Rogers Wireless "One Number" Launch - Upping the Stakes

At its core, Toronto-based Rogers is a cable company, but wireless is where the action is, and that's where they're doing the most interesting things. They bet right on GSM - which begat their iPhone monopoly until recently - and through some shrewd moves, have become Canada's #1 mobile operator. They really are a one-of-a-kind entity, as no major MSO I know of has their mix of assets, all of which make money.

Along those lines, Rogers Wireless is set today to launch their beta of a new service called One Number. It's exactly what you think - one number to manage all your communications. If there's one key to success with consumer services - especially technology - it's simplicity. Skype taught us all about that and they haven't looked back since. Doesn't get much simpler that this - one number - that's all you need to worry about. It's the same mentality that goes with bundling, which they've been very successful at. If you like the bundle, you'll probably like One Number.

This is hardly a new concept, and anyone in Unified Communications circles would yawn. They shouldn't, though. UC is really for the business market, and the telecom piece is built mainly around the desk phone. The twist with One Number is that it's built around the mobile phone, which is pretty much where consumers live, breath and sleep these days. Rogers Wireless has read the tea leaves right, and to make their bundle even stickier, One Number basically integrates mobility with your desktop. So what? So this. Now you can hand off mobile calls to your PC - or vice versa - as some people do with Skype. Same for texting and messaging - what you do on your mobile phone you can now do on your PC. And of course your contacts will synch between the devices so the experience is seamless.

Pretty cool, pretty easy and pretty familiar. Sounds like Google Voice, huh? Problem is you can't get it here in Canada - something to do with how the big 3 operators like to do things. Anyhow, it's very much a Web 2.0-meets mobility-meets VoIP mashup, and I think consumers will love it. Most people under 30 have long moved on from a landline, and with One Number, their PC simply becomes an extension of their smartphone - you just don't need anything else. Clever, huh? If you can find a way to use Google Voice, there's no need now. Skype. Well, it's always there, but hey, if most of your everyday contacts are in your smartphone directory, it will just make more sense to call them from your PC that way, especially since those calls are largely free.

There are some other twists to this, but I'll leave those details to the real geeks. I just find it very telling how this is all being driven by wireless now, and One Number is a neat way to marry this with the PC. Of course, all of this will depend on the end user experience - if handoffs drop, or call quality is crappy, One Number will quickly and quietly disappear. In that regard, there's a nice Canadian angle, as the PC platform is from CounterPath, a company I have followed for some time. Their Bria soft client is quite good - I trialed it recently, and the company is doing well - their Q2 numbers were just released today. At a time when 6 of Canada's 7 hockey teams are mired in total mediocrity, it's great to see some good news coming from these companies.

As a coda, I should note that there's more to consider than just making the Rogers bundle stickier. Last night I was at a holiday party for one of the new wireless entrants, and it's very interesting to hear their take on the competitive landscape. Canada's wireless market has some challenging dynamics, and the regulators are doing everything they can to legislate competition. The new operators are pureplay mobile services, and One Number is another way for Rogers to differentiate and keep their ARPU up where investors are happy.

Not everybody needs or wants to integrate mobility with their PC, but those who do are pretty valuable customers. Rogers gets that, and One Number will help keep those customers under their tent. If this works, I have no doubt that TELUS and Bell will soon offer similar services, if only to keep their customers from going to Rogers. Until then, it's Rogers out in front again, and I'm sure CounterPath is hoping that everyone wants it.

Microsoft and Skype - Now THAT's Interesting!

MicroSkype? - clunky, but there's a fit here. I've been traveling, and haven't been able to comment on this news til now. It's too late for news, and you've probably read enough about this already, so I'll just add a few thoughts here. I should add that the UCStrategies group did a podcast on this yesterday, and while I missed that, it's ready now - here's the link.

Since I am behind the curve here, I'll at least point you to colleague Dave Michels, who had the scoop on this ahead of almost everyone - here's his take.

My turn - in short, it's good for Microsoft because...

