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On Monday Jeff Pulver hosted one of his legendary breakfasts at the San Jose Convention Center for people in the San Jose area. Since VON was getting ready to start, there were plenty of people around. About 70 people showed up for breakfast. Here's some video of the event.
I realized this morning that next week it's time to start getting things ready to head down to San Jose for Spring VON.x. Sheryl and I are both really excited about this conference. It's a chance to see some great personal friends and colleagues. They're people we talk with all the time, but never seem to get to spend enough real-life time with. Beyond that, we'll be talking with some of the thought leaders in unified communications - the real movers and shakers in the industry.
We arrive in San Jose on Sunday, so we have some time to get ourselves situated before things kick into high gear. We're looking forward to dinner Sunday evening with our close friend Andy Abramson and his wife Helene. That's been our plan for a while. It will be the first time Helene and Sheryl get to meet. I think Andy and I will have to plan our shopping defensive strategy when the two of them get together.
On Monday morning, we're going to start with a bang. Jeff Pulver is holding one of his famous Breakfast with Jeff get togethers as part of the conference. On Monday, Sheryl and I will also be doing some live GeekSpeakTV with other friends. We know we have Pat Phelan from MAXROAM (a fitting St. Paddy's day guest), and James Body from Truphone on video. That evening the gang from MAXROAM, QIK, and Global Roaming are having a party that's sure to be a blast. We anticipate live streaming video from that event as well. And before the party we're meeting a bunch of friends for the VoIP User Dinner. Monday's going to be a long day.
Tuesday is shaping up to be a full day. We'll be meeting with folks from Intelliverse and Agito Networks at some point. We can't miss Jeff's opening talk on the future. And then there's the VONCamp Unconference. Sometime in the Unconference opening times, I'll e doing a brief talk on the Real Life Impact of Social Media. That's a surprise-filled talk that's sure to get some unexpected attention at the conference. The exhibit hall reception event in the evening will
Tuesday evening is Jeff's big all-conference party. He told us yesterday that The Herding Cats will be performing, as they often do at VON conferences. Tuesday will be another long and frenzied day.
On Wednesday, we'll doubtless pick up a couple of briefings in the morning, but we're on an early afternoon flight back home. I'm sure we'll be exhausted. We'll have load of blog posts, podcasts and video from the VON conference and we're ready to hit the road!
Technorati Tags: VON.x, VON Conference
Regular readers know I've been keeping an eye on the striking and ongoing success at SPIRIT DSP for a while now. Here's a significant announcement from Mobile World Congress about a new relationship between SPRITI and Toshiba. I think there's another layer of significance here because it brings Toshiba back into the news. We haven't heard a lot from them lately.
Toshiba Licenses SPIRIT's Audio Software to Evaluate New Semiconductor Designs
BARCELONA, Spain (Mobile World Congress, booth #2H11) - February 11, 2008 - SPIRIT DSP, the world's leading provider of voice and video software engines, announced today that Toshiba Corporation has licensed SPIRIT's audio software for evaluating Toshiba's next generation semiconductor designs.
Mr. Nobu Matsumoto, Senior Manager of Software Design Platform Dept, Center For Semiconductor Research & Development, Toshiba's Semiconductor Company commented, "Optimized hardware is only as optimized as the software that runs on it. In order to evaluate newly developed hardware, we were looking for high-performance audio software which has been already proven in practical use. The speed of the audio software, offered by SPIRIT, meets our requirements."
SPIRIT software brings the highest audio performance to mobile devices. SPIRIT's software makes everything possible for the hardware, serving as the ultimate benchmark when comparing different hardware platforms, and ultimately proving the true performance of the hardware.
"SPIRIT's power efficient software solutions are optimized for standard ARM CPUs as well as ARM's dedicated audio processors and enable consumer electronics manufacturers to bring compelling, next-generation multimedia products to market, quickly and with low risk," said Patrick Willekens, audio product manager, Media Processing Division, ARM. "SPIRIT, a member of the ARM Connected Community, has been a reliable partner to ARM for several years. Their clear market leadership and dedication to best-of-class software solutions is well aligned with ARM's goal to maintain competitive advantages in all areas of mobile multimedia, including audio and voice applications."
