Today, Ditech Networks announced that Ed Harper had been appointed interim CEO. Tim Montgomery had taken a sleepy technology shop and morphed it into a $4B high flyer, only to see it hit rock bottom twice. You cannot find a better sales person, or true car aficionado than Tim. I wish him the best in his new life.
Today, Ed spelled out the name of the $3M VoIP customer as Inter-call. Go PVP go, to even larger customers- its your destiny!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Verizon/Qualcomm/Broadcomm- the last temptation
The latest news around the patent dispute between Qualcomm and Broadcom is evolving to be a priceless candidate as a Harvard business case. While I am a personal fan of CDMA and have been a loyal Verizon Wireless mobile customer forever, having to lug two phones when traveling to any other spot around the world was the first source of irritation that cast doubt on my loyalty. My irritation worsens each time I see walls full of GSM phones of innumerable variety at (pick your GSM carrier) outlet while I sulk at the dearth of cool phones at a Verizon or Sprint outlet.
The patent dispute is the last straw... I have been bombarded with upgrade letters, SMS's for $100 off my next locked CDMA phone. I am holding off.... resisting temptation of a shiny phone, even it is one of a handful of models on the rack... While there are silhouettes of iconized fruit glimmering in my eyes, I may simply settle for a sleek GSM phone that I can be assured will work wherever my airline lands.
Are you concerned about being stuck with a phone that is in the middle of a dispute between two chip companies? Do you GSM instead?
The patent dispute is the last straw... I have been bombarded with upgrade letters, SMS's for $100 off my next locked CDMA phone. I am holding off.... resisting temptation of a shiny phone, even it is one of a handful of models on the rack... While there are silhouettes of iconized fruit glimmering in my eyes, I may simply settle for a sleek GSM phone that I can be assured will work wherever my airline lands.
Are you concerned about being stuck with a phone that is in the middle of a dispute between two chip companies? Do you GSM instead?
VoIP is dead- Long live VoIP!
30 years from now when historians debate the "age of technology", they will have a laundry list of "in" things for 2007. Mash-ups, Web 2.X, social networking, iPhone (and its clones?) just to name a few.
What they are not likely to have on the list is Voice-over-IP. Is VoIP dead already? Au contraire mon ami. VoIP is about to join another list- those initially ultra hyped technologies that take a such a long time to take hold in the market that we don't realize how pervasive they have become. When we look back, we are likely to say that 2007 was when SunRocket came a tumblin' down, Vonage dusted off their MBA degree and adopted profit as their prime reason d'etre, and VoIP, just dissapeared into the dictionary of arcana while most of us were using it to merrily reach out and touch someone. Perhaps its my faded birth certificate or the number of technology life cycles that I have subjected my body to in the valley... Whatever may be source of inspiration for a nom-de guerre I will evetually adopt, I am secretly glad that at last, a cycle that I have been dreaming, marketing, and selling is truly coming of age.
Read more on the adult life of VoIP at http://www.voip-news.com/feature/how-voip-revolution-ended-080807/
What they are not likely to have on the list is Voice-over-IP. Is VoIP dead already? Au contraire mon ami. VoIP is about to join another list- those initially ultra hyped technologies that take a such a long time to take hold in the market that we don't realize how pervasive they have become. When we look back, we are likely to say that 2007 was when SunRocket came a tumblin' down, Vonage dusted off their MBA degree and adopted profit as their prime reason d'etre, and VoIP, just dissapeared into the dictionary of arcana while most of us were using it to merrily reach out and touch someone. Perhaps its my faded birth certificate or the number of technology life cycles that I have subjected my body to in the valley... Whatever may be source of inspiration for a nom-de guerre I will evetually adopt, I am secretly glad that at last, a cycle that I have been dreaming, marketing, and selling is truly coming of age.
Read more on the adult life of VoIP at http://www.voip-news.com/feature/how-voip-revolution-ended-080807/
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Do you linked-in?
Do you linked-in ? I am still in awe in the number people I can reach, get to know, and decide to not know, through linked-in. In case you have not noticed, let me share one other observation. I think linked-in is even more useful for international connections. A few weeks ago, I was trying to connect with folks that I had done some business with in Turkey. I did not expect to see them on the web but did dare a search on Google. Lo and behold, my contacts and at least half of the management layer of his large telecom company were on linked-in.
