Four Play Bad, Two Play Good … VoIP Developments … Peer-to-Peering In

Four Play Bad, Two Play Good A company called Pyramid Research has come to the conclusion—and of course written a report to support it—that “not everybody wants triple play, let alone quadruple play.” The report, “Transforming Triple Play: Key Lessons and Best Practices for Winning RGU Strategies” concludes that “many are finding that single play and double play offerings tend to grow faster.” So all that stuff above about IMS and FMC; forgetaboutit. VoIP Developments Apparently unaware that it’s a losing proposition, Columbus Communications Trinidad Limited—and isn’t that a mouthful?—said that it will use the Arris Cadant CMTS to offer subscriber voice service in addition to digital video and high-speed data to its customers in, surprisingly, Trinidad …. Nortel Networks unveiled a new portfolio of voice, data and wireless products designed to help small and medium businesses streamline operations and costs and deliver superior customer service. Just curious, when was the last time you heard of a business that was announcing that it wanted to clog up its operations and deliver crummy customer service? …. And i2Telecom, which calls itself a “pioneer in globally ultra–portable high quality voice over Internet Protocol products and services”—and there’s damned few of those around—said its VoIP service Web site, VoiceStick.com, had a 250 percent increase in unique visitors last month and “double the sign-ups for its VoiceStick” that offers three separate modes (PC, cell phone and microgateway) .… Qovia has enhanced its “award-winning IP telephony manager” with several new features and upgrades designed to give IT managers the ability to pinpoint and fix call quality issues as calls are in progress even ask, “Can you hear me now?” Peer-to-Peering In Peer-to-peer multimedia collaboration and communication software solutions provider damaka has introduced the “damaka powered” partner operator version of its personal softswitch that enables operators and service providers to offer voice, video and data services—again, don’t these people know the triple play isn’t going to happen? …. PIKA Technologies announced that PIKA Connect for Skype, a set of software components for application developers that allows them to build business communications solutions that interface with Skype—which is probably why it’s called PIKA Connect for Skype and not PIKA Connect for Vonage—is running in limited field trials and being demonstrated on eBay Live this week. Learning more about VoIP Charter Communications is recommending that its installation and service technicians—as well as Charter Telephone installation contractors—use Jones/NCTI training for VoIP. From the X Files Alert Mulder and Scully! XFONE said its Israeli-based subsidiary XFONE 018 has been given permission by the Israeli Ministry of Communications to commence experimental deployment of voice-over-broadband (VoB) services. Who Says Cable Doesn’t Do Business? As if to put to rest any contention that the cable industry is not interested in commercial customers, Optimum Lightpath, Cablevision Systems’next-generation business broadband arm, has received the “Carrier Ethernet Service Provider of the Year—Outstanding Innovation” award. The honor was bestowed at the previously mentioned GlobalComm in Chicago last week by the Metro Ethernet Forum.