VoIPWatch

What's Next for Wireless?

The wireless industry is constantly evolving. Every year, we see new technologies and trends emerge that have the potential to change the landscape of wireless forever. So, what's next for wireless? Here's what to watch:

1. eSIMs: Embedded SIM (eSIM) cards are the next generation of SIM cards. Unlike traditional SIM cards, which are physical cards that must be inserted into a device, eSIMs are embedded into devices and can be activated remotely. This means that users will no longer have to physically swap out their SIM cards when they want to change carriers. Instead, they'll be able to simply activate or deactivate their eSIM with their carrier of choice. This technology is already being used in some smartphones and smartwatches, and it's expected to become more prevalent in the coming year.

2. GIGS out of Germany, but with venture funding from around the globe, is building a platform to enable any business to offer eSIM & SIM enabled phone plans of any size on any network globally. Businesses can launch their own mobile service and monetize their audience, unlocking recurring revenue streams,

3. Helium: Helium is a new network architecture powered by the Helium Blockchain, The People’s Network represents a paradigm shift for decentralized wireless infrastructure. 

With all this going on the wireless industry is always changing, and 2023 is shaping up to be no different. We're already seeing new technologies emerging that have the potential to change the way we use wireless forever. So, what's next for wireless? Only time will tell!

 

 

All You Need to Know About eSIMs

Perhaps you've heard of eSIMs but aren't quite sure what they are or how they work. With all the traveling I've been doing lately, eSIMs have become more and more helpful, with the added benefit  that you won't lose a physical SIM. For me, I"ve got Verizon, T-Mobile and Google Fi active on various devices, all with eSIMs, which makes activating any of them when I'm back home, or roaming, really easy.

An eSIM is a "virtual" SIM card that is embedded in your device and can be activated without having to use a physical SIM card. This means that you can have multiple phone numbers on one device and switch between them as needed. iPhones, iPads, Google Pixel phones and other Android devices now offer the eSIM option, and if your smartphone or tablet is eSIM ready it's time to seriously think of making the switch.

eSIMs are becoming increasingly popular, particularly in the business world. That's because they offer a number of advantages over traditional SIM cards, including the ability to easily swap between service providers, add multiple phone numbers to one device, and save space by not having to carry around a physical SIM card that can get lost, or simply stop working.

If you're considering making the switch to an eSIM, then this blog post is for you. Here, we'll give you a rundown of everything you need to know about eSIMs, from how they work to the benefits they offer.

How do eSIMs Work?

An eSIM is a digital SIM that is built into your device. This means that you don't need to use a physical SIM card in order to activate it. When you want to change service providers or add a new phone number, all you need to do is scan a QR code or enter in a few details online—there's no need to go through the hassle of getting a new SIM card cut.

One of the advantages of having an eSIM is that it makes it very easy to change service providers. For example, let's say you're traveling overseas and want to use a local carrier in order to avoid roaming charges. With an eSIM, all you need to do is purchase a local data plan and activate it on your device—no need to go through the hassle of getting a new physical SIM card by leaving your hotel, finding a shop, and hoping you have the right ID to activate service.

Another advantage of eSIMs is that they allow you to have multiple phone numbers on one device. This can be useful if you want to keep your personal and professional life separate, or if you're traveling internationally and want to have a local number for each country you're visiting.

Finally, eSIMs offer the benefit of saving space as there's no need for a physical SIM card. And as more and more devices start to come with eSIM support built-in, it's likely that we'll see even more devices ditching the physical SIM card altogether in favor of an all-digital solution.

Benefits of using an eSIM

There are several benefits that come with using an eSIM instead of a physical SIM card. These include: ・The ability to easily change service providers ・The ability to add multiple phone numbers on one device ・The ability save space by not having to carry around a physical SIM card ・Better security as there's no need to worry about losing or damaging your SIM card ・Easier activation as there's no need to go through the process of getting a new SIM card cut

eSIMs are becoming increasingly popular due in part to the many benefits they offer over traditional physical SIM cards. If you're considering making the switch, then be sure to keep this information in mind. And if you have any questions about how eSIMs work or whether they're right for you, then don't hesitate to reach out—I'm always happy to help!

