How's this for a how-could-this-be??? scenario?
TMC is partnering with some very familiar VON faces to produce a 4G conference in February. It's not clear how much partnering is actually going on, and at face value, this 4G event is just co-locating with the Winter 2009 IT Expo, which returns again to Miami.
I got wind of this Wednesday night, and shortly after, Andy Abramson went public with the news on his blog, so he's got the scoop, no doubt. For the official news, the press release is here, and Greg Galitzine adds some flavor on his blog. Rich Tehrani also has some thoughts, as well as a list of other places this item was picked up.
I'm just getting around to this now, and if this is still news to you, then you're in the right place.
It's always great to hear about new conferences, especially for something as important as 4G, but the real story here is how previous competitors are now working together. TMC and VON have always had a strong rivalry, and each show has its strengths. With VON's demise (although Virgo is now trying to change that - which is another story for another time), a lot of smart, experienced people need to find other gigs.
With the 4G event, we're talking specifically about Carl Ford and Scott Kargman. Readers of my blog may recall that Carl has been publicly forging his own path for the past few months, and has already crossed the floor, so to speak, and was welcomed as a moderator at the IT Expo last month. I haven't kept up with Scott, but the two are working together on this event, and now that the word is out, you can see for yourself what they're doing. As noted on Andy's post, the website for 4G Wireless Revolution is running now, so that should be your next stop.
Bottom line - work is work, and it's great to see Carl and Scott engaged with something they know an awful lot about. I won't be alone in following their progress, and I'll post updates as things progress.
Technorati tags: 4G Wireless Revolution, Jon Arnold, Carl Ford, TMC, Scott Kargman, Andy Abramson, Greg Galitzine, Rich Tehrani
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Service Provider Views - Dealing with a Down Economy
Sooner or later this economy catches up to everyone, and telecom is not immune. My latest Service Provider Views article on TMCnet takes a look at what I think operators need to be doing to minimize the fallout in a down market.
There's a lot to explore here, and this article is Part 1. In light of Skype's strong Q3 numbers, I decided to focus a bit on them as an example of things going right in a challenging environment. Some service providers will fare better than others, and this impacts everyone in the food chain. I'll look at some of these implications in the follow up article. For now, Part 1 is online now, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Technorati tags: Service Provider Views, Jon Arnold, J Arnold & Associates, TMCnet, Skype
There's a lot to explore here, and this article is Part 1. In light of Skype's strong Q3 numbers, I decided to focus a bit on them as an example of things going right in a challenging environment. Some service providers will fare better than others, and this impacts everyone in the food chain. I'll look at some of these implications in the follow up article. For now, Part 1 is online now, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Technorati tags: Service Provider Views, Jon Arnold, J Arnold & Associates, TMCnet, Skype
Videoconferencing News - GIPS and SightSpeed
Two companies I have some history with in the videoconferencing space had some news yesterday - GIPS and SightSpeed. I was set to post this yesterday, but we had a power outage at an inopportune time. After that, one thing led to another, and it just didn't happen as intended. Defeated by technology, again...
I'll start with GIPS - Global IP Solutions - since I have more history there. They've just published a white paper along with a video to demonstrate how far desktop videoconferencing solutions have come. I won't say any more than that since I'm the author of the white paper, and I'm not in the PR business. However, I am pleased to see how much attention this has been getting, so if you haven't come across this yet, you can find it in a few places - Fierce VoIP, Conferencing News, and an in-depth review/analysis from Jim Courtney on Skype Journal.
For more detail, you can read the press release here, and download the paper as well as view the demo video here.
SightSpeed had some very exciting news of their own on the same day, so there must be a trend happening. In short, they were acquired by Logitech for $30 million.
Aside from being a great exit for Peter Csathy's company (his third), I see this as nice validation for the good work GIPS is doing. I've got some nice history with SightSpeed as well - and have been a happy user - so it's personally satisfying to see a company I've been following for a while get a buyout like this, especially in such a difficult economy.
