VoIP in sunny San Diego

September has arrived which means the Fall season is just around the corner. This also means cooler weather, which I am not a fan of. For one, I can't drive the Viper with the top down and come the first snowstorm and road salt, it is put into hibernation until the Spring.  So with cooler weather on the way, I am really looking forward to attending Internet Telephony Expo in San Diego, which has some of the nicest year-round weather in the continental U.S.

In fact, Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) today released an updated conference agenda for our INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO West 2006 in San Diego featuring newly added sessions created to educate service providers seeking to profitably deploy 'Triple Play' solutions to their subscribers. Triple play refers to a bundled offering of digital voice, video and data services from a single provider. Triple play is one of my favorite topics. In fact, you may want to check out my experience in trying to get triple play.

The new Triple Play Solutions conference track will take place Friday, October 13, 2006, day four of INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO West 2006, which runs October 10-13, 2006 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.

According to TMC president and conference chairman Rich Tehrani, "Intense competition among service providers has made it virtually impossible for service providers to drive profits by offering traditional 'per minute' pricing models to their subscribers. As IP communications and broadband telephony create even more choices for businesses and consumers, 'Triple Play' bundles hold the greatest potential for providers to turn a profit on their offerings."

The Triple Play Solutions track at INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO West 2006 features the following individual sessions:

-- Architecture and CPE: A Vision for the Triple/Quad Play Connected Home/Subscriber - Presented by Comverse
-- Managing Triple/Quad Play Services - Presented by Rodopi Software
-- Preparing Home Networks for the Triple Play - Presented by Ruckus Wireless
-- Quality-of-Service (QoS) - Enabling Triple Play (Voice, Video, Data) - Presented by Jungo Software Technologies

In addition to the Triple Play Solutions Track, INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO West 2006 features more than 125 individual educational sessions for service providers, large and small enterprises, SMBs, developers and resellers.

Important topics covered include IPTV, IMS, IP security, IP contact centers, voice peering, open source, wireless/mobile, solutions for verticals, regulations, SIP, and IP conferencing.

Registration for the conference and expo is now open. Anyone interested may register by visiting http://www.itexpo.com.

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Tags: conference, internet telephony expo, triple play, voip
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 14th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Uncategorized and VoIP and Triple Play and triple play and conference.

Number Portability problems

I never thought that in 2006 I would have number portability problems. Hasn't number portability regulations evolved to the point where it is no longer an issue? Alas, I found out the hard way that number portability is still very much a political game by the phone carriers and even the VoIP service providers to hold their customers hostage.

First, let me state that I've been a happy Vonage customer for many years, and used it in two different home addresses with the same exact phone number, which was ported from AT&T/SBC. Thus, I've had the same phone number for about 10 years, which many friends and family know.

Recently, I decided I would drop Vonage in favor of a triple play offering from Charter, which would give me cable TV, high-speed Internet, and "voice over cable" - all at a very reasonable price. My wife and I encountered too many network or Vonage QoS issues which affected our phone service. It was time to port the number to Charter, which advertised that they could port customer's numbers in a mailer we received. When I called to order, they said they could not port my Vonage number since "That Norwalk number (203-854-XXXX) is not in your rate area" I was told.

I was a bit annoyed Charter couldn't port my number, but I wasn't entirely surprised either. Since my wife and I didn't want to give up our number, we decided to stay with Vonage - held hostage to a phone number that Vonage owned. I should explain that a "rate center" is geographically tied to certain local exchanges. For instance, my current home address in Brookfield has (203-740-XXXX and 203-775-XXXX) as two of its most common local exchanges. Thus, since my current number (203-854-XXXX) wasn't in any of the Brookfield exchanges, they claim they can't port the number.

But here is what I don't understand. Why is it that Vonage was able to port my Norwalk number and yet they didn't have a geographical footprint in Norwalk - namely a rate center located there. Why aren't they bound by these geographical restrictions? Further, I was able to take my Norwalk number ported to Vonage to my new home address in Brookfield. Obviously, IP packets don't care where they originate, so as long as I had broadband, I can take my 203-854-XXXX number anywhere.

