One point really struck me in my recent time at the O'Reilly ETel conference in San Francisco. I know that I focus on some fairly specific aspects of unified communications and shut others out. I concentrate often on enterprise business concerns. I rant about security. I'm keenly interested in mobility and fixed mobile convergence.

I also bring, to my chagrin, a very US-centric viewpoint when it comes to things like the cost of minutes. I don't always fully appreciate a more global view. For us in the states, it's sometimes easy to shrug someone's really important business off with phrases like "me too," or "minutes stealers," or some other phrase that makes a solution appear unimportant or uninteresting. That's an injustice.

First, while long distance arbitrage for cost per minute might not appear sexy or new, there's a reality on this planet that for many people, a graet many people, this service enables telecommunications for them. There are many people, expatriot workers in countless businesses, who wouldn't even be able to call home and talk to family without the efforts of people to drive the cost of phone calls down.

These aren't the only folks getting short shrift from us bloggers, but too often, we focus on the sizzling new technologies and don't give credit where it's due across the board.

While there are many people I've met and talked to whoI now appreciate in new ways, I can't introduce them all at once. In this post, I'd like to tell you about two such individuals. New friends who've really impressed me with their vision, their story and their commitment to delivering voice services.



Moshe Maeir - Chief Flattening Officer at Flat Planet Phone Company

First, let's give some credit to the title. Moshe's got the coolest title of anyone in the business. Flattening a heirarchy that's been buttressed and fortified for over a hundred years in the telecommunications sector.

Moshe was part of Om Malik's LaunchPad event at ETel, but I met with him earlier in the day. While he was very well received, I found his thoughts much more powerful in one-on-one conversation. Speaking in front of a crowd of talent like we had at ETel is a daunting task, but Moshe's passion and commitment to enabling near-realtime provisioning of a telephone system is nothing short of revolutionary.

I worked in the telecom industry for years and remember how the deployment of tools like DACS (Digital Access Cross Connect) and the hot technologies of the mid-80's would enable customers to order, provision, and instantly activate services. Frankly, that was one of a thousand illusions that the legacy telcos promised, but never delivered. At Flat Planet, Moshe's making that a reality for many customers.

When you think about the ability to provision a new telephone system online, then make it a reality, the environment for resopnsiveness changes. Automated service, web service and web page integration become reality. Capital investment declines. Delivery intervals (what the big providers call time to market) drop to zero. This is a big change.

And I now count Moshe among my friends. That means I'll pay much closer attention to what he's doing over there. And while it still may not quite fit my Americanized pre-conceived notions, he took some time with me so that I can really better understand and appreciate what he's doing.





Pat Phelan - Roam4free and AllFreeCalls

First, what's not to like about a good Irish lad? When Pat and I first started talking, he had no idea I have extended family in County Mayo down the road from him. He's broad background, from pubs to being a chef to telephony, and the path he took to get where he is in the technology business is just fascinating. I'm not going to attemp to tell the story, but it's really because he's a chef and what he discovered in that business, that Pat's where he is today.

Between the web sites we find that Pat really pursues one goal, from every angle he can think of. SIM cards play a big role. Pat's trying to help people get SIM cards that allow them to call with low cost minutes...or free. At AllFreeCalls...well, the name says it all.

Beyond that fact that he's just one of the nicest guys I've ever met, Pat's passion for expat workers and that vast population of people who need to be able to call, but don't have credit cards, can't afford the cost of traditional calling, and underrepresented folks in so many countries is one of the most compelling stories you'll ever hear.

Is it sexy to lower the cost of minutes? Nope. Is it sustainable in the long term? Probably not. The closer cost gets to zero, the smaller the market. Is it sizzling hot stuff to deliver the ability to make a phone call to millions of people who otherwise couldn't? You betcha. Sizzling.

And what struck me most is that if Pat drives the cost of calls to zero and kills his own business over time, he'll take pride in helping millions of people and move on to new exciting things without batting an eye. This guy is an advocate for the disenfranchised worker and expat if I ever saw one.

I'm pleased to count Moshe and Pat as friends. I'm moved by their commitment to reaching out in places that are often overlooked. I think they're unsung heroes in the long evolution of communications. And over time, I'll be watching what they're doing and sharing it with you.


Technorati Tags: Moshe Maeir, Flat Planet Phone Company, Pat Phelan, Roam4free, AllFreeCalls, telecommunications, VoIP, unified ommunications