VoIPWatch

Mobile Service on The Metro Impressively Fast

I've been a long time visitor to Paris for many years and remember my first experience on the #14 line, also known as the Meteor and how I was able to receive email on my Nokia 9000 Communicator. It was back in the 00's and the iPhone was not even in existence. Back then email and some web browsing at really slow speeds were the norm, but we were connected at least.

Today, I rode the #1 Metro and as I looked around there were people talking, texting and of course using many apps on their smartphones. I had forgotten that the Metro had improved its mobile connectivity across all of the lines that make getting around Paris such a snap.

Unlike London and New York City, where mobile phone service is relegated to just the stations, on the Metro you have full coverage. A fast speed check showed speeds at about 15 megs as the subway car moved towards Palais Royale from the Champs Elysee.

To say my experience was great is an understatement. Just watching so many people connected and getting things done while on the go underground was more than great. It made me realize that back home in the USA the operators talk about 5G but ignore opportunities in cities like Philadelphia and Washington DC. Yes BART in the Bay Area has connectivity, but it's nothing like what I just experienced here in Paris.

The Next Few Months In VoIP

January is CES, the National Retail Federation and of course the run up to the Super Bowl. Not to be forgotten is the boondoggle of all boondoggles, the very well timed PTC gathering in Honolulu which is happening now, just before the NFL's Pro Bowl comes to the island.

February brings TMC's IT Expo in Fort Lauderdale, while March brings Enterprise Connect in Orlando.

Which shows are YOU going to be attending? Hit me up on Twitter @andyabramson so I know to find you..

 

Broadsoft Clears Another Merger Hurdle

On Friday the news came out that Cisco's purchase of Broadsoft had one more roadblock removed. That hurdle was the possibility of an anti-trust violation due to restrictive competition. In it's ruling the DOJ basically said they don't see this as restrictive in nature. With this decision the shareholders will vote on January 25th to approve the merger.

Once that's done it gets interesting with some of Broadsoft and Cisco's largest customers, the telecommunications carriers and mobile operators who for years have had both to play off against, or offer as different options. This merger creates a vacuum there with really only Microsoft's Skype for Business aiming to fill and according to recent conversations, customers are not exactly loving it, while eco-system partners are taking a wait and see approach to Teams as the kits to do the integration are still not there yet.

Fun times in telecom.

Fe Fi Fo Fum Fi and T-Mobile Are Data Down Globally but Not In The USA

How come none of the media who are paid to know what's what have connected the T-Mobile USA and Google Project Fi outages today on an international level?

After reading about the Fi outage, I Googled the words T-Mobile and outage. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to make the connection since Fi piggybacks off of T-Mobile.

 

My New Cable Box is a Chromebook and Chromecast

Over the past few months I've been using YouTubeTV and various streaming services like CBS All Access, Netflix, Showtime and more. As of this month, I've dumped my cable box, and the associated $90.00 a month bill that comes with it. And, I'm using a four year old Chromebook to be the cable box and streaming to my monitor via a Chromecast.

 

For starters, YouTubeTv is $35.00 a month. CBS is $9.99. I can get Showtime via Amazon Prime, as well as a few other networks like Cinemax, HBO and I'm not missing any sports except the local Fox Sports Net which I didn't have anyway as my ISP is a fiber provider, not the local Cable Company-Spectrum. But I don't just have to use a Chromebook. I'm able to stream from many apps from Android and iOS devices very easily, making the combination a natural cost saver and cable service replacement.

As services like YouTubeTV, Vue, YipTV and others all make access to first run programming easier, the idea of cutting the cord and ditching the box keeps becoming easier.