A Lot Has Changed

It's been a while since I've written here on VoIPWatch. A lot has changed and yet in many ways the song remains the same. In the hey day of blogging I would post three to four items a day, share my opinion and the cabal of other bloggers like Om, James, Rich, Jeff, Martin, Ted, Alec, Jim, the late Russell, all would also be posting, linking and sharing. Here, I chose to take a perspective based on the core ideas of blogging-I offered insight, perspective and opinion, which I referred to as IPO. I did this, often with a cadre of clients begging to be written about in my blog, something I did only after others had written, or if no one had taken my offer up to write first. 

Today, being Giving Tuesday, I'll give a few things. First, I put out an almost daily newsletter, The Comunicano,  which you can subscribe to by simply adding your name to the list. It has up to 24 items you should know about, often from the top media sources that are still bastions of integrity and honest reporting, even if they're not always right. It's free and my daily gift to keeping people informed.

But now, it's time to give you my thoughts, as that's what I've always done.

The difference here has been, and always will be that when I write, I write with transparency. If the post refers to a client, I've made a point of mentioning that for many, many years, unlike some so called "top influencers" who are paid to write, post, tweet or go to events at the expense of the company in exchange for regular coverage. Sure, I've been to some of those same events, and have also been paid by some of those companies too, but the lack of transparency with influencers and analysts has made a mockery of the numbers on social media and "reporting," and has for the most part made PR all PESO-Paid, Earned, Shared or Owned and we all saw what that did to the Mexican economy, and what that all led to. 

That's pretty much the state of what attempts to pass as journalism today--Fake News. Made up news. Articles and accounts that aren't fact checked, unattributed statements by someone who told some reporter something. As a lifelong media person, I've been on all sides, and in many ways I still am. I've been a PR person-and I hate that title-a copy boy, a sportswriter, on air talent on TV, sports color analyst, night time DJ, event producer, podcaster, speaker, influencer, and social media personality.  My degree is in Journalism, and I've lectured to students too about media, so over the last four and a half decades of being around all this a lot has changed and yet it really hasn't. Forget about all the stories I've pitched, sometimes I've been the story, other times I've been the architect of the story, but one thing has always been a constant. It has always been true.

Most of all the idea of a "free press" and an unbridled media has all but evaporated. Sure there are the independent thinkers. The pundits who use blogging like I do. We have our "followers" and our "readers" and like some news personalities our stories may get shared, but at the end of the day, the state of media is in a major need of repair as often the news isn't true, but here, like the Elvis Costello tune, "My Aim is True."

While we have more choices, we really have less and less perspective on things. Too much is about the "new and shinny" gizmo or gadget. Or about the funding-not about what that which is being funded may do--if it will do anything but burn the cash and will be in the media solely to get more cash.

No. Our media is no longer the counterbalance to all that is wrong. Reporters, and bloggers too, who dare to challenge or push the hard questions to company CEOs often find themselves no longer included in briefings, getting the "word" in advance or being invited  to the press events.  Brands use access to their information and executives as capital--I know one well respected reporter who once agreed with me about something Apple had done, but chose to not pursue the story out of concern of being left off the list of early device review opportunities or access to the executives. 

And with less "beat" reporters covering the stories, and instead stories have to find the reporter, we get more homogenized accounts of the news release that crossed the wire that same day. I find it rewarding how Jeff Bezos has taken a hands off approach with the Washington Post, and how Mike Bloomberg keeps things fair and honest with the numbers. It's encouraging that the Benioff's have invested in media, and Mrs. Jobs too. These scions of tech and wealth know that there's a need for legitimate, unbiased, fair and respected journalism. And I agree.

I don't know if we'll ever again really have a "free" press. But I do know one thing. A lot sure has changed, but in many ways, it's all still the same.

The Video Calling Switchboard Has Arrived

 

Zoom just took the first step to create the video calling switchboard. This may not seem like a big deal, but it really is because right now, video calling and video conferencing, like encrypted communications, is a dystopia of balkanized efforts, where each provider does things their own way, and for users it means having multiple services to subscribe to and use. 

Not only is this unwieldy from a cost control standpoint, it is downright confusing. It's as confusing as the days of ICQ and AOL Messenger being owned and operated by AOL but not being interconnected. Now, so many years later, we still have division by user base, but like so many things I'm polyamorous about, the number of services and apps I need to have to stay in touch is mind boggling. When I compare this to before say 2000, when I had maybe three phone numbers-home, office and cell phone to be found, plus a private 800 number so my mother could call me cross country for free, even then I had Webley and AT&T’s Reach Me , both of which made ringing all the devices at the same time using the earliest of Find Me/Follow Me technology, so easy. These services, all aimed at making us reachable via one number services, as they reduced complexity, they didn’t add to it.

