation of backhaul delivery and what is behind the scene when we make and receive cell phone calls

Listen to Mr. Jon Collins of Transition Networks explain the routing of cell phone calls over wireless networks and how the backhaul connects from the cell tower back to a cell phone whether that traffic is voice, gaming, video, or text.

Industry trivia: Transition Networks was founded in 1987 when a Ford Mustang cost $9,209, and Clive Sinclair launched his Z88 Portable Computer that weighed under two pounds. Visit Transition Networks' website at http://www.transition.com, CommunicAsia, and our AstraQom podcast channel. Let's meet up at some of the IP communications and mobile conferences that my company recommends. Last, don't forget the 2012 Wireless Backhaul Distinction Award.

ShowStoppers @ CTIA Provides Close Up of Hertz's NeverLost

2012-05-17T19:10:45Z

Even businesses who do the best in monetizing IP communications need ways to save time and effort. Even in an age where many of us use video and voice over IP at a desk a majority of the time, tools that help us manage our time on the road are a winner. Hertz exhibited its NeverLost Systems the Monday night before International CTIA Wireless 2012 began, and what a great way to kick it off!

Hertz's NeverLost enables customers to plan trips online and access them from the program in their Hertz rental car. Graham Weedon gives a live demonstration in this video during Showstoppers @ CTIA Wireless 2012 for a media team of Techistan magazine editor, AstraQom and DIDX podcasters, as well as a CED blogger and TMCnet blogger.

Set up travel and visit routes to enjoy by foot or car. Take advantage of * augmented reality. Transfer the trip planned from NeverLost in the iPad to the car. (Have I got this right?) Locate events in areas where we will be updated daily and can be added to one's calendar. Even choose from different kinds of tours of what is of greatest interest: foodie, comedy, architecture, movie tours and more.

Road warriors, family vacationers, and other types of highly mobile persons can find in this program and gadget a great reason to choose Hertz for rental cars.

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Lost time is never found again." So wishing readers who travel a lot, "Bon voyage and make the best of every minute!" Check out http://neverlost.com/.

(AstraQom, CED, and DIDX worked together to get the news via video, pictures, articles, blog posts and more on all the exciting opportunities during the week of International CTIA Wireless 2012 in New Orleans. Next events on the agenda are listed at http://astraqom.com/blog/2011/11/16/astraqom-recommended-events/ and http://www.didx.net/events. Favorites coming up are CommunicAsia in Singapore and ITEXPO West in Austin.)

Stoke's Dan McBride on LTE Security

2011-11-27T21:53:04Z

Dan McBride is the VP of Marketing at Stoke the past four years and has enviable background of 18 years' networking industry experience. The company Stoke, whose main offices are in Santa Clara, California and Bangalore, India, was a sponsor and exhibitor of the October 2011 4G World conference in Chicago.

Their well-respected clients such as NTT Docomo and British Telecom take advantage of Stoke's Security eXchange, WiFi eXchange, and Stoke Session eXchange (SSX-3000 and XGLC20 Packet Processing Line Card). The company provides complete scalabe LTE security, 3G Core Offload, and RAN offload solutions for mobile operators. For readers who have a difficult time understanding such wireless, mobile, networking jargon, think of this way ...

A level of security is needed on an LTE network that does not negatively affect user convenience and experience. It should provide protection from attacks on the Internet. It should also not negatively affect the transition of the network from current and very common 3G services to LTE services.

Mobile users expect to be always on and connected which means there can be complications. Most of this traffic is Internet and such generates little or even zero revenue. Dropped connections and reduced service quality are a common result of the unpredictable surges in visual, voice and large file uploads and downloads.

Watch the video podcast interview.

Questions and topics we discussed: 1. What are the issues that Stoke resolves that reflect all the players (the subscribers, the application developers, the service providers and the operators) regarding mobile, wireless and networking?

Stoke offers gateway systems that fit into the cellular infrastructure. These enable operators to deliver content much faster than the previous generation of cellular networks were able to. With the 3G networks, a huge challenge is experienced when trying to download content. Part of the reason is that many of the operators are using equipment that was built years ago and is not right for 2011 needs and forward. People were not downloading full length movies, songs and other large file types.

