This week's podcast was a bit more ambitious than normal, but I think the results were worth it. For the first time, I had two guests, one based here in Toronto, and the other in the U.S.
My guests on the podcast were Glenn Mowat, the CEO and COO of Unis Lumin, and Richard McLeod, who is Cisco's Director of Unified Communications Solutions for Worldwide Channels.
The podcast was a follow up to a recent posting I did about Cisco's new Master Specialization Channel Partners program. The program is their highest level of certification for channel partners, and this particular edition focuses on Cisco's Unified Communications platform.
On the podcast, Glenn provided the systems integrator perspective as well as some Canadian flavor, and Richard added the Cisco view and where they see the opportunity to help enterprises leverage IP solutions and applications into making their businesses more successful. If you're interested in where unified communications is going, and what this means for the vendor-systems intetgrator relationship, I think you'll find this podcast of great interest.
You can download the podcast here, as well as read more about Glenn and Richard.
Technorati tags: Unis Lumin, Jon Arnold, Cisco, VoIP podcasts, Unified Communications
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
ChangeWave's Latest VoIP Survey - Good News for Skype and MSOs
I�ve been receiving research from ChangeWave for some time, and they publish a quarterly survey called �Consumer Home VoIP Trends�.
Their latest survey was done in mid-October, and with a base of 2,640 ChangeWave members, the data is pretty current and substantive. As with my previous postings about ChangeWave, I�m only going to present some high level findings. It�s not my research, and I don�t want to cross any lines here.
First off, the respondents are ChangeWave members, so it�s not truly a Main Street sample. I�d say this audience is probably above average in terms of being tech savvy, which is probably closer to what readers of this blog are. So, here�s what they�re saying at a high level.
Market Penetration
21% are using residential VoIP, and another 13% plan to in the next 12 months. That may be above average for the general population, but I think this says a lot about how the takeup of VoIP continues to be strong, and that landline is going in the other direction.
VoIP Offering Used
So who�s #1? Well, among the 562 �users�, it�s Skype. Huh??? This is the only real problem I have with their survey. I don�t consider the IM/P2P offerings like Skype to be replacements � they�re complements. So, I wouldn�t call it a �service�, but perception is reality, and the reality is that Skype was the most popular response � 29%. Vonage was #2 at 24%, with �my cable company� third at 16%.
There�s a lot to digest here. First, Skype is the most popular. I buy that, but I wouldn�t put Skype on the same level as the services people are paying money for (of course some do pay money for Skype Out/In, but you know what I mean). If I were King, and doing this research, I would qualify this, and furthermore ask if they�re using Skype in conjunction with the VoIP service they�re subscribing to. I suspect the majority uses both. Believe me, I�ve offered to help them on this, but nobody is getting back to me�.
Also, consistent with Vonage�s general fall from grace, they were #1 as recently as ChangeWave�s April 2006 survey. In fact, since this survey started in June 2005, Vonage�s share has steadily fallen from 36% to where it is now at 24%.
So, why lump all the cablecos into one category? We all know they�re taking over this market now, and I really wish they would break out the providers out by name. That said, it�s useful to see that collectively, cable has 16% of this sample. I suspect the real market share number is higher - remember, Skype has 29% of this sample, which I don�t get at all.
Finally, I wanted to mention that new names are showing up on this list that weren�t there before, like Jajah, AIM Phoneline and GoogleTalk. That�s a good sign. Hopefully ChangeWave knows what to do with this, as future waves need to refine this question to properly reflect the various types of VoIP offerings out there now.
Satisfaction with Service
Overall, people like their service � 90% are either �somewhat� or �very� satisfied. That�s a really good sign, and it holds up pretty much across the board. That said, it�s not surprising that satisfaction with Vonage is a tad lower than the others.
The same holds true when asking about the likeliness of changing services in the next 6 months. Overall, 16% are either �very� or �somewhat� likely. Cable users are well below this, and Vonage is notably above. Again, no surprise here, and the data is likely consistent with what more exhaustive studies are finding.
Who ya gonna call?
