March 14, 2008
VON Presentations
The Quickest Way to find the presentations at Fall VON is just a social clique away.
VON attendees are going to find a webpage to navigate the slides updated on the "NING" thing every nite. We are going to have them available while the show is going on for the delegates and nightly on NING. If you are not a member, its good to join now. It's also a good way to connect up to the community of attendees more directly. If you need anymore specific help please send a note to carl.ford@pulvermedia.com
Posted by carl at 06:36 PM | Comments (0)
March 06, 2008
A billion there vs. a Billion here
Sometimes the conversations you have with people are prophetic in nature. Talking to a friend who is doing a consulting gig with a vendor, we talked about the need for new infrastructure. Particularly to match how people are going to expect to see the Wireless Internet.
IMHO, You can call it Unified Communication, FMC or anything else but fundamentally its an issue of delivering data to an any to any world. And I am not expecting that peer to peer is the right answer for things that are still head end oriented in nature.
With att’s announcement that they planned for a $1B dollar build out of the International structure, I was delighted to see that statement. The issues with supporting the network needs of the future are somewhat more confusing than they were just 15 years ago.
Its no longer a simple matter of pipes and valves (as a cable operator friend used to say). Now we have the issues of caching, streaming, smart edges, and dumber pipes.
Its still about the Internet but the hour glass figure that converges on IP sometimes looks like the stacks are trying to widen the waist. For example, does an application need to know the QoS it gets before the service is set up? Or can a best effort network be the answer. Its trickier than you expect because the people I respect are in disharmony about these issues. And even at the IETF we have efforts being made to get some presession QoS metrics in the network routing table. It should be interesting to watch.
If you have a stake in the race for new services, it may be worth your while to listen to att at Spring VON.
Background:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120471665116813469.html?mod=index_to_businesses
Posted by carl at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)
February 29, 2008
Sprint Brand New Management
The Wall Street Journal today reports the guidance that Dan Hesse gave to Wall Street. The story was not pretty. But there were some interesting glimmers in the discussion. The first was the dose of reality. The troubles are real and there is no easy fix. Sprint is losing market share to Verizon and ATT. Next the opportunity, Intel may choose to invest $2B in the Sprint WiMax initiative. Other strategies discussed were the adoption of a RIM dual mode phone. Not mentioned in the article was the Femtocell trial in Colorado. The commitment to wireless broadband is in tact and that’s the best news.
Spring VON starts off with Intel’s Anand Chandrasekher followed by Sprint’s Ben Vos.
I am also hearing rumblings that some of our morning speakers may have some Interesting announcements.
Posted by carl at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)
February 25, 2008
Jeff is going to Camp. VONCamp
Jeff is going to Camp!
VONCamp is the name for the unconference that is going to be done ad hoc at Spring VON. Our presenters are gathering their thoughts and the community is blogging about their intentions. I recommend visiting http://www.voncamp.net and subscribing to the RSS to keep track.
Here are the topics that are currently planned
1. Recruiting the Web guys: How to create and grow your developer ecosystem - lead by Dave Nielsen (PayPal/StrikeIron etc..)
2. Facebook the perfect sandbox for applications - lead by Alec Saunders
3. Google's Android; Where do we stand? - lead by Tom Howe
4. Business model mayhem.. Is there a VC or 2 or 3 in Silicon Valley willing to talk about this topic?- lead needed.
5. Will a US telco follow BTs lead with APIs?
6. Rethinking Broadband Internet Connectivity - lead by Brough Turner. Look at the image on Rethinking Broadband Internet Connectivity.