Dan asks, "How do operators manage and keep up with all the data?" With iPhone, Android devices, tablets, and laptops with dongles taking off ... it is necessary for operators to catch up to subscribers' needs. LTE seems to be able to do this.

2. Would you share an example of succcess for a particular client? Stoke is now playing a crucial role in the NTT Docomo LTE network. Who are they?

A world-leading mobile operator and provider of comprehensive mobility solutions for Japan and overseas markets, including NFC mobile payments, mobile GPS and TV, environmental monitoring, smart grids ... they are way ahead of the curve in technology research. Soon after their grand opening in 1998 when I was just a teacher and about to co-found Super Technologies (known for its DIDX service for telecom and mobile operators), I visited their DOCOMO R&D Exhibition Hall "WHARF" at the Yokosuka Research Park.

4:18 into the interview ...

Stoke provides a gateway function for NTT Docomo that is at the edge of their Core Network and actually decrypts and encrypts all the traffic that runs to and from radio network.

Stoke's Mr. McBride divulges names of other highly renowned mobile and network operator clients during the interview who his company serves. One of their current goals is to break in deeper in the North America market as 4G networks are just getting started.

5:36 into the interview ...

3. We discuss the reasons that we were participating in 4G World such as the opportunity to exhibit one's services and talk face to face with current and potential customers and vendors. Again, their real goal was to meet with key organizations who are in North America. 4G World was valuable in meeting Stoke's goals. We both plan also to take part in the 4G Wireless Evolution conference that is co-located with ITEXPO East in Miami Beach, Florida on February 1-3, 2011. He mentions their CTO Dave Williams may be a speaker at 4GWE even.

Visit http://www.4gwe.com and http://www.4gworld.com for more information about great conferences to develop business with the right companies, meet successful organizations and people like Dan McBride and Stoke, and learn how to improve one's services and capitalize on the newest technologies.

Avvasi CEO on Quality Experience High Correlation to Revenue Profitability

2011-10-24T18:26:53Z

Why should you and I be interested in the services that Avvasi provides and in particular their launch on the first day of 4GWorld of CONNEXUS, a collaboration of theirs with three other companies?

Here's my own experience.

Last week, my son and I entertained his children with our family bluegrass music favorites from Youtube and Boogie Maths videos on his smart phone. At a birthday party for a best friend, we couldn't remember the name of the band who sang "O-o-h Child" and found a video online with the answer, "The Five Stair Steps." I cannot even count the number of times that I and my 100s of 1000s of industry friends, customers, and vendors (via DIDX service provider networks, TMC media channels, and AstraQom social networks) have used video on a mobile devices to wirelessly share videos for elevator pitches, client testimonials, and product demos on the go. These personal, social and business activities were very important to me and them.

So, how does Avvasi's CONNEXUS fit in? As Brian Partridge, vice president of network research at Yankee Group, states, "Consumers are demanding a wide selection of broadcast-quality video on any device, at any time -- and they're willing to pay for it."

In the associated press release, Mate Prgin, president and CEO of Avvasi, states, "The growing gap between exponential bandwidth demand and shallow revenue growth is not secret, and OTT (Over the Top) video is the primary driver."

What is OTT video? It is a general term for service that is utilized over a network that is not offered by that network operator. Mr. Prgin mentions Skype as an example of OTT, and then when Verizon, a mobile operator) and Skype, an OTT voice and video service provider, partnered, they benefited from that collaboration, and so did the end-users.

Mate explains in a few words how entities participating in 4GWorld can best leverage what the Avvasi collaboration CONNEXUS has to offer:

1. Build an infrastructure that can deliver video at a certain QoA that users will pay for.

2. Use that capability to come to the negotiation table with content providers and advertisers and say, "Hey, we can do this, but that's going to cost you something. Let's do a business agreement that satisfies your requirements, our requirements, and the subscribers' requirements."

3. Grow that business in a sustainable way to get the users the quality they want on the devices they want with pricing arrangements that work for the whole value chain.