Finally, to tie things up nicely, colleague Alec Saunders featured both companies on yesterday's Squawk Box podcast. Guess I'm not the only one seeing a trend here!
Technorati tags: GIPS, Jon Arnold, SightSpeed, videoconferencing
I'll start with GIPS - Global IP Solutions - since I have more history there. They've just published a white paper along with a video to demonstrate how far desktop videoconferencing solutions have come. I won't say any more than that since I'm the author of the white paper, and I'm not in the PR business. However, I am pleased to see how much attention this has been getting, so if you haven't come across this yet, you can find it in a few places - Fierce VoIP, Conferencing News, and an in-depth review/analysis from Jim Courtney on Skype Journal.
For more detail, you can read the press release here, and download the paper as well as view the demo video here.
SightSpeed had some very exciting news of their own on the same day, so there must be a trend happening. In short, they were acquired by Logitech for $30 million.
Aside from being a great exit for Peter Csathy's company (his third), I see this as nice validation for the good work GIPS is doing. I've got some nice history with SightSpeed as well - and have been a happy user - so it's personally satisfying to see a company I've been following for a while get a buyout like this, especially in such a difficult economy.
Finally, to tie things up nicely, colleague Alec Saunders featured both companies on yesterday's Squawk Box podcast. Guess I'm not the only one seeing a trend here!
Technorati tags: GIPS, Jon Arnold, SightSpeed, videoconferencing
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
CDN Channel Elite Awards
Last night I attended the Channel Elite Awards here in Toronto. It was a nice gala to honor the winners from the annual awards organized by Computer Dealer News.
I was recently invited to be a judge for these awards and reviewed about 70 submissions along the way. It was a good experience, and part of the payoff was attending the gala.
Paolo Del Nibletto was nice enough to involve me in the event, so a big thank you there. To learn more about the highlights and winners, here's his wrapup piece.
When taking our seats for the awards, I spotted a table at the front and took a seat that would give me a good vantage point for photos. Not until I sat down did I realize I was totally blocked out by "the camera guy". Ugh. He got great shots and video, but my spot was useless, and I had to get up and get beside him every time I needed a shot. Nothing is easy...
Technorati tags: ITBusiness.ca, Jon Arnold, Channel Elite Awards
I was recently invited to be a judge for these awards and reviewed about 70 submissions along the way. It was a good experience, and part of the payoff was attending the gala.
Paolo Del Nibletto was nice enough to involve me in the event, so a big thank you there. To learn more about the highlights and winners, here's his wrapup piece.
When taking our seats for the awards, I spotted a table at the front and took a seat that would give me a good vantage point for photos. Not until I sat down did I realize I was totally blocked out by "the camera guy". Ugh. He got great shots and video, but my spot was useless, and I had to get up and get beside him every time I needed a shot. Nothing is easy...
Technorati tags: ITBusiness.ca, Jon Arnold, Channel Elite Awards
Monday, October 27, 2008
Bloggers versus Journalists
Got a pretty full week unfolding with new project work and some month-end deliverables. Just got time for a quick post now, and wanted to share this one from Pat Phelan.
We follow each other's blogs as best we can, and his latest post touches on a topic that's near and dear to my heart. It's an ongoing item for me, and is a great read on the fine line between bloggers and journalists. So much territory to explore here, and the comment thread brings many of these sub-issues to light.
I have enough trouble clarifying to people that blogging is not what I do, but like journalists, analysts are a different breed when it comes to getting your ideas across. For both breeds, there's an inherent expectation that your work is supported by the things that give it legitimacy - accuracy, validation, objectivity, professionalism, etc. It's just so hard to pin this on bloggers whose vocation is something else - software developer, product manager, PR, entrepreneur, investor, etc. Of course there are loads of people in these spaces whose blogs set the standard for everyone else - but those hallmarks are not necessarily expected in their line of work. Some do, and some don't. And to be fair, that's also true for my tribe - journalists too, of course!
