VoIP Watch

Me and My MiFis

A quick note about the Novatel MiFi devices, both the CDMA version that works on Verizon and the GSM/HSPA version that works here in the USA on AT&T and on any GSM operator's network around the globe.

1. Verizon's network smokes the current edition of AT&T Mobile Broadband in the Bay Area for real time communications. After a day of use of the HSPA version, while it works very well, but I found that it is highly susceptible to the totem pole affect of GSM and great signals and amazing connectivity become simply marginal connectivity, especially if you are in a high traffic area. The Verizon CDMA version is not affected by this totem pole effect.

2. Voice communications-on Verizon the call quality is equal or better to being on a T1 line. On AT&T the call quality varies from good to great to sometime drop outs or packet loss. However I've held conference calls on both networks using Skype and HiDef Conferencing and the calls have gone well. This experience mirrors what iPhone users have experienced as well. I'm looking forward to putting this through its paces next week in the UK on a variety of networks.

3. SSID and Connectivity-I've easily latched my Nokia E71 and made calls using Truphone, as well as my iPod Touch to the MiFis. Talk about saving money. A few month's of calling via the iPod Touch over Truphone (or Skype) will pay for the device and be the gift that keeps on savings. (Note Truphone is an agency client of mine as is Nokia.)

4. Set Up- Simple and easy. I used the web interface.

5. Software-I could not install the software from the HSPA MiFi but did download it from a web site on my NetBook. I have been unsuccessful at installing the Mobilink software from Novatel on my MacBook Pro but suspect it is a version issue as Novatel is habitually behind on Mac centric software and has been that way for years. That said, they do make the best USB Dongles around and the MiFi is no exception.

Bottom line--Buy a MiFi.

A note. The HSPA MiFis are not yet for sale in the USA but you can find them internationally, and unlocked. For a road warrior like me, knowing I have one of these in my bag and a pay as you go data plan means less reliance on hotel broadband when I'm in Europe or the need to only grab a meal where WiFi is available.

WiMax/In Home and Mobile Bundles Coming From Comcast

A lot of time and words are spent bashing Comcast by many a pundit, but you can't ignore the fact that as a company they clearly have a strategy and a very defined one that says "we want to be you communications company."

In Portland Oregon, a market they serve in competition with iLec Qwest much in the same manner that Cablevision competes mostly with Verizon in the metro New York region, the cable giant is showcasing just why the invested in ClearWire after Sprint proved once again they can innovate but not market Xoom, their mobile WiMax play backed now by a consortium of cable operators and technology players including Google and Motorola, as well as Intel, who always plays the role of the Insider.

Rethink Wireless points out that:

Comcast is offering a 12-month introductory rate. For $50 a month, a subscriber gets 12Mbps home cable broadband and WiMAX, which is only a $7 premium over the cost of cable broadband alone (and includes a free Wi-Fi router). A national 3G add-on is an extra $20 a month and roaming to other Clearwire WiMAX markets is free. After the one-year trial the tariff goes up to $73 a month ($93 with 3G). There will be a $99 charge for a dongle (and other devices to follow in future), though people who commit to a two-year deal get the gadget for free.

To me, the $20 a month national mobile calling plan is a new low in pricing, and while the number of minutes weren't revealed, at the end of the day for $73 a month to have mobile WiMax, voice and cable broadband is a sweet deal. All they're missing is a WiFi roaming deal and this would make the WiMax bundle direction to really consider if you lived in the covered area.

Comcast Gets The Global Nature Of Voice

Hat Tip to Doug Mohney for his discovery of Comcast's new International plan, which is another broad shot cross the bow taken at Vonage and Skype by the cable companies.

While not a "free" offer, this is a move by the cable giant is offering another reason to buy their triple play (voice, video and data) and then upsell the customers with more options. In this case $15 dollars buys you an added 300 minutes (six hours) of international calling.

When Content Filtering Doesn't Work

Pal Dean Bubley was working in a cafe using is new Novatel MiFi and ran into some content filtering that prevented him from visiting a series of web sites that Vodafone is censoring.

Shozu and Truphone Nominated for Euro Tech Awards

The TechCrunch European Tech Awards nominations are out and the voting is open, and two of my clients plus a company we worked with for a year, Palringo, giving us three are in the running which in hockey terms gives us the Hat Trick!

Shozu and Truphone have hit the list in different categories. Truphone is joined by Palringo in the The Europas: Best Mobile Startup (EMEA) category, while Shozu is listed in the The Europas: Best Mobile Application (EMEA) category.