I figured maybe SBC might have better luck at porting if I agreed to sign up for SBC DSL and SBC’s voice offering. (Double-play package). They at first said they could port the number and even told me that they would take care of cancelling Vonage for me, which is typical when customers move to another phone service provider. I was feeling the . But then they called me back 30 minutes later when they realized that they couldn’t port the number since I was outside the rate center. My heart . I was already aware that I could port my Vonage phone number to Sunrocket or Lingo if I so desired, but I'm trying to move away from "single play" VoIP providers.

Thus, it would appear that you can port from a phone carrier to a VoIP provider, AND you can port from one VoIP provider to another VoIP provider, BUT you cannot port your number BACK to a traditional phone carrier or a cable company. If my interpretation is true, this clearly gives single play VoIP providers a key 'number porting' advantage over the traditional phone carriers and cable companies. In fact, I may have to update my controversial Pure VoIP vs. Telephone and Cable VoIP article and add this to Single Plays' list of "Pros" (vs. Cons).

Summary of Porting:
- Carrier/cable to VoIP – Good
- VoIP to VoIP – Good (if the number was originally owned by a phone company & ported. If the number was owned by the VoIP service provider when you signed up, most likely you will not be able to port.)
- VoIP to Carrier/cable – Bad

Back in 2004 I wrote about VoIP2Save.com, and how the VoIP service providers were holding their VoIP customer's "hostage" by not allowing them to port their phone numbers. In 2003, a federal law mandated customers of cellular telephone service be allowed to keep their phone number if they decided to switch carriers. Unfortunately, Internet phone companies were not covered by the law.

In that 2004 article, I wrote in part, "For example, if you started with AT&T, then signed up with Vonage, then wanted to switch to Lingo, you can port your number. However, if you originally started with Vonage and used Vonage's allocated phone number, you will have difficulty porting your number (if at all)." So it would appear that it is even more difficult to port your Vonage number if it's a originally-owned Vonage number.

Under the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) "local number portability" (LNP) rules, you can switch telephone service providers within the same geographic area and keep your existing phone number. However, if you are moving from one geographic area to another, you may not be able to take your number with you. In addition to switching from one wireless company to another, in most cases, you will be able to switch from a wireline company to a wireless company, or from a wireless company to a wireline company, and still keep your phone number.

The FCC's decision to "tie" geography to number portability open a huge gaping loophole in the number portability regulations for the phone service providers to exploit. They can now deny to port a defecting customer's number simply based on geography. I should point out that many people move every 3-5 years, which means the phone companies can choose not to port their number. Now, I can certainly see if a person moves to another area code that porting the number should be restricted, but if you are simply moving a few towns over (same area code), why can't the customer keep their phone number? With the advent of VoIP, local exchanges (203-775-XXXX) or the famous 212-XXX-XXXX NYC exchange are no longer tied to customers within a specific geographic region. I recall an article where a Pakistani living in Pakistan (& using VoIP) had a 212-XXX-XXXX number so it could appear he had a New York City address for his business.

In 2004, VoIP2Save.com surveyed many other internet phone companies, including Vonage, Packet8, Voice Glo, Lingo and I-Connect. It found that none of the companies allowed customers to keep a phone number the company assigned to them, if the customer decided to switch to another phone company. I need to confirm whether or not this still holds true for all of them in 2006, but it at least holds true for Vonage, since I tried both Charter and SBC to port my Vonage number.

On KUTV, a SBC affiliate in Salt Lake City, it wrote a recent article (May 2006) stating, that a family couldn't port their Lingo phone number to Vonage and cited the same FCC number portability regulation that I did and pointed out that Voice over Internet companies were not covered by this regulation.

So how is it that VoIP companies can get the traditional phone companies to always port phone numbers for their new VoIP customers? If the traditional phone companies aren't obligated to port any number to any customer "outside" a geographic region, how do the VoIP companies convince the carriers to give up the number?

