I recently posted about this intiative by OCRI, where they launched a podcast network and blog to support the thriving high tech sector in the Ottawa area.
I've been developing a relationship with OCRI, and soon we should have links to each other, and will explore ways to share content to amplify our efforts to support Canadian tech.
I just wanted to update you on how their initiatives are coming along. The website is looking good, and the content is starting to happen for both podcasts and blogs. OCRI had its best event ever last month, and it featured a presentation by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. That's one way to get attention, and you can check out the podcast here.
A quick scan of the comments posted there shows that fellow IP blogger Alec Saunders has been following their blogs. Alec's company, Iotum, is a classic example of the kind of leading edge ventures coming out of the region these days, and if this is your cup of tea, I suggest you bookmark OCRI now. And keep coming back here - you'll be seeing more about them on my blog as we put some of our ideas into motion.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Monday, January 9, 2006
ChangeWave Research - What's Coming
I've been part of the ChangeWave Alliance for about two years, and they publish occasional research on telecom trends. The research is member-based, and for this study 625 alliance members participated in a survey conducted in late July 2005.
This particular survey is mainly about trends and which technologies people believe will be the most important to follow. As such, the findings are based more on opinion than fact. That said, 625 people closely following and investing in this industry should represent a fairly credible response base.
I'm not authorized to distribute all the results, but I just thought I'd share some high level findings. Much of this isn't news, but the research is another point of validation for some of the important trends to watch in 2006.
Cell Phone growth is more about video and data than voice. They cite TV, VOD and MP3 as the strong drivers for what consumers want on their cell phones.
Triple Play is really going to be about mobility. They posit that the real Triple Play is WiFi, IPTV and VoIP - not what conventional wisdom dictates - voice, data and video. The implication is that the MSOs stand to lose out big time unless they find a way to integrate mobility into their mix.
Third party mobile payment services will flourish. This will be a necessity to support these mobile growth scenarios, and third party services will really open up the market to all kinds of micro-payment goods and services. Wireless carriers could realize new revenue streams by charging for bandwidth, and the credit card operators like Visa could quickly find their way into this market.
BPL will help bring broadband to rural America. The research notes that 20% of U.S. homes cannot get broadband, and power line is the "logical solution". Nothing new there, but BPL could play a key role in helping the U.S. catch up with the rest of the world for broadband adoption.
RBOC's path to IP is happening in stages and will take time. Again, nothing new, but the research shows that nobody holds all the cards right now. The basic conclusion is that the RBOCs and MSOs will jointly rule when all the smoke clears, but each its own challenges. Cable may have better broadband capacity now, but they lack the mobility piece, which is huge. The RBOCs have more pieces in place, but can only do limited Triple Play. For now, it will be over copper. To get really good IPTV, though, VDSL2 is the way to go, but we're not there yet. This is when the market will really start to work for Microsoft. But for long term survival against cable, FTTH will be the solution, but that's at least 2 years out.
This particular survey is mainly about trends and which technologies people believe will be the most important to follow. As such, the findings are based more on opinion than fact. That said, 625 people closely following and investing in this industry should represent a fairly credible response base.
I'm not authorized to distribute all the results, but I just thought I'd share some high level findings. Much of this isn't news, but the research is another point of validation for some of the important trends to watch in 2006.
Cell Phone growth is more about video and data than voice. They cite TV, VOD and MP3 as the strong drivers for what consumers want on their cell phones.
Triple Play is really going to be about mobility. They posit that the real Triple Play is WiFi, IPTV and VoIP - not what conventional wisdom dictates - voice, data and video. The implication is that the MSOs stand to lose out big time unless they find a way to integrate mobility into their mix.
Third party mobile payment services will flourish. This will be a necessity to support these mobile growth scenarios, and third party services will really open up the market to all kinds of micro-payment goods and services. Wireless carriers could realize new revenue streams by charging for bandwidth, and the credit card operators like Visa could quickly find their way into this market.