So, if you are not on linked in, try it now www.linked-in.com, and link yourself to me...
So, if you are not on linked in, try it now www.linked-in.com, and link yourself to me...
Double Crash
The wild market gyrations have certainly wrecked havoc on my portfolios- you may say, join the crowd... Interestingly, Jim Cramer (Mad Money) on MSNBC? was tooting his horn in support of tech stocks, saying that this market drop was an opportunity to buy...
A few days ago, Ditech Networks, my previous company, announced an earnings shortfall, estimating that they would reach ~$14.5M vs. a target of $19M. Its hard to contain my disappointment for the wide miss... At the same time, packet product revenues were quoted as reaching $3.2M, the largest ever packet revenue in the history of the company! I am not aware of the composition but, I would guess that it is mostly the Packet Voice Processor. Kudos to the teams who are persevering to deliver the product to market!
A few days ago, Ditech Networks, my previous company, announced an earnings shortfall, estimating that they would reach ~$14.5M vs. a target of $19M. Its hard to contain my disappointment for the wide miss... At the same time, packet product revenues were quoted as reaching $3.2M, the largest ever packet revenue in the history of the company! I am not aware of the composition but, I would guess that it is mostly the Packet Voice Processor. Kudos to the teams who are persevering to deliver the product to market!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Treo and Good Technology
I recently had to switch from a Blackberry to a Treo, with the Good Technology software client for enterprise e-mail integration. Here are some observations after a month of use...
1. The Good software appears to be an unsophisticated version of the Blackberry in terms of usability and device integration. The lack of font-size adjustment and the poor use of the limited screen real-estate leaves a lot to be desired. Even after a month us usage, I am finding that the stylus is not able to hit the appropriate menus comfortably and I am having to repeat many steps
2. The Treo 680 battery does not last more than 24 hours. I had to purchase an extended battery, with a different back lid from an after-market company. I lost the lid on my first trip and had to purchase a second battery just for the lid. Compared to the 2-3 day battery life of a blackberry, I would suggest that the performance is unacceptable.
3. The Treo also has several other qwirks, such as not having a compact USB connector for power. These cables are much easier to find and can be used for multiple devices. Instead, I now am lugging one extra cable to charge the Treo.
4. The Treo is heavy!
So what did I like about the Treo? Fairly responsive, bright screen.
1. The Good software appears to be an unsophisticated version of the Blackberry in terms of usability and device integration. The lack of font-size adjustment and the poor use of the limited screen real-estate leaves a lot to be desired. Even after a month us usage, I am finding that the stylus is not able to hit the appropriate menus comfortably and I am having to repeat many steps
2. The Treo 680 battery does not last more than 24 hours. I had to purchase an extended battery, with a different back lid from an after-market company. I lost the lid on my first trip and had to purchase a second battery just for the lid. Compared to the 2-3 day battery life of a blackberry, I would suggest that the performance is unacceptable.
3. The Treo also has several other qwirks, such as not having a compact USB connector for power. These cables are much easier to find and can be used for multiple devices. Instead, I now am lugging one extra cable to charge the Treo.
4. The Treo is heavy!
So what did I like about the Treo? Fairly responsive, bright screen.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Bodrum, Turkey- the beauty of the coast and challenges of mobile coverage..
The last stop on our summer family vacation was at Bodrum, the southern most tip of Turkey. We stayed at our family vacation house on Meteor Beach http://www.meteorbeach.com, a secluded cove on the Bodrum peninsula. The water on the beach is crystal clear, with sand going out to water as far as the eye can see.
Living on the border has interesting challenges. The coastline of Turkey is an excellent example of fractals... There are thousands of inlets, coves and hills that cover the coast. Delivering quality mobile coverage to these areas is best done where there is clear line of sight. On the Turkish coast, that's from the islands across the water... Greek Islands. So, both in Ayvalik, where we stayed first, and in Bodrum, you can find a very clear Vodafone GREECE signal along with the signals from TURKCELL, VODAFONE TURKEY and AVEA! In some cases, the Greek signals are stronger because they travel unimpeded across the water. Many Turkish subscribers end up forcing their phones to manual mode to prevent a run up of roaming charges.
