Startup Culture Ignites ITExpo

I went to ITExpo to catch-up with many telecom people and learn new things. But as a resident and fan of Boulder, I am also somewhat intrigued by the local start-up world. These two world's met once before - at Gluecon. The Gluecon conference addresses the glue required between various APIs and technologies. It is really what "unified communications", or "CEBP", should be about - but "Glue" has more stick to it. At GlueCon I met Jeff Lawson, CEO of Twilio. Twilio is among a new breed of companies that enables unified communications as a service. Though Twilio is a California company, among Twilio's early investors is local startup mentor and founder of TechStars, David Cohen. [The next Gluecon is coming up in May].

Well, back to ITExpo and the telecom world, I finally met Larry Lisser - who so far I had only met through Twitter. Larry is a principal of Embrase Business Consulting which guides telecom (and other) startups. The idea of Startup Camp was "to better expose and support the very early stage: those companies disrupting in the trenches, those still bootstrapping, those without the benefit of PR budgets to generate the visibility and partner opportunities they needed to get to market faster. Those in voice, mobile, video, network and other forms of emerging telephony." [Quoted from Larry's Blog.]

What I need to state clearly here is this was an electric event. It should not have been - this was not a start-up crowd. Nor was it well timed - it was at the end of a long day of sessions and exhibitions. Time to go back to the hotel before dinner. But instead, it was a packed event - guessing 200 people. The energy in the room was unlike any other ITExpo session. I attend quite a few telecom events every year and I never describe any of the meetings or sessions as "electric". But that's what startups do, and startups just don't fit into my normal world of enterprise communications. There is plenty of innovation among the enterprise players - but it isn't raw. It is filtered and branded. Google was quite innovative with Google Voice, but the real innovation came from Grand Central which Google acquired. These are the early Grand Central's. Telecom isn't particularly associated with young vibrant companies - the barriers to entry over the decades were significant. But like so many other industries, the web and new APIs are unleashing innovation in even the most stubborn industries.

Twilio sponsored the event, and Phonetag contributed on the spot with drinks and giveaways. Though still considered a startup themselves, Twilio is no longer early stage - and just completed $3.7 million in funding. Plus their service powers two of the presenting companies. Twilio's sponsorship contributed to travel costs for the presenters.

After the event was announced, 25 early stage participants applied to present. Four companies were selected based on stage, originality, market potential, and other factors. The presentations were American Idol format with panelists instead of judges providing feedback to the new CEOs. The audience was also allowed to contribute ideas and suggestions. The panelist were:

• Michael Mildennberger: a founder and CEO of multiple telecom startups and currently Managing Director of Corporate Finance Partners Americas.
• Randy Busch: CEO of Jazinga another entrepreneur and technology startup veteran.
• Thomas Howe: CEO of Thomas Howe Company, an experienced wth design and development of communications equipment.
• Andy Abramson: CEO of Comunicano, a asymmetrical communications consultancy geared toward technology startups.

Before the presentations started, we were treated to a great keynote by Jamie Siminoff, founder of PhoneTag, now part of Ditech Networks. Jamie's keynote addressed the many myths and challenges associated with startups. Then, four companies made their unpolished pitches, with (get this) sincere interest in feedback. They were:

SayHired: Mark Thomas of SayHired discussed how telecommunications technology can facilitate the applicant screening process. Thanks to the Internet, employers can be deluged with applicants on posted positions. SayHired leverages the Twilio platform to perform applicant screening over the phone. By using an IVR to deliver prerecorded interview questions SayHired automates one of the most time consuming tasks associated with hiring.

Close-Haul Communications: Robin Coxe is leveraging her Ph.D in Particle Physics (somehow) to create the GAPfiller product. It is a low-power GSM Access Point designed to fill cellular network holes. It acts as a femtocell using SIP trunks to provide GSM cell coverage in remote areas. The GAPfiller is based on Asterisk and OpenBTS and delivers service to GSM phones independent of mobile carriers. Though the technology would work anywhere, Close-Haul is targeting remote areas to avoid conflicts with major carriers.

Fonolo: Shai Berger presented - and ever since, I've been finding numerous sites that can benefit from Fonolo's services. Fonolo thinks telephone IVR systems and websites don't need to be totally disparate. Both IVRs and Websites perform various routing services to deliver the guest to the right information - but neither talks to each other. If the guest has navigated through a website and then requires assistance over the phone, why completely restart? Fonolo effectively enables session information to passed between systems. The solution is amazingly simple - like many ideas are - but remains beyond the grasp of so many.