BPL will help bring broadband to rural America. The research notes that 20% of U.S. homes cannot get broadband, and power line is the "logical solution". Nothing new there, but BPL could play a key role in helping the U.S. catch up with the rest of the world for broadband adoption.
RBOC's path to IP is happening in stages and will take time. Again, nothing new, but the research shows that nobody holds all the cards right now. The basic conclusion is that the RBOCs and MSOs will jointly rule when all the smoke clears, but each its own challenges. Cable may have better broadband capacity now, but they lack the mobility piece, which is huge. The RBOCs have more pieces in place, but can only do limited Triple Play. For now, it will be over copper. To get really good IPTV, though, VDSL2 is the way to go, but we're not there yet. This is when the market will really start to work for Microsoft. But for long term survival against cable, FTTH will be the solution, but that's at least 2 years out.
Friday, January 6, 2006
Canadian Podcast Series - Mark Evans on 2006
This week's podcast was with Mark Evans, Sr. Tech Reporter for the National Post. Mark is one of the best ears and eyes on the tech sector here in Canada, and it was great to talk about the outlook for IP in 2006. The newly-branded Pulvermedia Podcasting Network is up and running, the web site is looking good. You can download the podcast here, and read a bit more about Mark's background as well as a synopsis of our talk. Mark also maintains one of the best tech blogs going - it's a must read, esp for the Canadian market.
Quick sidebar - the sound quality of the podcast was spotty and garbled at times. We were on VoIP at both ends - Vonage at mine, and M5 at the Pulver end. Mark has previously speculated that the cablecos here have been tinkering with VoIP calls run by competitors over their networks. Well, since we were talking about VoIP, maybe the MSO VoIP police were listening and figured it was a good time to meddle. Think so??? Lots of people are in this camp - it makes for great conspiracy fodder. Anyone who wants to share their stories along this vein are welcome - leave me a comment....
Next week's podcast - am working on lining up a segment with Alec Saunders and Howard Thaw from Iotum. They're at CES, and it will be great to hear their take on the show, esp from the perspective of a Canadian IP startup trying to crack this market. Until then, the blog posts on CES are coming along - Mark's blog today cites Andy Abramson's rant about the poor WiFi coverage and subpar treatment of the 6,000 media folks covering the show. You heard me right - 6,000 media people - sure gives you an idea of just how big this show is.
Quick sidebar - the sound quality of the podcast was spotty and garbled at times. We were on VoIP at both ends - Vonage at mine, and M5 at the Pulver end. Mark has previously speculated that the cablecos here have been tinkering with VoIP calls run by competitors over their networks. Well, since we were talking about VoIP, maybe the MSO VoIP police were listening and figured it was a good time to meddle. Think so??? Lots of people are in this camp - it makes for great conspiracy fodder. Anyone who wants to share their stories along this vein are welcome - leave me a comment....
Next week's podcast - am working on lining up a segment with Alec Saunders and Howard Thaw from Iotum. They're at CES, and it will be great to hear their take on the show, esp from the perspective of a Canadian IP startup trying to crack this market. Until then, the blog posts on CES are coming along - Mark's blog today cites Andy Abramson's rant about the poor WiFi coverage and subpar treatment of the 6,000 media folks covering the show. You heard me right - 6,000 media people - sure gives you an idea of just how big this show is.
Thursday, January 5, 2006
CES - The Early Buzz
CES is certainly part of how 2006 is getting started in a big way in the world of IP. I'm not attending, and won't be covering it closely, but others sure are. The usual suspects will start populating their blogs later today and onward with on-the-spot commentary, and they'll all be great reads. I'd certainly urge you to follow them if you want that type of coverage, especially Jeff Pulver, Andy Abramson and Alec Saunders.
That said, Andy's post today is a great read on the early buzz, and provides an insider's perspective from someone who is really on top of what's really important at the show. Am sure other similar dispatches will be coming from Andy, so stay tuned.