7. Does AWS, Google, Microsoft, or someone else provide all the application layer infrastructure that is needed?
8. Can Telephony Be Free? Lead by Gene Cohen, VoodooVox.
9. Is there any benefit on connecting Social Networks via telecom networks? If not, why? If so, how? - Arjun Roychowdhury (HSC)
10. Topic to be announced later - Ken Camp - http://stardustglobalventures.com
11. Unified Communication; do we have the technology for business? - Paul Sijben (Perzonae) - Great topic. Count me in (Ken Camp) - http://www.realtime-unifiedcommunications.com
If you are about networking the show floor is certainly valuable. If you want to be near all the people working on making new services and asking the big questions, you should be at http://www.voncamp.net
To register for the ridiculously low price of $495 go to http://www.springvonx.com
PS Can you tell which topic is Jeff’s? I know but I heard him say it on blog.tv and on the webinar about it here.
Posted by carl at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2008
The Egg does Hatch.
VONCamp/Unconference
I just got mad at about a post to VONCamp. This is the name for our version of the unconference and man I am annoyed. The unconference is deliberately unorganized.
No marketing slickness, Just a Wiki with some posts. It’s a great place to chat and get ready. The fact that its not being overly hyped is out of respect to audience. The goal is to be dynamic and self organizing.
Tom Howe and I talk about this all the time. Tom does a great job being the net head and I do my bell head view. And while I would like to see struggling artists take over the world, my experience is that even the mona lisa requires logistical support for people to have access to see it.
VONCamp is going to have some of my favorite people in it and its going to focus on the big topics.
So I am here to help the Leonardo’s of the world display their masterpiece.
If you are the artist post your topic and come to VON as our guest. If you want to view the masterpiece the price is $495 and you can register here.
Posted by carl at 03:17 PM | Comments (1)
February 21, 2008
- Eating My Own Lunch - Spring VON
Its interesting how VON has evolved over the years, and its always interesting to experiment with new ideas. In chatting with the advisory board, we built the VON Tracks to be very specific about topics. In doing that, the VC session was misplaced, but now its back and it should be more fun than ever. We have made it a lunch time dias where I expect the delegates at the show to benefit from some networking.
So far Eric Zimits of Granite Ventures and Fred Wang of Trinity Ventures with some other friends are going to share their views about what makes sense in these turbulent times.
These are folks that put their money where their mouth is, so its appropriate that they talk during lunch.
So if you are looking for some guidance on starting up or taking the next step to grow, this is a perfect place to network.
Looking forward to breaking bread with you at Spring VON in San Jose March 18th.
Posted by carl at 11:54 AM | Comments (0)
February 11, 2008
Guest Blog - Jonathan Askin
Askin’s Back in Town
Hello Carl’s friends and followers (and stalkers and nemeses, monitoring his activities). Jonathan Askin here. Some of you might remember me from my old pulver days. Maybe not so old. I left pulver last year, primarily to pursue a career in academia. I’m proud to say that I am now a Professor at Brooklyn Law School, teaching Internet, Telecom and New Media Law. I am also returning to pulvermedia as a fellow blogger and VON gadfly. My blog (“Who’s Askin? -- http://blogs.pulver.com/whosaskin/) launches today and Carl was kind enough to allow me to introduce myself to his community and to provide me some linklove.
I’m also pleased to announce that we are bringing back the VON “Town Hall Meeting” to kickoff Spring VON in San Jose on March 17 at 5pm. We’re bringing back a lot of the regulars, but with some new perspectives. The goal of the Town Hall is to build our community, to find common ground and common objectives, to make sure that each of us has the opportunity to play a role in shaping the ever-evolving policies that are shaping the Internet and communications industries. There is simply too much going on for us to sit by idly while the rules are set by those that might not share our vision for an Internet-enabled communications future.
So, here are the details for the Spring VON Town Hall Meeting:
Register
Town Hall Meeting: “Back to the Future”
(Monday, March 17, 5pm-6pm)
The VON Town Hall Meeting is back … with a vengeance.
When Internet communications was new, no one cared if we lived or died. We were not an immediate threat to any existing revenue streams or business models … we were cute … like a baby tiger cub just being born. The industry has grown up, untamed, and is now disrupting, disrupting communications providers, disrupting vendors, disrupting regulators, disrupting users. We know this disruption is ultimately for the public and private good, but folks always tend to be wary of disruption.