One theory I have is that since VoIP service providers have no "rate center" (they simply pay/rent the phone numbers from the phone companies), they don't have any geographic limitations. Thus, they can tell the phone company that Customer A wishes to leave and "port" their phone number. If the phone company asks if Customer A is going to be in the same geographic region, the VoIP companies can lie and say "yes" even if the customer has moved. Tracking IP packets to a specific location is difficult  - not to mention it requires a court subpoena - so how are the phone companies going to "prove" that their defecting customer is still in the same geographic region? Since they can't the phone companies are forced to give up / port the number to the VoIP service provider. In my "phone shopping scenario" with Charter and SBC - they have an obvious geographic footprint, bound by wherever the coax or copper wire is installed, which limits the local exchange numbers they can provide as well as port. I guess that's the beauty of IP which is location agnostic.

This is just a theory, but it seems to be the most logical conclusion. There may be some other law or regulation I am missing, so feel free to post a comment.

What did I end up doing? I went with SBC's "double play" package (voice & data) for $50/month with unlimited voice calling. $25 for voice and $25 for data. Alas, I lost my old 203-854-XXX number and now have a new one. I also dropped Charter cable and went with DirecTV. My bills as a whole will be cut like $55/month, making it worth losing my old number. So yes, I have dropped VoIP entirely in favor of SBC traditional voice - forgive me for my sin. Well, I do still use Skype and plenty of other VoIP products, so I'm still high on VoIP.

So let me just finish this by saying "number portability my ass!"

(Sorry for the profanity, but it had to be said.)

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Tags: charter voice, directv, double play, number portability, sbc, triple play, voip, vonage
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Comments on this Entry:

(Michael on Sep 5, 2006 3:32 PM) So, you were able to port the number to SBC?? If yes, is that because SBC provides service to the geographic area of you number, whereas Charter does not?

(Tom Keating on Sep 5, 2006 4:00 PM) No, I wasn't able to port my number. I lose my number. I clarified my original post.

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 5th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Vonage and VoIP and SBC and Triple Play and triple play.

Video Franchise Fee Reform Bill Passes - Good news, Bad News

The U.S. House of Representative yesterday approved the Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006 (H.R. 5252).  H.R. 5252 reforms the current video franchising regulations that have stifled competition in the video services market and have enabled cable companies to become monopolies. Essentially, this bill would make it much easier and cheaper for the phone companies to offer video services across the country by superceding local municipal franchise regulations. Currently, telephone companies have had to fight an expensive town-by-town war with their cable rivals in order to offer video services.

H.R. 5252 replaces thousands of local franchicing authorities with a national system supervised by the Federal Communications Commission - essentially one-stop shopping for the telecom companies to get into the video business. The bill passed by a lopsided vote of 321 to 101. This bill will make it much easier for the telephone companies to offer "triple play" bundled packages of voice, video,  and broadband data.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that several Representatives attempted to amend the legislation to prohibit "premium charges" on various Internet data services, i.e. tiered Internet access. This is the so called "Net neutrality" which is supported by major Internet companies such as Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. However, the net neutrality amendment failed by a vote of 269 to 152.

According to the NY Times, the White House issued a statement on Thursday supporting the House legislation, saying it would "promote competition in both video and voice markets." However, House Democrats raised some objections to the legislation, including stating that the new national franchise rules would reduce the amount of money that cable companies give towns for public, educational and government programs.

Also, the legislation threatens to delay any effort by the Federal Communications Commission to require Internet telephone providers to make the investments needed to connect customers to 911 services. Essentially, Section 301 would clarify FCC regulations relating to VOIP access to 911 and E911 infrastructure. The language in section 301 would impose a new mandate on all private entities that own 911 components necessary to transmit VOIP emergency 911 services over their networks. Section 301 would require such entities to allow VOIP providers to have full access to the necessary 911 components. Owners of 911 components would be able to charge VOIP providers a fee for using their network components, but would be mandated to enter into such agreements with those providers. Large private entities that own 911 components have most of the infrastructure in place to comply with the mandate. Some smaller owners of 911 components may not have such capacity and would incur costs to comply with the mandate.

