Quack

I like to be a bit of a trendspotter, accumulating meaningless bits of information, and then bringing them together when, occassionally, something “clicks”. So seeing Microsoft’s IP PBX offering set off one of those alarm bells in my head.

Regular readers will know that (more…)

More than I can recall for the last ten years, we find our industry at a stage of disruptive change. New products like VOIP and HSDPA are threatening to totally change the telecommunications landscape, and do so at all levels.

From a vendor perspective (carrier, service provider, technology provider), this is awfully scary. (more…)

The latest VOIP plans announced by Engin (also here) sound pretty hot - unlimited local and national calls for a very low monthly charge. It’s plans like this that have in the past struck fear into the hearts of resellers. That word “unlimited” has some scary connotations.

So let’s deconstruct this with some cold, hard, mathematics. (more…)

If you ask any prominent Australian telco analyst, she will tell you of the proliferation of VOIP providers here. The pattern in Australia is that the distribution of resellers (both in VOIP and other resale) is skewed, not using the 80:20 rule, but more like the 98:2 rule. There are many many very small providers, some turning over just thousands of dollars per month.

So when a company like Vonage starts to hedge its bets and go the MVNO route, everyone else should be taking notice. (more…)

Well, it’s nice to be back after the break (what break?). There are some exciting developments planned for Quack in the new year, so “watch this space”.

A friend was kind enough to forward me an e-mail promoting yet another (more…)