Living on the border has interesting challenges. The coastline of Turkey is an excellent example of fractals... There are thousands of inlets, coves and hills that cover the coast. Delivering quality mobile coverage to these areas is best done where there is clear line of sight. On the Turkish coast, that's from the islands across the water... Greek Islands. So, both in Ayvalik, where we stayed first, and in Bodrum, you can find a very clear Vodafone GREECE signal along with the signals from TURKCELL, VODAFONE TURKEY and AVEA! In some cases, the Greek signals are stronger because they travel unimpeded across the water. Many Turkish subscribers end up forcing their phones to manual mode to prevent a run up of roaming charges.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
AirTies
One of the interesting companies in the Telecom space in Turkey was founded by my friends Bulent Celebi, who was the CEO of Ubicom in Mountain View, and Ismail Taskin, a friend from the valley who was at Cisco working on WiFi. Airties (www.airties.com) is unique in the sense that they are developing consumer networking products and beating the large players like Cisco in their own game!
AirTies claims to have captured a large portion of the Turkish Market and is now expanding to Greece and other adjacent countries. I wish the founders Bulent and Ismail, as well as other friends like Bahar Baran (ex Net.com), Mujdat Pakkan (ex Syndeo) and others the best of luck in their startup in Istanbul Turkey.
AirTies claims to have captured a large portion of the Turkish Market and is now expanding to Greece and other adjacent countries. I wish the founders Bulent and Ismail, as well as other friends like Bahar Baran (ex Net.com), Mujdat Pakkan (ex Syndeo) and others the best of luck in their startup in Istanbul Turkey.
Telecom in Turkey
The Turkish Telecom market has always been on my radar, more so for its high tariffs than its dynamism, the mobile carriers being the exception. In the past few years though, a lot appears to have changed. First, Turk Telekom, the dominant carrier in the space, has been consistently delivering new services that are more consumer oriented. For example, ADSL service appears to be widely available.
One cool service on ADSL is the fact that you can move your service from one number to another within a day and back. My parents use this to move their ADSL service from Istanbul, their home base, to Ayvalik Turkey, 600km away, where they reside for the summer. Imagine trying to do that with other carriers...
Turk Telekom was privatized then sold to outside investors. This is now driving the company to be even more customer friendly. They are now advertising on TV, which is something very new. With the large population of Turkey and potential to acquire other carriers in the region, TT seems poised to do well soon.
One cool service on ADSL is the fact that you can move your service from one number to another within a day and back. My parents use this to move their ADSL service from Istanbul, their home base, to Ayvalik Turkey, 600km away, where they reside for the summer. Imagine trying to do that with other carriers...
Turk Telekom was privatized then sold to outside investors. This is now driving the company to be even more customer friendly. They are now advertising on TV, which is something very new. With the large population of Turkey and potential to acquire other carriers in the region, TT seems poised to do well soon.
Greetings from Ayvalik, Turkey!
Its never possible to perfectly time life's transitions. We had planned a long family vacation this summer, so soon after joining Polycom, we set out to gather the extended family in my parent's summer home on the Aegean coast of Turkey, at a town called Ayvalik (see google earth for an aerial view) or click here for a variety of pictures form the area http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/ayvalik_turkey
We are enjoying the azure waters of the Aegean while regaining the precious pounds we had lost in the last two months on irresistable food! The local fish is best served grilled, while the fresh fruit and olives produced within only a few miles away are to die for...
If you ever plan to see the area, Turkish Airlines (www.thy.com) and atlas Jet (www.atlasjet.com.tr) have regularly scheduled flights. We took a fast ferry from Istanbul to Bandirma (www.ido.com.tr) and then drove the remaining 260km in about three and a half hours including stops for food and the potty breaks for the little ones.
We are enjoying the azure waters of the Aegean while regaining the precious pounds we had lost in the last two months on irresistable food! The local fish is best served grilled, while the fresh fruit and olives produced within only a few miles away are to die for...
If you ever plan to see the area, Turkish Airlines (www.thy.com) and atlas Jet (www.atlasjet.com.tr) have regularly scheduled flights. We took a fast ferry from Istanbul to Bandirma (www.ido.com.tr) and then drove the remaining 260km in about three and a half hours including stops for food and the potty breaks for the little ones.
