Many moons ago I worked in the wireless business. Fairly un-memorable frankly, except for maybe one thing. I witnessed the fall of the complex, 'sell more through confusion' pricing era. While working for one of Canada's leading wireless networks, an upstart called Fido (now owned by that same network) disrupted the industry North American wide by introducing flat rate pricing. I will never forget: 400 minutes for $40. No weekends, nights or other convoluted restrictions. Just straight up. And the legacy providers were in a panic. This would be the end of margins as they knew them.
Well, 12 years later, wireless operators are doing fine. But, finally, we have more pricing disruption. Verizon - then its closest friends - launch unlimited wireless calling plans this week. It was only a matter of time really, or a matter of who would do it first. It kind of reminded me of the airline business. One offers something, the others follow immediately. How do they know, I wonder, far enough ahead that they even have TV ads ready to support it? Big brother, I imagine.
There has been much debate online about the good and bad of these new offers. As in good for the consumer, bad for the provider. Some would argue otherwise. The best piece I read to date is found here, where Om Malik insists this is a mistake. Om's position is based on the assumption that the providers stand to lose by way of all the heavy plan subscribers - or overage sinners - will smartly change their plans and bid adieu to monthly penalties. Probably right.
On the other hand though, we have the under spenders. Those with the $70 plans who rarely go over. But what a screaming deal for them to spend $99/mth and never again have to worry about overage. And get to tell their friends about it. Is that not an extra $30/mth for the carrier?
It's anybody's guess where this will go. Even for the analysts who will tell you otherwise. But one thing is for sure, number portability is working. After all, back when Fido offered 400 minutes for $40, only those without a phone could brag about their new plan.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Top 10 (actually 11) Ways to Survive Conference Calling.
There's a reason after all that several Voice 2.0 types are launching next generation conferencing services. Yes, there's the fact that this market has been owned by telco-types for years and that there may (stress 'may') be low hanging revenue to be had. But the underlying reason is perhaps more obvious: We spend our lives on conference calls! And not the big ones anymore; you know the 15 person ones where you could be anonymous.
This is especially true for us telecommuters. My day is nothing if not one big conference call blur, the in-office equivalent to sitting in endless face to face meetings. Many services like Lypp are making conference call easier to set and take from anywhere, while others like Iotum are making them less expensive, if not free.
No one though - until I read this blog post from Italy's VoIP thought leader (Sardegna to be exact) - has taken on the role of Conference Call Coach. In Luca's top eleven, he reminds us to hydrate and not to multi-task, among other things. Both excellent suggestions that I rarely abide by.
One of his tips struck me though as something I should try. And it's not new except for maybe it's easier to do now. Record your calls to re-listen later, pass on to others or simply to have on file for a later date. I have not tried it but presumably the latest Iotum product makes this easy, as does the one from Lypp.
My question: Do you have to let others know that you are recording the call?
This is especially true for us telecommuters. My day is nothing if not one big conference call blur, the in-office equivalent to sitting in endless face to face meetings. Many services like Lypp are making conference call easier to set and take from anywhere, while others like Iotum are making them less expensive, if not free.
No one though - until I read this blog post from Italy's VoIP thought leader (Sardegna to be exact) - has taken on the role of Conference Call Coach. In Luca's top eleven, he reminds us to hydrate and not to multi-task, among other things. Both excellent suggestions that I rarely abide by.
One of his tips struck me though as something I should try. And it's not new except for maybe it's easier to do now. Record your calls to re-listen later, pass on to others or simply to have on file for a later date. I have not tried it but presumably the latest Iotum product makes this easy, as does the one from Lypp.
My question: Do you have to let others know that you are recording the call?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Small business telephony. Feature overkill?
In 2005 I had the good fortune to work at length with GotVMail, a now very well established player in the Virtual PBX arena. And since then, several other entrants into the broader SMB/telephony space. Yet, it never ceases to surprise me when I get word of the latest start-up joining the same fray.
Among many in just the last few months, Ramon Ray over at SmallBizTechnology profiles Toktumi and SIPJunction this week. The former is the latest in companies attacking this space by using the PC on everyone's desk as leverage, while the latter is a VoIP twist on a virtual PBX (hosted). Both offer a robust set of features. The question is, though, no longer whether there are enough features to choose from or even whether the price point works (the GotVMails of the world have proven those points); it's more a function of whether enough small businesses are in fact sophisticated enough to take advantage of the these packaged services.
We're past early adopters now in this market (I think), which means those buying for the first time will want brand and ease of product ramp. The first one - the spots are taken. The second - well that's where new entrants have their best shot. Yet even that does not make for a slam dunk. My friends at Telephony2 have what is easily the most user friendly product on the market, but they would surely be happy to be selling more of it.
Don't get me wrong. I am huge fan of almost all of these new players. Sooner or later, the good ones will get absorbed by the huge small business market. It may just take time - not something all start-ups have the luxury of.
As for GotVMail, they have stuck closely to their plan. Deliver a consistent experience, market aggressively and worry less about adding new fancy features their customers will never use. The plan is working.
Among many in just the last few months, Ramon Ray over at SmallBizTechnology profiles Toktumi and SIPJunction this week. The former is the latest in companies attacking this space by using the PC on everyone's desk as leverage, while the latter is a VoIP twist on a virtual PBX (hosted). Both offer a robust set of features. The question is, though, no longer whether there are enough features to choose from or even whether the price point works (the GotVMails of the world have proven those points); it's more a function of whether enough small businesses are in fact sophisticated enough to take advantage of the these packaged services.