The HR 5252 section pertinent to e911 reads as follows - I bolded or made RED important text. I will post a follow-up blog post analyzing what this means. Essentially, it looks as though this legislation TRUMPS the existing FCC e911 requirements and it gives VoIP providers up to 180 days after first acquiring a VoIP customer in a specific geographic region.

HR 5252: Section 301
(1) IN GENERAL- Each VOIP service provider has a duty to ensure that 911 and E-911 services are provided to subscribers of VOIP services.

(2) USE OF EXISTING REGULATIONS- A VOIP service provider that complies with the Commission's regulations requiring providers of VOIP service to supply 911 and E911 capabilities to their customers (Report and Order in WC Docket Nos. 04-36 and 05-196) and that are in effect on the date of enactment of this section shall be considered to be in compliance with the requirements of this section, other than subsection (c), until such regulations are modified or superseded by subsequent regulations.

(b) Non-Discriminatory Access to Capabilities-

(1) ACCESS- Each incumbent local exchange carrier (as such term is defined in section 251(h)) or government entity with ownership or control of the necessary E-911 infrastructure shall provide any requesting VOIP service provider with nondiscriminatory access to such infrastructure. Such carrier or entity shall provide access to the infrastructure at just and reasonable, nondiscriminatory rates, terms, and conditions. Such access shall be consistent with industry standards established by the National Emergency Number Association or other applicable industry standards organizations.

(2) ENFORCEMENT- The Commission or a State commission may enforce the requirements of this subsection and the Commission's regulations thereunder. A VOIP service provider may obtain access to such infrastructure pursuant to section 717 by asserting the rights described in such section.

(c) New Customers- A VOIP service provider shall make 911 service available to new customers within a reasonable time in accordance with the following requirements:

(1) CONNECTION TO SELECTIVE ROUTER- For all new customers not within the geographic areas where a VOIP service provider can immediately provide 911 service to the geographically appropriate PSAP, a VOIP service provider, or its third party vendor, shall have no more than 30 days from the date the VOIP provider has acquired a customer to order service providing connectivity to the selective router so that 911 service, or E911 service where the PSAP is capable of receiving and processing such information, can be provided through the selective router.

(2) INTERIM SERVICE- For all new customers not within the geographic areas where the VOIP service provider can immediately provide 911 service to the geographically appropriate PSAP, a VOIP service provider shall provide 911 service through--
(A) an arrangement mutually agreed to by the VOIP service provider and the PSAP or PSAP governing authority; or
(B) an emergency response center with national call routing capabilities.

Such service shall be provided 24 hours a day from the date a VOIP service provider has acquired a customer until the VOIP service provider can provide 911 service to the geographically appropriate PSAP.

(3) NOTICE- Before providing service to any new customer not within the geographic areas where the VOIP service provider can immediately provide 911 service to the geographically appropriate PSAP, a VOIP service provider shall provide such customer with clear notice that 911 service will be available only as described in paragraph (2).

(4) RESTRICTION ON ACQUISITION OF NEW CUSTOMERS- A VOIP service provider may not acquire new customers within a geographic area served by a selective router if, within 180 days of first acquiring a new customer in the area served by the selective router, the VOIP service provider does not provide 911 service, or E911 service where the PSAP is capable of receiving and processing such information, to the geographically appropriate PSAP for all existing customers served by the selective router.

(5) ENFORCEMENT: NO FIRST WARNINGS- Paragraph (5) of section 503(b) shall not apply to the assessment of forfeiture penalties for violations of this subsection or the regulations thereunder.

(d) State Authority- Nothing in this Act or any Commission regulation or order shall prevent the imposition on or collection from a VOIP service provider, of any fee or charge specifically designated or presented as dedicated by a State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe on an equitable, and non-discriminatory basis for the support of 911 and E-911 services if no portion of the revenue derived from such fee or charge is obligated or expended for any purpose other than support of 911 and E-911 services or enhancements of such services.