My new coordinates
I joined Polycom in mid-June 2007 as the Vice President of Marketing for the Voice Division. The new division covers voice product ranging from the well recognized conference phones, IP Desktop phones, recently acquired wireless phones and sophisticated voice processing products for large installations. Look for the products at www.polycom.com .
This is a change that I am enjoying immensely! Its a change to have 100's of channel partners serving thousands of end customers!
This is a change that I am enjoying immensely! Its a change to have 100's of channel partners serving thousands of end customers!
Friday, June 8, 2007
Qualcomm shipment stoppage- effect on VzW/Sprint?
The International Trade Commission today announced an order to bar shipments of handsets containing Qualcomm chips. The largest users of these chips are vendors supplying handsets to Verizon Wireless and Sprint.. While it is likely that the order will not last long, it can result in a shortage of handsets for these carriers and affect their customer acquisition...
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Moving on...
June 8 will be my last day at Ditech Networks (see my SEC filing for my departure!... http://biz.yahoo.com/e/070607/ditc8-k.html. or http://ir.ditechnetworks.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=113330&p=irol-SECText&TEXT=aHR0cDovL2NjYm4uMTBrd2l6YXJkLmNvbS94bWwvZmlsaW5nLnhtbD9yZXBvPXRlbmsmaXBhZ2U9NDk4Mzk4NiZhdHRhY2g9T04=
I've spent nearly 4 years at Ditech. We've done a lot since 2003... Back then, Ditech was... "an echo cancellation company"... Now, Ditech is recognized as a significant player in the VoIP market... There is a new name, a new product, a new direction and soon, a new leader with hopefully a vision to take Ditech to even greater success.
I will announce my destination soon...
I've spent nearly 4 years at Ditech. We've done a lot since 2003... Back then, Ditech was... "an echo cancellation company"... Now, Ditech is recognized as a significant player in the VoIP market... There is a new name, a new product, a new direction and soon, a new leader with hopefully a vision to take Ditech to even greater success.
I will announce my destination soon...
Vator.TV
YouTube and its bretheren have made video exchange and social video networking reach the masses? Why not reach other audiences with a video pitch, you may ask... Vator.TV is a startup that is taking advantage of this phenomenon. They are still in Beta stage, ramping up their "content". You can watch me with my company pitch at Vator.TV.. here..
http://vator.tv/search/idea_company_product#type=idea&keyword=aras&category=&country=&updated=&stage=&usertype=normal
Will this be a new wave of pitch making, especially for new product ideas, or will YouTube remain as the premier destination for all video pitches? Food for thought and comment...
http://vator.tv/search/idea_company_product#type=idea&keyword=aras&category=&country=&updated=&stage=&usertype=normal
Will this be a new wave of pitch making, especially for new product ideas, or will YouTube remain as the premier destination for all video pitches? Food for thought and comment...
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Catching up on CTIA in Orlando
Its been a months since the show ended but I am now just catching up on comments for CTIA. First, I must say that CTIA was vibrant! There certainly was a buzz around handsets... Yet, there was far more...
Comparing CTIA with 3GSM, I was pleasantly surprised to see the diversity of vendors and solutions for the North American market.
Interesting areas:
Mobile Video- there were at least a dozen companies pitching mobile video streaming of all kinds. From the PC to the handset, mobile streaming of entertainment content etc. Mobile social networking was again in play.
Handsets- Wow, the presence of Motorola, Samsung, LG was absolutely amazing... Samsung seemed slightly smaller compared to their presence at 3GSM while Motorola seemed dominant.
The smaller presence of TEM's was also notable. The Mobile environment certainly seems to have transitioned to a consumer centric (vs. tech centric) position.
I listened to the chairman of EMI on the distribution of music on mobile. The key theme was around the globalization of the music business around mobility. Interestingly, the same globalization is increasing the "reuse" of stars beyond the usual places like the US. The chairman mentioned the launch of certain European and Indian stars to global audiences, where one heart throb can be launched in a multiplicity of countries.
Orlando as a venue left me wondering whether the show will be there next year. The buzz of Las Vegas or the variety of New Orleans were certainly missing...