What's also great to see is that one Truphone's key founders, Alexander Straub was also listed a nominee in the The Europas: Best Investor Personality (EMEA) category. I just had dinner with Alexander and Truphone CEO Geraldine Wilson, along with CFO Coen Van Breda and founder James Tagg. If there was a category for best fund raisers it would be Van Breda and Tagg, who together have raised over $52 million US Dollars for Truphone.

It's also nice to see pal Pat Phelan's company, MaxRoam on the list. We all know Pat as one of the hardest working guys around so its nice to see his company recognized.

I Dub Thee POCKETSPOTS

I've been trying to come up with a name for the cool, pocket size WiFi hotspot creators that are rapidly coming to market, starting with the Novatel Wirless MiFis (of which I now have both CDMA and GSM version-unlocked to boot).

Then it hit me..the term is POCKETSPOT. I claim first use of the term, even though you will find the term used in photography for a small spotlight to light a very discreet amount of space, I've yet to see the term used in relation to the MiFi like device .

Free WiFi @ San Diego International Hits a Speed Bump

Normally when I'm at San Diego's Lindbergh Field for a flight I'm used to amazingly fast download speeds. Not so today as I was waiting for Virgin America's flight to SFO this morning.

My download speeds were just pitiful, indicating either the network is overloaded or they airport is rate limiting the users. If it's the former, this means that there provider Time Warner Telecom may want to think about working to boost the fiber connection here, as this is really a showcase for their data and telecom broadband they sell to the enterprise and SMB marketplace, head to head against Cox Communications, AT&T and former brother in arms Time Warner Cable.

Also, with 3G dongles and MiFi devices from local Novatel Wireless here in San Diego and some other neat and nifty Qualcomm chipset devices about to hit the shores one has to recognize that untethered broadband is really growing by leaps and bounds. When you start seeing deals like these, where the MiFi is free in return for a contract, you have to expect AT&T, Sprint and even T-Mobile to all begin to offer similar plans with MiFi's and Cradlepoints and other pocketspots that come on board from ZTE, Huawai and additional manufacturers.

One good thing though. I was able to latch on immediately with my Nokia E71 and makes calls via client Truphone as well as update some apps on my new Apple iPhone GS. Favorite app so far is voice control. I can't wait to see it it works with my car's Bluetooth system.

All About Symbian Provides Spot On Insight on Truphone and Nokia

Rafe Blandford, of All About Symbian, is someone I've gotten to know as a result of the Nokia Blogger Relations efforts over the past few years. He's someone whose perspective on what is happening on Nokia Symbian based devices combines the understanding of a user, with the insight of an analyst and the why it does what it does perspective of a programmer/engineer.

Yesterday Rafe posted what I am calling the seminal post about Truphone's expanded array of Nokia handset deployment options, in one concise and extremely well written post.

In a note to Rafe I said, "the post most accurately depicts the choices and options that the user now has, artfully explained the whys and how comes related to both the opportunities and challenges the developer now has before them with the Series 60 platform and its evolution, all while giving the reader a reason to want to use Truphone."

As someone who was involved in the architecting of the announcement and scheduling the briefing, and maybe more importantly someone who has been for the last few years intimately involved with both Nokia and Truphone in the way in which the stories get told, it was heartwarming to see someone capture the story and retell it so succinctly.

Give Rafe a read, especially if you use and are interested in the Nokia Symbian platform, as few are in his league when it comes to really "getting it" and then telling it from all perspectives.

Meraki Sponsors WiFi Access At San Francisco City Hall Chambers

In what should NOT be considered "Free" WiFi, Meraki, the makers of a lightweight mesh networking platform, have sponsored the deployment of WiFi inside San Francisco's City Hall, reports MuniWireless.com

To me there is a huge difference between "free" and "sponsored" even if the general public perceives it to be "free." The rationales are quite simple as the sponsored model in this case is the same as a park's beautification being underwritten by a benefactor. If the benefactor says no more, the ongoing beautification of the park stops until a new one can be found.

In the case of San Francisco, the city won't be subsidizing the WiFi anytime soon, so Meraki stepped in and in a very self serving (in a good way) developed a plan to bring greater attention to the merits and benefits of WiFi.

Well done by all, and hat tip to Esme Vos for drawing attention to this.

Cisco Really Pushing Telepresnce-Why Don't They Just Buy Skype

It looks like Cisco is pulling out all the stops to make people in general more aware of their push for Telepresence, aka, video conferencing for the big corporate set. They have just launched a contest for>everyone to tell them they want "Telepresence."

