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October 31, 2007
Drum Roll Please...Connected Life Contest Winners
After a 3 month competition and a month-long rounds of judging, the announcement of the Connected Life Contest has come. We received over 600 entries that were submitted for review by panel of experts including Cisco executives, industry analysts, and Service Provider customers. The submissions were categorized around different aspects of the Connected Life, whether it be At Home, At Work and On the Move, and some common themes from many of the submissions became apparent. At home, consumers wanted to converge and consolidate control of their various home entertainment devices (e.g., TV, set top box, stereo, DVR/PVR, etc.). At work, contestants wanted better real-time communication and sharing of business-critical data. On the move, wireless aficionados expressed the desire to access, share and personalize entertainment and business services and content with their mobile devices.
Okay so with further ado, the Grand Prize Winner is...
Amir from Chapel Hill, North Carolina for his vision of a Personal Digital Butler. The idea is that everything in your home from computers to appliances to alarm clocks is centrally managed and accessible through your car or phone. I have a bad habit of leaving my stereo on when I leave the house - it sure would be nice to be able to turn it off from my phone when I'm at work or to be able to preheat my oven from my car as I make the commute home… What do you think? How would you use your Personal Digital Butler?
Runner-up Winners:
• Rhonda (California, USA) - Hide & Seek Application
• Erik (Ontario, Canada) - My Connected Smart Catalogue
• Grant (Texas, USA) - E-Medical Card
• John (Ontario, Canada) - Affordable Home Monitoring System
• Dean (New York, USA) - E-Music Discovery & Purchase
• Omari (Virginia, USA) - Personal Presence-Based Identity
• Larry (Ontario, Canada) - Home Entertainment Hub
• John (California, USA) - TelePresence for Music Production/Events
• Lincoln (Ohio, USA) - "Cloud Computer" Service
• Mike (Ontario, Canada) – Proximity Detector for Kids
The winners were announced yesterday in a second life virtual event, complete with demonstrations and videos from the winners. In addition, over the next few weeks I'm going to explore each idea in a little more depth. I would love hear from you on which ideas you'd like to see made into reality and on any other ideas you may have that you’d like to see in your Connected Life.
Thanks to all who participated in the contest – I hope you found it enjoyable and engaging – and congratulations to Amir and the rest of the winners!
Posted by Doug Webster at 09:41 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
India: Service Providers and Rural Village Connectivity
There is no doubt that service providers will play a key role in reaching rural villages in India where approximately 70% of the population is located. Work has been underway for sometime to use broadband-based kiosks for farmers in conveying crop information; or establishing e-education centers to boost literacy and so on. 
I was in India in 2004 the day the country launched its broadband policy and I witnessed the corresponding excitement around the hope of the technology to connect a nation and beyond. There are a plethora of projects that target broadband penetration in India’s rural villages, some of which are described on Frost & Sullivan’s web site .
Companies like Reliance Communications have been on the forefront providing services to rural villages. In fact, Reliance Communications announced in May 2007 that it would provide services to over 2,34,000 villages (2 Lakh and 34,000; 1 Lakh = 100,000 in what is to be “the World’s largest and fastest Rural Infrastructure project.”
Cisco and BT have recently partnered to assist OneWorld in the Lifelines India project, a telephone-based information service for rural farming communities in India.
With such ICTs and the depth of their extension to our “connected world,” we now see the opportunity for user-created content that may be driven by websites, blogs, wikis –, the Web 2.0 environment indeed! Whether it is empowering the farmer in India with tele-kiosks that provide weather and crop updates; or, providing an e-education center for students in Kerala, the IP Transformation
is common to this process
Finally, we are witnessing the tip of the iceberg in opportunities for Indian Service Providers to be the catalysts of digital inclusion, and this story is just unfolding!