Watch and listen to video to learn more about the CONNEXUS collaboration and the ways that Avvasi has been an integral part of pioneering this and other impressive video-related technologies and services.

(A bit about Mr. Mate Prgin ... he started a video company that pioneered the IPTV Cadence for DSL networks which was purchased by Cisco in 2000.)

Meet with Avvasi this week at 4GWorld. The CEO is a presenter during the Customer Experience Panel at 3:15 PM. Other conferences they plan to participate in during the near future include London's Broadband Traffic Management in the middle of November. They have a speaker on a panel session there. Also look for them at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona February 2012.

(AstraQom, DIDX, Techistan, and possibly even some of TMC team will be at MWC, but I also recommend entities such as Avvasi to have a presence at 4G Wireless Evolution which is co-located with ITEXPO East in beautiful Miami Beach. I'll be there, but first, I'll do the ING Miami Beach 1/2 Marathon the Sunday before. Connect with me on Linkedin.)

Paytoo Social Media Director Response to Square COO Stance on NFC

2011-09-29T20:52:16Z

Image by lalunablanca via Flickr

Written by Guest Blogger Brandon Cook, Social Media Director at Paytoo

We at Paytoo agree with Keith Rabois’ stance on NFC (Near Field Communications) in his recent interview with GigaOM founder, Om Malik. In addition to Mr. Rabois’ many reasons why NFC will not work, we believe NFC’s feasibility issues begin with the business model and proposed allocation of profits. Too many players would have to get involved, including, but not limited to banks, telecom providers, network operators and handset manufacturers.

Distributing profits amongst all these players and keeping everybody satisfied would be extremely complicated. Sure, there are many big name companies that have already invested in NFC technology and implementation, but they are largely underestimating the amount of change that would have to occur for NFC to succeed – behind the scenes and in the marketplace.

In its current form, NFC provides very little, if any, value to consumers and merchants. As far as consumers are concerned, there are several major issues that will keep them from adopting NFC-enabled smartphones. For one, consumers would have to switch from their current phones to one of the very few NFC-enabled smartphones available today. Also, smartphones already have a bad reputation for short battery life. Batteries will drain exponentially faster when adding NFC capabilities to the mix.

As problematic as NFC adoption would seem to be for consumers, merchants would have a much more difficult time being convinced of NFC’s practicality. NFC would require merchants to upgrade every single one of their transaction terminals and alter their entire payment process. Depending on the size of a merchant’s operation, this could be quite an expensive endeavor. Also, merchants perceive the adoption of NFC to be very risky given that there is no certainty that it will catch on amongst consumers.

With its contactless payment sticker, Paytoo offers a proven solution that is much more worthwhile than NFC. While the use of NFC is limited to banked consumers with NFC-enabled smartphones, Paytoo’s sticker may be used by banked and unbanked consumers and can be adhered to any type of device, whether it be a mobile phone, keychain or iPod. Paytoo’s sticker is as convenient for consumers to use as it is for merchants to accept.

The technology Paytoo employs is totally compatible with merchants’ current transaction terminals and does not require upgrades. By simply choosing to accept payments from Paytoo, merchants are able to access a wider range of consumers than ever before, and offer them an efficient payment method that does not ask them to completely change their habits.

Paytoo’s position is advantageous because it fits naturally alongside Visa and MasterCard, the most widely accepted cards in the world. Currently, Paytoo’s solutions are thriving in foreign markets like Ecuador, Mexico, Italy and Zimbabwe where competition has yet to arrive.

Paytoo’s plan is to control such markets and then prepare to enter the US market at full speed. Paytoo has achieved success by creating practical solutions like the contactless payment sticker that simplify processes for both consumers and merchants.

By Guest Blogger Brandon Cook, Social Media Strategist at Paytoo

Visit http://www.paytoo.com, and feel free to listen to and audio podcast about 'mobile wallet' concept with CEO and founder Michel Poignant on DIDX podcasts.

Almost forgot! Visit with us at AstraQom and the DIDX team at 4GWorld, booth 728. The whole conference and exhibition is all about mobile everything you can imagine, including NFC, 4G, LTE, RF technologies, backhaul connectivity, WiFi ... all covering the technical and business points of view.