- both have deep, global reach with consumers, with lots of ways to help each other's brands - two strong brands for very familiar products is a great foundation for growth - and don't forget about their stake in Facebook - interesting, no?

- they need a new hit for the consumer space - and just think about how well this could play with Xbox

- Skype is on track for $1 billion in revenues, so there's a nice financial impact right off the bat

- it's a great fit with Lync to help them succeed with in the business market as they shift from software to the world of apps, UC and the cloud - think about the collaboration and real time messaging possibilities with Windows, Office and Skype - both for enterprises and especially SMBs (where MSFT stumbled with Response Point)

- again, for the business market, Skype brings the critical voice piece that MSFT never really had - this will reduce their dependence on telecom vendors, and makes you wonder if they're seeing something in Skype that Avaya wouldn't/couldn't see

- they need to stay relevant in the mobile market, and with Skype's user base, this opens a lot of doors for disruptive mobile offerings - and just think how interesting this would become if they went on to acquire RIM

- it's affordable financially, but is probably their biggest acquisition to date

- they need to shake things up overall to keep pace with Google, Apple and Cisco - plus this keeps Skype away from them - MSFT can't match these companies now for coolness, and Skype's cachet can help this in hurry - it's a bit like free agency in sports - MSFT needs a power bat and Skype is the best option available today

- they need an infusion of innovation and out-of-the-box thinking, and that has been Skype's calling card - maybe not as much as in the early days, but the culture is still there

It's also good for Skype because...

- they get a partner/acquirer who can help them reach fuller potential in less time than staying independent

- not only do they have a stronger product set to integrate with, but a great user base (sans IBM Sametime and the Mac world), as well as established channels for distribution

- the pressure is off for an IPO (they are carrying a lot of debt, after all), and this is a nice, tidy exit for the investors and founders

- the pressure is off Avaya to find/create synergies with them - now both can go their separate ways, but could well meet again as competitors


There's SO much to be said about all these points, but time is short in my world right now, and I have to move on. Don't let that stop you from adding to the conversation - am always keen to hear your thoughts.

Oh, before signing off, this news took me to the Wayback Machine and my early days of blogging. There was a time, folks, when Skype and Apple sounded like a good idea - and back in 2005, I sure thought so! Imagine what could have been if Skapple happened, and add to that the iPhone world of today. Whoo wee...

Cisco Collaboration Summit - Takeaways and Photos

I managed to post some photos and brief comments during Cisco's 2010 Collaboration Summit last week, and promised I'd share some thoughts. On the flight back, I wrote up my takeaways and bigger picture thoughts on where I see Cisco going. This was written specifically for the UCStrategies portal, and as such, most of my analysis focused on how Cisco's plans impact the Unified Communications space.

My article was submitted for posting on Friday morning, but it didn't end up getting published until last night. So, please keep in mind, this was written just hours after the event, with every intention of posting it fresh the next day. Anyhow, not much has really changed since Friday, but if you're still interested in Cisco's grand plans, I think you'll find this a good read. It's running now on the UCStrategies portal, and you can read it here, along with UCS colleague Blair Pleasant's take on the summit.

This is actually the first of two analyses about Cisco's summit. I'll have another one coming this week with a slightly different focus.

While I have you, I mentioned photos earlier, and just wanted to share a few shots from the final day of the summit...

Marthin De Beers - great wrapup presentation


Preview of umi, their home-based collaboration suite - very impressive

Cisco Collaboration Summit, Day 1 Photos

Day 1 at Cisco's 2010 Collaboration Summit was short - just some late afternoon keynotes, but everything has been great so far. Nobody puts on a better event than Cisco, and the venue is as good as it gets. I've written about the Biltmore before, and what I like is how this place is on a very human scale, and reflects the sensibilities from an earlier time before the balance between man and machine tipped too far to the right. Of course, you have this quirky contrast of small scale leisure against the vastness of the harsh Arizona desert - love it.

Anyhow, time to get going on Day 2, and I just wanted to share some quick photos here. More to come on the blog, Twitter and elsewhere.