Because communications can now be delivered from anywhere to anywhere, over any transmission facilities, everyone is playing on everyone else’s turf and no business, old or new, is immune from disruption. But, we, as the innovators and entrepreneurs and vendors and providers and thought-leaders, across the spectrum of the communications world, need to understand one another and figure out ways to get along, so that we, as a community, may revolutionize communications and the capabilities of the Internet to maximize the utility and good, for us and for society.
The Town Hall meeting, with respected advocates on all sides of the communications policy debate, come together to kick off VON, to build bridges, to understand where technology, business and policy are going, and to appreciate the ultimate value and the revolution that is occurring.
I’ll serve as a facilitator, along with some of the major policy thought-leaders like Rick Whitt (Google), Kathy Brown (Verizon), Larry Irving (former Director of NTIA), and a few surprise guests. But, the goal is open dialogue with the members of the VON community.
I look forward to reengaging. The world of academia can be a stifling place. I miss the VON buzz and the reality check that only returning to VON could offer me.
Posted by carl at 10:02 AM | Comments (1)
January 28, 2008
VONCamp Agenda Bash All Welcome
The unconference at Spring VON is about to get busy, by way of the virtual experience on www.voncamp.net. Last year at Fall VON we held our first unconference and this time promises to be bigger and better. Combined with the Innovators Forum there is no better place for Web 2.0 and Telco 2.0 types to meet and look for the business models that make both sides of the equation happy.
But to put a framework around the unconference is hard after all, the rules start off with rule #1 being there are no rules. However, there are participants and they have the floor, the agenda,the lessons, and the network to bring opportunties out where they can grow. Want to be part of the excitement come join the discussion as the Tom Howe, Alec Saunders and Brough Turner share their expectation and what they want to address at the unconference.
Discussants on this call include
Tom Howe; CEO, Thomas Howe Company
Alec Saunders, CEO, Iotum
Brough Turner, SVP & CTO, NMS Communications
Moderated by Carl Ford and Bill Kelly of pulvermedia.com
http://www.iian.ibeam.com/events/mult001/25461/
Posted by carl at 10:50 PM | Comments (1)
January 23, 2008
VONCAMP! Nothing to Promote but something to participate in.
I don’t know how to sing the praises of the unconference, but here goes.
On Tuesday March 18th for the benefit of speakers and conference attendees we will be having our second unconference. We named it VONCamp because its along the lines of barcamp, and other unconferences. As an unconference, I can not tell you what the topics are, but the participants will include Tom Howe, Alec Saunders, and Brough Turner and other industry leaders. The topics will be about things like; “Is facebook app friendly”, “Will Android be the next iPhone”, etc...
This is an extension of the innovator’s forum and a great place to participate.
So come if you want to be a discussant start participating at http://www.voncamp.net and if you want to listen register http://www.von.com/2008/sanJose/web/confUnConf.php and use the priority code “voncamp” for a savings of $400 for the one day pass.
Posted by carl at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)
January 21, 2008
When A Nokia VP talks we should listen...
Veli-Pekka Kivimaki ,Nokia speaks at 9 AM on March 19th at Spring VON
Veli Pekka (VP) Kivimaki has been working on supporting the Enterprise and business users use of Nokia’s wireless devices. This includes supporting Nokia’s Dual Mode, WLAN, and integration of Unified Communication services. He is at the edge where employees as end users are more in control than the enterprise itself. And its clear that the employee and the employer (as represented by IT) have a gap in their view of Unified communication.
While companies waffle regarding the use of VoWiFi, the emphasis on productivity gains when CRM and other corporate apps meets mobility is considered a given. But while the employee is seeing the web on wireless as the great gain, so the tie into the apps is incrementatl value.
And the employees are gaining in plurality as smartphone prices drop below $200 the device in hand are likely to be personal preference. Already indicators are that over half of the employees who only own personal cell phones reference them in their away messages.