(e) Feasibility- In establishing requirements or obligations under subsections (a) and (b), the Commission shall ensure that such standards impose requirements or obligations on VOIP service providers and entities with ownership or control of necessary E-911 infrastructure that the Commission determines are technologically and operationally feasible. In determining the requirements and obligations that are technologically and operationally feasible, the Commission shall take into consideration available industry technological and operational standards.

(f) Progress Reports- To the extent that the Commission concludes that it is not technologically or operationally feasible for VOIP service providers to comply with E-911 requirements or obligations, then the Commission shall submit reports to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate on the progress in attaining and deploying E-911 service. Such reports shall be submitted semiannually until the Commission concludes that it is technologically and operationally feasible for all VOIP service providers to comply with E-911 requirements and obligations. Such reports may include any recommendations the Commission considers appropriate to encourage the migration of emergency services to TCP/IP protocol or other advanced services.

(g) Access to Information- The Commission shall have the authority to compile a list of PSAP contact information, testing procedures, and classes and types of services supported by PSAPs, or other information concerning the necessary E-911 infrastructure, for the purpose of assisting providers in complying with the requirements of this section.

(h) Emergency Routing Number Administrator- Within 30 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Federal Communications Commission shall establish an emergency routing number administrator to enable VOIP service providers to acquire non-dialable pseudo-automatic number identification numbers for 9-1-1 routing purposes on a national scale. The Commission may adopt such rules and practices as are necessary to guide such administrator in the fair and expeditious assignment of these numbers.

(i) Emergency Response Systems-

(1) NOTICE PRIOR TO INSTALLATION OR NUMBER ACTIVATION OF VOIP SERVICE- Prior to installation or number activation of VOIP service for a customer, a VOIP service provider shall provide clear and conspicuous notice to the customer that--

(A) such customer should arrange with his or her emergency response system provider, if any, to test such system after installation;
(B) such customer should notify his or her emergency response system provider after VOIP service is installed; and
(C) a battery backup is required for customer premises equipment installed in connection with the VOIP service in order for the signaling of such system to function in the event of a power outage.

(2) DEFINITION- In this subsection:

(A) The term emergency response system' means an alarm or security system, or personal security or medical monitoring system, that is connected to an emergency response center by means of a telecommunications carrier or VOIP service provider.
(B) The term emergency response center' means an entity that monitors transmissions from an emergency response system.

(j) Migration to IP-Enabled Emergency Network-
(1) NATIONAL REPORT- No more than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this section, the National 911 Implementation and Coordination Office shall develop a report to Congress on migrating to a national IP-enabled emergency network capable of receiving and responding to all citizen activated emergency communications.

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Tags: cable, e911, hr 5252, net neutrality, triple play, video
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on June 9th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on E911 and Triple Play and triple play and video and cable and net neutrality and hr 5252.

John McCain pushes a la carte TV channels bill

Legislation was introduced today by Senator McCain to push forward a la carte TV programming. Personally, I'd like to have a la carte satellite TV programming, naked DSL or naked broadband cable, and a reliable VoIP service provider.

Alas, I am still overpaying for cable TV and only get like 4 HDTV channels. I'd love to switch to satellite TV, but would still need to keep at least basic cable in order to keep my high-speed broadband cable connection. It is not very cost effective to switch to basic cable plus pay for satellite channels. Satellite Internet access is a joke, and I'd be in the same bundling boat if I switched to DSL broadband, since very few offer naked DSL - where you don't need to also pay for basic phone service. In addition to a la carte programming, Senator McCain, or someone in the Senate, needs to push forward a bill that allows consumers to purchase Internet access not bundled with phone service (DSL) and not bundled with cable TV service.

It's a damn racket, I tell ya! They need to make all services a la carte - channels you want, broadband access service you want, and which TV provider you want. This bundling crap is actually more expensive and forces consumers to stay with specific providers to try and get the best value - even if the service is inferior to competitors. For instance, with satellite TV I can get over 185 digital channels (many HDTV with surround sound), versus 120 channels for cable, most of which are not digital, not HDTV and not surround sound.