Pebb.ly: Jeff Jenkins presented. Who is going to be the next Twitter? Possibly Pebb.ly because they are effectively replicating its service with a telecom twist. Twitter was designed arond SMS - that's why its limited to 140 characters. But Twitter is a web applications, and SMS isn't a big part of its base. Ironically, there are a lot more cell phones than desktops and both cell phones and SMS continues to grow. Pebb.ly wants to turn SMS into a marketing tool - geared around the cell phone as the primary client. The idea is marketing campaigns can be implemented with either lists or via keyword responders that deliver information directly and cost effectively over SMS.

It was so nice to feel this innovative startup spirit alive at an industry conference. The transition from digital to VoIP was not as disruptive as many predicted. But now that VoIP is here, the real possibilities are arriving - a wave of new products and services are transforming the industry. No assumption (albeit dialtone makes sense, T1s are cost effective, long distance is expensive, whatever) can be assumed to be true any more. The industry is about to deliver new services ranging from visual communications to location-based solutions that were either incomprehensible a few years ago or promised and unfulfilled for decades.

It reminds me a bit of the movie Jurassic Park. The film broke special effects barriers by using technology that was not available when filming began. With the innovative mind, cloud based platform services, and web APIs, entire services can be created in the time it took to dial Grandma on a rotary phone. Please hold for innovation (but not for long).

Switchvox SMB 4.5 Raises the Bar

Digium quietly released a fairly significant upgrade to its flagship business VoIP solution, Switchvox SMB. The release offers a number of improvements and continues to position the solution as a strong value.

If you are not familiar with Switchvox, it is one of Digium's only proprietary products. It is an appliance like phone system that is based on the open source free Asterisk also from Digium. The product transforms Asterisk to a robust point and click feature-rich VoIP phone system. The entire system is managed from a web console and provides a number of highly innovative features.

What is really nice about Swichvox SMB, is software maintenance actually delivers new features. All SMB customers currently under maintenance will receive the upgrade and new features for no additional charge. As with all prior upgrades, the new software is installed over the Internet with a press of a button. The upgrade takes only a few minutes (not counting the download), and involves a system reboot.

Features? Yep, new ones that clearly raise the bar. Finally, Switchvox discovered the phone. One of my complaints about so many Asterisk/SIP based solutions is the featureless phone. Features are typically accessed via the web browser instead of the phone. Even worse, the phones weren't exactly easy to configure - a lot of installation set-up for what becomes a fairly basic device. That's the heart of 4.5, it makes phone set-up a breeze and makes the phone far more useful.

Call recording is a great example. Call recording has always been a standard feature in SMB, but only accessed from the "Switchboard" webapplet. A user desiring to record the call, had to first open the browser, login to Switchvox, launch the switchboard, and activate recording. Now, call recording is easily accessed via a softkey on the phone. Digium took a great standard feature and made it accessible.

Another nice improvement is the directory. Most phone systems have a limited directory. Switchvox SMB now allows users to upload photos, location information, and email address to the directory. The information is displayed in the Switchboard and the Polycom phone display (during incoming and outgoing calls). Smaller versions show up on the visual voice mail - yes visual voice mail comes to Switchvox. They also made call park information accessible from the phonetop.

Technically, these features were always possible, just not easy. Polycom phones can be customized with esoteric scripts via TFTP servers. What Switchvox did was make this all accessible via point and click options delivered by the new "Phone Feature Packs". This is a beefed up version of what used to be called Provisioning Tokens which were almost useful in version SMB4. The concept was to simplify phone set-up, but the result was too simple. It made the phones featureless single line phones. With 4.5, it not only delivers these new features to the phone, but does so in with options for multi-line and resilient configurations. Any SIP phone can be used with Switchvox SMB, but the Feature Packs configure Polycom and Snom phones (not all features can be configured on Snom phones). The provisioning is done directly from the SMB server, no separate server or scripting is required. Phone Feature Packs are sold separately per phone, they replace the Provisioning Tokens.

The Feature Packs offer quite a bit of configuration control including digit map timeouts, NTP server details, options regarding displayed notifications, and line labels. A Click-to-dial improvement now initiates on-hook dialing instead of ring-answer to complete a call. All this means is Switchvox administration is now available for the masses, its simplistic point and click approach is now a complete offering.