Myriad of Mobile ALM Advantages According to DeviceAnywhere's Leila Modarres

2011-09-13T19:28:50Z

DeviceAnywhere, a privately held company in San Mateo, considered the industry leader in mobile application lifecycle management, was awarded the the 2011 Frost & Sullivan Global Customer Value Enhancement Award for being a pioneer in Mobile Application Lifecycle Management (mALM). DeviceAnywhere was presented this honor, not only because of its leading position in the mALM market, but also its demonstrated excellence in implementing strategies that proactively create value for customers. It is also actively participating in one of 2011's most exciting conferences and expos in Austin, Texas ... ITEXPO West, September 13-15th.

The CEO Faraz Syed is a presenter on the Enterprise Track panel discussion titled 'Managing the Deluge of Third-Party Devices and Apps in the Enterprise', and the mobile industry trailblazer is also giving live demos at booth number 325 in the Exhibition Hall at the Austin Convention Center.

AstraQom's VP of Business Development interviewed Leila Modarres, DeviceAnywhere's VP of Marketing to share information about DeviceAnywhere, mobile testing, and mALM. The audio podcast is sponsored by DIDX.net and AstraQom.com and is available for download in part one and part two to mp3 players, laptops, tablets, smartphones and other devices for listening to and learning from online and offline on DIDX, AstraQom, and iTunes podcast channels.

First, in an attempt to be as neutral as possible, let's learn from a third party, what is mobile Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)? Wikpedia crowd-sourcers say it is a continuous process of managing the life of an application through governance, development and maintenance. ALM is the marriage of business management to software engineering made possible by tools that facilitate and integrate requirements of management of architecture, coding, testing, tracking, and release. It increases productivity of developers, improves quality to better meet needs and expections of users, removes time wasted on maintenance, and increases flexibility to support new business initiative.

In an effort, again, to do my best to provide a balanced view of topics on the blog Monetizing IP Communications, I asked my network on Twitter if mobile applications lifecycle management is really the best way to go ... or does it just increase vendor lock-in and cause single point of failure (two main arguments of naysayers)? Why or why not? No responses yet.

Meanwhile, back to Ms. Modarres! She has ten years of extensive marketing, communications and public relations experience and management roles with startups and multi-national companies such as Virtual Iron and InnerWireless. Some of the strategic partners she was instrumental in gaining, include IBM, Intel, HP, AMD, EMC Corporation, and Agilent Technologies. DeviceAnywhere serves highly respected entities such as Allstate, McAfee, Best Buy, MTV, Facebook, GE Healthcare and eBay's Rent.com.

Leila Modarres states, "The area that we are focusing on is to offer an environment that enables clients to test and 'QA' their applications to make sure they perform up to par and are reliable across the many different devices, platforms, and carriers."

She adds later in the audio podcast, "Everyone wants to offer some aspect of their product and service on mobile platforms. That has evolved. It is not just about games and other consumer-oriented applications, but also many enterprises have adopted mobile [in-house] to ensure that employees are empowered 'on the go.' Some examples might be salesforce.com, CRM and ERP type applications. Clients go to DeviceAnywhere to make sure that applications are secure, reliable and are working properly."

Mobile application lifecyle managment is known for enhanced testing and collaboration tools that save time and reduce expenses. How? Problems are reproduced and studied by experts and making clear proof of failures and online handset sharing. For example, devices can be tested with DeviceAnywhere by plugging them directly into a computer, in a shared lab environment, or hosted by DeviceAnywhere.

Dan Shey, ABI Research states, "DeviceAnywhere addresses the short-term and long-term needs of businesses committed to mobilizing their workforce. They have been in the mobile application testing business longer than any other supplier, and offer the broadest portfolio of services," in whitepaper titled "Is Your Business Ready for Mobile?"

Leila and I discuss much more, but there are some things that we agree are a reality, and also that DeviceAnywhere performs an integral part for companies' success. First, when organization or individual users try to use an application on a mobile device and have problems with it, a likely result is that they will leave and go to a competitor. Second, many activities on mobile devices need quality security such as when it involves transferring funds and dealing with sensitive customer information.

