Happy 2011 - Back to Work

Welcome to 2011, and I hope your year is off to a great start!

I know I'm not the only one who dialed things down over the holiday, and it's been over two weeks since my last blog post. Been doing a lot of thinking over the break and will be narrowing my focus in 2011. I'll update you as things unfold, but for now I just wanted to recap my writings/musings/2011 outlook during the past while that haven't been cited here in my posts. In case you didn't see these, here they are...

- Focus Brief: 2011 – Two Key Telecom Trends for SMBs

- Focus Brief: Virtual Queuing – the End of Music on Hold?

- UCStrategies podcast: UCStrategies Experts Make UC Predictions for 2011

- Service Provider Views column: My Cisco Collaboration Summit Takeaways - Five Business Opportunities for Service Providers

Now you're up to date. Back to work...

Cisco Takeaways - Five Business Opps for Carriers

I promise - this will be my last reference to Cisco's Collaboration Summit! Can't help it - there were a lot of good ideas there - not just about what Cisco is doing, but also the bigger picture as to where communications is going.

I've written about these things in various places recently, and I also see a specific angle that's relevant for carriers. That's the focus of my latest Service Provider Views column on TMCnet. I've identified five specific business opportunities for service providers based on what I saw at Cisco's event.

Some of this will not be news, but for me, what Cisco is doing in these areas really underscores the need for service providers to be more proactive - not just to leverage new technologies, but also to adapt to changing end user behaviors and expectations. These things go hand-in-hand, and addressing these opportunities is easier said than done.

Enough preamble - the article is posted now, and you can read it here.

Will the Cloud Kill Telecom Vendors?

Am I the only one asking this question? It's been on my mind lately for good reason, and I think there's something to this. The cloud is a big topic, for sure, and on my latest Service Provider Views column for TMCnet, I take my first stab at what this ultimately could do to/for telecom vendors.

You can read my article here, and as always, your comments are welcome!

What Service Providers can learn from Newspapers, Part 2

Following up on last week's Service Provider Views column on TMCnet, this is Part 2 of my take on what service providers can learn from newspapers.

I find the parallels between these businesses really interesting, and given what Toronto's Globe & Mail has done with its latest re-design, I just wonder what's taking telcos so long to reinvent themselves. You can read Part 2 here, and as always, I'd love to hear your< thoughts.

What Service Providers can Learn From Newspapers

I recently posted about the redesign of the Globe and Mail, and how it's a great example of a newspaper trying to reinvent itself in the Internet generation. Lots of parallels popped up for me with telcos, and it's the subject of my latest Service Provider Views column on TMCnet. It's running now, and I'll have a Part 2 follow up coming next week. Enjoy.

Content Everywhere - Which is Best for Service Providers?

In my latest Service Provider Views column, I continue mining the theme about content. There's a lot to explore here, and this time I examine some of the practical issues facing both telcos and cablecos in their pursuit to own both the pipe and what goes through it.

The article is running now on TMCnet, and you can link to it here. I hope you like it, and as always, comments/suggestions are welcome.

Content for Service Providers - is this the answer?

The topic of content has been a big deal recently with service providers, and there are many angles to consider here. I just started exploring this, based largely on what's happening in Canada right now, and that's the focus of my latest Service Provider Views article on TMCnet.

I'm going to continue this thread over the next couple of articles, but am starting with the question around whether service providers should own their content or outsource it. Every situation is different, but it's a decision all service providers will need to make at some point. The article is running now, and you can read it here.

Google Voice - the Race to Zero Continues

Last week's news about Google Voice adds another chapter to the demise of voice as a revenue generator for carriers. The value of voice will always be high, but as the cost of delivering it over IP continues to fall, so do the prices. Google understands this as well as anyone, and this is yet another example of their ability to disrupt markets that are not in their native makeup.

I've added my thoughts in the latest Service Provider Views column on TMCnet, and it's running on their site now.

This must be a hot topic, as I've received an unusually high number of tweets and re-tweets on Twitter, and I haven't even run this post yet. The Web sure works in strange ways, but I certainly appreciate the attention and all the good words.

Skype's IPO News - What Should Service Providers Do?

That's the title of my latest Service Provider Views column on TMCnet, and it's running now. Skype sure has had an interesting ride coming in and out of eBay, and now this news signals to the world that they're ready for prime time. There's a great growth story here for sure, but for a company with practically no marketing costs, it seems strange that they're not very profitable.

Of course, that can change quickly, even with a modest bump in any of their financial metrics. With such a huge user base, a few upticks in ARPU or conversion rates from free to paid will translate into healthy revenues and even healthier earnings.

Like Facebook, Skype's ultimate value is tied to monetizing their massive communities. This is the new-school build-it-and-they-will-come model, and if they can succeed financially, traditional service providers will have a lot to think about. I'm not alone in wondering if Skype's IPO is too early, or if the $100 million raise will be enough, but this sure sends a message to the telco market that Skype believes they are ready to compete with anybody.

Are Telcos Giving Up on Landline too Soon?

That's the subject of my latest Service Provider Views column, which is running now TMCnet. Hope you give it a read - I'm worried about the state of telecom - are you? Let's discuss.

Cisco's Hosted UC Solution - are Enterprises Ready?

My latest Service Provider Views column focuses on HUCS - Cisco's Hosted UC Solutions launch, which we were pre-briefed on at C-Scape. I've been wanting to add my take on this since then, and this column has been the right place to do that.