The Feature Packs are sold per user just as the older Provisioning Tokens were. However, Digium is offering the Feature Packs with separate part numbers for Polycom and Snom phones. This makes no sense to me as customers should be able to mix and match endpoints as desired. It turns out, at least for now, the only difference is the part number. So in theory a Polycom license could be used with a Snom phone. It seems like a wasteful exercise in marketing research. There are plenty of great SIP devices, and I assume Digium is planning broader support to include phones from Aastra, Grandstream, Cisco, and more - I hope they aren't planning on different licenses for each.

SMB 4.5 includes many other enhancements. There is a new concept called Ring Hints which is an additional form of distinctive ringing. A Ring Hint is associated with a call via the IVR. For example, a customer could enter a priority ID, or be authenticated, or select a language preference. The Ring Hint will follow the call through the system. Since custom ringtones are also supported (via standard wave files), the ring can be very distinctive. Thre are numerous improvements to the interface, upgrades to T.38 faxing, and improvements to the Help system. Switchvox also overcame some Asterisk hurdles regarding foreign language support.

There are also improvements in two areas where Switchvox is way ahead of the pack; Extend and SNMP. Extend is the Switchvox API that enables other systems to access administrative functions. Digium continues to enhance Extend and claims that all administrative functions will be API enabled and delivers new capabilities with each upgrade. SMB 4.5 delivered 60 new API calls to enable Switchvox integration. Integrating call management with various external systems will continue to increase in importance and these APIs create powerful options. SMB 4.5 also delivers SNMP improvements. New SNMP capabilities now report conditions and states of various components within the phone system. For example, administrators can receive SNMP alerts for call load thresholds, ITSP failures, or monitoring of the network interfaces, the RAID status, even system memory.

There are a few missing items I was expecting in the next release of SMB. Still no support for SIP URI calling surprises me. I think the voice mail interface could use some improvements, but I'm happy to see visual voice mail. The biggest shock was the lack of a stronger mobile integration story. However, I know something is coming. I've managed to get a sneak peek of some smartphone clients for Switchvox. What I saw though was mobile access to settings, logs, and options. I am hopeful they develop tighter integration with mobile phones. Unfortunately, the engineers in the back room have the door closed.

AT&T (iPhone) Supports VoIP Isn't the Story

Lots of news today about the AT&T restriction on voice over data being lifted. Here is a story from GigaOm, in case you missed the frenzy.

A couple of points from Pin Drop Soup.

First off, this really isn't news. AT&T promised it months ago. The story should be what took so long.

But the real story is how soon, everything will be data. The concept of voice is an anachronism.

There is also a related story about the cellular walls are crumbling. That story I published earlier today on NoJitter.com. It talks about how cell companies are losing their stranglehold on the customer and manufacturers.

Everything is (becoming) data is the point of this post. Corporate voice is VoIP, photos are JPGs, Music files are WAV or MP3. Books and periodicals are virtual. Videos are MP4 (or one of 500 other formats). Even radio and television is streaming.

Our networks are pushing bits of data - and that can be anything. There are huge ramifications to this - particularly to copyright and distribution players. And to the consumer as well.

The very notion of x minutes/month and unlimited data plans made sense when I used my cell phone in my buggy whip, but not today. The new iPad's real news was the concept of a data only plan. Oh the poetic balance- an AT&T data only plan followed by announcement that AT&T supports voice over data.

Today, I made two calls on my SipDroid phone. It uses data over 3G or WiFi. I can also use Fring, TruPhone, and Skype to make calls without using any minutes - and do. There are also options optimized to use domestic minutes for international long distance. See Long Distance Choice is Back.

A few weeks ago, headlines were AT&T emploring the FCC to kill the (analog) PSTN. That would really bum me out though as I have some great rotary phones that I believe should work forever. But perhaps their time has come. The sad thing is they will physically last longer than any phone made today.

There has been a major shift toward SIP trunks - most VoIP systems were still connecting to T1 and analog lines just a year or so ago (based on personal observation), but now it is all SIP and momentum is building.

It is a world of data. The next generation of wireless networks (4G?) will have far better support for voice over data.