Lastly, I wanted to cite the big question � for those considering switching, who would they go to? Here, the response base is only 88, so you need to be more careful with the data. These are current VoIP subscribers who are �very� or �somewhat� likely to switch in the next 6 months.
With 42% saying �don�t know�, the market seems pretty open for stealing away VoIP subscribers. Cable leads the pack at 11%, with Skype close behind at 9%, and then Vonage at 7%. These are whom you�d expect to see, and no real surprises there.
There are several others mentioned on the list, all much less frequently, and all pretty familiar � except one. Google Talk. Yup � 5% mentioned them. That�s probably the standout data point of this whole survey for me. I know the base is small, but to see Google Talk right up there at Vonage�s heels tells me they�re on a lot of people�s radars, and that�s not good news for everyone else on this list.
Finally, there is another key segment to consider � those not using VoIP, but are considering doing so in the next 12 months. For this sample, the base is 332. This really says a lot about market sentiment for the next wave of residential VoIP adopters.
Number 1? Skype � 20% said that�s who they would mostly likely go to. Hmmm. It sure is interesting to see what people�s perceptions are � Skype is who they think about first � ahead of the rest. Am not sure if that�s really money in the bank for Skype, but no doubt they�d be happy to hear it. Even more interesting � less than a year ago � December 2005 � only 3% of the sample said this. Wow.
Who�s #2? The cablecos � 17%. Again, they only report aggregate data for this group, so we don�t know which MSOs they�re talking about. Regardless, as a category, cable VoIP comes through very nicely here.
Where�s Vonage? Thought you�d never ask. They�re #3 at 15%. Back in April � just before the IPO � they were #1 at 21%, so things have changed.
Something else to watch for � just behind Vonage on this list are the RBOCs � VoiceWing at 8% and CallVantage at 4%. So, they�ve got heavy competition both ahead of them and behind. Not a fun place to be, for sure.
Just one more thing to build on from this point, which I think says a lot about the direction the 3 main players in this survey are going � Vonage, Skype and the MSOs. Let�s look at the net results when you consider both churn and adds for each.
Vonage � 22% of subscribers are �very� or �somewhat� likely to switch. That itself is a huge finding. Hello - 1 in 5 Vonage customers are at risk, Mr. Citron.
Conversely, 15% of new subscribers will most likely go with Vonage. That�s a net loss of 7%.
Skype � only 12% are at risk, but 20% will come to them. So, they would have a net gain of 8%.
Cablecos � same story here. Only 9% at risk, but they�ll get 17% of new subs. Again, that�s an 8% gain.
I know it�s a relatively small and focused survey sample. However, I think these results are pretty indicative of where the market is going, even if the data is predictive rather than behavioral. I don�t think it�s a stretch to say that things are getting harder, not easier for Vonage, and it�s very clear to me that the same is true for the overall competitive landscape.
To wrap, I'd like to thank ChangeWave for putting this research together, and I don't think I've gone too far sharing these high level findings with you here.
Comments???
Technorati tags: Changewave, Jon Arnold, VoIP, Vonage, Skype
Their latest survey was done in mid-October, and with a base of 2,640 ChangeWave members, the data is pretty current and substantive. As with my previous postings about ChangeWave, I�m only going to present some high level findings. It�s not my research, and I don�t want to cross any lines here.
First off, the respondents are ChangeWave members, so it�s not truly a Main Street sample. I�d say this audience is probably above average in terms of being tech savvy, which is probably closer to what readers of this blog are. So, here�s what they�re saying at a high level.
Market Penetration
21% are using residential VoIP, and another 13% plan to in the next 12 months. That may be above average for the general population, but I think this says a lot about how the takeup of VoIP continues to be strong, and that landline is going in the other direction.
VoIP Offering Used
So who�s #1? Well, among the 562 �users�, it�s Skype. Huh??? This is the only real problem I have with their survey. I don�t consider the IM/P2P offerings like Skype to be replacements � they�re complements. So, I wouldn�t call it a �service�, but perception is reality, and the reality is that Skype was the most popular response � 29%. Vonage was #2 at 24%, with �my cable company� third at 16%.