Feel free to listen to the podcast in parts ONE and TWO with Leila Modarres of DeviceAnywhere and me Suzanne Bowen of AstraQom. The podcasts are sponsored by AstraQom (innovative hosted provider and social media niche partner) and DIDX (wholesale marketplace for buy/sell DID among 20K USA and international IP communications providers).

TMC Gives Me Opp to Help Friend Buy Voice and Internet Service While Traveling

2010-08-26T15:12:49Z

The Marketing Corporation has a plethora of business-enabling tools and opportunities. One of them is the huge audience of IP communications experts from every nation, the kind who use DIDX, Arbinet, VoipUsersConference, voip-info, Kamailio, Asterisk, freeSWITCH ...

Today I ask for advice for my friend, who is an advertising and marketing entrepreneur from Northwest Florida. Comment here or let me know on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook.

Copy of his request:

Suzanne...Hey, I know you are an avid traveler. I'm going to Spain and Morocco on biz/pleasure in a few weeks. I'm going to buy a new phone - I have a flip phone now.
Do you have any suggestions for a phone or program that will work well there and not be charged a Gizillon $$. What do you use when traveling abroad? I expect to use email more than calling. Any other insight would be appreciated.

Thanks...I hope all's well?

Dave
.... So, thanks in advance for your help. I hope in return it assists you or a service you know of that you like to get new business.

Update with two of the best answers, thanks to LCX and the Truphone user.

1. A telecommunications developer and entrepeneur from Australia ...

"I travel to Spain, and this is how I do it.

- Got a Prepaid SIM card from Orange Spain, no problems with passport to get a prepaid sim card.
- Diverted my Austrian Cell Phone to my Office number (at no cost at all)
- The office number was then routed through my VoIP Server to the Spanish phone, no Roaming costs.
- In case I wanted to call somewhere, I called my server through a Spanish number, Serve hung up and called me back.

You can keep the costs under 0,20 Euro/Min for Active calling and much lower for receiving calls.

He says if anyone needs help on this to contact him at office at lcx.at."

2. From a Truphone user:
"Truphone has TWO different offerings:
- Truphone VoIP (moble apps on smartphones that do SIP VoIP over WiFi and/or 3G data)
- Truphone Local Anywhere - a multi-IMSI SIM which morphs as you travel between different countries in order that you are always 'local'

The two can work together. Probably good to get a cheap GSM travelphone.

Something like a Nokia 1661.

They can be bought, for example here in UK, for GBP 0.90 complete with headset and charger. They even have an FM radio and a built-in flashlight!

http://quidco.e2save.com/mobile-phone/payg/nokia/Nokia-1661-Black.html?tariffcode=EVERYTMOPAYG&PHPSESSID=0up0knq90dbtroi289blqnrks5 - price has gone up this week, I see.

They now cost GBP 4.95 (cash). They come with no network lock - so you can drop in any SIM."

Facebook Wall Discussion on iPad, iPhone, ATT, Apple by Users

2010-08-16T22:42:02Z

Daily, I thank my Facebook and Linkedin networks as well as those I follow and those who follow me on Twitter. Why? So many reasons, but one of them is the fun blog posts they allow me after I get their permission. ;-)

So, here's the latest.

Ron V.: So you have the iPhone I take it? Have you jailbroken it?

Suzanne Bowen: No iPhone yet. We're publicizing the iPhone/iPad DevCon event for Sept. 2010 in San Diego though. We bought a few iPads for the company. One is trying to figure out how to make it work on something besides AT&T. A bit difficult because it's in a country outside USA and one that has no mobile company with affiliation with AT&T. That's the end of my essay.
·
Ron V.: Ah, the jailbreak programs I understand do work beautifully, but if you update your product thru iTunes, this most recent update includes a REPAIR of jailbroken phones and blocks 3rd party applications which jailbreak them again. Im sure that once Apple breaks up with ATT, there will be a nice solution since phone service isnt involved with the iPad

Michael Bowen: The only way I'd have an iPhone is if it was jailbroken.