On a related note, RCN Corporation (NASDAQ: RCNI), a leading provider of triple play cable, high-speed Internet and phone services, today issued the following statement on draft legislation introduced by Senator John McCain (R-Arizona):

"We are pleased to see that this bill pushes forward the concept of themed a la carte family programming," said RCN Senior Vice President of Strategic and External Affairs Richard Ramlall. "Since August 2004, our company has expressed a willingness to test consumer reaction to themed program tiers on our digital systems.  Most recently we met with Federal Communications Chairman Kevin Martin and indicated we would be willing to conduct a trial in Boston.

"We believe that themed a la carte tiers would greatly enhance consumer choice by allowing them to choose from an array of smaller programming tiers, limited to the kind of categories of programming they most want and value. At the same time it would support development of new and diverse programming in those categories," explained Ramlall.

"However, we've been frustrated in our effort to develop such offerings by the impediments imposed by programmers. Many of them are owned or controlled by the largest incumbent cable operators, who require tying arrangements and other contractual restrictions that preclude RCN and other competitive providers from offering consumer-driven programming options."

Amen to that! Maybe we can amend the Net Neutrality bill being proposed? What say you all?

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Tags: a la carte programming, cable tv, hdtv, john mccain, net neutrality
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on June 7th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Uncategorized and Triple Play and triple play and hdtv and net neutrality and cable tv and john mccain.

Siemens, Time Warner Cable Successfully Demo IMS

According to my ABI Research Daily newsletter, Siemens and Time Warner Cable have successfully demo'ed IMS which will certainly usher in the promise of a converged blend of personalized wireless and fixed consumer services, bringing entertainment, telephones, Internet applications and wireless together. IMS is going to be huge due to it's ability to go beyond Triple Play's "simple" offering of three services to instead offer customers a customized and personalized experience that integrates all three disparate services. I say "three" but really it could be four, five, or even more applications, but "triple play" is still the catch-phrase of the day.

Anyway, here's the news:

Siemens Communications Inc. and Time Warner Cable announced the successful demonstrations of fully integrated fixed line, mobile and WiFi broadband technologies via Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) standards to deliver fixed mobile convergence (FMC). The demonstrations highlight the operational value of adopting Siemens' IMS solutions and show how consumers can now enjoy shared multimedia applications, entertainment features and communication sessions - including converged wired and wireless solutions.

Time Warner Cable is one of the first cable operators to demonstrate the use of IMS at the company's Herndon, Va., facility. Time Warner Cable is using Siemens' technology to support a range of IP-based services. One demonstration used several online gaming scenarios to test the integration of both packet- and circuit-switched telephony networks as well as a range of different wireless and fixed technologies. The technology supported gaming between a user with a wireless device who was playing against an opponent on a fixed-line network device. The two companies have also demonstrated dual-mode handset usage, including seamless handoffs as users roamed from WiFi coverage - either at work and at home - to cellular coverage areas.

"IMS technology is an exciting new technology for consumers who want their devices to work seamlessly together - including presence-aware features that can direct calls, video and messages to devices that are currently in use and in ways that are most convenient for the end user at any given moment," said Mike LaJoie, Chief Technology Officer at Time Warner Cable.

"Rather than being limited in capabilities due to silos of network architectures, IMS promises a new world of seamless provisioning opportunities for broadband operators. This will include the ability of operators to rapidly and cost-effectively deploy highly personalized entertainment services."

Siemens is an industry leader in fixed mobile convergence, leveraging its global experience that cuts across both mobile and fixed networks. The company is a global leader in delivering voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) applications for cable service providers, enterprises, government organizations and others.

"The building blocks are here today to remove the obstacles created by fragmented network domains, protocols and devices," said Harald Braun, president, Siemens Networks Division, Siemens Communications Inc. "IMS is another significant step in the Siemens LifeWorks vision to provide end-to-end service delivery platforms for the next generation of services that will help people get more enjoyment out of life and work."