There�s a lot to digest here. First, Skype is the most popular. I buy that, but I wouldn�t put Skype on the same level as the services people are paying money for (of course some do pay money for Skype Out/In, but you know what I mean). If I were King, and doing this research, I would qualify this, and furthermore ask if they�re using Skype in conjunction with the VoIP service they�re subscribing to. I suspect the majority uses both. Believe me, I�ve offered to help them on this, but nobody is getting back to me�.
Also, consistent with Vonage�s general fall from grace, they were #1 as recently as ChangeWave�s April 2006 survey. In fact, since this survey started in June 2005, Vonage�s share has steadily fallen from 36% to where it is now at 24%.
So, why lump all the cablecos into one category? We all know they�re taking over this market now, and I really wish they would break out the providers out by name. That said, it�s useful to see that collectively, cable has 16% of this sample. I suspect the real market share number is higher - remember, Skype has 29% of this sample, which I don�t get at all.
Finally, I wanted to mention that new names are showing up on this list that weren�t there before, like Jajah, AIM Phoneline and GoogleTalk. That�s a good sign. Hopefully ChangeWave knows what to do with this, as future waves need to refine this question to properly reflect the various types of VoIP offerings out there now.
Satisfaction with Service
Overall, people like their service � 90% are either �somewhat� or �very� satisfied. That�s a really good sign, and it holds up pretty much across the board. That said, it�s not surprising that satisfaction with Vonage is a tad lower than the others.
The same holds true when asking about the likeliness of changing services in the next 6 months. Overall, 16% are either �very� or �somewhat� likely. Cable users are well below this, and Vonage is notably above. Again, no surprise here, and the data is likely consistent with what more exhaustive studies are finding.
Who ya gonna call?
Lastly, I wanted to cite the big question � for those considering switching, who would they go to? Here, the response base is only 88, so you need to be more careful with the data. These are current VoIP subscribers who are �very� or �somewhat� likely to switch in the next 6 months.
With 42% saying �don�t know�, the market seems pretty open for stealing away VoIP subscribers. Cable leads the pack at 11%, with Skype close behind at 9%, and then Vonage at 7%. These are whom you�d expect to see, and no real surprises there.
There are several others mentioned on the list, all much less frequently, and all pretty familiar � except one. Google Talk. Yup � 5% mentioned them. That�s probably the standout data point of this whole survey for me. I know the base is small, but to see Google Talk right up there at Vonage�s heels tells me they�re on a lot of people�s radars, and that�s not good news for everyone else on this list.
Finally, there is another key segment to consider � those not using VoIP, but are considering doing so in the next 12 months. For this sample, the base is 332. This really says a lot about market sentiment for the next wave of residential VoIP adopters.
Number 1? Skype � 20% said that�s who they would mostly likely go to. Hmmm. It sure is interesting to see what people�s perceptions are � Skype is who they think about first � ahead of the rest. Am not sure if that�s really money in the bank for Skype, but no doubt they�d be happy to hear it. Even more interesting � less than a year ago � December 2005 � only 3% of the sample said this. Wow.
Who�s #2? The cablecos � 17%. Again, they only report aggregate data for this group, so we don�t know which MSOs they�re talking about. Regardless, as a category, cable VoIP comes through very nicely here.
Where�s Vonage? Thought you�d never ask. They�re #3 at 15%. Back in April � just before the IPO � they were #1 at 21%, so things have changed.
Something else to watch for � just behind Vonage on this list are the RBOCs � VoiceWing at 8% and CallVantage at 4%. So, they�ve got heavy competition both ahead of them and behind. Not a fun place to be, for sure.
Just one more thing to build on from this point, which I think says a lot about the direction the 3 main players in this survey are going � Vonage, Skype and the MSOs. Let�s look at the net results when you consider both churn and adds for each.
Vonage � 22% of subscribers are �very� or �somewhat� likely to switch. That itself is a huge finding. Hello - 1 in 5 Vonage customers are at risk, Mr. Citron.
Conversely, 15% of new subscribers will most likely go with Vonage. That�s a net loss of 7%.
Skype � only 12% are at risk, but 20% will come to them. So, they would have a net gain of 8%.