We're past early adopters now in this market (I think), which means those buying for the first time will want brand and ease of product ramp. The first one - the spots are taken. The second - well that's where new entrants have their best shot. Yet even that does not make for a slam dunk. My friends at Telephony2 have what is easily the most user friendly product on the market, but they would surely be happy to be selling more of it.
Don't get me wrong. I am huge fan of almost all of these new players. Sooner or later, the good ones will get absorbed by the huge small business market. It may just take time - not something all start-ups have the luxury of.
As for GotVMail, they have stuck closely to their plan. Deliver a consistent experience, market aggressively and worry less about adding new fancy features their customers will never use. The plan is working.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Business Networking Arrives.
About a year ago, I was working on my new web site - which by the way a few weeks from now will become my 'old' website - and I came came across a story on a gentleman named Axel Schultz. Axel's pedigree was heavily steeped in channel work and very connected to how the channel would play a role in the (then) emerging world of the SaaS world. My networking antenna went up instantly - Axel was someone I should know.
Little did I know that I would soon connect with the uber of all uber networkers, and with someone steadily working on the next generation of social networking applications. You see Axel was an early adopter of LinkedIn; I thought I was early until I found out that he had been on the Alpha invite list and that he blew through his first 500 connections before all the lights were on there. While he still likes LinkedIn, seems he needed more.
Fast forward to today and Axel and his team have just launched the generally available version of Xeequa - the world's first application devoted exclusively to business networking. Not to posting pictures of yourself as a kid; not to hoping someone three degrees from you will talk to; but to real, dynamic networking that moves you forward as it should. Think of it as LinkedIn meets Facebook meets SalesForce and you have a pretty good picture of what it can do for you.
I have been fortunate to be included in the Beta and watch the application race ahead with every new release. Surely, with new users now joining on, it will re-invent itself through additional iterations. But what is important here is that we are finally moving social software into the corporate environment. Lets see where it takes us.
Little did I know that I would soon connect with the uber of all uber networkers, and with someone steadily working on the next generation of social networking applications. You see Axel was an early adopter of LinkedIn; I thought I was early until I found out that he had been on the Alpha invite list and that he blew through his first 500 connections before all the lights were on there. While he still likes LinkedIn, seems he needed more.
Fast forward to today and Axel and his team have just launched the generally available version of Xeequa - the world's first application devoted exclusively to business networking. Not to posting pictures of yourself as a kid; not to hoping someone three degrees from you will talk to; but to real, dynamic networking that moves you forward as it should. Think of it as LinkedIn meets Facebook meets SalesForce and you have a pretty good picture of what it can do for you.
I have been fortunate to be included in the Beta and watch the application race ahead with every new release. Surely, with new users now joining on, it will re-invent itself through additional iterations. But what is important here is that we are finally moving social software into the corporate environment. Lets see where it takes us.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Yahoo! should say Yahoo.
Unlike the average San Franciscan, I am a big fan of Yahoo! I use their email - have for years - and despite many attempts to move away (NetVibes the latest one), my browser opens every morning to Yahoo! But the shadows of Mountain View (aka Google) alas are too dark. Everyone is determined to compare these two companies when, outside of the online ad business, they are indeed different companies. Unfortunately, Yahoo! has struggled to monetize their half billion or so users and as a result, still depend heavily on a Google-like model to make Wall Street happy.
So, as much I am a not a big fan of any Valley companies being inhaled to Redmond, it seems that the timing fits. Better this than to watch a once-considered brilliant company falter through our not-so-pending (as in it's already here) slowdown. Lets just hope they can find enough other parties to drive up the price...
So, as much I am a not a big fan of any Valley companies being inhaled to Redmond, it seems that the timing fits. Better this than to watch a once-considered brilliant company falter through our not-so-pending (as in it's already here) slowdown. Lets just hope they can find enough other parties to drive up the price...
Friday, February 1, 2008
Ribbit does not hop alone.
As a veteran of voice services and someone who pays close attention to Voice 2.0, I am very encouraged to see Ribbit so successfully get visibility across the technology noise machine. It’s great for Voice as a whole. And from what I can tell, their focus to aggressively bring voice to the developer world, like other technologies have done before them, is well intended - and should pay off in some fashion.
It is my opinion, though, that next generation voice services will need to succeed in the B-B space to create meaningful results for investors. In order to do this - whether through developer or other channels - applications have to be easy to deploy and must generate repeatable results for business.
The enterprise equation for voice is clearer as, in some format, we have been delivering value adding applications to this group for some time. Small business is less obvious and as we know, a more difficult and disaggregated group to market to. But this is where I believe the opportunity is greatest as this is the market that - short of basic telephony - has been under served. With the now more obvious intersection between voice and the web in front of us, there is so much small business can benefit from.
There are a number of exciting, newer companies in this space - something us voice veterans could not claim a few short years ago. One company I suggest having a look at - a little quieter perhaps that Ribbit (in the frozen tundra of Chicago) but very advanced in their product and distribution - is Ifbyphone.
It is my opinion, though, that next generation voice services will need to succeed in the B-B space to create meaningful results for investors. In order to do this - whether through developer or other channels - applications have to be easy to deploy and must generate repeatable results for business.
The enterprise equation for voice is clearer as, in some format, we have been delivering value adding applications to this group for some time. Small business is less obvious and as we know, a more difficult and disaggregated group to market to. But this is where I believe the opportunity is greatest as this is the market that - short of basic telephony - has been under served. With the now more obvious intersection between voice and the web in front of us, there is so much small business can benefit from.
There are a number of exciting, newer companies in this space - something us voice veterans could not claim a few short years ago. One company I suggest having a look at - a little quieter perhaps that Ribbit (in the frozen tundra of Chicago) but very advanced in their product and distribution - is Ifbyphone.
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