Unfortunately, the carriers seem to know this too. Most of them are actively placing caps on their unlimited data plans. Even wired carriers like Comcast are limiting their unlimited data - so perhaps I won't be able to truly benefit from my unlimited downloads from Netflix. AT&T runs campaigns that you get to save your unused minutes... hmmm. Even they don't want them back.

Related Reading:
Megatrends: Dematerialization
Will Amazon Inherit the World?
Is the Internet to Blame for the Recession?

Mitel Becomes a Mobile Carrier

Mitel now offers wireless voice and data services nationwide. This one caught me off-guard at first, but it is beginning to grow on me. The fact is, overall telecom spend is shifting from product to solution and from capital to expense. Not to mention Everyone Loves Mobile. So in that context, it makes today's announcement logical. Aggressive, but logical.

This post has some additional thoughts. I posted some opinions on the announcement earlier at UCStrategies.com.

Not long ago, it was reasonably common to find an AT&T PBX connected to an AT&T network. But today the carriers and equipment makers are different. It really wasn't a big deal, it turned out that the two had very little synergy. A PBX easily connects to any carrier via tried and true T1s. Plus equipment was a one-time capital expense and network was a recurring operating expense meaning different budgets, different criteria, and sometimes different decision makers. But today, the assumptions regarding interoperability and capital are different. In fact, there is a general shift toward turning the whole enchilada into a service (expense).

The accounting rules are not changing, but attitudes and perceptions are. There are a few ways to recognize telecom equipment as expense instead of capital. The most common is via an operating lease (also known as renting) and an emerging/growing option is to use hosted services (cloud computing can go either way depending on how the implementation is done). Mitel tackled the rental strategy with Mitel TotalSolutions which combines equipment financing, software assurance, and services into monthly fee. Mitel's hosting strategy is largely targeted toward service providers that can operate Mitel's recently announced multi-instance call director (MICD).

Mitel Mobile is following the success of Mitel NetSolutions which is a virtual network operator (VNO). Mitel NetSolutions offers wired networking services such as voice/data T1s, MPLS, and SIP trunking to about 10,000 business customers. the division came from InterTel, and was rebranded Mitel NetSolutions after the 2007 merger. When the customer combines NetSolutions with TotalSolutions, Mitel captures a large portion a customer's overall telecom expense. Except for one major and growing chunk of the puzzle - mobile devices.

Enter today's announcement of Mitel Mobile. Now Mitel is also a mobile virtual network operator or MVNO. It means Mitel is purchasing wireless capacity at a wholesale level from an established mobile carrier. It allows Mitel to price and bundle wireless services (voice and data plans) with its other offerings. The pitch is customers can save money by using Mitel wired and wireless services - one vendor, one bill, with overall savings. It also strengthens Mitel's Dynamic Extension capability on its Call Director platform that tightly integrates with mobile phones.

Mitel can now offer a comprehensive solution with equipment, wired networking services, and wireless services in a single monthly invoice - and presumably the combined spend will offer overall savings to the customer.

Mitel is taking a unique approach to differentiation. Microsoft, Cisco, and IBM are leveraging messaging and presence. Avaya is leveraging the Nortel base, and Mitel is running with mobile plans. The key challenge Mitel will encounter will be differentiation of its mobile offering from the status quo. Plus Mitel will be taking on a significant support challenge which is best contained by limiting approved endpoints. At a time when the market is frantic with smartphones, that might be difficult. The next logical piece for Mitel to address is hosted email as both mobile and unified messaging require integration with a messaging platform. Mitel currently supports a variety of messaging platforms, but a hosted offering would enable Mitel to capture up to 100% of a customer's UC monthly expense.

There were few details about Mitel Mobile released today. Mitel did not release pricing information or reveal the underlying carrier providing the service. New mobile devices will be required, and the models/types supported were not available yet. Though it is fairly safe to assume BlackBerry's will be covered since everyone at Mitel has one. Mitel will publish supported devices and prices shortly, and it's promised to be "heavy" on smartphone/PDA type devices. The service is expected to be available in Q110.

Long Distance Choice is Back (Mobile)

U.S. cell phone users rarely complain about the cost of long distance because its hidden. Rather than charge extra for long distance, they simply charge equally for all domestic calls (and cleverly market it as free long distance). But the rules change dramatically when the calls are international. Calling internationally from a mobile phone is not a trivial expense. It is even worse on calls placed while abroad because roaming charges are tacked-on too. Partially to blame is mobile carriers don't allow choice in long distance providers. Users of SIM based phones can obtain a local SIM card while traveling, but this requires pre-purchasing a minimum amount of minutes - and unused minutes offset the savings. Plus changing SIM cards means changing phone numbers.