Ron V.: I had one since first gen. and I love the product, but ATT has just about made me a H8TR. The only thing for which I would want to "jailbreak" mine is to use the iPhone as a tethered modem for my MacBookPro while on the go. I cant see paying ATT another $90/mo just to have crappy wifi and 3G coverage when I need computing and not just communications which are the limits of the cell phone.

Where's that Ring Coming from?

2010-07-01T14:29:34Z

Blog content can come from the most surprising locations, people and incidents! This one ... of my husband on Facebook and a cacophony of voice services and instruments' ringing tones.

Michael Bowen has a story to tell. "So, there I was getting ready for work this morning (naturally, I'm running behind!), when I hear a ringing tone which definitely was not my Samsung cell, Suzanne Bowen's Droid cell, or our home phone (8x8). First thought was it was Syed Murtaza Saleem calling me via Skype (with a Virtualphoneline DID and a MyDivert DID ringing to it). Naah, he knows I am usually on my way to work by now.

Michael Bowen: Come to find it was Suzanne's old Crackberry, which I have no clue how it operates. Took me fifteen solid minutes to realize it was the alarm on her Crackberry, which I couldn't shut off. Worse yet, I couldn't turn off the Crackberry. I had to settle for the "Apple-users shut-off protocol of last resort," that of unplugging the AC adapter, opening the battery compartment cover and removing the battery. The components are now safely sitting on the dryer. Since I love my wife I did NOT throw the Crackberry into the washing machine and run a cycle. :)

Let me Tell you about Zong

2010-06-29T22:54:35Z

Yikes, I wish I had more time to share my experiences, knowledge, observations of best practices, and other items related to monetizing IP communications... before heading home for the day, I want share a memory of a great mobile phone service...

Zong is the Tibetan word for county, referring both to the traditional government units and modern counties established by the People's Republic of China. It also is the name of a telecommunications service provider in Pakistan.

I used a Zong SIMM from China Mobile in my Nokia E61i during the month of August 2008 while participating in ITCN Asia and visiting with every voip company, wireless company and phone company I could find from Karachi to Sialkot to Faisalabad, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and every smaller town possible in between.

(I remember the China Mobile representatives sitting near the front of the audience listening to the keynote panel which I was a part of at ITCN Asia 2008. They were happy when I said, "Hello" in many languages including "Nihao" at the beginning of my presentation.)

The service was excellent, very clear in voice quality, and inexpensive. For example, while using it during my telecom trek through Pakistan, it cost only one USD cent per minute to call from the Zong service to a USA phone number. Remember, I was in Pakistan calling from a cell phone!

China Mobile is the world's largest telecom operator. It Zong service has over 550 million customers, more than 260 million calls per hour, and 720 million text messages each day. The service works all over Pakistan, even in the mountainous and poor areas of Northwest Pakistan that looked like no one would want to live there. I used it all over the area.

It also works outside of Pakistan, the same great service... even at the top of Mount Everest.

In addition, most mobile service companies offer only a few choices of types of service, but Zong offers hundreds of payment plans and packages to more easily and affordably match its customers' usage patterns, usage needs and types, and level of income. In the USA, that will is not common.

China Mobile Pakistan is China Mobile's first overseas subsidiary. It has a license to serve the entire country of Pakistan. The country is proving daily that it offers one of the most amazingly fast-growing mobile phone service markets on Earth. In fact, China Mobile will invest $300 million USD in Pakistan in 2010. This is the largest investment by any telecom operator in 2010 in the world to this date.

What is really incredible is that the company is responsible for over 42,000 new jobs directly in Pakistan with China Mobile or those directly leveraging China Mobile.

In conclusion, China Mobile and its Zong offers reliable, inexpensive mobile service, has created thousands of new jobs, and has invested millions of dollars in Pakistan. China Mobile and Zong are a "must watch," and if possible, a "must do business with" like Zain of the Middle East and Bharti Airtel of India. Our company is paying attention.

