Recently in voip Category

Saw this commercial on TV yesterday for oovoo, which is a Skype replacement.

Why did I like it? Because it demonstrated what it does while doing what Ma Bell used to do in the old days with its Reach Out and Touch Somebody ads.

It makes a connection with the audience. The connection is an emotional bond. No talk of features or benefits. Perfect.

Luca says that there isn't room for any more players. To an extent that is true because the market is full and it will be a zero-sum game of take-away. But with marketing like this, I can see how oovoo could take market share -- but how do they make money?

The Federal Communications Commission issued regulations this week for voice-over-IP service providers to offer Enhanced 911 emergency call services to all customers. The rules were required under the New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008, which was signed into law in July.

DUTIES.--It shall be the duty of each IP-enabled voice service provider to provide 9-1-1 service and enhanced 9-1-1 service to its subscribers in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Communications Commission, as in effect on the date of enactment of the New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008 and as such requirements may be modified by the Commission from time to time.

The FCC is holding a meeting on Nov. 4. On the agenda: Inter-Carrier Compensation, Alltel-VZ merger, Clearwire-Sprint merger, and a vote of White Spaces. Lots of heavy lifting on this agenda. Martin wants to give his pals at VZ one more gift before he goes.

The VZ-Alltel merger is big, but the topic that can really rock telecom is the Inter-carrier Comp issue, which has been a stagnant FCC docket for years.

If companies can show high costs, they will continue to benefit from the subsidy program. Martin also wants to eliminate wireless providers' right to claim government subsidies for offering service in hard-to-reach areas. Martin wants all companies, wireless included, to show they have incurred losses in providing rural service before they can collect the subsidy. Without those changes, Martin worries that the subsidy fund will collapse of its own weight and rates will go up anyhow. [CNN]

It depends want the Compromise looks like -- and it will be a large compromise. Democrats want one thing. Republicans another. Cellcos versus Wireline. Rural versus Urban. Inter-Carrier Comp even bleeds into the USF issue. How? Because rural carriers count on both Universal Service Fund subsidies AND rather high call termination charges to keep afloat.

Why now? The ISP inter-carrier comp rule has been in court for six years. Earlier this year, the DC Court ruled that the FCC had to get off the pot:

The court set the deadline for an order from the FCC at November 5, 2008, six months from the date of oral argument, stated it will not grant an extension and warned that if an appropriate order is not timely issued, it will vacate the interim inter-carrier compensation rules.

Consumer groups are against another largess for the monopolies at the expense of the ratepayers.

The head of the Federal Communications Commission wants a massive overhaul of the fees that phone companies pay each other when they connect calls. Supporters say the reforms will help fund improved broadband Internet access for rural America, but consumer advocates question how much the plan will raise people's phone bills. "This could be potentially a billion-dollar giveaway to phone monopolies, paid for out of consumers' pocketbooks," said Chris Murray, an attorney with Consumers Union. [AP]

Intercarrier comp is how the various phone companies pay each other for traffic. VoIP providers and cellular carriers, especially Sprint, would like a fairer shake. The old RBOCs would like the Rural LEC's to stop getting so much money. (see Free Conference services not getting paid by RBOCs).

The National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, which represents small phone carriers, told FCC officials earlier this month that a new rate of $0.0007 per minute puts many of their members' livelihoods at risk.

And then there is the White Spaces issue. When broadcasters make the DTV transition in 1Q09, there will be unused spectrum that the Wireless World would like to use for its own bandwidth needs. However, due to bleed over (interference) with cordless microphones and other broadcasting devices, the NAB is opposed. [see dailywireless]

All of this is at one meeting while America votes.

When I say that word - Differentiation - in a space like VoIP with 1100 providers, what does it mean?

Marketing is about stories. Not stories about your boring tech, but stories about what the consumer can do with your tech. For the most part, the technology works, but why would anyone use it?

Blackberries were the first prolific smartphone for business users. Execs thumbing away at the airport after listening to voicemails. A long comes Voicemail to email and Bingo no more typing, just forward the message with the attached wav file and delegate.

Tell me a story about how tele-workers or virtual offices can be managed remotely with call monitoring, call recording, and ACD stats with a Hosted PBX solution. Now I have a case study and I have something concrete to wrap my head around when talking to prospects. As a telecom sales agent, I need solutions not features. I need to know how any of the 130+ features of Broadsoft can result in productivity or TCO or ROI for a prospect. I need a case study. A story. Something specific. Like how you can monitor remote workers to see if they are making the calls and doing their job.

When you tell me that I can add a second business line to my cell phone for $5 a month, well, now I have a story to tell the small business owner. The light bulb has gone off in my head.

Taking a call on any phone I am standing near, being able to transfer my cell phone call to any landline, now that is a specific message I can carry to the marketplace. It's a cool tool for contractors who work for different employers. Now you have delivered a real follow-me number.

We are approaching the point when a phone number will call a person, not a location, desktop or home.  That's what Presence is all about, right?  Stop playing phone tag and get some work done.

This is differentiation. This is also marketing. Creating a story to spread. Designing a clear, concise message about the benefit of the tech feature. (By the way, this all came about from a call I was having with Eric Thomas, CEO of FreedomVoice and Newber.)

Jon Arnold makes a point: "Voice is a double-edged sword for service providers - most of their businesses are built around it, but with the advent of VoIP, it's become a commodity, and in many cases, a race to zero."

One point I make is that voice is just one app that we sell. Voice and email together are the key killer apps. But why isn't VoIP making more inroads?