The result is more power on the edge and that normally drives working groups to move independently from the IT staff.
And as more employees look to access the corporate network via the wireless web the concern for security mounts in the IT department.
This is not a service provider but the business implementation issue and it requires sound strategies by IT to support the gain, while avoiding the pain. These are among the strategies Nokia is looking to support and foster when it comes to Unified Communication.
Posted by carl at 11:35 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2008
What we have here, iAndroid, is a failure to Navigate
Tom Howe, who is track chair for Spring VON’s Unconference and Innovators Forum has two very good posts on the smartphone opportunities. The first as a guest on Om Malik’s GigaOM, Tom shares his thoughts on the concerns about Android.
I have been subscribed to the message board and at some point I was trying to figure out a way to give a read out, but the noise level made me abandon the idea of giving a good synopsis.
Here is what I think I know about Android. Google has a RIM like development tool. It is not mind blowing and in the end the navigation is not clearly intuitive. App developers are going to be regulated to submenus and its not clear how that the protection from malware is sufficient for badly coded apps, and subscribers ability to remove things after they have been put on the phone. Additionally, it looks like there will be flavors of phones that will require careful consideration in the look, feel and navigation of the devices.
The second post is on Tom’s own blog about the MacWorld announcement that in this new release of iPhone software the top menu can be added to by developer’s. This combined with some of the cool apps that are still being displayed by the likes of Google with gOffice and ZoHo with iZoho .
PS apologies to Cool Hand Luke and Issac’s Asminov’s I, Robot
Background
http://gigaom.com/2008/01/12/5-who-wont-appreciate-google-android/
http://thethomashowecompany.com/339/new-iphone-release-is-groundbreaking
http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/01/17/five-unsung-iphone-applications-most-of-them-free/
Posted by carl at 06:58 AM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2008
I thought You Said you Want a Revolution...
Note on March 18th, 2008 at Spring VON Reed Hundt, Former FCC Chair will be speaking in the conference.
Last week, Frontline wireless shut its doors and ended its effort for a revolution in the 700 MHz auction. When Amol Shah spoke at Fall VON we a 700 MHz evangelist speaking on behalf of a new network strategy for wireless. The strategy was for the spectrum to be wholesaled enabling device manufacturers to interconnect their devices on a network that was not trying to compete with them with the consumer.
To me the strategy had merit. First of all MVNO’s have been hard to watch as a business model. The more apt term would have been ISNO (indentured servant network offering). As in there “is no” way I am the one that is profiting from all this effort. So based on that experience a service that clearly wanted to let the retailed devices have a platform makes a lot of sense.
In fact, Apple’s iPhone was sort of a proof of concept since they redefined the MVNO relationship and showed that at the retail level the consumer’s power was self-evident. And the fact that so much discussion about hacked phones enabling choice, in my mind, made an enabling network logical.
So why did the money dry up for Frontline? The capital strength of a Google? The recent willingness of carriers to adopt more Apple like business models? The lack of device manufacturers committed to the same vision?
It could just be ego. If you have read Seth Godin’s “The Dip” you know that being number 1 is far more profitable than being number 2. Given the desire to enable others’ may have sounded like good altruism, but lousy business.
But that does not mean it was wrong. And it does not mean that in the end it won’t prevail. In the end there is only the Internet, imho, Frontline Wireless was trying to bring the wireless Internet to the end user faster. And that would be a revolution.
Posted by carl at 09:15 AM | Comments (1)
January 02, 2008
- Time to get back to work.
I am flying up to Boston after spending almost a month away from the office, for a discussion about Spring VON and Spring VON Europe . Like many of the community I use VON as a benchmark of what is going on in the community, and I recognize that we are seeing a transition.
Among my carrier friends, I hear the nervousness brought on by rumors and realities of consolidations, mergers, and reengineering. In the vendor community I feel the uneasiness as customers and clients change roles and redefine their requirements. And in the vendor community I see the exhuberance of new strategies with the trepidation as the business model continues to be elusive.