Comparing CTIA with 3GSM, I was pleasantly surprised to see the diversity of vendors and solutions for the North American market.
Interesting areas:
Mobile Video- there were at least a dozen companies pitching mobile video streaming of all kinds. From the PC to the handset, mobile streaming of entertainment content etc. Mobile social networking was again in play.
Handsets- Wow, the presence of Motorola, Samsung, LG was absolutely amazing... Samsung seemed slightly smaller compared to their presence at 3GSM while Motorola seemed dominant.
The smaller presence of TEM's was also notable. The Mobile environment certainly seems to have transitioned to a consumer centric (vs. tech centric) position.
I listened to the chairman of EMI on the distribution of music on mobile. The key theme was around the globalization of the music business around mobility. Interestingly, the same globalization is increasing the "reuse" of stars beyond the usual places like the US. The chairman mentioned the launch of certain European and Indian stars to global audiences, where one heart throb can be launched in a multiplicity of countries.
Orlando as a venue left me wondering whether the show will be there next year. The buzz of Las Vegas or the variety of New Orleans were certainly missing...
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Catching up on VON- San Jose
I am just catching up on comments from VON... This was the first, in a few years, where VON was particularly quiet... It feels as if there is a maturation of the VoIP industry (a good thing...)
There were many video related applications that touted models for video distribution via P2P, video social networking etc. Not clear how long these will last or which ones will survive...
My favorite find was audible magic (www.audiblemagic.com), a company that can recognize licensed musical content as it passes through any network location! Very interesting science behind recognition of music under pretty much any compression scheme...
There were many video related applications that touted models for video distribution via P2P, video social networking etc. Not clear how long these will last or which ones will survive...
My favorite find was audible magic (www.audiblemagic.com), a company that can recognize licensed musical content as it passes through any network location! Very interesting science behind recognition of music under pretty much any compression scheme...
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Mobile Video- the next best thing in Mobile Services?
At the IMS panel last week, the application that was discussed the most was video over mobile networks. The same theme was quite apparent at the 3GSM conference in Barcelona mid February. Is the time approaching where we will all use video telephony to call each other?
Share your thoughts?
Share your thoughts?
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
IMS
I attended the IMS Evolution Summit last week in Coral Gables, Florida, organized by IQPC. Excellent organization, attended by nearly 50 of the who's who in telecom, who are pondering upon the changes being brought by IMS....
Observations:
#1 IMS is becoming real.... Real in the sense that we are understanding the value it brings- applications, applications applications. At the same time, the industry is re-learning what is becoming deja vu all over again. That is, the transition from legacy networks, whether its it TDM or soft-switch, is one of the largest challenges to overcome.
#2 IMS will be an evolution, not revolution. Beyond the legacy issue, many of the capabilities IMS promised is now becoming available on pre-IMS solutions. IMS now has to offer even more to be able to overcome the natural evolution of the existing systems
#3 Interoperability is making progress, yet is not complete... Results from testing with the Multi-Service forum suggest that basic interop is now mature, while interop at the higher layers needs more time.
Observations:
#1 IMS is becoming real.... Real in the sense that we are understanding the value it brings- applications, applications applications. At the same time, the industry is re-learning what is becoming deja vu all over again. That is, the transition from legacy networks, whether its it TDM or soft-switch, is one of the largest challenges to overcome.
#2 IMS will be an evolution, not revolution. Beyond the legacy issue, many of the capabilities IMS promised is now becoming available on pre-IMS solutions. IMS now has to offer even more to be able to overcome the natural evolution of the existing systems
#3 Interoperability is making progress, yet is not complete... Results from testing with the Multi-Service forum suggest that basic interop is now mature, while interop at the higher layers needs more time.
Life in the Telecom Valley
My blog is about telecom- the large industry that delivers the reliable voice and other communications to all of us, around the world, 7 by 24...
Life in telecom is taking an interesting turn these days. Convergence between Mobile and wireline networks is changing the once-sacrosanct rules! Read and share your thoughts about this change and how you are in the maelstrom...
Life in telecom is taking an interesting turn these days. Convergence between Mobile and wireline networks is changing the once-sacrosanct rules! Read and share your thoughts about this change and how you are in the maelstrom...
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