Cablecos � same story here. Only 9% at risk, but they�ll get 17% of new subs. Again, that�s an 8% gain.
I know it�s a relatively small and focused survey sample. However, I think these results are pretty indicative of where the market is going, even if the data is predictive rather than behavioral. I don�t think it�s a stretch to say that things are getting harder, not easier for Vonage, and it�s very clear to me that the same is true for the overall competitive landscape.
To wrap, I'd like to thank ChangeWave for putting this research together, and I don't think I've gone too far sharing these high level findings with you here.
Comments???
Technorati tags: Changewave, Jon Arnold, VoIP, Vonage, Skype
Monday, November 20, 2006
Spring VON - Rated #1 Tradeshow
Jeff was up early this morning, but with news like this, can you blame him?
Tradeshow Week rated Spring VON the #1 trade show overall, and 2 of his shows made the Top 50 list. Lots of good news here, and I just wanted to share it in case you missed it.
We all know what VON means to the IP community, so it may not be a surprise to us, but it's great to see Pulvermedia getting this kind of recognition. So, congrats to Jeff and the Pulvermedia organization - it's always nice to get a pat on the back.
Technorati tags: VON, Jon Arnold, Jeff Pulver, Pulvermedia
Tradeshow Week rated Spring VON the #1 trade show overall, and 2 of his shows made the Top 50 list. Lots of good news here, and I just wanted to share it in case you missed it.
We all know what VON means to the IP community, so it may not be a surprise to us, but it's great to see Pulvermedia getting this kind of recognition. So, congrats to Jeff and the Pulvermedia organization - it's always nice to get a pat on the back.
Technorati tags: VON, Jon Arnold, Jeff Pulver, Pulvermedia
Avaya�s Global Analyst Conference � Review
During the latter part of last week I attended the Avaya Global Analyst Conference in Boston, and I just wanted to share my high level views on the event. As with most analyst events, this is really for analysts-only, and most of the content is under NDA. So, I don�t have any scoops here, and if I did, I wouldn�t be posting them until I get the say-so from Avaya. That�s fair.
I had every intention of blogging sooner, but my PC has been acting very strange, and I haven�t been able to use the keyboard. In fact, this first happened right in the middle of CEO Lou D�Ambrosio�s keynote, so from that point on, I�ve had to rely on hand-written notes. Not a good idea.
Overall, I�d say this was a very well organized and well-run event, befitting an industry leader like Avaya. Not OTT - as Dame Edna would say (over-the-top for the rest of us) � but not underwhelming either � just right. And that�s not a given. It�s easy to over-spend and spoil the analysts, which dilutes the integrity of the conference, and it�s also easy to skimp and do things on the cheap. Neither approach serves the interests of maintaining a balanced relationship with this community. I think Avaya got it just right.
There was definitely a strong French flavor to the event, embodied best by the CMO, Jocelyne Attal, and the Moulin Rouge cabaret feel for the main room where the keynotes were given (see photos below). And of course, zee wine tasting dinner that she hosted on Thursday night. C�est tres bon. Ok, that was a fancy meal, but not overly so, and was a great way for everyone to experience something fun together. With all this French-ness around us, and the heavy red motif of Avaya everywhere, you had to wonder for a second if it wasn�t Avaya that Alcatel has merged with? I digress...
For me, the opening keynote from CEO Lou D�Ambrosio set the tone. He has a great presence and communicated a clear message that Avaya is playing to win and has what it takes to be a global leader and innovator. He certainly gives John Chambers a good run for his money, and gives you confidence to believe that Avaya has a strong vision , teamwork and the will to execute on it.
At a high level � and I really have to keep it there � he talked about how IP telephony is now well beyond the basic cost savings, TCO and network efficiency benefits. The value proposition for IP is much richer- it�s about transforming business processes and redefining how companies do business � �moving up the value stack� with �Intelligent Communications�. That�s aiming high, but it�s a good place to be if you can get there. Following his keynote were other senior execs, who all presented capable variations on this theme for their various lines of business.