Alex Kravchenko, VP Sales at SPIRIT commented, "We're pleased to receive such recognition from Toshiba, a technological innovator and market leader, by serving as Toshiba's benchmark setter. To address the market requirements for portable multimedia players, we developed a complete high-performance, low-MIPS, small footprint audio solution incorporating state-of-the-art software components. Our audio and video software will help OEM/ODMs stay ahead of competition by delivering better products to the consumer marketplace. SPIRIT has been working with Toshiba for a long time. The SPIRIT-Toshiba partnership started in the late 90s. In 2004, we licensed SPIRIT's audio solution to Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH to increase the functionality of its processors. And today, we're happy to prolong the relationship with Toshiba's Semiconductor Company."
Only SPIRIT has voice and video engines that span all communication devices and all market segments, including mobile OEMs/ODMs, semiconductor vendors, VoIP service providers, software vendors, online gaming and social networking (including PC and mobile softphones, WiFi and 3G phones, cordless IP phones, IMS platforms, Web conferencing, social networks and set-top boxes). Today, SPIRIT mobile OEM customers jointly exceed 55 percent of the worldwide smart-phone shipments.
About SPIRIT
SPIRIT DSP (www.spiritDSP.com) employs 140 professionals, and has been in the international software licensing business since 1992. A bootstrap company, SPIRIT has been profitable for 15 years. For the last 10 years, SPIRIT's focus has been on voice and video communication software products. SPIRIT counts among its customers Adobe, Agere, Arima, ARM, Atmel, BT plc., Cisco, Compal, deltathree, Flextronics, Ericsson, HP, HTC, Huawei, Importek, Korea Telecom, Kyocera, LG, MediaRing, Microsoft, NEC, Nortel Networks, NXP, Oracle, Paltalk, Polycom, Quanta, Radvision, Reigncom, Samsung, Siemens, Texas Instruments, Toshiba, Trinity Convergence and Veraz, and among 200+ other communication OEMs and software vendors. SPIRIT communication software is used in over 80 countries and powers more than 100 million embedded voice channels. SeeStorm is a SPIRIT affiliate for synthetic video conferencing.
TeamSpirit is a registered trademark of SPIRIT DSP. All other trademarks and/or registered trademarks are registered to their respective owners.
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As part of the work I'm doing to bring some direct updates from the VON conference underway in Boston, I'm gearing up for a series of briefings. It's likely that some will be posted here as podcasts as well. Just to give you a flavor for what's ahead this week, here's who we'll be talking with.
NOTE - Somehow the intro and exit segments of this podcast got reversed. Rather than pull it and leave it offline while I completely revamp, I'm just noting it here. Please do listen. It was a great conversation. - Ken
At the ITExpo in Los Angles last September, I had the chance to meet Stéphane Marceau. President and CEO of MBOIVOX over dinner. I can only say it was a load of fun and I've looked forward to the chance top talk with him again. The other day we spoke on the phone and I recorded the conversation.
Stéphane's one of the most interesting people I met at the ITExpo and someone I hope will be a great friend. Please join me and listen in on our conversation.
Technorati Tags: MOBIVOX, Stéphane Marceau
I met with Gurmeet Lamba from Clarus Systems at the ITExpo in Los Angeles last week. Every year at the ITExpo I meet one or two people who strike a real chord. Phenomenally smart people who are doing really exciting things. Gurmeet is one of those people, and Clarus a company that has a really clear view of how network management information is absolutely crucial business intelligence.
Please join me and listen in as I chat with Gurmeet Lamba at Clarus Systems. I found this to be one of my most fascinating chats at the ITExpo.
Technorati Tags: ITExpo, Clarus Systems, Gurmeet Lamba, Ken Camp, podcast, interview
Tadiran is one of those companies that's been around in telecom for a very long time - over 40 years. As such, they're always worh watching. They adapt to the market and continue to thrive. Here's some news about them taking their show on the road to demo what they've got in a number of cities around the country. If you're anywhere these shows will be taking place, it's worth the time to check them out.
Tadiran Mobile Technology Centers Roll Out Latest Voice Possibilities
The 'IP Communications Experience Tour' is on the Road to Multiple Cities Nationwide
Port Washington, N.Y. - July 9, 2007 - Tadiran Telecom®, a leading global IP business telephone and communications solutions provider, today announced the "IP Communications Experience Tour," a nationwide, multi-city tour of Tadiran's Mobile Advanced Technology Centers (MATC). These 40-foot high-end, luxury motor coaches are outfitted with Tadiran's state-of-the-art telecommunications solutions. The IP Communications Experience Tour is designed to let visitors experience and test the possibilities in IP communications, first hand. The first cities planned for Tadiran's IP Communications Experience Tour include: El Segundo, Calif., Northbridge, Calif., Los Angeles, Burbank, Calif., New York City, Port Washington N.Y., Cincinnati, Ohio, Miamisburg, Ohio, Columbus, Ohio and Grand Junction, Colo.