That’s why what ZOOM's new effort and what they are doing today, connecting to Facebook’s Portal, Google Nest with video and Amazon Echo Show 8 is so important. They are getting connected to where the people are, not to where they have been. This “federation” of sorts is very similar to what Michael Robertson and Jeff Bonforte did with the earliest days of Gizmo Project, and what Jeff Pulver and Carl Ford first did with Free World DialUp, long before they idea was taken by the Skype founding team and given an injection of steroids with JOLTID for secure communications, something Skype sure isn’t today.

But today, now with WebRTC and the cloud making it easy for new voice, messaging and video services to spring up, the need for the modern era switchboard for video calling and conferencing, that offers security, privacy and control, and can rest in the hands of the user using a permission based approach, is upon us.

A lot more work still needs to be done, but Zoom’s first step is a big one, and a bold move, especially as they move more and more into telephony with Zoom phone and expand that footprint worldwide. By moving video calling in the direction they are going, and adding phone service, it won’t be long before you can call someone more easily, and have that call end up on the Nest, Portal or Show, just like calls that used to go to your home phone, just like the Jetsons’ cartoons of the past foreshadowed.

How Skype Fell to Zoom

WiredUK has a drill down on how Microsoft's SKYPE lost the video calling war to ZOOM. Long time media voice turned VC, and friend, Om Malik, is quoted heavily in the story, and Om's right. 

While pointing to the rise of Microsoft Teams as a contributory factor due to Microsoft's internal decisions, both Wired and Om missed one of the key contributors to SKYPE's demise; that's also the reason why Microsoft put its bets on Teams while letting SKYPE wither in the wind. 

SLACK.

Before Slack, for many workers, SKYPE was the way they messaged one another, and people outside their organization. It allowed them to text, share files and advance to a call, then a video call and even a group video call. But as Slack took chat and file-sharing traffic over, offered deeper integration with Google Drive, DropBox, Box, as the ability to start a call with a few keystrokes with many calling and conferencing services, the use of Skype for calls became less and less necessary.

Slack's rise was contributing to less use of Skype in business. And in essence, Microsoft's own efforts to counter Slack with Teams took away efforts to keep Skype alive.

Combine that with what Om said about Microsoft and the phrase "muck it up," and you had the perfect storm. As the Covid-19 pandemic arrived and more people started to need to "see" one another, ZOOM swept in with a well-timed PR campaign. ZOOM's integration with Slack isn't a "Johnny come lately" move either that arrived at the start of Covid-19, like Houseparty's rapid ascent or the repositioning of Hangouts to Meet by Google. Those are playing catch up. ZOOM has had a longstanding integration with SLACK. And, that "love affair" was already blooming. Many Slack users were already ZOOMing, just as they also have been using UberConference or Go To Meeting the same way for many years. 

While Skype has the same Slack integration , Zoom kept working and deepening the Slack relationship, and with shared channels that allowed people to work across organizations available, just like Skype, they offered users more integration. 

Right now, Slack plus Zoom is winning the battle. If Teams can succeed in moving business over from Slack, then Zoom has to worry about the ground it gained shifting to Teams. 

5G Delays May Be Good News. Here's Why

As we live through the new normal we need to reassess our plans. And when it comes to 5G there's a lot of room for reassessment. Here's why.

Already we're seeing reports that due to Covid-19 and impact on people and the economy globally, 5G rollouts may be slowed down. While the 5G conspiracy theorists will revel in the pause button being hit, that's not why this is good news. It's good news because all the plans for 5G rollout had to do with where people, and their mobile devices were, not where they are today and likely where they will more often be in the future.

Much like where fiber is being deployed, not where it's needed now, 5G was largely planned to go where the densest levels of usage were or where coverage gaps that needed filling were. Now with more work from home, schooling at home and just everything happening (or not happening) at home, the need to look at coverage maps, deployment schedules and locations of cell towers and micro-cells all changes. 

The tower companies and telcos though are not like small PT boats that can quickly turn in the sea. They operate more like battleships and destroyers. That means they don't shift around very easily, very well or most importantly, very quickly.

Lots of research went into where 5G is going to be deployed. Then there's securing the towers, erecting new ones, getting local approval, all before the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint throws a big monkey wrench as swaps of towers and the agreements that are already in place need to change hands and more.