I think most would agree the highlight was the customer presentation by Brian Murphy of Whirlpool. Without getting into the details, he gave a great overview of how Avaya has become a strategic partner, doing much more than converging their communications. This is the business transformation story come to life, which is where Avaya believes it can position itself today. In the right situations and with the right partners, I can certainly see how this can work, and really deliver the full potential of IP to the enterprise.
The rest of the conference was taken up with the standard breakout sessions and one-on-one briefings. These were well organized and quite informative. There are a number of news releases coming, and at this point, the only public item is their acquisition of Traverse Networks. This is a fairly small deal, similar to what Cisco just did with Orative, and gives Avaya a higher level of mobile integration for their IP Office and other enterprise offerings. It also adds another layer to their Unified Communications solution and Converged Communications suite.
Deals like this show that Avaya has its feet on the ground following new technologies, and is not averse to acquiring missing pieces along the way. I was impressed to hear how extensive their technology partner program is � DevConn � DeveloperConnection � with over 3,800 companies in their ecosystem.
On the corporate marketing side, Avaya has done a good job to position itself as an innovator and leader. For the mass market, they�ve done things like partner with FIFA for the World Cup to create broader awareness. To make IP more accessible, they publish a series of IP for �Dummies� booklets. They have the �Truck�, which is a mobile demo studio for their various solutions. And certainly anyone local would immediately associate Avaya with Boston�s sports teams. The Avaya logo is impossible to miss at Fenway Park, and both the Sox and Celtics are Avaya customers.
Sometimes you just have to lead the horse to water, and it�s a different market today. Incumbent vendors can�t take anything for granted any more from their traditional customers, but companies like Avaya also understand they have to do their part to educate the market and drive demand.
To sum up, it looks to me like Avaya gets it with IP. With growing profits, and cash in the bank, the results are plain to see, and something tells me we�ll be seeing more acquisitions like Traverse in 2007. They�ve got a great product portfolio for both SMB and enterprise, and if things unfold as per the messages we were hearing this week, Avaya will have a great blueprint for how to be both big and on the leading edge of IP, which is a pretty tough hand to beat.
Here are a few photos, courtesy of my Nokia N90, which by the way, was a hit with everyone who saw it. Definitely still has a cool factor. If only it weren't so fussy as a camera...
CEO Lou D'Ambrosio's keynote
I didn't see a magic demo where they made all these phones ring at once, but something tells me they probably could have if they wanted to....
I couldn't resist. Celtics Pride isn't hard to miss when you're near North Station, especially to honor Red Auerbach's memory. Being an Avaya customer, I have to wonder if there's any connection between the conference being in Boston, and all of a sudden the Celts starting to win some games. If so, maybe Avaya could stretch out the conference, say, until May???
Technorati tags: Avaya, Jon Arnold, J Arnold & Associates
I had every intention of blogging sooner, but my PC has been acting very strange, and I haven�t been able to use the keyboard. In fact, this first happened right in the middle of CEO Lou D�Ambrosio�s keynote, so from that point on, I�ve had to rely on hand-written notes. Not a good idea.
Overall, I�d say this was a very well organized and well-run event, befitting an industry leader like Avaya. Not OTT - as Dame Edna would say (over-the-top for the rest of us) � but not underwhelming either � just right. And that�s not a given. It�s easy to over-spend and spoil the analysts, which dilutes the integrity of the conference, and it�s also easy to skimp and do things on the cheap. Neither approach serves the interests of maintaining a balanced relationship with this community. I think Avaya got it just right.
There was definitely a strong French flavor to the event, embodied best by the CMO, Jocelyne Attal, and the Moulin Rouge cabaret feel for the main room where the keynotes were given (see photos below). And of course, zee wine tasting dinner that she hosted on Thursday night. C�est tres bon. Ok, that was a fancy meal, but not overly so, and was a great way for everyone to experience something fun together. With all this French-ness around us, and the heavy red motif of Avaya everywhere, you had to wonder for a second if it wasn�t Avaya that Alcatel has merged with? I digress...
For me, the opening keynote from CEO Lou D�Ambrosio set the tone. He has a great presence and communicated a clear message that Avaya is playing to win and has what it takes to be a global leader and innovator. He certainly gives John Chambers a good run for his money, and gives you confidence to believe that Avaya has a strong vision , teamwork and the will to execute on it.