Until recently, international travelers just understood cell phone usage required guarded consideration or the cell phone expense becomes the expensive part of the trip.

The trick to cheap international calling is effectively the same trick millions have already discovered at home; use the Internet. It it is just a bit trickier on a cell phone. There are basically three general ways to do this; 1) use wifi and bypass "voice" or "minutes" services, 2) call via an intermediary service, or 3) use 3G. Of the three, WiFi is generally preferred as calls are very inexpensive and usually decent quality. Intermediary dialing services are growing in popularity and are increasingly transparent, but do consume (domestic) minutes. 3G is the newest of the options and a bit quirky since quality is unpredictable, plus this option is only available on some phones and some carriers.

The perceived champ of free long/cheap long distance is Skype due to its success and ubiquity in the desktop space. Skype does offer a robust client on the iPhone that offers long distance (WiFi and domestic calling gateways) and Skype IM. A limited version called SkypeLite is available for Android without WiFi calling. Truphone offers a broader portfolio, the UK company was the first to support VoIP on the iPhone, and also offers clients for Blackberry, Nokia, and Android. The latest release for Android includes WiFi calling and Instant messaging with Skype, GoogleTalk, AIM, Yahoo! and MSN. With either Skype or Truphone, international gateway calls are transparent. The result is similar to multi-step calling cards, but its without the multi-steps. The application overtakes the dialer so it appears to the user the same as a native/direct call.

Three other options worth noting are Google Voice, Fring, and SipDroid. Google Voice is only viable for international calls that originate in the U.S. It offers competitive rates (competitive to Skype and Truphone) via prepaid credits. Google Voice is really a different type of service which includes international dialing. It is more appropriate if its other services are of interest. Fring is similar to Skype but a little more social - it integrates with Skype, MSN Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, SIP, Twitter, Yahoo!, and AIM - it even offers alerts from FaceBook and Gmail. It does this all from its own buddy list type interface which is fine if you happen to be contacting a buddy. SIPDroid is a SIP client, but it must be manually configured to work with a separate SIP service. Both Fring and SIPDroid use WiFi and 3G calling (3G recommended only for tolerant buddies).

It is nice to see some new options entering the traditionally closed world of mobile telephony. Ironically, it is because that carriers don't provide a choice that so many options are emerging. Reminds of Ian Malcolm's proof of chaos theory in Jurassic Park.

The dinosaur population of Jurassic Park was designed to be controlled by having all the dinosaurs be female. Thus, no breeding possible. And no breeding is good breeding, because otherwise all hell would break loose. However, during the film, Dr. Alan Grant discovers the nest of a Velociraptor filled with hatched eggs. As said by Malcolm, life finds a way. Don't try to control it.

Found an Ace in the DECT

Last June, I blogged my frustration with the current DECT IP phone offerings. I am a big fan of DECT - it is an excellent wireless technology, but the IP phone offerings have not excited me. DECT offers reasonable range and excellent clarity. The portable phone in PBX environments makes a lot of sense, but multiple factors are restricting its popularity. The SIP/DECT phones have been wanting in several categories, not to mention cost. However, I am pleased to report the Aastra 600d series of DECT phones are fairly impressive.

For VoIP, there are two choices for wireless phones; DECT and WiFi. I am not a big fan of WiFi phones. DECT is particularly attractive in smaller environments where the duplicative cost of two types of base networks is less significant. Though a big shift toward WiFi could occur if PBX makers offer proprietary soft phones on the increasingly popular smartphones. To my knowledge none have. Unlike WiFI, DECT phones are designed for voice, they offer excellent clarity and superior battery efficiency.

Most DECT phones (in the U.S.) are SIP phones. Even in the world of enterprise proprietary phones, the DECT models tend to rely on SIP. I see a large gap between SMB and enterprise DECT/SIP offerings. Most of the entry level DECT/SIP phones are useless. The enterprise offerings are meant to provide a matrix of base radios providing campus coverage with hand-off capabilities. This increases the complexity and configuration of the base units (as well as cost), while the SMB offerings tend to be single cell solutions (amoebas). The phones vary in quality too, but more so in terms of consumer versus business. As a result, the SIP/DECT phones are not easily categorized as desktop replacements - they are not as general purpose as their wired cousins.