Tadiran's award-winning, high-performance IP communications solutions and telephones allow businesses and organizations of all sizes to migrate to the world of IP in stages, all while continuing to leverage existing network and legacy investments.
Tadiran Telecom's Director of Marketing Pat Lennon said, "The IP Communications Experience Tour underscores our commitment to helping businesses and organizations transition to IP communications as easily and cost-effectively as possible. We plan to showcase our family of telecommunications solutions that offer tremendous productivity and operational cost savings - from the many benefits of Voice over IP (VOIP) to mobility products that allow users the freedom to travel without sacrificing telephone features formally associated with a desk telephone."
This year, Tadiran's IP Communications Experience Tour will showcase the following products:To learn more about Tadiran's IP Communications Experience Tour, call [1-866-595-4900].
- Tadiran's award-winning family of Coral® IP PBXs offer a range of telephony solutions that facilitate a seamless move to VoIP, with no loss to investment in legacy systems or the need for extensive retaining. The Coral IPx family includes a breadth of products that combine leading edge VoIP capabilities, voicemail, conference bridge and cell phone integration, allowing cell phones to act as extensions to the system. Each model can be used as a VoIP telephony server with gateway and digital telephone options. The Coral IPx family offers the best total cost of ownership, backed by superb voice quality, easy installation and maintenance, secured communications, and a wide choice of user devices to support tele-workers, corporate and branch offices, and road warriors.
- The Coral IPx Office is Tadiran's small office IP PBX solution. It is a complete IP office communication solution in one small box, for simple, flexible converged communications with sophisticated call handling, firewall protection, VPN (Virtual Private Network) and NAT (Network Address Translators) support, and optional unified messaging. It offers an extensive range of IP functionality and user benefits such as a built-in data switch optional internet router and a large selection of gateways to legacy connections. The Coral IPx can also be networked, giving branch offices the same communication services enjoyed by the head office.
- A preview of Tadiran's newest innovation, the Coral Sea Softswitch - a complete, pure IP VoIP solution for all size enterprises (currently in beta). The Sea Softswitch, based on open technology standards, is a single, replicated, fault-tolerant VoIP solution, requiring only 1 RU (rack unit) of space, but with far greater capabilities than much larger systems. As an independent system or integrated with existing systems and endpoints, the Sea Softswitch connects between endpoints, protocols and media gateways. This provides full feature functionality of voice, video, SIP-based unified messaging, multimedia and Contact Center capabilities.
- Mobility applications. Tadiran's FlexiCallTM, FreedomTM and FlexAirTM applications enable employees to be reached through one number, making it easy for them to receive important calls and timely messages. With FlexiCall, your landline and mobile phone ring simultaneous, allowing employees to never miss a call. And once they get the call, they stay in control of it with the ability to transfer the call into the office, or page someone, from their mobile phone. FlexAir allows full mobility within the office building or campus using DECT wireless, while avoiding airtime costs. With Freedom, businesses can provide access to internal system services - outgoing trunk access, voicemail, conferencing and internal calls - to distant and cellular phones. Employees dial into their own phone number and access all their user-defined system capabilities, enabling them to take advantage of lower corporate GSM gateway tariffs.
- Unified Messaging systems that consolidate voice messages, emails and faxes into a convenient Microsoft® Windows® browser-based platform. Tadiran's Unified Messaging Systems are designed specially for the telephone system, offering the most seamless integrations. The systems fit into the telephone chassis, requiring no external resources.
- Tadiran's CompositTM Contact Center is a comprehensive suite of real-time, IP multimedia customer interaction management solutions. Its scalable and modular system combines IVR, Dialer, CTI, queue management, Intelligent Interaction Routing and multimedia management - all on a single, distributed platform. Composit's distributed architecture allows multiple Composit servers to tie together and work as one single system, so agents across different servers can connect and share data, and businesses can expand the number of agents and IVR ports, conduct automatic load balancing and disaster recovery.