At a high level � and I really have to keep it there � he talked about how IP telephony is now well beyond the basic cost savings, TCO and network efficiency benefits. The value proposition for IP is much richer- it�s about transforming business processes and redefining how companies do business � �moving up the value stack� with �Intelligent Communications�. That�s aiming high, but it�s a good place to be if you can get there. Following his keynote were other senior execs, who all presented capable variations on this theme for their various lines of business.
I think most would agree the highlight was the customer presentation by Brian Murphy of Whirlpool. Without getting into the details, he gave a great overview of how Avaya has become a strategic partner, doing much more than converging their communications. This is the business transformation story come to life, which is where Avaya believes it can position itself today. In the right situations and with the right partners, I can certainly see how this can work, and really deliver the full potential of IP to the enterprise.
The rest of the conference was taken up with the standard breakout sessions and one-on-one briefings. These were well organized and quite informative. There are a number of news releases coming, and at this point, the only public item is their acquisition of Traverse Networks. This is a fairly small deal, similar to what Cisco just did with Orative, and gives Avaya a higher level of mobile integration for their IP Office and other enterprise offerings. It also adds another layer to their Unified Communications solution and Converged Communications suite.
Deals like this show that Avaya has its feet on the ground following new technologies, and is not averse to acquiring missing pieces along the way. I was impressed to hear how extensive their technology partner program is � DevConn � DeveloperConnection � with over 3,800 companies in their ecosystem.
On the corporate marketing side, Avaya has done a good job to position itself as an innovator and leader. For the mass market, they�ve done things like partner with FIFA for the World Cup to create broader awareness. To make IP more accessible, they publish a series of IP for �Dummies� booklets. They have the �Truck�, which is a mobile demo studio for their various solutions. And certainly anyone local would immediately associate Avaya with Boston�s sports teams. The Avaya logo is impossible to miss at Fenway Park, and both the Sox and Celtics are Avaya customers.
Sometimes you just have to lead the horse to water, and it�s a different market today. Incumbent vendors can�t take anything for granted any more from their traditional customers, but companies like Avaya also understand they have to do their part to educate the market and drive demand.
To sum up, it looks to me like Avaya gets it with IP. With growing profits, and cash in the bank, the results are plain to see, and something tells me we�ll be seeing more acquisitions like Traverse in 2007. They�ve got a great product portfolio for both SMB and enterprise, and if things unfold as per the messages we were hearing this week, Avaya will have a great blueprint for how to be both big and on the leading edge of IP, which is a pretty tough hand to beat.
Here are a few photos, courtesy of my Nokia N90, which by the way, was a hit with everyone who saw it. Definitely still has a cool factor. If only it weren't so fussy as a camera...
CEO Lou D'Ambrosio's keynote
I didn't see a magic demo where they made all these phones ring at once, but something tells me they probably could have if they wanted to....
I couldn't resist. Celtics Pride isn't hard to miss when you're near North Station, especially to honor Red Auerbach's memory. Being an Avaya customer, I have to wonder if there's any connection between the conference being in Boston, and all of a sudden the Celts starting to win some games. If so, maybe Avaya could stretch out the conference, say, until May???
Technorati tags: Avaya, Jon Arnold, J Arnold & Associates
Friday, November 17, 2006
Canadian Telco Deregulation Update - Getting There...
I'm in Boston at the Avaya analyst conference, and have missed all the news about the Federal government's latest ruling on VoIP in Canada. Basically, the Cabinet has come out in favor of deregulating VoIP - finally - but only for access-independent services. Essentially, this means that the Canadian ILECs are freer now - not completely - to compete head on with the broadband offerings like Vonage and Primus, and of course with the cablecos like Videotron, Rogers and Shaw - neither of whom have been subject to regulation.
As a result, VoIP pricing has been all over the map in Canada, with Videotron clobbering Bell in Montreal with a discounted service, while Shaw has gone the other way with a premium priced service in Alberta. Shaw has also had success, just not as much due to the pricing. However, they've had a good run picking up any unhappy Telus customers, and to date, Telus doesn't have a residential VoIP offering, so there isn't as much pricing pressure on Shaw in the first place.