We could make the case that all applications in the future will be residing on permission based marketing model driven by portals and web 2.0 interfaces. I am skeptical about this, but it could be that the Innovator’s dilemma has a new world order to study where applications find open access via customer’s community of interests.
It can also be that kewl kids end up with their own requirements for network performance that will make them focus on the infrastructure, or at least how to manage it.
While these things are not easily considered they are the real work ahead of us. Whatever part of the food chain you happen to be in, you have a perspective on these matters.
I hope you share them with me.
Posted by carl at 12:34 AM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2007
Watching the Future in your Hands
Anand Chandrasekher, Sr Vice President & GM, Ultra Mobility Group, Intel Corporation speaks at 9 AM on March 18 at Spring VON
The truth is we are on the verge of a new era of communication. For the moment ignore the social network, unified communication and wireless mobility infrastructure discussion. Let us just talk about the future that will be in your hands. The iPhone has shown us that the Internet with a full browser is the best story to tell the consumer.
Some of our industry leaders get this. Currently we have Intel and Nokia being challenged by Apple and soon Google. All of these companies are trying to bring the Internet to the end user with the minimal modification. The question is what size is right for your mobility in the future?
It might be the size of the book you take notes is an indication, but the battle field seems to be clearly marked by a DMZ Debated Maximum siZe. Apple has played the small side with the iPhone and the large size with the powerbooks. Look for them to push to the middle with a powerbook with a nine inch screen.
Nokia on the other hand has a nice small device. I love called the N95 and the N800/810 series. And Intel wowed us at Fall VON with a bunch of prototypes from their partners that were in the four to nine inch range.
Quanta Smartphone
We are definitely on the brink of a revolution in IP Communications and you are going to choose the future but first you will hear it at Spring VON.
Background
http://www.nseries.com/index.html#l=products,n95_us,demo
http://www.apple.com/iphone/
http://event.asus.com/eeepc/microsites/en/index.htm
http://www.vontv.net/default.cfm?vid=9081&clip=2
Posted by carl at 02:06 AM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2007
Warning I am not Here
You can find my discussion of Spring VON at San Jose via the podcasts Mikey and I are doing.
http://podcasts.pulvermedia.com/blog/archives/carl_ford/
The show is busy and so am I.
Posted by carl at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)
March 20, 2007
Spring VON Preconference Wrap Up
The show kicked off with a good crowd minus alot of the engineers who are in Prague. The IPTV and TV/IP (A.K.A. New Media)sessions were well attended as was the FMC sessions. I had several meetings with companies taking a long view on the industry which is good news.
Most interesting question I had was who would you want to be acquired by these days? Obviously for different companies it would mean different companies, but the real issue no big boys look stable enough to swallow a small guy and keep the execution track going.
What that means to me is that we should start seeing some of the mid size marketcaps become more powerful in the next few years. These companies have the issue of wanting to execute their own vision so understanding there plans is essential.
One strategy, I hate hearing is going to the big portals and expecting them to be telecom oriented all of a sudden. Google, Oracle, Yahoo! are here in the industry to stay, but getting into the plumbing of Telecom is not on their agenda.
Better choices are companies that make strategic partners in telecom already.
What companies would you choose? I am thinking players like Contata, Dialogic and Ditech to name just a few are going to be pressured to become more strategic to the partners.
Posted by carl at 09:52 AM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2007
Preconference
Yesterday I sat with six friends representing a variety of ideas.
Its been good to hear innovators thinking. What is really interesting is that some of the discussion was at a general level that would impact everyone. While alot of it was about niche opportunities, where the ideas i felt were of limited value. The spectrum went from Global presense and better search tools to job opps for standards wonks and
Caller ID problems.
One thing I can say is that my friends are ecclectic.
I am looking forward to seeing friends today.
Posted by carl at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2007
Over $1T USD in buying power
This is a sample of the Spring VON company names. Please note that 8 of the 9 top carriers are represented at VON.