Simon Avery is the main tech writer at the Globe & Mail. He's attending the show, and his take on CES today is pretty good too - a more pedestrian read, and what you'd expect from the maintstream business press. He cited some stats on consumer expenditures, and one of them caught my eye. In 2006, U.S. consumers are forecast to spend $16 billion on wireless handsets, and $23 billion on digital televisions. Neither of these have a whole lot to do - at least yet - with VoIP, and it puts things in perspective for me. VoIP is cool, and will eventually be very big, but it's really a poor cousin right now compared to where people really like to spend their money today - mobility, TV, gaming, iTunes, etc.
That said, Andy's post today is a great read on the early buzz, and provides an insider's perspective from someone who is really on top of what's really important at the show. Am sure other similar dispatches will be coming from Andy, so stay tuned.
Simon Avery is the main tech writer at the Globe & Mail. He's attending the show, and his take on CES today is pretty good too - a more pedestrian read, and what you'd expect from the maintstream business press. He cited some stats on consumer expenditures, and one of them caught my eye. In 2006, U.S. consumers are forecast to spend $16 billion on wireless handsets, and $23 billion on digital televisions. Neither of these have a whole lot to do - at least yet - with VoIP, and it puts things in perspective for me. VoIP is cool, and will eventually be very big, but it's really a poor cousin right now compared to where people really like to spend their money today - mobility, TV, gaming, iTunes, etc.
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
NetCentrex Changes CEOs/Expands in U.S.
I don't often comment on the comings and goings of industry people, but this one did catch my eye. I've had some good history with NetCentrex, both as an analyst at Frost & Sullivan, and in my current life as an indie consultant.
NetCentrex has emerged as a strong player in the Application Server space, where BroadSoft and Sylantro are the major pureplays. They all have widely deployed hosted/managed IP platforms that enable carriers to offer all types of nextgen services. NetCentrex has staked its claim in the video space and are in my view the leading vendor offering Triple Play solutions. They've been quite successful in Europe, most notably with FastWeb in Italy. They're less well known -and I would say not as well understood in North America, and I think that's what's behind the news.
Today, NetCentrex announced two major changes - a new CEO and an East coast office - both seemingly driven by the need to establish themselves more in the U.S., which is poised now for the kind of adoption NetCentrex has been experiencing in Europe.
As the release explains, David Michaud takes over from Alain Fernando-Santana as CEO, who is "pursuing other industry projects". Alain has certainly done a lot to productize his Triple Play vision, but it looks like the company wants a stronger sales focus at the top. In that regard, David Michaud seems to fit the bill. He's got a strong track record building up companies like NexTone, Taqua and Excel Switching, and it sure looks like NetCentrex hopes he can do the same here.
To give him the horses, they've opened an East coast office in Massachusetts, where he's based, as well as other key people he's building his team around. This will be a Sales and Marketing operation, and strategically it makes sense, as it gives them a presence in the dense Northeast, where a lot of large Triple Play deployments should be coming in the near future. This will complement their U.S. presence in San Jose, which as far as I know will remain intact - at least for now. That said, it's not hard to see how they felt the need to have an East coast presence to be close to where the action is for their forte.
In the bigger scheme of things, I think this story is indicative of the kind of moves we'll be seeing quite a lot this year among the startup vendors. Most of these companies are private, but are reaching the point now where they have to get to the next level, especially as the IP space goes through a natural phase of consolidation.
It's all part of the jockeying they need to do, as only a couple of vendors will likely come out big winners within any given vertical segment. With BroadSoft and Sylantro having continued success, my take is that NetCentrex needed to make some moves to stay in the U.S. race.