 

 

In effect, the hitting the pause button allows the biggest enemy of a deployment, time, to reset. Now with new data being collected from LTE/4G usage, traffic patterns and online usage of cable, fiber and DSL connections, the telcos can rethink where they put 5G and when. 

This is important as more data keeps coming out everyday that working from home isn't any longer an aberration, but really the harbinger of things to come. By having the time to sift through the new data, the telcos can now move their uninstalled gear, and RAN (radio access networks) efforts to where the people are, not where they used to be.

Sure the business sectors and commercial corridors will need 5G, but with traffic counts way down, and people shopping more and more online, having groceries delivered and more, the rush to make sure the commercially dense areas are covered isn't any longer as important. Home is. That's where 5G needs to be.

SMS Short Codes Can Come Up Short

SMS has become a way many users communicate and in lots of use cases, such as multi-factor authentication, it becomes the way various businesses and services validate you to use another mode of communications, like a mobile app. Unfortunately, just as how Robocalling has infected our telephone world, where calls come in looking like they're from your neighbor when they're from someone impersonating Apple, Microsoft, the IRS or the Social Security Administration, SMS Short Codes, that are administered by the CTIA, have also fallen victim to SMS Spam.

And, when your bank, or airline's SMS supplier is caught having SPAM traffic coming through to one of the MNOs (Mobile Network Operators), unlike with robocalling where the calls keep coming, the MNOs simply turn off access to the offending supplier, and with it, all the traffic from legitimate SMS platforms stops too. And with it, they, and their customers who are already enrolled in a Text Marketing program for information, as a means to authenticate and communicate, get turned off too.

As a result, SMS Short Codes, are coming up short, and will likely be the next target for the FCC to tackle, after Shaken/Stir has had its day. The reason is customers and businesses rely on the messaging platform to deliver the good. And when they don't, without warning, problems can arise. The FCC is there to serve the public's interest, and to protect the licensees and operators too so don't be surprised if they tackle this growing problem too.

More Thoughts on 8x8's Free Video Meetings

The other day, long time gadget blogger, and VoIP fan, Jason Harris of Techcraver and I had a call using the new 8x8 Free Meetings app. At first blush it reminded me of many other WebRTC based video calling services. But the more I look under the hood, the more I am seeing how disruptive it could become, much like what Dialpad's UberConference did to disrupt conferencing in 2012.

The keys to it go beyond the "If it's free it's me. If I gotta pay it's no way" crowd attractiveness. First you can secure multiple dedicated conference bridge urls. One for your company, and another for yourself.  If people need to dial into the bridge they are offered dial in numbers and pin codes, maybe the only downside  i've seen so far.

The service offers participants screen sharing, chat and hand raising functionality. On my call with Jason the video was super crisp, audio was clear and there wasn't any choppiness. As a Chrome user, the experience was really good. When Jason switched to Firefox there was a bit of a lag and the video wasn't as sharp, so back to Chrome we went.

For a free service, it is a great find. And could be for video meetings a replacement for the many "free" audio only conferencing services. Give it a try....and let me know..

Rise of The UC Buyer

Pal and former client, Dave Gilbert, who led Simple Signal to their successful exit to Vonage is back in Telecom with his recent investment and new found role with BuyerMedia.

The telecom world needs more media outlets, especially ones that are focused on the end user or buyer. Too much of what's left is mostly "announcement" journalism. Hopefully the new Buyer leadership stays true to their name and writes for and from the buyers' perspective vs. rehashing bland news releases, recycled b.s., and where much of the information is taken at face value.

Want to Tango? Say Hello to the EVNO

We've all heard of the MVNO, the acronym for a mobile virtual network operator. They took a while to take off, and have had their ups and downs all over the globe. In some markets they have done well, in others not so well, and in the end, any have either shut down or simply been acquired as alternative brands for the established mobile network operators (MNO's).

Others like former client Truphone have morphed into a Global Mobile Network Operator (GMNO), combining core network access with global roaming and local numbers. GoogleFi operates similarly, but because it is so tightly woven to the Google core network and services it is really more of a single connectivity plane to all that is Google and the Internet. Nowhere is this more evident than on Google's own Android based Pixel smartphones. But, when you take a broader look at what both Google Fi and Truphone have done so far, they really have set the stage for the rise of a new category, the EVNO-the enterprise virtual network operator.

Recently Tango Networks announced their Kinetic Cloud Mobile X, something the company describes as the "first communications service that creates a private mobile network exclusively controlled by an enterprise for maximizing the productivity of its distributed workforce." If that doesn't have all the makings of an EVNO, I don't know what does.