8x8 Carrier
Alaska Communications Systems Inc. Carrier
Alestra | AT&T Carrier
Alianza Carrier
AmeriMex Communications Corp. Carrier
Amernet Carrier
AOL ITSP
Arbinet wholesale
at&t wireless Wireless
ATT Carrier
BandTel Carrier
BBN Technologies ITSP
Bechtel Carrier
Belgacom ICS Carrier
BeVocal Inc. Carrier
BigBand Networks Carrier
Boingo Wireless Wireless
Bonus Calls Wireless
Broadvox ITSP
Broadwing Communications Carrier
BT Carrier
Buffalo Communications Carrier
Cablevision cable
CallWave Carrier
Caltelco Carrier
Cbeyond Carrier
Cengatel LLC Carrier
Charter Communications cable
Chunghwa Telecom Global Inc. Carrier
Clearwire WISP
Cogent Communications cable
Cogent Systems and Services Inc cable
Comcast cable
Concent Telecom Carrier
Connect 2 Communications Carrier
ConnectByNet Carrier
ConnectNet Solutions Carrier
Covad ITSP
Cox Communications cable
Deutsche Telekom T-Mobile Wireless
Dialek Telecom Carrier
DID World Wide wholesale
EarthLink, Inc. ITSP
EKC Telecom Carrier
EMBARQ Carrier
Eser Telekom Carrier
Global Crossing Carrier
Global Link Group LLC. Carrier
Globalive Communications Inc Carrier
GlobalTouch Telecom Carrier
Goldfield Telecom Carrier
Helio Wireless
HELLOOSFT Wireless
IDT Carrier
KDDI Corporation Carrier
KT Carrier
LANCK Telecom Carrier
Level3 Communications Carrier
LignUp ITSP
McLeodUSA Carrier
Mobidia, Inc. Carrier
NACT Carrier
Nationwide Telecom Carrier
Net2Phone Carrier
Neutral Tandem wholesale
New Global Telecom Carrier
NoNameTel itsp
NTT Communications Carrier
One Communications Carrier
Onemailbox Carrier
openpop.com, inc Carrier
Orange wireless
Orion Telecom Carrier
Packet8 Carrier
Pac-West Telecomm, Inc. Carrier
PalTalk ITSP
PBX.NET Corporation ITSP
PCCW Global Carrier
PointOne Carrier
Primal Solutions Carrier
Qwest Corp. Carrier
Rebtel Carrier
Rostelecom Carrier
Ruckus Wireless Wireless
Rural Telephone Carrier
Ruralfone, Inc. Carrier
SaskTel Carrier
SAVVIS Carrier
Skype ITSP
Skype | Joost ITSP
Speakeasy carrier
Sprint-Nextel Wireless
StarVox Communications, Inc. carrier
SunRocket Carrier
SureWest Communications Carrier
SVB Alliant Carrier
Swisscom Carrier
TalkPlus ITSP
TDS Telecom Carrier
TELEFONICA Carrier
Telekom Austria AG Carrier
TeliaSonera Carrier
Telio Carrier
Tellme Carrier
TELUS Communications Company Carrier
Time Warner Cable cable
Time Warner Telecom carrier
Total Call International, Inc. wholesale
Touch Tell Inc wholesale
Truphone wireless
US LEC Carrier
Verizon Carrier
Verizon Wireless wireless
VirtualPBX.Com, Inc. Carrier
Vivox ITSP
VoEX Carrier
Vonage Carrier
Vox Systems, LLC Carrier
VSNL International Carrier
Wayport WISP
WEB2PH COMMUNICATIONS, INC. Carrier
Webex ITSP
Windstream Communications Carrier
World Wide Connections, Inc. Carrier
WorldMinute Carrier
WorldOne Communications, LLC Carrier
Worldwide Communications Network LLC Carrier
XConnect Global Networks Carrier
XO Communications Carrier
Posted by carl at 01:30 AM | Comments (0)