Since I'm heading to Portugal I was happy to read about yet another leading airport group's operations for WiFi being taken over by Boingo, a former client whom we worked with up through their IPO period. While Boingo users previously could roam onto the Portugal Telecom run hotspots, now it standardizes things and means that people with Boingo apps on their mobile phones, tablets and laptops will have an easier time logging on. Sadly, for me, the transition won't happen that quickly, but since I'll be back in Portugal again later in the year, I'm still excited with the news. Read more »
The Tattered (Wireless) Web
LightSquared my be down for the count. While not a Joe Frazier or Larry Holmes style KO, it's looking more and more that the dream of multi-billionare hedge fund leader Phillip Falcone, may be going the way of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter or or worse, Sonny Liston. Yesterday the FCC said "no way" and now the ripple effects are being felt. But when you weave a tattered web, you also have to worry about who will get caught up in it, and it looks like the possibility of Sprint having to return $65 million in advance money from Falcone's venture is... Read more »
The Tattered (Wireless) Web
LightSquared my be down for the count. While not a Joe Frazier or Larry Holmes style KO, it's looking more and more that the dream of multi-billionare hedge fund leader Phillip Falcone, may be going the way of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter or or worse, Sonny Liston. Yesterday the FCC said "no way" and now the ripple effects are being felt. But when you weave a tattered web, you also have to worry about who will get caught up in it, and it looks like the possibility of Sprint having to return $65 million in advance money from Falcone's venture is... Read more »
Sunday Morning Post for February 12 2012
Woke up in Paris after a great Saturday doing not much of anything that was really work beyond email and some thinking about the next few weeks ahead. I shared some thought on my Paris Saturday over on WineScene. My morning started with news that rocked my world. One in a great way, the other with a touch of sadness. The great news is that pal Joanna Stern, most recently of The Verge is on her way to ABC as Technology Editor. Huge news. Many will recall how Joanna and I had a voice call on GoGo with her on... Read more »
8×8 Celebrates 25 Years
8x8 has a birthday. They're now 25 years old. The company has had a lot of transitions, but the core to their business is a patent portfolio that puts things inside real time communications hardware and software. Here's a list of their milestones: 8x8 Highlights and Milestones: 1987 - 8x8 founded under the name Integrated Information Technology 1990 - Company establishes itself as a leading manufacturer of semiconductors used in embedded videoconferencing and videophone products 1990 - Bryan Martin hired as “Member of Technical Staff” and ultimately becomes CEO in 2002 1992 - Patented Vision Processor Chip chosen by AT&T... Read more »
8×8 Celebrates 25 Years
8x8 has a birthday. They're now 25 years old. The company has had a lot of transitions, but the core to their business is a patent portfolio that puts things inside real time communications hardware and software. Here's a list of their milestones: 8x8 Highlights and Milestones: 1987 - 8x8 founded under the name Integrated Information Technology 1990 - Company establishes itself as a leading manufacturer of semiconductors used in embedded videoconferencing and videophone products 1990 - Bryan Martin hired as “Member of Technical Staff” and ultimately becomes CEO in 2002 1992 - Patented Vision Processor Chip chosen by AT&T... Read more »
Three in UK Simplifies PrePaid on for Unlocked iPhone Users
I needed to pick up a local SIM for a friend visiting the UK in a month or so, and the carrier of choice for me when it comes to a single country SIM in the UK is usually 3. Their plain language approach and, now a new 15 pound a month plan for voice--300 minutes, text-3000 and all you can eat data for 30 days, is just plain, dumb, simple. Buy the pack at a 3 shop, dial 444 on your iPhone, wait five minutes and your connected. Honestly, this is the type of plan AT&T needs to offer... Read more »
Deskphone or Tablet? You Decide
Yesterday the Medill Reports Ben Shamisso penned a piece regarding the war of attrititon between the legacy deskphone and their looming replacements-smartphones and tablets. In the story both CounterPath's SVP Todd Carothers and I were quoted. My view is centered around the concept of utility. People will simply get more use out of a tablet based communications hub than the standard desk phones. It one of the reasons why Cloud TC and Panasonic both are making desk phones based upon the Android OS. An iPad in a Gorrilla stand makes for a very good desk phone already. So will Android... Read more »
Video Conferencing Is Heating Up, The Established Will Be Challenged
Image via CrunchBase Just as we're seeing Over the Top (OTT) in voice and data service impacting the legacy mobile operators and telcos, there's also a movement afoot thats going to challenge the legacy video conferencing providers like BT, Verizon, Glowpoint (I'm a shareholder) and the rest who have been in the business of white glove video conferncing services, operating exchanges or hosting bridging services. Yesterday pal Larry Lisser, who is known in the telecom industry as the person to go to to revive sales, penned a post supportive of disruptive Silicon Valley startup, Vidtel (a Comunicano client) who are... Read more »
Read Martin Geddes Latest Post-Your Job My Be At Stake If You Don’t
If you haven't read pal Martin Geddes latest post on the Future of Communications entitled Peak Telecom, you are missing something that is likely either something you have likely said, thought, heard someone say in private or really wished you had. It's a stunningly brilliant piece of writing that leads you to wonder, "what is Martin going to say next" as you read through it. This post is every bit as important as Alec Saunders 2005 post entitled The Voice 2.0 Manifesto in my opinion as far as laying things out or the famed Pulver Purple Minutes post. It is... Read more »
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