VoIP Watch

AOL Is Cutting Everywhere - Update

AOL looks like they are getting ready to go up on the auction block to me.

They are cutting out broadband, eliminating divisions (Shoutcast/WinAmp), and more. They are doing this while they are working on rolling out a VoIP product.

Me thinks two things. First AOL wants to be the dominant dial up player in the market and is working to gear everything in that direction. Second they are looking like a company that is about to be sold. By trimming staff, high cost centers and not pursuing a grow to where the market is going strategy, they are making it easier for a suitor to figure out where the core value of the company rests.

In my view the glory days of AOL are long over. They have become what they fought so hard not to be, another Compuserve.

A few hours since I posted, AOL issued this statement.

I'm glad they bit. If you look at how AOL has operated in their relationships with the RBOC's they have struck one deal in once market, and then over a series of months made similar announcements. While AOL can spin this anyway they want to, the facts are that in BellSouth's backyard AOL is getting out of the business of selling broadband.

Is this the abortion or the harbinger of things to come? Time will tell.

More PCCW FUD

The folks at PCCW must be drinking a different kind of water in Hong Kong. How PCCW can say that VoIP is not of a benefit to business customers is a continuation of their FUD campaign in light of City Telecom's foray into the space.

This is why I guess there was Column A and Column B in most Chinese Restaurants when I grew up in Philly and went to Chinatown....it's all about choice.

Mercurey News on The FCC Ruling

The San Jose Mercurey News offers up an editorial opinion on the recent FCC ruling to keep VoIP free of state regulation. I think the key here is they zoomed in on the desire of the FCC to keep VoIP free of being a monopoly and in encouraging the rapid development of the technology and its application.

By not deciding now on things like taxes, the FCC is saying, "let it grow" and by saying keep the states hands off they are saying, "we've learned from what the states did with DSL and ISDN." In those issues the local RBOC's had a hand in keeping the levels low until they were ready. That paved the way for the MSO's in cable to take a lead in broadband.

Here the FCC say's go and grow.

How Good Is Packet 8

Leonardo talks about Packet8 and local number portability. In his post he discusses how good P8 sounds. That's due to Level3. He also plays up Broadvoice.

I think VoicePulse, Broadvoice and a few others all are in the same space, fighting for the same customers. Either consolidation has to happen or some of these will become VoIPchum for the big whales in the space.

Blog Slow Down

It's one of those days. I got back late Tuesday from San Francisco, have been drinking lots of wine since last Sunday with dinners I've organized. Call the wounds self inflicted. I'm also catching up on work, business and personal life beyond the blog.

Mostly I've been getting my house in order. I hate clutter and while my laptop is perfectly organized all this darn paper that seems to accumulate is overwhelming.

I hired a PA. That's Personal Assistant, so lots of my day is spent with her on organizational issues. Once that's done I want to build a really cool office set up with all the latest and greatest tech toys at work.

Oh yes, I love the new Samsung printer that I got at Office Depot. I have been printing more.

As for VoIP, I now have all three WiFi phones working. VoicePulse, BroadVoice and Net2Phone. I'll start more comparative testing next week. That will be followed by some testing of all the TA's I now have from Vonage, AT&T, Packet8, BroadVoice and VoicePulse. Anyone else want in?

RBOC's Like Vonage Ruling

If I read Om as he writes, it sure sounds like the Vonage ruling will open the floodgates for the RBOC's to finally play in the VoIP game on an even playing field. This is actually good for all of the consumers. Now they will have a choice and brand of carrier will mean more, as well as the service offering.

For the cable companies it also means they can have a national messaging strategy about their VoIP offerings, just like they do with Broadband Internet.

Remember, Vonage is a VoIP player. So is VoiceWing from Verizon.

Let the games begin !

The Human Side Of Blogs

What I love about Blogs is both their news value and the human touch.

Take New York's Jonathan Greene. He gives great insight about digital stuff, but never fails to keep the human side in check, sharing with us his joys and downfalls. Today he let the world know how AT&T's CallVantage saved him money.

That's why I think blogs are the wave of the future, despite some naysayers out in the world.

Packet 8 Panned

Leonardo pans Packet8, and seems to say in one breathe how unhappy he is and then to the issue of the current state of VoIP and handoff to other carriers.

It deals with Codecs and the concept of transcoding, the taking of one carriers voice packets and delivering them to the other end in the right codec.

I agree with his view of softphones, but also wonder how things like who his broadband provider is, what kind of router he is using and how the calls are getting to the end point.

I also wonder if the problem is on all calls, calls he initiates or calls he receives or if he is happy and made a typo?

WiFi Pundit Thinks VoIP over WiFi is Closer

I've been touting the potential of VoIP over WiFi for many moons as longtime readers of this blog will recall. Now it seems the future is getting cleared as Glenn Fleishman in his most excellent and must read blog on all things WiFi and Wireless has pointed out via a Wall Street Journal.

What is becoming clearer is that the devices are on their way, and that the cell carriers, at least in the USA, see that the blending of WiFi, VoIP and a Cellphone number is all in everyone's best interest.

This is a huge benefit for Bridgeport-Networks, as they are poised to be a significant player in this true roaming and handoff game. Their technology sits inside the carrier's Network Operations Center and makes magic happen in an era where users want less to do to roam, and carriers want easier solutions.

Eyebeam Lands DT

Congrats to the folks at XTEN in landing Deutsche Telekom.