For the past several months, I have been testing the Aastra 620d (List Price $320) along with its base/access unit the RFP (radio fixed part) 32. This Aastra phone is the finest SIP/DECT phone I have experienced.

Video: 620d unboxing.

This is an absolutely amazing phone. The phone has an excellent feel with its rubberized grips. It has a large easy-to-read TFT screen. The phone is larger than many others, actually a reasonable size. The large bright screen simplifies operation, but it is nearly impossible to read outdoors in bright sunlight. The idle screen shows the following information:

• Extension Name
• Extension Number
• Associated DECT system/network
• Time and Date
• Signal Strength
• Soft Key Labels
  
• Battery Charge

Clarity and range are impressive yet competitive with other DECT phones. What sets the 620d apart are numerous minor nuances in design and usability. It has a bright multi-color LED light in the corner that indicates voice mail, signal loss, charging state, and charged state through various colors. The backlit keypad has single touch-and-hold mute and keypad lock. It also has three programmable soft keys.

The phone also has a 2.5 mm standard headset jack plus supports BlueTooth headsets, a USB port, a VIP button, and three additional programmable hard buttons. My favorite things about the phones:

• Rubber grip
  
• Backlit dial-pad
  
• BlueTooth Support
  
• Overall Size (but dial-pad is too small)
• One touch speakerphone
• Lots of information on the display
• Programmable soft keys
• USB port, primarily for charging without the cradle
  
• Auto Answer when removed from the cradle
  

It can be used as a desktop replacement as it's fully functional in the charging dock including access to the headset jack. The battery is rated for 200 hours in standby mode.

Gripes
There are a few of things I don't like about this solution (there always is). First and foremost is the RFP 32 base radio. It got one thing right, it is powered over Ethernet (POE) - something the SOHO models can't figure out. But the good news stops there. The unit is too large (compared to others) and too hard to configure. To program this unit requires a JAVA applet to set its IP address, then a TFTP service to load a config file which then enables final configuration from a web browser. It loses most of its programming after a power outage, so keep that TFTP server handy. In Aastra's defense, they are thinking big, and a TFTP server approach makes a lot of sense for large deployments. But in the lab, setup was painful compared to say setting up a Polycom Kirk 300 DECT server. The base unit should have the ability to be completely configured from a web browser and should be able to recover from a power failure.

This is the reality of DECT. That SMB/SOHO systems are too limited and the enterprise solutions are too complex. Aastra should either offer a simpler radio base unit for the 600d series phones, or create a simpler mode for the RFP 32. In theory, it should be possible to pair this phone against a simpler GAP compliant base from a different manufacturer.

The gripes are not limited to the base unit - the phones have some room for improvement too. I would seriously consider recommending this DECT phone as a desktop replacement phone if it could only do a few more simple tasks; one stand out missing feature is hands-free intercom. There isn't a single Aastra wired phone that does not support intercom, and oddly not a single DECT model that does? Aastra also has very powerful XML capabilities on most of its desk phones - though none on the DECT phones.

The 620d offers several soft keys which are a major (desk phone-like) improvement. But if the desk phones deserve hard keys for Hold, Transfer, Redial, and DND why not the DECT/SIP phones? Even worse, soft key programming is limited to a narrow menu of options (which doesn't include Call Transfer).

The numeric dial pad, like every other DECT/SIP phone, is over styled. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer basic flat keys with space between them. Also, the belt clip appears to be an after thought.

The Next Gen Wish List
The cell phone is rapidly becoming the standard for mobile users, but honestly this makes no sense within the walls of an office. Corridor Warriors should be embracing DECT phones. Here is my revised wish list of what I want to see in a DECT/SIP handset solution:

• Friendly backlit dial-pad with distinguishable keys appropriately sized for a human fingertip.
• HD audio capability
• Support for handsfree Intercom
  
• Phones < $200
• Integrated belt clip
• Hard keys for common functions (see wired phones for ideas)
• Simple and intuitive operation

Aastra is on the right track. The 620d is a bit pricey, but the 610d is very similar for about 25 percent less. The big differences include the screen (TFT screen is replaced with a simpler LCD) and it drops BlueTooth and USB support. For a full comparison click here.