Kara Wilson with her welcome message - happy to share her excitement and passion about what's coming - and it's pretty good!


John Chambers doing a video greeting. Even with my crappy 2 MP Bold camera you can see how crisp this image is. It really is impressive and it's another example of how well Cisco is living the dream of all this technology.


Padmasree Warrior, CTO - her messaging gets better every time I see her. She did a great job tying in all the big themes of mobility, video, virtualization and the new big driver, social networks.


Barry O'Sullivan - also did a great job connecting all the big ideas to real world applications, especially during the demos with Jim Grubb.



This hotel is full of history, and the Frank Lloyd Wright touches are everywhere, but none more so than this spectacular stained glass panel in the front lobby.

Avaya web.alive - will this be UC 2.0?

My November contribution to the UCStrategies portal focused on Avaya's web.alive, which they inherited from Nortel. I recently attended their Evolutions customer event here in Toronto, and after seeing their latest iteration of web.alive, it got me thinking about where this could fit in the UC space. I've distilled that into a posting for the portal, and it's running now. You can read it here, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Next Stop - Cisco Collaboration Summit, Phoenix

I've been home for a bit following way too much travel in October, and have just one trip for this month. This time it's Cisco - tomorrow, I'm off to their Collaboration Summit in Phoenix. They're holding it at the famous Biltmore Hotel (Frank Lloyd Wright), which was the site earlier this month for BroadSoft's Connections event. I couldn't go to that one, but did participate via streaming video, so in a sense this will be my second visit to the Biltmore this month. :-)

I was lucky enough to attend last year's Collaboration Summit in San Francisco, and am looking forward to hearing first hand how Cisco's vision becoming reality. I'll be posting and tweeting as time allows, so check back with me tomorrow for news.

Avaya Evolutions - Keeping Customers Happy

Yesterday, I attended a new Avaya customer event here in Toronto. It's called Evolutions, and it builds on the success of a similar event they recently had in Mexico. This one was for the Canadian market, with a nice mix of customers, prospects and sponsors. I couldn't make the morning sessions, but the afternoon presentations were quite good, and I'm sure the full day was worthwhile. Attendance was strong and the buzz seemed great, esp during the reception where we had time to chat up the various sponsors.

Am not sure if there were any other industry analysts there - I didn't see any - so this might be the only place you'll hear about it. The content mix was quite good, including their roadmap, customer deployments, and updates across the board - contact center, Web.Alive, mobility, UC, Flare, Aura, etc.

The highlight for me was the update on Web.Alive from Chris Hardy. This technology is new for most people, and it came over with their Nortel acquisition. I have a particularly long history with Web.Alive, going back prior to Nortel's acquisition of the underlying technology from DiamondWare. If that's of interest, you can read all about that here. Anyway, I think Avaya has a great opportunity with Web.Alive, as they truly have technology that nobody else has, especially Cisco. Stay tuned!

Before leaving you, as it turns out, I was interviewed by VoIP Planet about Avaya and Skype - two companies I follow closely, and who happen to have the same investor. The story ran yesterday, which is timely here, so I thought I'd include it to keep the Avaya theme going.

I'll just leave you with a few photos for the record...

Chris Hardy and Web.Alive


Ritchie Brothers case study with Unity Telecom

Globe & Mail's New Design - Newspapers Aren't Dead Yet

So much to talk about here, and so little time as I prepare for next week's Smart Grid Summit in LA. I'm just going to cover the high points here, and will do more of an analysis in my next Service Provider Views column.

This post is about how a newspaper is re-designing itself to stay relevant - but it's equally applicable to the telecom world - and for that matter, utilities in the smart grid arena.

The Globe & Mail is Canada's leading national daily, and I've been reading it as long as I've been in Canada. Today's paper sure looked different, and for good reason. They've launched a re-design, and it's actually a bit confusing. It definitely looks sleeker, and visually, it's a few steps up. Every page has some color now, the paper stock is heavier - at least in some places - and there's even some glossy paper in certain sections. Conversely, at first glance, it now looks a bit like all those free "newspapers" that are everywhere, especially on public transit where they create ugly litter more than anything else. Free is hard to beat in any business, so I guess the Globe has to pander a bit to this crowd.