There's a lot more to this story, espcially understanding what access independent means. More importantly, I have to get going on my day here! I had this post ready to go yesterday, in fact, but PC problems got in the way big time.
So, I'm going to stop know, and direct you to Mark Goldberg, who has been posting about this steadily the past few days, and has a very good handle on the decision. Please review his recent blog posting, which includes his own white paper written last year, which proposes a lot about what has since transpired. Mark also comments on why the decision hasn't gone far enough.
Another fellow CDN blogger, Mark Evans, has also provided some commentary. For what it's worth, Mark E was my podcast guest last week, and Mark G was my guest the week before. Thanks guys!
Technorati tags: Jon Arnold, Mark Goldberg, Mark Evans
As a result, VoIP pricing has been all over the map in Canada, with Videotron clobbering Bell in Montreal with a discounted service, while Shaw has gone the other way with a premium priced service in Alberta. Shaw has also had success, just not as much due to the pricing. However, they've had a good run picking up any unhappy Telus customers, and to date, Telus doesn't have a residential VoIP offering, so there isn't as much pricing pressure on Shaw in the first place.
There's a lot more to this story, espcially understanding what access independent means. More importantly, I have to get going on my day here! I had this post ready to go yesterday, in fact, but PC problems got in the way big time.
So, I'm going to stop know, and direct you to Mark Goldberg, who has been posting about this steadily the past few days, and has a very good handle on the decision. Please review his recent blog posting, which includes his own white paper written last year, which proposes a lot about what has since transpired. Mark also comments on why the decision hasn't gone far enough.
Another fellow CDN blogger, Mark Evans, has also provided some commentary. For what it's worth, Mark E was my podcast guest last week, and Mark G was my guest the week before. Thanks guys!
Technorati tags: Jon Arnold, Mark Goldberg, Mark Evans
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Canadian IP Thought Leaders Series - Mark Evans and b5media
This week's podcast featured a familiar face, but wearing a new hat. Mark Evans has done pods with me before, while covering tech for the National Post here in Toronto. He was certainly one of Canada's top tech writers for the big papers, and it won't be easy for the Post to fill his shoes.
Well, Mark very recently made the jump back into startup-land, going to b5media, which is a pretty cool blogging venture, backed by some pretty smart money. It's a great story, and I wanted to do this pod with him to hear it ASAP.
So, Mark talks about his journey on the pod, but we also touched on some of the tech issues around this, such as the impact of the Internet on newspapers (Om Malik is another journalist who recently made a similar move to Mark), what b5media is doing, and how being a tech startup is different this time around from the bubble days, which Mark was a part of.
In addition to his move, Mark still maintains his main blog (plus 2 others), does his TalkingTech weekly podcast with another ex-Post writer - Kevin Restivo - and will be back again next May with the second Mesh conference. Got all that? Never a dull moment, eh!
You can download the podcast here, and read more about Mark and his blogs.
Technorati tags: Mark Evans, Jon Arnold, b5media, VoIP podcasts, Pulvermedia Podcast Network
Well, Mark very recently made the jump back into startup-land, going to b5media, which is a pretty cool blogging venture, backed by some pretty smart money. It's a great story, and I wanted to do this pod with him to hear it ASAP.
So, Mark talks about his journey on the pod, but we also touched on some of the tech issues around this, such as the impact of the Internet on newspapers (Om Malik is another journalist who recently made a similar move to Mark), what b5media is doing, and how being a tech startup is different this time around from the bubble days, which Mark was a part of.
In addition to his move, Mark still maintains his main blog (plus 2 others), does his TalkingTech weekly podcast with another ex-Post writer - Kevin Restivo - and will be back again next May with the second Mesh conference. Got all that? Never a dull moment, eh!
You can download the podcast here, and read more about Mark and his blogs.
Technorati tags: Mark Evans, Jon Arnold, b5media, VoIP podcasts, Pulvermedia Podcast Network
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
PhoneGnome 2.0 - very Voice 2.0
Tomorrow, PhoneGnome will officially launch version 2.0, and much like the whatever-you-want-it-to-mean uber-term "Voice 2.0" - and even Web 2.0 - it's a new way, and arguably a better way to do voice.