NetCentrex has emerged as a strong player in the Application Server space, where BroadSoft and Sylantro are the major pureplays. They all have widely deployed hosted/managed IP platforms that enable carriers to offer all types of nextgen services. NetCentrex has staked its claim in the video space and are in my view the leading vendor offering Triple Play solutions. They've been quite successful in Europe, most notably with FastWeb in Italy. They're less well known -and I would say not as well understood in North America, and I think that's what's behind the news.
Today, NetCentrex announced two major changes - a new CEO and an East coast office - both seemingly driven by the need to establish themselves more in the U.S., which is poised now for the kind of adoption NetCentrex has been experiencing in Europe.
As the release explains, David Michaud takes over from Alain Fernando-Santana as CEO, who is "pursuing other industry projects". Alain has certainly done a lot to productize his Triple Play vision, but it looks like the company wants a stronger sales focus at the top. In that regard, David Michaud seems to fit the bill. He's got a strong track record building up companies like NexTone, Taqua and Excel Switching, and it sure looks like NetCentrex hopes he can do the same here.
To give him the horses, they've opened an East coast office in Massachusetts, where he's based, as well as other key people he's building his team around. This will be a Sales and Marketing operation, and strategically it makes sense, as it gives them a presence in the dense Northeast, where a lot of large Triple Play deployments should be coming in the near future. This will complement their U.S. presence in San Jose, which as far as I know will remain intact - at least for now. That said, it's not hard to see how they felt the need to have an East coast presence to be close to where the action is for their forte.
In the bigger scheme of things, I think this story is indicative of the kind of moves we'll be seeing quite a lot this year among the startup vendors. Most of these companies are private, but are reaching the point now where they have to get to the next level, especially as the IP space goes through a natural phase of consolidation.
It's all part of the jockeying they need to do, as only a couple of vendors will likely come out big winners within any given vertical segment. With BroadSoft and Sylantro having continued success, my take is that NetCentrex needed to make some moves to stay in the U.S. race.
Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Ascalade Deal with Skype - More Good News From Canada
Here's another good news item to make Canada proud about its contributions to IP. Ascalade Communications is a B.C.-based telephone vendor who I haven't been following until now. They're a vertically integrated company, meaning that they design, engineer and manufacture all kinds of voice endpoints - wired phones, cordless phones, conference phones and even baby monitors - on a white label basis.
The company had a $40 million IPO this summer on the TSX (ACG), and according to their website, shipped just over 3 million handsets in 2004. That number is certainly much higher now, and with today's news of their agreement with Skype for cordless phones, Ascalade looks to be getting some serious traction.
Between Ascalade and Aastra, Canada is shaping up as a major global player in the IP handset business, something I don't think many people are aware of. It's a good story, and to me, yet another example of how Canadian vendors are showing market leadership largely serving markets outside of Canada, while our service providers and regulators languish with IP here at home. Enough said - let's focus on the positive - good for Ascalade!
The company had a $40 million IPO this summer on the TSX (ACG), and according to their website, shipped just over 3 million handsets in 2004. That number is certainly much higher now, and with today's news of their agreement with Skype for cordless phones, Ascalade looks to be getting some serious traction.
Between Ascalade and Aastra, Canada is shaping up as a major global player in the IP handset business, something I don't think many people are aware of. It's a good story, and to me, yet another example of how Canadian vendors are showing market leadership largely serving markets outside of Canada, while our service providers and regulators languish with IP here at home. Enough said - let's focus on the positive - good for Ascalade!
Monday, January 2, 2006
2006 - Is This THE Year For IP?
I started covering VoIP in 2001, and would have to say that as new years go, 2006 holds the most promise and anticipation for IP communications of any I've seen. However, bigger is not always better, that's for sure. It was unthinkable 2 years ago for AT&T to be taken out of the market - by one of its offspring no less. There was no bigger name in telecom, and it didn't take much for that deal to happen.