Anyhow, there's a bigger and more important story here. We all know how newspapers are struggling - dying even - in the digital world, and as iPads take over our attention spans, things are getting even harder. Even more than most other businesses, newspapers need to reinvent themselves big time.

You may not know it, but despite all this gloom and doom, Toronto's press industry is thriving. We have 2 big local dailies and 2 national dailies - all paid, not free - how many major U.S. cities can say that? I don't think this will last forever, but the Globe continues to do well - readership is up, the new paper looks great, and they are a leading innovator when it comes to their online presence. The U.S. media could learn a few things from the Globe if you ask me.

At the heart of all this, of course, is content, and this is where the Globe is on the right track. With today's re-design, it's clear to me that they've jumped curves - as Guy Kawasaki would say - from being in the newspaper business to being in the information and insight business.

I'll comment more about this in my next SPV article, and for now, I'll turn things over to the Globe's Editor-in-Chief, John Stackhouse. He wrote a great piece about the re-design, and I think he's right on the money. If you want to dive a bit deeper, there are hundreds of online reader comments, with mixed results. On the whole, though, the new look of the newspaper is a hit, but less so for the updated website.

Regardless, the important thing here is how the Globe is redefining its value proposition and relationship with its readers. They have to - there are simply too many alternatives out there for people to get their news.

I want to examine this story further, not just because I love newspapers - and care about what happens to them - but because I like their chances for reinventing the business. Both telcos and utilities are in the same boat, and if the Globe can do it, so can Bell or TELUS or MTS, etc. Same for Toronto Hydro, BC Hydro, Hydro One, etc.

Bottom line - all these businesses have large customer bases and their very raison d'etre is being challenged by the Internet. All these businesses need to be reinvented to stay relevant, and as the Googles and Apples of the world have taught us, sometimes you have to look to other industries for the right business model. I don't know if the Globe is truly there yet, but I think they're as far ahead of the curve as anyone in their space, and that's why I'm writing about them now.

Google Voice - UCStrategies Podcast Analysis

Just before heading into the long weekend, the UCStrategies group managed to work in a podcast about Google Voice on Friday. It's a topic we were mulling over earlier in the week, but it took til then to get this pulled together.

For anyone following Google Voice, this was big news last week, and it definitely has implications for the unified communications space. Well, there's no better way to assess that than with the UCStrategies analysts, and the podcast has now been posted to their portal. And if downloading this is too much bother, the session has been fully transcribed and is included in the posting. Give a listen or give it a read, and by all means, share your thoughts with us.

Skype Connect - Making Strides for the Business Market

It's been a very busy couple of days in the world of Web-based communications. Between the news about Skype Connect and Google Voice, you'd think the world has moved away from landlines, especially in the home. Yesterday, I wrote about Google Voice on my Service Provider Views column, and that has all kinds of implications for both landline carriers as well as any form of Web-based VoIP offering.

Yesterday also saw a lot of activity around Skype Connect, which I think really moves them up the value chain in their quest to penetrate the business market. These developments are each of note in their own right, but it's interesting to see them coming at the same time. Google and Skype compete in some areas, but each also has its own distinct footprints elsewhere. In my latest Focus.com Brief, I explore Skype's news a bit further. There's certainly more to discuss, but this will have to do for now. You can read it here, and I welcome your comments to keep the dialog going.

Google Voice - the Race to Zero Continues

Last week's news about Google Voice adds another chapter to the demise of voice as a revenue generator for carriers. The value of voice will always be high, but as the cost of delivering it over IP continues to fall, so do the prices. Google understands this as well as anyone, and this is yet another example of their ability to disrupt markets that are not in their native makeup.

I've added my thoughts in the latest Service Provider Views column on TMCnet, and it's running on their site now.