Wireless Quandary Keeps the Dancers from Dancing

2010-06-14T13:55:53Z

A friend of mine's Miami-based company was acquired by another, and now he works for them at quadruple the salary. Party anyone? ;-)

He's a wizard at flash, Asterisk, php, etc. but just learning about the mobile world. After a discussion with him about this, he said, "Suzanne, you are an ex-English teacher with no computer or networking degrees, so you would be perfect to explain why wireless carriers are fighting for the same pieces of revenue and control of networks and what is making it so complicated? Also what are some ways carriers can make money besides charging more for data and Internet? Just pretend the audience is the group of middle school kids you taught at George Washington Carver Middle."

Deep breath ... okay ...

The increased speed of access to the Internet and lower latency (delay in packet delivery or when one component is spinning its wheels on the the Internet, waiting for another component, wasted time) have enabled a revolution called the application market.

Without the network, the Blackberry RIM, virtual phone lines, iPhone; the plethora of cell phone accessories, and open source telephony applications like FreeSWITCH, Asterisk, Symbian, and Kamilio would not have accomplished as much as they have. Sure, IP PBX was and is there, but 3G has taken these tools (like RIM) and more to really change the world.

Such is the reason that 4G Wireless Evolution in Los Angeles, CTIA Enterprise & Applications in San Francisco and 4G World in Chicago, all conferences in October, need the presence of entrepreneurs, investors and developers because 4G is the next stage in network evolution.

All three are conferences scheduled for October 2010, busy month.

Many have said voIP is dead and wireless networks are nothing more than "dumb pipes?"

That is like saying that hip hop is dead and drums are nothing more than "dumb musical instrument digital interfaces."

Certain "sounds" tell me I'm receiving calls using different SIP agents on my Verizon Motorola Droid, and I can make calls with them also.

I might talk, listen, sing, argue or other things with the other person more often, thanks to the less expensive, flexibility and feature-richness of voIP. When I hear a drum beat, my body starts moving.

The instrument needs the person using it to create "magic." The "magic" wouldn't be there without the instrument. The person using the instrument is active, and active means some kind of production... economic improvement.

What have the wireless carriers invested? Billions of dollars squirreling away spectrum needed to support those "dumb" networks. In addition, they spend more billions to get new customers than they do to keep them. In other words it is more expensive to get them than to keep them. And so many of us switch from carrier to carrier several times in even a year's time, looking for the best deal and wanting to be treated well and honestly.

Spectrum and customers are the mobile carriers' investments. So, of course, they want to generate increasing revenues from those funds invested.

Again, in the business model of 2010, without the carriers, there are no mobile applications and a bunch of people with great ideas for apps, stagnate in their cognitive surplus.

In addition, more information and commerce is taking place over data and mobile Internet, a big change from the traditional PSTN teleconference, watching a Power Point presentation, facsimile, and postmail.

So, carriers spend more money on spectrum, to get ready.

Customers (consumers) want more from their wireless contract.

Businesses and entrepreneurs who create and want to sell applications and content and the customers who want to buy and use them, feel closeted from necessary access to the pipe.

It's like telling everyone, there's the party, but it is a sin to dance.

The developers have created the "electric slides," "chicken dances," "algorithm marches" and "macarenas." The drums are there, but the dancers can't have fun.

New problem for the wireless industry. More spectrum is needed. Spectrum is becoming increasingly rare. Whatever is left... who pays for it? How do they make money from it? When it's all gone, where are the alternatives?

Start asking more questions. What is driving the huge increases in data usage on mobile phones? What is there to consider in answering these questions or more that you and they out there are asking right now. And... there are questions that still haven't been asked, they will be answered, we'll find our solution. But ask the questions. No question is stupid.

You've got the drums, the person who made the drums, the thing or person who is creating the noise on the drums, the person who created the dance, and the person dancing.

Dagnamit! Let's dance!

Books-A-Million CurlUP E-Reader?

2010-04-23T16:26:34Z

Don't worry. You didn't miss a launch of a new cool electronic device. I was just imagining last weekend what another e-book reader might look like, so why not Books-A-Million? They gave $500 worth of books to students I taught in the 90s. And ... curlUP just sounds relaxing. BTW, I'm reading The Philosophy of Economics again. Another one I'm reading for the first time is Cheating Death. I fit reading in early in the morning.

Jewelry that Lets You Talk, Jam and Surf

2010-04-16T19:50:31Z