In a lame way, that's what's happening with the movie King Kong. It's a big movie about a big subject, but that's no guarantee of success. I always thought it was a bad idea to re-make this yet again, and it looks like I'm not alone. I mention King Kong because there's a great parallel there with the state of Hollywood movies these days. The industry is in trouble, and when the special effects guys can't save the day, there's really nothing left to bring back the audiences.
For the most part this is just about crappy product, and people are getting tired of seeing re-makes, sequels and movies based on TV shows and cartoon characters. I stopped going years ago, but will gladly go out of my way to see a real movie, but they don't show those much anymore in the megaplexes. Rant over. I care too much about cinema to be quiet - I've spoken, now let's move on. Anyone who cares to take this offline is welcome!
What I meant to say was... what IP did to telephony in 2005, is starting to happen now in the broadcast industry. This is not news, but since I feel guilty for not putting together a "year in review" post, or a "fearless predictions for 2006" post, I should at least say as much. Running parallel to this is Web 2.0 and the idea that Internet-based platforms - thanks in large part to IP - are ready now to give software a good run for its money. Skype and Vonage were the big names in 2005 - this year it will be Google and Yahoo. Maybe even eBay. And by association, Microsoft.
Bottom line - the IP convergence trend continues unabated, and the net gets cast wider day by day. No doubt the gold rush element will continue as well, now that everyone is looking for the next Skype. So, money will really help drive the market, it should be a great year for the bankers and VCs. At this point, I'd have to say that only unforeseen circumstances will derail this momentum - such as some heavy-handed regulation, or some serious network failures or security breaches. Anything is possible, of course, but on the whole IP looks ready to deliver on a lot of its promise in 2006.
Quick sidebar - I was off most of last week, and will get back to blogging this week. I'm not a 24/7 newsmachine, but see a lot of interesting things coming that will make for good posting in the weeks ahead.
I'm still enjoying my Nokia N90 - more as a camera/recorder than as a phone - and expect to start posting to the Nokia blog this week. Until then, here are a few N90 photos of our trip last week to Montreal...
Windsor Train Station - classic architecture, which I love. LOTS of this in Montreal...
Notre Dame Cathedral - arguably the most beautiful and spectacular edifice in North America. Has to be seen to feel its grandeur. The Nokia doesn't quite do it justice (didn't help to have a very overcast sky), but here are some shots of the incredible pipe organ at the back of the cathedral, and the awe inspiring front.
OK, let's take it down a notch or two, but something closer to my soul, the Main - the classic Jewish neighborhood that spawned Duddy Kravitz and countless others. First is Schwartz's deli - nobody does smoked meat better. Period.
And, as it turns out, this was the only lineup we saw anywhere in Montreal the whole time. For a lineup like this at 2:30 in the afternoon mid-week, you know it must be good.... either that, or maybe they have terrific free WiFi to draw them in...nahh. Travel tip - Montrealers don't get their day going until 10 or 11 am. So if you want to beat the lineups, get to Schwartz's by 10 - you'll even get a booth. Don't bother coming later unless you have a lot of time on your hands, or just go across the street to The Main deli, which is never busy and is almost as good. May the Schwartz be with you.... (couldn't resist another movie reference...)
Testing your movie trivia knowledge here. Recognize this? It's right down the street from Fairmount Bagel, an obligatory stop for any Torontonian who can't find a decent bagel back home. Which is just about everyone.
This is Moe Wilensky's - just like the sign says - at the corner of Fairmount and Clark. Still there - hasn't changed a bit from when it was a central spot in the movie Duddy Kravitz. Well, maybe they didn't have the French sign back then. Cool, huh?
Oh, and I couldn't resist coming full circle here talking about the movies. For what they spent on King Kong, they could have made 100 Duddy Kravitz's - but they didn't. Once was enough. I'll take one good movie any day over a sequel to a sequel. With rare exceptions like The Godfather, leave a good movie alone. Do we really have to be entertained that badly?