This must be a hot topic, as I've received an unusually high number of tweets and re-tweets on Twitter, and I haven't even run this post yet. The Web sure works in strange ways, but I certainly appreciate the attention and all the good words.

Phone.com Offers Virtual Numbers

This may not be the Google Voice killer, but Phone.com's announcement yesterday is another example that innovation is alive and well, and that disruption come from anywhere.

So, what is Virtual Number? Well, it's a lot of things, and that's the beauty of Web 2.0-based voice services. I should probably call it a telecom service, since a lot of Phone.com's look and feel is very much about this. However, that's not enough to compete these days, and the real value comes from all things Phone.com offers that you can't do with a telephone service.

As the name implies, Virtual Number is a variation on Google Voice, which is a great way to go since Google has laid the groundwork for creating mass market buzz. Now the challenge is getting attention for Phone.com, and once you see what's on offer, you'll understand why it's so much more than Google Voice. To start, yes you get the Grand Central-style virtual number service and all the convenience of having all calls come to one place.

Aside from the price being right for today's economy - under $5 a month - Virtual Number has lots of other cool features that take this well beyond everyday call forwarding. Things like being able to upload your address book to enable click to call, LNP, no contract, text-based voicemail, fax, etc. Actually, I think you'll be quite surprised at how many interesting features they have - see for yourself.

Aside from this, they have some very interesting twists to encourage viral marketing, which is really the best way to grow without going broke. Two in particular would be their Reward$ Program - where you earn credits the more you use the service, along with a referral system that brings down the cost of your Virtual Number service the more new customers you bring in.

In true Web 2.0 fashion, Virtual Number will not stand still, and new features such as SMS are coming. I don't see Phone.com taking down Google any time soon, but to me they increasingly look like the prototype for a successful Web 2.0 service provider. Kudos to Ari Rabban and his team - I think they have a pretty good read what people are looking for, and aren't afraid to try new things. If you follow where telecom is going, they should be on your watch list, and if you won't take my word for it, then Garrett Smith and Fierce VoIP can vouch for me.

Nortel - the Good News: Web.Alive

Ok, ok - it's pretty hard to ignore the bombshell news that's on front pages everywhere today in Canada. It looks like Nortel is going to seek bankruptcy protection, perhaps as early as today. This may be a minor story in the U.S. business press, but it's a big story in tech/telecom, and a HUGE story here in Canada.

You don't need me to tell you what Nortel means to Canada in terms of pride and joy, although that's more of a distant memory these days. Today's news isn't totally unexpected, and Nortel is hardly alone in facing hard times. Still, it hurts, and sadly takes Canada down a notch or two in the scheme of things. Of course we have tons of successful and promising tech companies here, but if you mashed them all together, they would still be far behind all the things Nortel has accomplished over the years.

Seems that every time I have an interesting post to write, I get trumped by something like this. I had a great demo call with Nortel yesterday, and I'm probably the only one out there writing something positive about the company today. As big as this morning's news is, I don't care. My story is better, and I'm gonna give you some good news about Nortel! :-)

So, what's Web.Alive? Last week I posted about Web.Alive and Nortel's announcement at CES with Lenovo. If this is new to you, then you should start with that post. Web.Alive is Nortel's virtual collaboration platform, and was developed with help from DiamondWare, a company I know quite well that Nortel acquired last year.

Lenovo is their first commercial customer, and yesterday I got a personalized demo in the Lenovo eLounge, led by the key Web.Alive leaders, namely Arn Hyndman and Nic Sauriol. This is a very cool experience, and if you're a gamer you'll find this a lot of fun. I'm not a gamer, and it took a little getting used to, but it's a pretty intuitive experience. Everyone has an avatar - which can be personalized, of course - and once you're in the eLounge, it's like being in Second Life. You can wander around, talk to people, ask questions, and most importantly, check out all the Lenovo laptop computers there for sale.