Tango Networks is providing the enterprise market with total control from mobile and WiFi access to policy and full UCaaS functions, something pal Dean Bubley, the London based futurist and analyst says is "an early example of a wider trend." Beyond Tango, Bubley is expecting to see "continued convergence of MVNOs with enterprise comms and UCaaS, enabled by technologies such as eSIM and cloud-based mobile core networks."

From an enterprise perspective the mobility manager, or IT mobile lead, can now define the mobile experience for their entire staff, and even others who need to be connected to their core communications system using Tango's Kinetic Communications Platform. This goes well beyond simply providing calling, connectivity and access, as what  is doing is more akin to concepts like federation by allowing those who actually need access, even third parties related to the enterprise to have access, and even then, only permitting them do what they are permitted to do. That's a lot like sharing a file from Google G Suite inside and outside the company, as the platform makes voice, text, video and more accessible across the entire enterprise and just as reachable by their ecosystem partners.

While Truphone and Fi, start first with the SIM, Tango ends with that. The SIM, or eSIM at some point, is merely the key to the network lock, including over any form of mobile wireless or Wi-Fi for authentication. What makes this so very interesting is what Tango has done with the core UCaaS system, making the SBC the real traffic cop, and the softswitch more than just a glorified call director by moving the call control functionality from the mobile operator inside, to the enterprise itself.

Taken on face, this may seem immaterial, but have you ever tried to transfer a call from one mobile phone to another? It's almost impossible unless you're running the call over a data connection and have a UCaaS provider in the middle. That's a lot like what GoogleVoice does, and it's really basic stuff.

But in the Tango environment, they've made it is as easy as it is on a desk phone because the call control is inside the enterprise network's UCaaS system, making the mobile wireless network (or WiFi) no different than a cord or cable does for the handset on the office network.

This change to how Tango handles calls means even when a user is on a legacy 1XRTT network like Verizon's or Sprint's in the USA, the functions still work as if they were in their offica as Tango's native mobile network policy enforcement tools that have been embedded inside the Tier 1 carriers for going on a decade allow the phone to be a true extension to the UCaaS system. Granted, there may be some differences in how the service behaves depending on user device configurations and support for SIM connectivity, but the Mobile UC and policy enforcement tools work everywhere, with more fuctionality on 3G and 4G/LTE, all based upon the patented Tango technology.

In essence, each enterprise customer becomes their own mobile operator. This happens because Tango keeps the Kinetic Cloud Mobile-X radio and device agnostic, and operates just like Google Fi or Truphone, serving as a global MVNO with multiple carrier connectivity. This gives the enterprise the ability to route calls, messaging and data as well as apply local country numbering using the UCaaS switch and SBC by using the rules that have been established within the enterprise call control platform.

That's all why I'm calling Tango's Kinetic Cloud the first of its kind EVNO!!!

With 5G Pocketspots are Coming Back

When the first MiFi's came out I always referred to them as PocketSpots. Having used more than a few along the way,  they were broadband on the go. I had a few of them from Novatel, most of which were initially locked down to AT&T or Verizon. There were more along the way from Sprint and T-Mobile too. As I traveled internationally I even bought a few out of the UK that were made by Huawei, and some via eBay.  I remember one from Telstra in Australia that was great while I was there, as I could connect my MacBook without worry whne WiFi wasn't always there.

Yes, PocketSpots were the rage, at least until tablets and mobile hotspots on iPhones and Androids became so standard, and the mobile operators made the feature more accessible. Over time the hotspot manufacturers have had their ups and downs. Noavtel chenged their name to Inseego and others like Franklin Wireless have persevered

As Mobile World Congress draws near we can expect to see more news about 5G with hotspots being a starting point for it, as just like we saw with 3G, 4G and LTE. The reasoning, beyond history always repeating, is it will be easier for the mobile operators to sell pocket hotspots so people can connect their existing devices before the upgrade to new 5G ones. That's the result of the contracts that people are under, and how devices have been sold.

So what's going to happen with PocketSpots? Telstra and Verizon are already working with Inseego on 5G NR mobile hotspots, with the prospect of seeing PocketSpots in hand by Q2 of this year. The name, MiFi will go away, making way for something more relevant and today. And just like with the MiFi's the new 5G devices will bring access to faster and more robust services long before the phones, tablets and PCs can connect.