In a lame way, that's what's happening with the movie King Kong. It's a big movie about a big subject, but that's no guarantee of success. I always thought it was a bad idea to re-make this yet again, and it looks like I'm not alone. I mention King Kong because there's a great parallel there with the state of Hollywood movies these days. The industry is in trouble, and when the special effects guys can't save the day, there's really nothing left to bring back the audiences.
For the most part this is just about crappy product, and people are getting tired of seeing re-makes, sequels and movies based on TV shows and cartoon characters. I stopped going years ago, but will gladly go out of my way to see a real movie, but they don't show those much anymore in the megaplexes. Rant over. I care too much about cinema to be quiet - I've spoken, now let's move on. Anyone who cares to take this offline is welcome!
What I meant to say was... what IP did to telephony in 2005, is starting to happen now in the broadcast industry. This is not news, but since I feel guilty for not putting together a "year in review" post, or a "fearless predictions for 2006" post, I should at least say as much. Running parallel to this is Web 2.0 and the idea that Internet-based platforms - thanks in large part to IP - are ready now to give software a good run for its money. Skype and Vonage were the big names in 2005 - this year it will be Google and Yahoo. Maybe even eBay. And by association, Microsoft.
Bottom line - the IP convergence trend continues unabated, and the net gets cast wider day by day. No doubt the gold rush element will continue as well, now that everyone is looking for the next Skype. So, money will really help drive the market, it should be a great year for the bankers and VCs. At this point, I'd have to say that only unforeseen circumstances will derail this momentum - such as some heavy-handed regulation, or some serious network failures or security breaches. Anything is possible, of course, but on the whole IP looks ready to deliver on a lot of its promise in 2006.
Quick sidebar - I was off most of last week, and will get back to blogging this week. I'm not a 24/7 newsmachine, but see a lot of interesting things coming that will make for good posting in the weeks ahead.
I'm still enjoying my Nokia N90 - more as a camera/recorder than as a phone - and expect to start posting to the Nokia blog this week. Until then, here are a few N90 photos of our trip last week to Montreal...
Windsor Train Station - classic architecture, which I love. LOTS of this in Montreal...
Notre Dame Cathedral - arguably the most beautiful and spectacular edifice in North America. Has to be seen to feel its grandeur. The Nokia doesn't quite do it justice (didn't help to have a very overcast sky), but here are some shots of the incredible pipe organ at the back of the cathedral, and the awe inspiring front.
OK, let's take it down a notch or two, but something closer to my soul, the Main - the classic Jewish neighborhood that spawned Duddy Kravitz and countless others. First is Schwartz's deli - nobody does smoked meat better. Period.
And, as it turns out, this was the only lineup we saw anywhere in Montreal the whole time. For a lineup like this at 2:30 in the afternoon mid-week, you know it must be good.... either that, or maybe they have terrific free WiFi to draw them in...nahh. Travel tip - Montrealers don't get their day going until 10 or 11 am. So if you want to beat the lineups, get to Schwartz's by 10 - you'll even get a booth. Don't bother coming later unless you have a lot of time on your hands, or just go across the street to The Main deli, which is never busy and is almost as good. May the Schwartz be with you.... (couldn't resist another movie reference...)
Testing your movie trivia knowledge here. Recognize this? It's right down the street from Fairmount Bagel, an obligatory stop for any Torontonian who can't find a decent bagel back home. Which is just about everyone.
This is Moe Wilensky's - just like the sign says - at the corner of Fairmount and Clark. Still there - hasn't changed a bit from when it was a central spot in the movie Duddy Kravitz. Well, maybe they didn't have the French sign back then. Cool, huh?
Oh, and I couldn't resist coming full circle here talking about the movies. For what they spent on King Kong, they could have made 100 Duddy Kravitz's - but they didn't. Once was enough. I'll take one good movie any day over a sequel to a sequel. With rare exceptions like The Godfather, leave a good movie alone. Do we really have to be entertained that badly?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
RSS Feed