So, you don't always know what to expect there, unless you really know the blogger as an individual. That's easy to do within your inner circle, but it sure gets a lot tougher to do when trolling the broader blogosphere. Plenty of diamonds in the rough out there, but it takes effort to find them.
I'll leave it at that for now - too many ideas to riff off of, and I got things to do - as do you, for sure. The main thing is to draw attention to Pat's post - and his blog - and by all means, join the conversation.
Technorati tags: Pat Phelan, Jon Arnold, blogging
We follow each other's blogs as best we can, and his latest post touches on a topic that's near and dear to my heart. It's an ongoing item for me, and is a great read on the fine line between bloggers and journalists. So much territory to explore here, and the comment thread brings many of these sub-issues to light.
I have enough trouble clarifying to people that blogging is not what I do, but like journalists, analysts are a different breed when it comes to getting your ideas across. For both breeds, there's an inherent expectation that your work is supported by the things that give it legitimacy - accuracy, validation, objectivity, professionalism, etc. It's just so hard to pin this on bloggers whose vocation is something else - software developer, product manager, PR, entrepreneur, investor, etc. Of course there are loads of people in these spaces whose blogs set the standard for everyone else - but those hallmarks are not necessarily expected in their line of work. Some do, and some don't. And to be fair, that's also true for my tribe - journalists too, of course!
So, you don't always know what to expect there, unless you really know the blogger as an individual. That's easy to do within your inner circle, but it sure gets a lot tougher to do when trolling the broader blogosphere. Plenty of diamonds in the rough out there, but it takes effort to find them.
I'll leave it at that for now - too many ideas to riff off of, and I got things to do - as do you, for sure. The main thing is to draw attention to Pat's post - and his blog - and by all means, join the conversation.
Technorati tags: Pat Phelan, Jon Arnold, blogging
Friday, October 24, 2008
Videotron's Wireless Network Plans Announced
This is mostly a news item, and I don't do many of those. For many, it's an old news item by now, but not for everyone. I've been out of pocket almost all week, and this is the best I can do here, and didn't want this to pass unmentioned.
On Tuesday, Videotron announced their wireless network plans, and they're pretty ambitious. I was hoping to participate on the briefing call that day, but was too tied up at the Avaya analyst conference.
In the current economic climate, it's a huge deal to hear about spending like this. After spending $554 million to acquire spectrum during the AWS auction (which I've been following) - table stakes to get into the wireless game - they're now commmitting around $250-$300 million more to build an HSPA network. Videotron has said they were serious about wireless from the beginning and now they're putting their money on the table.
I can't help but think there's got to be a bit of political hubris at work here, as this is a Quebec story, not a Canada story. That message comes out loud and clear in the press release, especially with the proud claim how this investment will create 1,000 jobs for Quebecers. I'd be remiss to mention that the Bloc - their separatist party - fared well in the recent federal election, largely at the expense of the fading Liberals. I digress.
I should also note that Videotron is one of the biggest and best Quebec-based companies, and they are only in the wireless business to serve Quebec. Their population is a bit under 8 million, and I don't know if their Capex plans on a per-capita basis would be high or low relative to other markets. Regardless, it's happening, and that's the story here.
Anyhow, like Rogers, Videotron is a multimedia conglomerate, and have a lot of content at their disposal, so their plans extend well beyond voice. Bell diversified into content a few years back, but could never make it all work. However, networks are faster today, and we have smartphones now, so things will be much different for Videotron this time around. What also makes this interesting is that Videotron has a track record of being disruptive, most recently with their push into VoIP, which has been costly for Bell.
So, I'd expect similar things this time around with wireless. Actually, Videotron does offer wireless today, but over the Rogers network, which really limits what they'd like to do. Once they come to market on their own, Rogers will lose their traffic of course, but more importantly, they'll now be competing directly against each other.