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Tags: ims, mobile convergence, siemens, time warner cable, triple play, voip, wifi, wireless

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on May 3rd, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on VoIP and Wireless and Time Warner Cable and WiFi and Triple Play and triple play and siemens and ims and mobile convergence.

Revenge of the Electric Company

The phone companies have high-speed DSL, the cable companies have high-speed broadband cable, and both offer Triple Play solutions, but what about the electric company? Just about every home in any industrialized nation has three copper wires services coming into their home - electric, phone, and cable, yet for the most part only the phone and cable wires are being utilized, leaving the electric companies in the "dark" (there's a joke in there somewhere).

Sure, you can build a home Local Area Network (LAN) that transmits packets using your home electrical wiring (HomePlug Powerline Alliance) but the packets can only travel a short distance. What good is a LAN without access to the Wide Area Network (WAN) - specifically the Internet.

Well, electric companies aren't going to stand idly by while the phone and cable companies make money hand over fist with these new Triple Play packages. There are now technology solutions that can transmit IP packets over electrical wiring over long-distances. In fact, a Danish power company, Tele Nordvest, will begin offering customers VoIP completely naked - as in no subscriber line or Internet connection necessary. They are setting themselves up as VoIP providers, with a backbone in their powerplant. According to their press release, this could have some interesting angles: theoretically, every power outlet in your house suddenly becomes a telephone plug. Here's a link to the article - unfortunately, it's in Danish, so if you can't read Danish, you'll just have to take my word for it. Yep, reading Danish is yet another talent of mine. Actually, an avid reader of mine, Johan gave me the tip and the translation. Thanks Johan!

The electric companies can one-up both the cable companies and the phone companies - only they have the proper gauge wiring and infrastructure to offer electricity. Now add in voice (over IP), data, and even video, and you got yourself a TRUE Quadruple Play! This could be a case of where the tortoise (electric companies) beats the hare (cable + phone companies). They're still late out of the gate, but certainly worth keeping an eye on.

Oh, I neglected to mention two other pieces of copper (or other metal) coming into many homes - your plumbing and your gas pipe. I know what you're thinking - "Surely, you cannot transmit IP packets over the plumbing or a metal gas pipe." Well, you would be wrong.

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Tags: cable, data, electric, ip, packets, phone, power, triple play, video, voip

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on VoIP and Triple Play and triple play and video and cable and data and electric and ip and packets and phone and power.

Service providers spending nearly 40% of capex on triple play

Interesting survey from Infonetics that I thought I'd share regarding Triple Play expenditures. Service providers are really starting to ramp up their spending. Service providers around the globe see triple play services not merely as a means of increasing top-line revenue, but as a means of self-preservation, says a new study by Infonetics Research. Network operators are redefining and realigning themselves to be the one-stop shop for all things digital for residential and enterprise subscribers, and they believe triple play services will give them the competitive edge they need to succeed.

Take as evidence the fact that North American, European, and Asia Pacific service providers participating in the study ("Service Provider Plans for IP Triple Play") report that on average nearly 40% of their capital expenditures were spent on triple play network equipment in 2005.

The majority of service providers in the study plan to further increase capex spending in the next 12 months on IPTV equipment, broadband CPE, broadband aggregation equipment, and voice over broadband equipment, and they expect revenue growth in all areas of triple play services in the next 12 months.

And a big chunk of revenue it is: The average percent of total company revenue from triple play services ranges from 43% to 48% between 2005 and 2007. (Infonetics interviewed a mix of large incumbent providers and smaller, more focused providers; for the large providers triple play revenue represents a much lower percentage of total revenue.)

"With nearly 40% of their capex budgets going to triple play service infrastructure, service providers are sending a clear message that the combination of voice, data, and video services is a long-term differentiator for them," said Jeff Heynen, directing analyst at Infonetics Research. "Carriers are demanding complete interoperability, full standards compliance, and an open and flexible architecture from their suppliers to ensure the content and services they provide will work right out of the box and far into the future."