I have to wonder if they have heard of Skype? With Skype or even Logitech's SightSpeed, the concepts behind Telepresence exist today. With Skype currently working on multi-party video calling (or so I hear) there is in my mind a great deal of alignment there that should be explored.

Since Cisco is one of the few companies that could snap up Skype without blinking an eye, it has to be on someone's mind there to consider.

Online Video Growing

Trendstream, a research group that focuses on global web trends has issued a report that was picked up by the folks at the BIG FAT MARKETING BLOG, that shows the emergence of online video as more than just YOUTUBE and HULU.

Basically this is exciting news for companies like BrightCove, Sorenson Media, ShoZu, Livestream (both clients) and Livestream’s mobile partner, QIK, as well as many others, as it shows some very compelling trends are beginning to emerge.

For starters, the big networks do not own the space, evidence that recasting of traditional content is not the only programming the web connected is interested in.  Another interesting statistic is that good old standby, e-mail, is the chosen way to share links versus the flavor of the year, Twitter or other forms of social expression online.

For now, music sites remain the dominant type of site visited, but I think as content owners, event producers and broadcast properties begin to realize that new and original, made for the computer and mobile phone type content is what’s wanted, that more and more we’ll start seeing new programming emerge, with fans and fan favorites.

Personally, I’m thrilled to see these types of stats emerge as it shows that webcasting, something I’ve been supporting for over ten years is finally having its moment of emergence.

Lee Dryburgh's View Of Skype and a Changing Landscape

In what may be a controversial post with some pundits, Lee Dryburgh has gone out on a limb, picking up on a Phil Wolff meme to describe his passionate viewpoints and perspectives about what's up with Skype in the future. Phil in turn captured Lee's views and put them up on SkypeJournal.

Dryburgh (whose event, Ecomm is a client) clearly is coming at this from a "I've been inside" perspective and is sharing a lot of ideas and heart felt viewpoints on a company which I think is about to find its feet.

Ever since Skype was bought by eBay, the company has had a steady stream of eBay types telling it what to do. One more management change at the top is likely, post IPO or sell off, to remove the entire eBay like culture that has kept Skype from chasing its own destiny, so while the current man at the top is far better than what was there before, there's still the eBay hand on his shoulder, clouding everyone's perspective of him. That and the pesky JoltID suit which on face has to make one question the concept of "due diligence" being exercised to the finest levels prior to the eBay purchase of Skype.

Anyway, without digressing, give the post a read and recognize that a lot of Lee's thoughts are coming from someone very much inside the industry, but from a perspective of someone who has actually made things work.

A Reminder To Read My Friend James Enck's Blog

He may no longer be a daily blogger, as he does have to think seriously on how to keep food on the table and a roof over his family's heads, but from a perspective of insight, understanding and reality, there are few in the telco blogging fraternity (aka "The Cabal") who are as switched on as James Enck.

With the movement of long time blogger Martin Geddes to head of strategy at BT Design, Enck remains my favorite source of candor about what's going on in Europe, and especially the UK with regard to telecom, just as Dean Bubley remains highest on my UK analyst list for wit and cynicism.

As someone who is spending more and more time in the UK than I ever imagined, working with clients on campaigns and strategy more and more, I'm finding both of them to be critical to my understanding of where things are headed, just as I rely on their North American counterparts.

The key though is understanding that James Enck is a financial analyst, and his approach really zeros in on the most important aspect of any investor's views.

How will the darn thing make money. So, while James may not be the most prolific, his track record and score card warrants his streak blogging approach. I for one would rather see less noise and more insight, and thank fully, James (and others) help fill that need.

Voice..Voice..Get Your Google Voice Here

Back in the days of my sports era, one of the most colorful people in The Spectrum was "Joe, the Beerman." Joe would walk the aisles of the arena shouting, "beer, beer, get your cold beer here." He also led cheers in the stands, walked around with signs, and became a bit of a cult hero in the stands. Joe basically knew the faster he could sell beer, the colder it would be for the folks in the stands and the more money he'd make per night in tips.

Well, when it comes to Google Voice, I feel a bit like Joe. Part cheerleader (full disclosure I was a shareholder in GrandCentral and my agency did a lot to help with its awareness then) but also someone who has to let you know how to obtain your own GoogleVoice number. I'm doing this because not a week goes by where some reader or friend asks "can you help me get a Google Voice number? And as much as I'd like to help there's an easier way.