As you read this, you're getting a mental picture, which is fine, but once you experience this and interact with others in the lounge, you'll get a much better understanding about what makes this a great application. For example, when I start looking at the features of a particular laptop, the bottom of the screen dynamically links to a spec sheet in real time off the Lenovo website. So, while I'm getting a close up 360 look at the laptop, I can also review the speeds and feeds as well as the special price if I buy it during my eLounge visit.

At one level, this will really appeal to people who love the virtual reality experience, and those who are into shopping at 3 am - wherever they are on the planet. That's pretty neat - and a great way for a manufacturer to extend their retail presence without building standalone stores. It's also an option for people who aren't comfortable dealing with sales people in person, or people who want to project a different persona when out there shopping.

On a one-to-one level, Web.Alive makes a lot of sense. But it gets even more interesting when you think about the collaborative possibilities. During the demo, I was taken to siderooms where you can have private meetings, or presentation rooms, where in depth demos were done for a seated audience. People are free to drop in and out of conversations - just like you would in a real store. The more people there are in the eLounge, the greater the chances are you'll talk with others who may share your interests, or who can help answer your questions. I could go on, but you really need to see it for yourself. You can check out the Lenovo eLounge for yourself here, although I don't know how much you can really experience without a guided tour.

Beyond selling laptops, I should add that Web.Alive has all kinds of other applications. First and foremost, sure, it's a great 3.0 platform to help companies grow their sales online. It's also a natural forum for training, distance education and meetings. At Nortel's analyst day back in May, they showed us how Web.Alive can be an effective substitute for video conferencing, and even telepresence. Taking this a step further, they envision Web.Alive replacing the PBX altogher, and becoming the native platform for all forms of everyday communication.

That last point to me is the BIG IDEA, and the next curve for companies to jump to when thinking about communications. There's a lot of exciting innovation happening here, and while it's still ahead of what the market is ready for, I think it shows vision for where things are going and what Communications 3.0 is going to mean.

To me, that sure looks like the mojo Nortel had when they were BNR, and Cisco wasn't on the map. Perhaps this is too little too late, but Web.Alive may well be the most valuable asset Nortel has that can be a game changer for someone who gets it. Am sure the Nortel watchers have much higher priorities today, but if you want to look beyond the smoke to see what will have value tomorrow, this is where I'd be going.

Microsoft Canada Analyst Day

I spent most of today attending Microsoft Canada's analyst day here in Toronto. It was led by Sean Seaton and his team, and they sure covered a lot of ground. Sean is the Director of their Communications Sector, and just about everything they talked about was of interest to me.

Today Microsoft touches every facet of communications, and the opening vision statement sums it up pretty well: "to create experiences that combine the magic of software with the power of Internet services across a world of devices."

That covers pretty much everything, and Microsoft is working very hard to straddle the worlds of software and the Web - while at the same time, steering very clear of anything to do with hardware.

We saw a series of presentations covering desktop applications, Windows Live 3, mobility, the workplace, entertainment, and Mediaroom. On its own, each of these is very interesting, but together you have tip your hat to Microsoft for being so strong in so many places.

To me, though, the strongest story was the service provider market, where they really are becoming an important player. I'd say that was the core focus for most of us in the room, so we were a pretty attentive audience. I've seen much of this before in their Telco 2.0 presentations, and written about it in some of my Service Provider Views columns.

I'm going to leave it at that for now, but will touch on many of their service provider themes in my next column, which should run on Friday. So, you'll have to come back to hear the rest of the story.

Oh - kudos also to High Road Communications for pulling this event together and hosting it at their downtown offices. They always do a good job and I'd say Microsoft is being well served by them.

Aside from this, we had a recurring distraction running all day wondering if the BCE privatization deal was going to fall apart. It was a very ugly day, as the stock fell 34% in value, driven by concerns over a negative opinion by KPMG regarding BCE's ability to meet the solvency requirements for the deal. Canada's financial sector hasn't been shaken to it core like the U.S., but the magnitude of this deal is enough to undermine confidence in our entire telecom sector. That's another post in itself, but I'll hold off until the dust settles around BCE. Phew.