IP voice is a big draw for triple play providers, but it's video that's really the newest, most exciting, and most technically challenging part of triple play services, and IPTV is where all the action is. In fact, all but one of Infonetics' service provider respondents already offer IPTV, and that one offers it by 2007.

Sample Findings
   -  The top 2 drivers for respondent service providers deploying triple play services are 1) increased broadband revenue per user and 2) new revenue streams
   -  58% of respondent service providers rate vendor interoperability a key technical challenge when rolling out triple play services
   -  The most pressing business challenge triple play service providers face is securing broadcast and on-demand video content; acquiring content is also a challenge
   -  iTV (interactive TV) is the fastest growing video service offered by service providers, bringing Internet capabilities directly to the TV screen, including instant messaging, shop at home, click to call and click to purchase capabilities, and, most significantly, online gaming services.
   -  2/3 will deploy IP/Ethernet DSLAMs by 2007
   -  67% rate low cost very important when considering IP set top box features
   -  Though more respondents currently use Cisco for their triple play aggregation, when it comes to unaided brand awareness for triple play infrastructure providers, Alcatel leads Cisco, and Microsoft is third

Infonetics' triple play study examines the trends, drivers, barriers, strategies, and implementation plans of North American, European, and Asian services providers offering triple play services, and includes their product expenditures, preferred manufacturers and products, services offered, technology choices, and more.

Infonetics also offers an IPTV Equipment forecast, including subscriber, revenue, and capex projections through 2009.

Download sample data at www.info.infonetics.com.

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Tags: broadband data, ip-tv, service providers, triple play, video, voip

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on April 27th, 2006 with no comments.
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SunTec enables unified billing for Triple and Quad Play

SunTec is an interesting company that has been working with telcos to help these companies understand the importance of a singular customer view in the face of increased competition and disparate legacy billing systems. With triple play, quad play, etc. service providers often have legacy billing systems that don't offer a unified view of the customer. These disparate billing systems make it more difficult to offer discounts for loyalty since they often do not know what customers have already.

SunTec stated, "On the customer side, having one bill or being able to speak to a person that knows the entirety of what they're paying for versus talk to three different departments due to siloed systems is of tremendous value." Certainly, with cable companies and phone companies now stepping onto each other's turf, this added competition will only drives price down and margins, which will force them to look for ways to increase efficiency and improve customer loyalty.

SunTec's TBMS-T system accomplishes a unified billing platform and integrates well with existing systems, is able to take on services as they're added. SunTec just recently deployed their convergent voice billing solution for Cable One, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO) and operates 52 cable systems serving 685,000 subscribers in 19 states. The solution enabled billing for Cable One's new voice service and provides flexibility to introduce dynamic promotional plans with free-minutes for specific destinations along with value added services and product bundling options. The solution delivers a unified bill for the entire suite of services provided by Cable One. SunTec's Solution supports dynamic tariff modeling and handles Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-based services like multi-conferencing, video conferencing, and prepaid voice enabling Cable One to introduce new competitively priced product bundles effortlessly. In addition the solution flawlessly integrates with leading telecom and tax databases that include LERG and Vertex.

"This is a win-win situation for Cable One and SunTec! I am extremely pleased with the outcome of the implementation. SunTec's commitment to quality and timelines at competitive prices is remarkable," said Kishore Reddy, Director of Voice Services, Cable One.

"In every way, SunTec met or exceeded our expectations; be it our deadlines, strict budget parameters or the level of quality we demanded, the team more than delivered on every front," said Stephen A. Fox, Vice President of Digital Services, Cable One. "The team demonstrated competence, integrity, and great sensitivity to Cable One's evolving requirements. I would like to see this not as a client-vendor relationship but as the beginning of an excellent partnership," added Fox.

"By rolling out the voice service, Cable One would be among the top league of service providers in the United States. We are excited about being a part of Cable One's success and their quest to be America's Best Cable Company," said K Nanda Kumar, CEO SunTec.
 

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on January 1st, 1970 with no comments.
Read more articles on VoIP and SIP and Triple Play and triple play.