I talk to many VoIP Providers and few are anywhere near where they want their numbers to be. And they are in a quandary to figure out how to increase sales. 

One reason is that their isn't really a problem to fix for some people. Landlines are declining for consumers as people switch to cellular only, but not many businesses have gone all cellular. (Plus you still need to fax -- and VoIP has not solved that issue for the most part).

Cable is making progress based on selling bundles to consumers. We will soon see how they do selling digital phone service to small business. Notice that MSO's do not mention VoIP?

I think the other reason is that it isn't a transactional sale. To sell Hosted PBX is a long sales cycle. Selling SIP trunking is easier (as a PRI replacement), but it is declining ARPU. To an agent that means less commission. To the carrier, it is less revenue (or new revenue).  So what agent set wants to spend the 7 contacts to sell 7 handsets and Hosted PBX to a small business for less than $400 in billing to see $40 per month?  

When you are basically offering landline replacement, it is easier for the agents to sell landlines (and get paid more).

Jon Arnold also mentions that some VoIP Providers are morphing - like Jajah and Mobivox - to incorporate VoIP into a tool.  Another example would be FreedomVoice with their Newber app.

The problem will still be transitioning the sales force (read channel agents) from a transactional model to a Trusted Advisor or Solution Selling model. To do that, agents would need to make points on the hardware and the install as well as the monthly billing. The Channel isn't ready, but some companies - like Level3, XO, and Adtran - are working on it. (And so will the TCA in 2009).

Jazinga launched its entry into the SMB PBX space after winning the Best of Show Award at Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO.  Jazinga's box is about the size of a D-Link router, but is more that a wireless access point and QOS router. It is a full fledged, SIP-capable  IP-PBX that can use IP Phones or Plain old RJ11 phones. (You know those ugly ones on your desk now).

One big selling point is the easy configuration, which comes from a consumer focus that means you don't need an IT gal or a PBX guy to set it up or manage it. Jazinga claims that the DIY set-up time is about 10 minutes after you plug your IP or PSTN phones in.

It's a space-saver too. Router and wireless access point rolled into the PBX. (The router even prioritizes voice traffic).  Other features include an auto-attendant, voice mail, conferencing, call forwarding, on-hold music - all for 20 or less users. The Jazinga system is available directly from the company and its channel partners for a $1,095.

In 2007, Cisco integrated Jabber components into its conferencing platform. Today, Cisco buys Jabber, "an open-source IM and presence protocol used by Google Talk and Gizmo, for an undisclosed sum".  On our panel at IT Expo, The Role of Apps in VoIP, we talked about Gen Y not liking to talk on the phone. My conclusion is that you will need to incorporate XMPP and XML to enable chat, instant messaging, SMS messaging to IP phone - all to communicate with employees, customers, vendors - without talking on a phone.

Thomas Howe has been wandering around IT Expo. Last night he won the Broadsoft Xtended Voice Mashup Contest with Disaster Dispatcher, "a voice mashup that integrates Twitter, BroadWorks and RSS feeds to provide a one-window communications tool for emergency operators. By keeping all data in one window, emergency personnel can analyze the collection of information after the emergency to optimize response procedures."  Congrats, Thomas!

FreedomVoice unvieled Newber at CTIA. It is the beta version of the first location-aware business number. Newber Beta is an application that resides in the iPhone as a fully functional second line and uses positioning technology to locate and seamlessly transfer calls to nearby landlines, even during an in-progress call.

Newber Beta delivers an independent number that can be assigned to any phone, sparing the caller the task of dialing multiple numbers for mobile, home, work, etc. Newber Beta also allows a person to take business calls on their private phone without giving out personal information.

A highly anticipated capability of the commercial release is "Contact Finder". A Newber user will be able to simply tap a name on the contact list and all of that contact's 'numbers will be automatically dialed in sequence. Manually dialing one 'number after another will be a thing of the past.

"Plans are in the works to introduce Newber for other mobile smart phones," said Eric Thomas, CEO of FreedomVoice. "Newber is making business calls simple again."

"The Newber application adds a second business line to your iPhone that enables you to redirect incoming calls to any phone using built-in GPS technology. Simply key in a landline phone number at your location, then toggle between taking your business calls on that phone or your iPhone. Newber will automatically detect this phone each time you return to that location, allowing you to change phones with one touch. You can even swap phones in the middle of a live call without interrupting the conversation." [from the Newber website]

IntoMobile has the above video with a good description as well as a demo of Newber. Newber's functionality is similar to the Broadsoft Anywhere application.

Disclosure: FreedomeVoice is a consulting client of mine. Congrats! to Eric & Company.  And only yesterday I was complaining about all the iPhone news.

I am on Peter Shankman's HARO list. This morning there is a UK reporter from Future Intelligence looking for anyone working on Encrypted VoIP in Europe. (Deadline is 9/15). The Editor, Peter Warren, is looking for: "I am looking for any companies that are working in this area and would be very interested in talking to them about why and what they think the opportunities are."

We all know that Skype has some kind of encryption present (AES?), but still has a CALEA back-door.

There is the Zfone project. Zfone (which uses ZRTP) is an open standard. "One of the drawbacks of Zfone technology. In order for a call to be secure, both users have to have the program installed." [VoIPNow]

The other ways to encrypt it are to use VPN, Secure RTP, Transport Layer Security (TLS) and IP Security (IPSec).

In addition, here in Tampa Bay, we have a the developer of DOD (Defence Dept.) level security for VoIP Calls. It is called myKryptofon by ID Rank Security, who promises NSA level security - and is providing that for the DOD now.