Technorati tags: Microsoft Canada, Jon Arnold, BCE

Calliflower Premium Launched

Regular readers will know that I've followed Ottawa-based Iotum for a long time, and have some news to pass on for their latest incarnation, Calliflower. This is a Web 2.0-style platform that's trying to bring more intelligence and value to audio conferencing.

At the recent Under the Radar event, Calliflower had two announcements of note. First is their integration with the iPhone. This is good news for two reasons. First, it exposes Calliflower to a huge market of tech-savvy consumers, some of whom will no doubt find this service of great value. Second, since Calliflower is mainly a business application, it makes the iPhone more relevant to the enterprise market - SMBs as well - and that's a big market that Apple very much wants to crack.

Secondly, Calliflower launched its Premium service, which comes with a modest monthly fee that will be attractive to power users, especially those doing international conference calls. I believe that companies like Calliflower/Iotum need fee-based offerings to survive long term, and it's great to them do this. The introductory pricing is $50 per month for two organizers, and with this you get file sharing, and local inbound dialing for North America and 4 other countries, plus the use of Voxbone's iNum global area code (883). You can read more about it in the press release here.

There's a lot of Web 2.0 here, and you can imagine how much more engaging these calls can be, layering file sharing and IM on top of the audio service. Plus, with the flat monthly fee, the per minute dialing charges are eliminated, making conferencing much more affordable for regular users - as well as attractive to everyone else who thinks that conference calling is expensive.

Oh - if you're keen, and are among the first 400 to sign up before November 30, Calliflower will add a 3rd organizer at no extra cost.

Technorati tags: Calliflower, Jon Arnold, Iotum

SaaS Model for VoIP - Ari Rabban's View in IP Convergence TV

I haven't had much to report lately for the IP Convergence TV portal, although the video interviews I conducted at the recent IT Expo have now been posted there as well.

In addition, however, I do regular outreach with industry thought leaders to contribute Guest Opinion articles to the portal. The most recent piece comes from long-time colleague Ari Rabban, who should be familiar to my regular readers. Ari's been in VoIP as long as anybody, going back to the early days of VocalTec. He's currently the CEO of Phone.com, an interesting VoIP startup I've talked about previously.

Phone.com is a great example of a VoIP SaaS solution, and they have pretty cool offerings for both residential and SMB environments. I've used the SMB service a bit, and it's great having an 800 number to give out to people.

In today's economy, SaaS makes a lot of sense, and Phone.com looks to be in the right place at the right time these days. I'm sure we'll be hearing more good things in due course, and until then, I encourage you to give Ari's article a read. It was posted earlier today on the IPCTV portal, and is also runing now on the Phone.com blog.

Let me - and Ari - know your thoughts, and if you like it, you should sign up for the service!


Technorati tags: IP Convergence TV, Jon Arnold, Phone.com, Ari Rabban, VoIP

Service Provider Views - BroadSoft as a Platform Play

My latest Service Provider Views column is running now on TMCnet. It's another variation on the platform play theme, and my focus this time is on BroadSoft.

This may not be what comes to mind right away for most of you, but you might just think otherwise after reading my article.

I've followed BroadSoft for ages, and after spending time with them last week at Connections 2008, I'm sure seeing a lot of Web 2.0 and mashups, and that says platform play to me. What do you think?


Technorati tags: Service Provider Views, Jon Arnold, J Arnold & Associates, TMCnet, BroadSoft

eComm 2009 - Call for Speakers

As things develop with eComm 2009, I'll be posting, as will others on the Advisory Board who blog. Last week was tough on blogging for me, and I didn't get a chance to get the word out about the Call for Speakers.

We've been steadily reviewing submissions throughout the week, and they continue to come in. A handful are quite good, some are pretty good, and some are off the mark. It all comes with the territory, and our job is to pick the best of the bunch and make them all fit into an overall program.

There's a lot of interest to present at eComm, both from previous speakers, and loads of people just coming around to it who want to be part of the conference. We'll do our best to give fair consideration to all entries, but the roster will likely be set in the next week or two. So, if you're interested, you'd better get a move on, and follow the procedure here.