Google has posted a sign up page. Simply go to that link and you can apply.

My guess is, in typical Google fashion, instead of awarding all million numbers, they will assign a portion of those and then give each user the ability to invite more users. But, that's only a guess.

The Net Won't Be Free

Chris Albrecht over at NewTeeVee has penned a piece on the plans of the cable giants to start to charge for online video. In a nutshell, they want to treat online video as premium channel like HBO, which means you pay more per month.

This is not a surprise to me at all, as back in April I aired my viewpoint on where the cable guys are going.

So what does this mean? Well for starters we are going to see two models at work. The "on demand" or premium content model where the receiving party pays for more bandwidth. The second, and more interesting model is the sending party pays model where through a variety of scenarios (ad supported, subscription only, bundled offer regardless of end point, etc.) the content owner pays the "toll" to "deliver" the content to you.

What this is really about is leverage. The cable companies (and telcos) are using their last mile (and access to you) to obtain ownership in the online video companies efforts. And this is nothing new. It has been going on for years. Just look at how Liberty Media was built. Their origins date back to TCI cable, as well as others like Time Warner. By controlling the number of homes connected to TCI, John Malone and his colleagues in the cable industry were able to take lucrative positions, or carried interest, in many of the cable networks. This same approach is being followed today, as history always repeats.

For the public, this needs to be a wake up call for more municipal based Internet access. Cities, towns, counties, etc., all should be investing in their own fiber networks, building out high-speed wireless access, and providing their residents with an alternative to the current duopoly approach of either the telcos or the cable company. When that happens, the public's interest, and the true premise of the Internet will remain alive.

Who are the likely suspects to get behind a public infrastructure project?

Google-they have lots of dark fiber

Cisco-they have the technology in the middle that makes it work

Intel-it sells more chips

Who should get behind it?

Yahoo-they need to do something different and have so much in the way of rights

AOL-Like Yahoo, they own a lot.

Microsoft-they need to keep out in front and a lot of their "exchange" technology and cloud leaning future requires access.

TechCrunch, GigaOm, and any other new media, all online entity with no relationships with the major pipe providers. Imagine if your access to one of those "content networks" was blocked by your cable company.

The future has already been written. All one has to do is look at the past.

The question is who wants to rewrite the future's history?

I do for one.

Good Money After Bad? Is That What Ooma Just Got

Techcrunch reports that Ooma raised more money. Again.

Orange Business Users Can Cross Borders With Data

Wow..Just after I've been in three Orange powered nations (UK, France and Spain) out they come with a travel data offered geared for multinationals.

While no pricing details were disclosed, the concept tells me that today it's a corporate plan only, but I would expect that in a year or so, their Internet Everywhere plan, that includes a pre-paid option, will be coming to life too with a similar trans-border flavor.

3G GSM MiFi Hits the Retail Channel

I'm a fan of the Novatel Wireless MiFi, but now are even more excited about the possibilities, as the GSM version is now available.

This video shows just what it can do.

With an unlocked one of these and prepaid data, you can wander the world and stay connected.

Google Voice Open Soon?

According to Network World, the service previously known as GrandCentral is about to sprout wings, with reportedly 1 million numbers being reserved for use by the recently minted GoogleVoice platform.

The timing could be welcome news for many CallVantage customers of AT&T as they're all going to be losing their service, which has as one of its core features, Find Me/Follow Me that allows single number calling with multiple phone numbers as destinations and a wonderful, and perhaps even fuller featured Do Not Disturb mode, that makes even Google Voice binary style (on or off) Do Not Disturb setting seem antiquated. With CallVantage you can schedule a recurring Do Not Disturb time (like when you're sleeping) and have only emergency calls "barge through." With the free Google Voice service you can simply set it, and turn DND off, manually, and not have any recurring settings.

Still, as a user (and former agency and investor) GoogleVoice is my call management app of choice. Beyond the no cost feature, as someone who is on the road and always changing devices and phone numbers, the application has made it simple for family and friends to not have to wonder, "what phone is he using today and what number reaches him."

With the reported Local Number Portability feature also being added, with Google Voice, the Big G may have found their first "sticky" service for voice they have been looking for that has the same magic as Picasa with photos.

Truphone Featured On Sky News

Client Truphone's CEO Geraldine Wilson demonstrates the wide array of Truphone services, including the Apple iPod Touch, for Sky News.

The interview is running at the right time, as Truphpone has just updated both of their iPod and iPhone applications to be 3.0 ready.