Aside from this being a bold statement of investment in Quebec's communications infrastructure, it's great news for Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), who were announced as the prime vendor for their network buildout. NSN is on a roll in Canada, having also just been awarded the business to build a jointly-funded HSPA wireless network for Bell and Telus. Wow. Hard to believe how these two competitors are now working together, but it's a necessity. Rogers already has GSM, and once Videotron comes with HSPA, they would be at a huge disadvantage if they sat tight with their CDMA networks.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I guess. It's clear that the economics for each to build separate HSPA networks just don't work, and it sure will be interesting to see how they manage to share things once it's done and they go back to competing against each other. Or maybe - just maybe - they'll join forces to compete against the cablecos. How interesting would that be?
And just to complete the picture, today Shaw announced they were putting aside plans to build their wireless network. They're in a much smaller market than Quebec, but still spent $190 million to acquire spectrum licenses. Maybe they'll sell it to the highest bidder - if that's allowed - or maybe they'll jump back in the game if the market changes. Who knows?
With Videotron's news, the focus now shifts to what the other new wireless players plan to do - namely Globalive, Bragg/EastLink and DAVE Wireless. It's not easy raising money today for anything, let alone yet another wireless network. This sure sets the stage for an interesting 2009 in Canada's wireless marketplace, and I'll be back on this soapbox again soon.
Technorati tags: Videotron, Jon Arnold, AWS auction
On Tuesday, Videotron announced their wireless network plans, and they're pretty ambitious. I was hoping to participate on the briefing call that day, but was too tied up at the Avaya analyst conference.
In the current economic climate, it's a huge deal to hear about spending like this. After spending $554 million to acquire spectrum during the AWS auction (which I've been following) - table stakes to get into the wireless game - they're now commmitting around $250-$300 million more to build an HSPA network. Videotron has said they were serious about wireless from the beginning and now they're putting their money on the table.
I can't help but think there's got to be a bit of political hubris at work here, as this is a Quebec story, not a Canada story. That message comes out loud and clear in the press release, especially with the proud claim how this investment will create 1,000 jobs for Quebecers. I'd be remiss to mention that the Bloc - their separatist party - fared well in the recent federal election, largely at the expense of the fading Liberals. I digress.
I should also note that Videotron is one of the biggest and best Quebec-based companies, and they are only in the wireless business to serve Quebec. Their population is a bit under 8 million, and I don't know if their Capex plans on a per-capita basis would be high or low relative to other markets. Regardless, it's happening, and that's the story here.
Anyhow, like Rogers, Videotron is a multimedia conglomerate, and have a lot of content at their disposal, so their plans extend well beyond voice. Bell diversified into content a few years back, but could never make it all work. However, networks are faster today, and we have smartphones now, so things will be much different for Videotron this time around. What also makes this interesting is that Videotron has a track record of being disruptive, most recently with their push into VoIP, which has been costly for Bell.
So, I'd expect similar things this time around with wireless. Actually, Videotron does offer wireless today, but over the Rogers network, which really limits what they'd like to do. Once they come to market on their own, Rogers will lose their traffic of course, but more importantly, they'll now be competing directly against each other.
Aside from this being a bold statement of investment in Quebec's communications infrastructure, it's great news for Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), who were announced as the prime vendor for their network buildout. NSN is on a roll in Canada, having also just been awarded the business to build a jointly-funded HSPA wireless network for Bell and Telus. Wow. Hard to believe how these two competitors are now working together, but it's a necessity. Rogers already has GSM, and once Videotron comes with HSPA, they would be at a huge disadvantage if they sat tight with their CDMA networks.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I guess. It's clear that the economics for each to build separate HSPA networks just don't work, and it sure will be interesting to see how they manage to share things once it's done and they go back to competing against each other. Or maybe - just maybe - they'll join forces to compete against the cablecos. How interesting would that be?
And just to complete the picture, today Shaw announced they were putting aside plans to build their wireless network. They're in a much smaller market than Quebec, but still spent $190 million to acquire spectrum licenses. Maybe they'll sell it to the highest bidder - if that's allowed - or maybe they'll jump back in the game if the market changes. Who knows?