DECT has been available in Europe for much longer than in the U.S. As a result, the major U.S. DECT/SIP offerings (Aastra, Polycom, Siemens, and Snom) are largely designed for the European market. Uses and preferences differ between continents; evidently Europeans prefer small phones and have no use for paging. However, DECT phones make a lot of sense for wireless extensions, and as demand increases hopefully new models will fill the gaps.

As hosted solutions become more popular in the SOHO and SMB space - newer more intuitive options are presenting themselves. Siemens entered the market with the Gigaset DECT offering for SOHO, and even more recently Panasonic introduced a DECT/SIP solution. These companies are raising the bar with pricing and simplicity. But they lack things like multi-cell support and POE. Huge improvements over the entry-level unusable models available a year ago.

We are still a generation away from widespread adoption, but it is nice to see progress being made. The Aastra 600d series offers an impressive wireless phone solution today.

Megatrends in Voice

Instead of customary year-end future predictions, I thought I would write about voice megatrends I am seeing in telecom as 2009 comes to a close. I think it is important to do some kind of year-end reflection and these trends are more insightful than predictions as they are real; now and in 2010.

The Megatrends concept put forth by John Naisbitt in his 1982 book of the same title suggested the "most reliable way to anticipate the future is by understanding the present." If the term "megatrends" was appropriate back then, perhaps this piece should be titled Gigatrends simply due to inflation. I am going to focus on three megatrends that are transforming the telecommunications and voice sector.


1) Mobility
Information anywhere anytime is increasing in both importance and availability. Broadband Internet is rapidly becoming ubiquitous in reality and expectation. But it is much bigger than a service offering - it is how and we work and play.

Gone are the days where communication stops after 5:00 PM or daresay for a two week vacation. We now expect, even demand, responses and updates as they occur. Couples updating their Facebook relationship status at the alter is just one pop indicator. Femtocell technology, still new for the enterprise, is making appearances at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2010. Teens are embracing SMS texts like never before - Twitter and Facebook are expanding from "social" to "news and information" classifications. Wi-Fi access is becoming a key consideration in a surprising number of decisions. Conference organizers are selecting venues based on it, but so are passengers regarding flights, even campers regarding campsites. Our online time, as a population, is doubling.

Well beyond the cell phone and cellular network, mobility drivers are related to nearly every recent telecom innovation. Presence is important, because catching someone in the office is increasingly unlikely. IP phones can be connected in remote locations, softphones for those on the go. Even deeper are the huge improvements in remote productivity. HD Audio, rapdily becoming a standard in IP phones, SIP trunks, and mobile devices improve clarity in conversations. Collaboration technologies enable new methods of group-think in ways in-person meetings could not. Web conferencing is rapidly becoming a preferred solution for seminars and training. Video conferencing is moving from the board room to the deskop with new phones from Cisco, Polycom, and many others.

Two other very important components of this mobility trend is our love affair with our cell phones and enterprise encroachment on that relationship. The smartphone is unlike any other technology gadget of the past. Those were just things - objects. The smartphone is much more personal. The device shares such a strong connection with our activities and thoughts that "connected at the hip" is an understatement. The device represents every form of electronic communication - voice, email, text, Facebook, Twitter, and countless other websites. We use it to share information and to get information. It is used for shopping (barcode scanners, Amazon), social interaction (Facebook, Foursquare), and assists with decision making (Yelp, Google). Text too limiting? use the camera for pictures or videos. The GPS can update others passively about where you are, were, or going. The smart phone links (quite literally) to every aspect of our growing online world.

CLEC Cbeyond understood this early and became a MVNO years ago. It offers combined minute plans with its mobile and T1 services; more than doubling revenue over its wired-only customers. Enterprise telecom equipment vendors also realize the human connection to the cell phone is greater than it ever will be with the desk phone. If you can't beat them, join them - and the enterprise voice solution is rapidly embracing mobile phones as legitimate extensions. On one end there is simple call forwarding or simultaneous ring, but the other end represents a fully integrated solution. Mitel's Dynamic Extension supports call center capabilities and internal transfer. Google Voice enables call recording and conferencing. SEN Group's Openscape can set the cell phone as the primary voice device based on a tweet. Or perhaps the carriers (the MNOs) will offer virtual PBX services directly to their wireless customers. Will the carriers offer a virtual PBX or the equipment makers offer a virtual wireless network first? The fact is, this is still an early inning when it comes to mobile integration - but expect to see primary enterprise extensions sporting a belt clip in the not so distant future.