About Tadiran Telecom
Tadiran Telecom® has been an established innovator in telecommunications for more than 40 years. A leading, global IP business telephone and communications solutions provider, Tadiran serves businesses and organizations of all sizes with a comprehensive family of products, including IP PBXs, contact centers, IP telephones, and mobility and desktop applications. Tadiran distributes IP communications solutions to some of the world's largest companies and organizations across 41 countries through authorized Business Partners and direct to Government customers through Tadiran Government Systems. For more information, visit www.TadiranAmerica.com.
While not directly related to some of the areas I focus on, metro services of all kinds certainly interest me. And they do provide the services many of us use to conduct business onlineThe Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) invited me to a briefing with some of their board to talk about the latest work and specifications that have been ratified.
In addition, the winners of the MEF North American Carrier Ethernet Service Provider of the Year awards & the first Service Providers to attain MEF14 will be announced soon.
I jumped at the chance to participate in this briefing and will share what I learn here.
Technorati Tags: Metro Ethernet Forum, MEF, briefing
Frost & Sullivan recently acknowledged Sphere Communications with its Product Differentiation Innovation Award for incorporating SAO into Sphere's product line. Frost & Sullivan analyst Krithi Rao noted that "Sphere's architecture differentiation may become the company's strongest competitive advantage."
I seized that award and opportunity to chat on a conference call with Krithi and Todd Landry, Senior Vice President at Sphere Communications. I've spoken with Todd several times in the past about Sphere. This conversation was more focused on SOA and why it's important.
I'll have the podcast online soon and encourage you to listen in on this one. It covered some really interesting points around SOA.
Technorati Tags: Frost & Sullivan, Sphere Communications, Software Oriented Architecture, SOA
Nokia Siemens seems to be in the news almost daily here the past couple of weeks. Here's news about what they're doing with China Mobile. Keep in mind that China represents perhaps the largest mobile market in the world.
Nokia Siemens Networks successfully conducts Release 4 system performance testing with China Mobile
Nokia Siemens Networks and China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC) have successfully completed performance testing of the 3GPP release 4 MSC Server System (MSS) from Nokia Siemens Networks. The MSS performed with outstanding results in the tests organized by CMCC, demonstrating the Nokia Siemens Networks solution’s capacity, stability and efficiency in data-delivery.
The MSC Server System, which is already widely used in commercial networks globally, showed remarkable stability in an overload test which included an continuous 12-hour, 150% data-overload simulation. Despite the simulated data overload, the system ran, on average, at under 35% of total capacity (CPU load). The “Call Success Rate” was higher than 99.999%, and SMS delivery boasted a 100% success rate.
“We are pleased that the CMCC simulation was successful and we are confident in our MSC Server’s ability to meet future mobile volume demands,” said Jürgen Walter, head of Service Core and Applications, Nokia Siemens Networks. “CMCC operates one of the largest and densest GSM mobile networks in the world. Efficiency and reliability are critical to maintaining optimum performance. Our release 4 compliant MSC Server System will support GSM, WCDMA and TD-SCDMA services, as well as future network architectures, making it the ideal network platform for today and tomorrow.”
The MSC Server System is a circuit core network architecture that supports GSM/EDGE, WCDMA and TD-SCDMA. Nokia Siemens Networks is the world leader in soft-switch solutions, providing the MSC Server System to over 140 customers worldwide. Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading GSM/WCDMA mobile supplier in the China area with almost 150 million mobile soft-switch lines serving mobile subscribers in the China market.
About Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of communications services. The company provides a complete, well-balanced product portfolio of mobile and fixed network infrastructure solutions and addresses the growing demand for services with 20,000 service professionals worldwide. The combined pro-forma net sales of €17.1 billion Euro in fiscal year 2006 make Nokia Siemens Networks one of the largest telecommunications infrastructure companies. Nokia Siemens Networks has operations in some 150 countries and is headquartered in Espoo, Finland. It combines Nokia’s Networks Business Group and the carrier related businesses of Siemens Communications. www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
Ken Camp has more than 25 years of experience in information technology. Ken spent 17 years with AT&T and Lucent Technologies successfully designing and implementing voice and data networks. He later worked in the security marketplace and played a key role in early IPSec VPN deployments. As an independent consultant, Ken's primary focal areas include network performance improvement, security practices and the design and deployment of integrated voice and data solutions. He may be contacted at: ken_camp@realtimepublishers.net
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