And if you just want to stay up to date with eComm, visit the website, and check out the blog for news.


Technorati tags: eComm, Lee Dryburgh, Jon Arnold

BroadSoft Connections - Day 2

Day 2 zoomed by, and I'm going to hit the high points with photos and some brief commentary. Things started with Show Me The Apps, which was a great showcase for how Web 2.0 style apps are being developed and integrated into the BroadWorks platform. Most of these were oriented to consumers and targeted at hot spaces such as Google Apps or the iPhone. This stuff sure is fun and sexy, but I'm not so sure carriers will make money there. Others like Tom Howe (the mashup competition winner)focus on business applications that solve specific problems and have identifiable value for subscribers. That's where I think carriers will want to look a bit more closely.

Regardless, I think this is a great direction for BroadSoft, and it shows the power and value of an open platform that can give any type of carrier a competitive advantage serving either business or residential subscribers. And that, of course, may be what really makes this work. As our home and work lives become increasingly blurred, carriers are going to need offerings that cater to our overall communications needs - not one thing for home and another for work.

After this session, I spent time at the Solutions Showcase, getting hands-on demos from both BroadSoft partners, and their own offerings. Otherwise, the day was taken up with meetings, and oh, blogging!

I should also add that I was briefed in advance on an announcement that BroadSoft released Tuesday morning about a partnership with Microsoft for an integrated hosted SMB Unified Communications solution. It's an interesting item in that it allows for a completely hosted offering with BroadWorks providing the hosted softswitch/UC solution, integrated with Microsoft's HMC offering - Hosted Messaging and Collaboration. The idea here is that this should be very attractive to SMBs who lack the infrastructure and/or resources to manage these pieces themselves. It gives them lots of flexibility in terms of scaling the services up or down, and adding features that will work seamlessly with their everyday Microsoft business applications.

So, here are some photos from both days, starting with Day 2...

Show Me The Apps












Now for some Day 1 photos....




Showing us how the Xtend platform can be used to build community - right in our midst...



Very slick video before the opening keynotes - fast-paced and highly visual - getting you in the mood for the new world of apps and their Xtend platform experience...



Mike Tessler (very tricky lighting - apologies for the poor photo - best I could get). Lots of good messages from Mike, with the driving theme for carriers being the need to open up your networks and see the value of what the Web developer community can bring.




Dr. James Canton (again, apologies for the poor photo quality). Interesting speaker - futurist - great look into how the mobile web will evolve and change not just communications, but the essence of business itself. Good food for thought about how important collaboration is in this new world, and how there is a great opportunity here for carriers to "lead their customers into the future".



Walt Mossberg - boy, what a treat. He talked mostly about how important the iPhone and Android are to the future of communications, and I couldn't agree with him more. I especially liked his take on the iPhone really being a mobile PC - the phone is just incidental. I've been of that view from Day 1 and as I don't hear many people talking this way about the iPhone, it was great to hear validation from someone like Mr. Mossberg. Plus, he's an avid Red Sox fan, so he's way up there on my list!



Solutions Showcase, including the 24 Hour Communications Experience. This was a guided tour walking us through how BroadWorks applications can touch our lives at every stage of our waking/working/walking day. I thought it was a great way to make all of this very real for carriers, who I believe need to see this big picture and how they are no longer in the business of just selling phone services.








Thanks, Tom...



Finally - what a great view - wish you were here...





Technorati tags: BroadSoft, Jon Arnold, Connections 2008

New Article - Social Media in the Enterprise

I'm an occasional contributor to Business Trends Quarterly, and recently wrote an article for them on the impact social media is having in the enterprise. It's a sprawling topic, with no easy answers, and hopefully you'll find my article a good starting point for futher exploration. I'm hoping to continue this theme with BTQ in upcoming issues.

The article has now been posted to their website, and you can read it here. Let me know what you think.

Technorati tags: Business Trends Quarterly, Jon Arnold, social media