I've posted about PhoneGnome before. It's a great product, and the company has a very solid management pedigree. The company's founder, David Beckemeyer is definitely a VoIP visionary, and knows a few things about making VoIP consumer friendly.
So, what's the story here? Well, their 2.0 version is a browswer-based application, so you don't even need the PhoneGnome device to make PhoneGnome calls. I know Voice 2.0 covers a lot of ground, and to me that term applies to something that lets you do old things in new ways, as well as new things - and in this case, we're talking about making voice calls. Very simple stuff - a better way to make phone calls.
I know the market is deluged with all kinds of clever solutions and services that let you make and manage calls 100 different ways - any way except over the PSTN. And they all have their place.
I'm just going to focus on PhoneGnome here. The main thing is that unlike Skype, PhoneGnome is SIP-based, meaning it can interface with a pretty broad universe. Like any IM or P2P platform, you need to be "in the club" to use it, but once you are, the calls are free. Period. So, the hardware-based PhoneGnome allowed you make these SIP calls direct from your landline. The device allowed calls to other PhoneGnome users to go one way for free, and calls to the PSTN went another way, where you just paid cheaper long distance. And the kicker was you still retained your PSTN line, so you still had 911 and didn't lose connectivity if your Internet went down. In May, they even added a Skype interface, so you could also interconnect with the Skype network.
So, here's the twist with PhoneGnome 2.0. You need to be logged on, but once you're online, you can make calls from your landline, PC or your mobile phone. And without the need for any hardware. In that regard it's a lot like Skype, but you can reach a broader community for free, and you can do it over a phone - any phone. Furthermore, the party on the other end doesn't need a device either. So, it's very much an anywhere, anytime solution. That's Voice 2.0 to me.
There's more to the story than this, and the launch will be official tomorrow. If you can't wait, there's more you can read that was posted today on the PhoneGnome blog. And from there you can get the press release that hit the wires earlier this morning.
Technorati tags: PhoneGnome, Jon Arnold, David Beckemeyer
I've posted about PhoneGnome before. It's a great product, and the company has a very solid management pedigree. The company's founder, David Beckemeyer is definitely a VoIP visionary, and knows a few things about making VoIP consumer friendly.
So, what's the story here? Well, their 2.0 version is a browswer-based application, so you don't even need the PhoneGnome device to make PhoneGnome calls. I know Voice 2.0 covers a lot of ground, and to me that term applies to something that lets you do old things in new ways, as well as new things - and in this case, we're talking about making voice calls. Very simple stuff - a better way to make phone calls.
I know the market is deluged with all kinds of clever solutions and services that let you make and manage calls 100 different ways - any way except over the PSTN. And they all have their place.
I'm just going to focus on PhoneGnome here. The main thing is that unlike Skype, PhoneGnome is SIP-based, meaning it can interface with a pretty broad universe. Like any IM or P2P platform, you need to be "in the club" to use it, but once you are, the calls are free. Period. So, the hardware-based PhoneGnome allowed you make these SIP calls direct from your landline. The device allowed calls to other PhoneGnome users to go one way for free, and calls to the PSTN went another way, where you just paid cheaper long distance. And the kicker was you still retained your PSTN line, so you still had 911 and didn't lose connectivity if your Internet went down. In May, they even added a Skype interface, so you could also interconnect with the Skype network.
So, here's the twist with PhoneGnome 2.0. You need to be logged on, but once you're online, you can make calls from your landline, PC or your mobile phone. And without the need for any hardware. In that regard it's a lot like Skype, but you can reach a broader community for free, and you can do it over a phone - any phone. Furthermore, the party on the other end doesn't need a device either. So, it's very much an anywhere, anytime solution. That's Voice 2.0 to me.
There's more to the story than this, and the launch will be official tomorrow. If you can't wait, there's more you can read that was posted today on the PhoneGnome blog. And from there you can get the press release that hit the wires earlier this morning.
Technorati tags: PhoneGnome, Jon Arnold, David Beckemeyer
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