2) Hosted Voice 2.0
Hosted voice has been a viable option for close to 10 years now, the service hasn't changed much, but has matured. The services heavily rely on SIP endpoints and at least appear to be dominated by Broadsoft and Asterisk based systems that cater to smaller locations usually delivered over T1 bandwidth. But the larger proprietary enterprise players have their sights on hosted voice and a number of factors are coming together to create a next generation offering.

Technically, it has always been possible to purchase and implement an enterprise VoIP system and provide services to remote locations, but the practice hasn't been particularly attractive. Several factors are contributing to changing this. First and foremost is the owned voice system has always been installed near the users - not any more. Microsoft OCS users in particular embrace centralized voice for decentralized users. But now that Avaya, SEN Group, and Mitel are embracing virtualization, the practice of cloud or co-lo based implementations will gain momentum.

T1 circuits have been the primary building block for networking, but over the past year MPLS and fiber nets have made mounted a huge challenge to the lowly T1. MPLS port speeds are readily available up to 2.4 GBps complete with QoS capabilities. Then comes the SIP trunks, that can create the illusion of local calling (inbound and outbound callerID) regardless of location. Factor in some economic drivers that are favoring centralization and enterprise voice in a single location emerges as a strong viable option. But this will be hosted voice 2.0, with robust features to the end user that are far greater than current offerings. These enhanced features include tighter mobile integration, advanced call (distributed) call center capabilities, and a long list of simple features such as boss/admin, paging, and key system like features all of which are rare in the SIP device world of hosted 1.0.


3) DeMaterialization
Dematerialization is affecting nearly every industry and our economy as a whole. The concept is material items, say a music CD or an airline ticket, dematerializes into virtual items, and when this happens the impact is significant. It is impacting telecommunications too.

Not long ago, a physical phone, connected over dedicated physical wires, connected through dedicated physical patch panels, to a dedicated port on a switch, then via a physical MDF connected to a physical circuit which resulted with a monthly physical bill. All of these items are quickly disappearing (actually mostly gone). Dial-tone initially was a signal that a physical switch was ready for dialing instructions; dial-tone today is generated within the IP phone - a virtual vestige of a different time. Cell phones don't even bother with dial-tone.

The PBX connections are rapidly becoming virtual as SIP and other IP protocols replace dedicated "ports". Currently the physical PBX is in play to become virtual itself via appropriately named virtualization software or hosted services. The telephone itself is being threatened by soft phones, USB phone-like devices, and mobile phones (these last two are physical items, but represent a virtual extension). Even faxes are migrating to PDF edocs.

The "phone system" identity is becoming hazy too. "Unified Communications" was meant to describe the next generation phone system, but no one knows what it (or the term) means. Is presence a feature of the phone system or is voice a feature of the presence system? Even voice mail, which recently moved from separate servers into embedded systems, is being pulled back-out into comprehensive "messaging" servers.

The impact of dematerialization is not clear, but its impact to other industries could be described as "disruptive" or sometimes "devastating". What is defined as "value" rapidly changes and the stakeholders don't necessarily agree. The music industry is going back to its roots in live music as control and distribution of content is no longer the route to riches. The surviving travel agents now charge customers for their services. Even the US Postal Service is working to re-invent itself as its revenue and cost models are blown to bits by a reduction in material goods. Enterprise voice is rapidly shifting from hardware to software, new expectations. roles, and channels are emerging. This is an industry that just a few years ago had no concept of "software assurance" or "license agreements". There are two drivers for dematerialization; economic and green/environmental.



The above are the Megatrends, but so many other trends and patterns are emerging; open source telecom, open APIs, cloud computing, VaaS (voice as a Service), and speech recognition, are just a few worth noting. Many of which I have and will continue to write about about. Enterprise voice is more fluid now than ever before - there is no assumption that isn't being tested.

For the majority of the past 20-30 years, the differences in voice equipment brands were similar to Fords vs. Chevy's. The laggards typically caught-up to the innovators within a year or two. What makes this time so unique, is the majority of the "influential" vendors have very different, even incompatible, visions of the future. Historically, the PBX was a notch below the CIO's radar - now the likes of IBM, Microsoft, and Cisco are working to simultaneously elevate the discussion and radically impact customer requirements.

Additional Related Posts:
Changes on Deck for the Channel
Mobile Phones Kill