Rather than focus on the details of the solution, I'm more interested in the value proposition for enterprises, as well as the potential impact on the other players in this space. The article is running now on TMCnet, and you can read it here.

Internet Television - Busy Times in Canada

June has been a busy month in Canada for VOD, with both Shaw Communications and Videotron recently launching online portals for viewing television programs. This is the local version of TV Everywhere, and it's clear that the cablecos feel the time is right now. Consumer viewing habits are changing, and if they don't offer an online complement to cable TV, they risk losing revenues and even subscribers. I'm sure the telcos are smiling, as the cablecos finally have something to worry about that's comparable to all the threats they've been living with these days.

I've written my take on this for my latest Service Provider Views column, which is running now on TMCnet. Give it a read, and let me know what you think.

Thoughts on Innovation

Innovation comes in many forms, and that's what makes the communications market so interesting. I come across all types of this, both within and from outside the space, and am always interested in finding better ways to communicate.

In my latest Service Provider Views column, I touch on a few of these, namely Vonage partnering with Amdocs, and a company I just wrote about, Ringio, who have a pretty attractive cloud-based CRM solution for SMBs. The article is running now on TMCnet, and you can read it here. As always, comments are welcome!

Is Skype for Business Enterprise-Ready?

Now, there's an intriguing question for Skype followers. I'm one of them, and have been following them closely since the beginning. The most recent iteration of Skype for Business is targeting the enterprise market, and I think there's a good story here.

That's the focus of my latest Service Provider Views column on TMCnet, and it's running now. You can read it here, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Shaw Communications - Getting Convergence Right

Earlier this week, I was on BNN TV talking about Shaw Communications and their pending acquisition of CanWest. Add to this their planned entry in to the mobile market, and Shaw is anything but a regional cable operator.

The more I thought about this, the more threads I saw related to the broader service provider landscape. Convergence has had more misses than hits, but with Shaw, I think the stars are lining up in their favor. I've explored these themes a bit further in my current Service Provider Views column on TMCnet. There's certainly a lot more to talk about, and I just might do that in future columns. For now, though, I'll leave you with this column, which is running now on their website. I'm all ears for some dialog around this, so please chime in if you like.

Chasing the Clouds, Part 2

Last week I wrote about some trends I'm seeing in cloud communications for my Service Provider Views column on TMCnet. There's a lot to consider here, and I've just written Part 2.

Basically, as voice shifts to both the Web and the desktop, phone systems become less relevant, and the possibilities for voice to be totally cloud-based become more interesting. "Chasing the Clouds, Part 2" is running now, and you can read it here.

If you haven't been to my TMCnet column page lately, I should mention that they've now added icons to subscribe to these feeds either by email or RSS. There's also a comment box at the end of the article, and I'd love to hear your thoughts there.

Chasing the Clouds - More Things to Consider

It's been a very cloud-centric week for me and blogging has taken a back seat. On that note, please pardon the mess here - the re-do of my blog is a work in progress, but things are in the works - won't be long for the changes to take shape.

My latest TMCnet Service Provider Views column is about what I'm seeing in the overall cloud communications milieu. There are more questions than answers, and this is Part 1 of what some of that looks like to me.

Atomico Venture Fund - Implications for Carriers

Last week, Atomico's latest venture fund was launched. If you don't know them, this isn't just any venture fund - it's where Skype's founders are putting their money - along with others - into funding promising European startups.

While many of these startups are focused outside of telecom, they are all Web-based, and in time, I'm sure quite a few will find their way into the ecosystem of service providers. My thinking is that Atomico is the kind of fund that will help re-define the service provider landscape as well as the business operators are actually in.

This is the focus of my latest Service Provider Views column on TMCnet, and I hope you stop by and read the rest of the story.

Cisco Has a Message for Carriers - the Future is Video, not Telephony

Cisco made a lot of noise this week announcing the CRS-3 router, and I took part in the webinar briefing. I'm not an expert on routers, but I got some pretty strong takeaways about the bigger picture implications for carriers. In short, their future is about video and the Internet, not telephony. It sounds like strong medicine, and what you'd expect to hear from Cisco, but I happen to agree.

I've put my thoughts together on this for my latest Service Provider Views column, which runs on TMCnet. It's running now, and you can read it here.

You don't have to look far for coverage of Cisco's announcement in the press and blogs, and I'll just steer you to one from here in Canada - ITBusiness.ca - where I contributed some commentary. Just as the carriers face a lot of risk adapting to new technologies and changing customer preferences, Cisco has its own set of challenges, some self-created, and others stemming from general market conditions.

Nobody has a free ride here, so it's an interesting story that goes way beyond the current state of router technology. I'm sure I'll be revisiting this theme soon, but would love to hear your thoughts any time.

Skype/Verizon News - My Take

Tuesday's news about Skype and Verizon Wireless was a pretty big deal. I wasn't at MWC to see the press conference, and other things kept me from blogging about it until now, but I wanted to share my thoughts in some form. The uber bloggers have covered all the news angles by now, so let's not go there.

The next best thing is to write about the bigger picture, and I've done that in my latest Service Provider Views column, which is running now on TMCnet. So, if this story is still of interest to you - and it should be - you can read my take here, and by all means, you're welcome to keep the conversation going.