Makes you think, right? It also makes me think that regulations hold back some innovation. AirBnB, Uber and Tesla Motors challenge long-standing regulations. But really what holds it all back is the power (industry) behind said regulations - like Big Oil, Big Pharma, the Duopoly.
In some parts of the world, VoIP is illegal - and you can be jailed for having VoIP equipment. I guess they don't realize that a cellphone is a VoIP device.
Marriott was fined $600K for jamming hotspots at the Nashville Gaylord Opryland. Current Analysis has a good read on it.
The Technology Report October 2014 on UC & PBX is out at Telecom Reseller. PBX shipments were down 1% from Q1 to Q2. That isn't really a big deal.
So Craig Walker of Grand Central and Google Voice fame (and Uber Conferencing) has launched another business VoIP service for Google Apps users. Nice review of Switch Communications here. I haven't gotten to look at the service since the website has been down all morning.
TechCrunch is good at headlines (not really content but certainly headlines and clicks). In this one, "Edward Snowden's Privacy Tips: "Get Rid Of Dropbox," Avoid Facebook And Google". DUH!
In the midst of the NFL's current publicity problem due to domestic violence outbreaks, NFL partners have to decide what to do. I have scaled back watching the NFL this season due to the number of felons in that league, but I did notice on SportsCenter that there is a lot of pink out there. I understand the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign -- and that Komen is all about the money - but you would think that the org formerly known as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation would have taken a stand. Verizon did. Their PR department responded with this email about Hopeline and Voice Have Power. It's a great PR gesture, but if they really wanted to take a stand, imagine if Verizon told Goodell to clean up the NFL like Pepsi's CEO did.
Technology takes over a lot of our life - soon our driving (just ask Tesla owners) - it even replaces a number of jobs in the US. Does it look like as a society we are getting better or worse because of our relationship with tech?
Someone asked me about cellular competition. I agree with the FCC that we need 4 players. Sure, 2 of them own more than three quarters of the market, but the other two keep it interesting. Add in the handset manufacturers - like Apple, LG, Samsung and even Blackberry - it makes it a decent competition. After the iPhone 6 announcement, all of the carriers have been jiggering their pricing plans to snag as many users via upgrades as possible.
That in itself is interesting since AMDOCS told me that it takes almost the whole 24 month contract for carriers to break even on smartphone users. So why would you chase more smartphones users for less ARPU?
I am watching a few things happen slowly: more fiber projects resulting in denser fiber availability; more traction of unified communications platforms (simple, cloud or not); and money getting tight due to flat revenues, high debt, and uncertainty about what the FCC -- and eventually the courts -- will do about important issues like Special Access, TDM-to-IP transitions, E-Rate and other USF programs. It's all happening like the melting of glaciers. (I knew I could fit climate change in here! )
Have a good Monday!