With Videotron's news, the focus now shifts to what the other new wireless players plan to do - namely Globalive, Bragg/EastLink and DAVE Wireless. It's not easy raising money today for anything, let alone yet another wireless network. This sure sets the stage for an interesting 2009 in Canada's wireless marketplace, and I'll be back on this soapbox again soon.
Technorati tags: Videotron, Jon Arnold, AWS auction
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The Ericsson Experience Center Comes to Town
It's not quite the circus coming to town, but the Ericsson Experience Center isn't too far off when it comes to a very cool road show that only analysts and the media could love.
I was one of those analysts invited to attend the Toronto stop on their travelling roadshow today, and as vendor experiences go, this one was right up there. I've seen these types of roadshows before, and you really have to see it to appreciate how sophisticated the inside of a trailer can get.
It's a great way to showcase all the cool things Ericsson is doing with both wireless and wireline technologies. We started first with wireless, and got a look at some of the equipment they're using to support HSPA and LTE, both for in-home and backhaul. I'm not an expert in wireless infrastructure, but this has long been a strong suit for Ericsson. They made it clear that these technologies have utility in both emerging markets with little existing telecom infrastructure as well as urban markets that need higher speeds than what their wireline broadband connections can deliver.
On the wireline side, we saw some really neat demos of IPTV, some of which is in the market today, and some just in the lab. They did a nice job showing how well integrated video and wireless services can be. One example was demonstrating how live streaming video from a cell phone can be uploaded to television to report a robbery in progress. Citizen jouralism 2.0 at its best. Other examples included a more interactive experience for watching sports, and using all the multimedia tools while watching TV - voice, chat, email, ordering concert tickets, etc. If the IMS vision ever truly comes to fruition, it sure looks like we'll never, ever have to get up from the couch except to replace the batteries in the converter.
All told, it was a great way to get an up-close look at what Ericsson is doing. Since most of this happens under the hood, I can't think of a better way to understand and experience all the technology they bring to enable these cool services. Am sure glad they came to town, and even gladder they invited me.
Ericsson Canada CEO/President Mark Henderson
Amit Kaminer of Seaboard Group - thanks for modelling this to scale! He was at Avaya this week too, so we've seen a lot of each other the past few days.
Technorati tags: Ericsson, Jon Arnold, Canada
I was one of those analysts invited to attend the Toronto stop on their travelling roadshow today, and as vendor experiences go, this one was right up there. I've seen these types of roadshows before, and you really have to see it to appreciate how sophisticated the inside of a trailer can get.
It's a great way to showcase all the cool things Ericsson is doing with both wireless and wireline technologies. We started first with wireless, and got a look at some of the equipment they're using to support HSPA and LTE, both for in-home and backhaul. I'm not an expert in wireless infrastructure, but this has long been a strong suit for Ericsson. They made it clear that these technologies have utility in both emerging markets with little existing telecom infrastructure as well as urban markets that need higher speeds than what their wireline broadband connections can deliver.
On the wireline side, we saw some really neat demos of IPTV, some of which is in the market today, and some just in the lab. They did a nice job showing how well integrated video and wireless services can be. One example was demonstrating how live streaming video from a cell phone can be uploaded to television to report a robbery in progress. Citizen jouralism 2.0 at its best. Other examples included a more interactive experience for watching sports, and using all the multimedia tools while watching TV - voice, chat, email, ordering concert tickets, etc. If the IMS vision ever truly comes to fruition, it sure looks like we'll never, ever have to get up from the couch except to replace the batteries in the converter.
All told, it was a great way to get an up-close look at what Ericsson is doing. Since most of this happens under the hood, I can't think of a better way to understand and experience all the technology they bring to enable these cool services. Am sure glad they came to town, and even gladder they invited me.
Ericsson Canada CEO/President Mark Henderson
Amit Kaminer of Seaboard Group - thanks for modelling this to scale! He was at Avaya this week too, so we've seen a lot of each other the past few days.
Technorati tags: Ericsson, Jon Arnold, Canada
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