Posted by Monique Morrow at 07:01 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
October 30, 2007
IMS or Web Services: is there a Debate? IMS in a World of Web-Based Applications
Although IMS has been around for the last 7 or so years and may not be the panacea originally proposed, it can’t be discounted in the world of IP. Several of our customers in US SP have announced plans to deploy IMS as it will be an important platform for voice as well as other SIP-based applications. At the same time, we see increasing development of new innovative applications that don’t use SIP, but would benefit from the capabilities of an IMS control infrastructure. We need a framework that enables a feasible coexistence of both types of applications.
There are the obvious market drivers driving the “IP Everywhere” mentality. These trends have caught IMS and are raising questions about the longevity of IMS:
1. ubiquitous high-speed access
2. handset evolution: screens and access
3. interesting, relevant content and applications (2.0 applications, MySpace, YouTube)
4. the prospect of a Google Phone and other disruptive innovations
Just a few years ago, we were upswept in the mantra “voice is the killer app.” After the telecom downturn and the many failed applications (e-wallet, MMS, etc.), how could we think any differently? Did anyone really want anything more from a mobile phone than voice and the occasional text message? IMS fulfilled the need of SIP-based voice services. It was the savior of an industry searching for ways to quickly and efficiently buildout networks and deploy applications. It allowed horizontal implementation rather than perpetuating dependence on a slow, vertical silo. Wow, IMS was it.
Enter Generation Y. Enter the generation who pushed the boundaries, who changed the way we think about mobile applications and breathed life into the stale telecom market. This generation demanded more services, multi-tasking devices and quick innovation. It is also a generation with a short attention span and a high demand for “me.”
And with that, web services seem to have usurped IMS. At once we rushed to create our Second Life avatar so we could extend ourselves into a virtual world. We voyeuristically peeped into You-Tube – and became addicted! We echo the diary of our lives on the pages MySpace. We blog; we Wiki. We communicate at an insatiable pace. Enter new players – the “over the top” providers (Yahoo!, Google, YouTube, etc.) and the world of Web 2.0 killer apps. And we wanted all these things now, seamlessly moving from device to device or environments.
With all the demand for the 2.0 services over IP, what happens to voice? What about quality of service? What about the investments made in IMS? We can’t expect service providers to systematically dismiss IMS networks—or voice services—while at the same time allowing the new over-the-top applications to consume all the available bandwidth. How can carriers deliver on the demand for mobile broadband without sacrificing quality of voice services or wallet share?
Take a carrier like Verizon that was (and remains) heavily invested in IMS and has gone one step further in developing A-IMS (Advances to IMS). Yet they need to embrace web services to remain competitive in a tight market constantly struggling for customer retention and profitability. Used concurrently with web services, A-IMS provides the control hooks so when voice is used simultaneously, quality is maintained (SIP and non-SIP applications). Now receiving PowerPoint, video or any other file is not going to interrupt your call. Plus, the proposed architecture would allow mobile operators to continue running circuit-switched voice indefinitely, rather than being forced to rip and replace and immediately switch to IP and VoIP (which of course will cut deep into the pockets of the mobile carriers who don’t charge the typical one-rate of the VoIP vendors). They can then offer services when they are absolutely ready or when the current revenue model is exhausted.
The A-IMS architecture provides a predictable experience and buys time to control the transition from current networks to the all-IP networks of the future. IMS will be a key ingredient in ensuring that fixed and mobile services of all kinds can work together. SIP and non-SIP-based applications will be treated equally. Additionally IMS provides end-to-end management for VoIP applications running over IP mobile networks, to ensure quality of service.
While IMS might not be the total telecom network of the future, its coexistence with web services certainly is. Developers will continue to leverage this network for real-time interactive multimedia services, such as IMS-enabled IPTV, gaming, video conferencing and click-to-call with a standards-based, open architecture.
Posted by Nick Adamo at 10:28 AM Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
October 29, 2007
Location, Location, Location
Nokia recently announced plans to acquire NAVTEQ for $8.1B. At first glance, it's no surprise that a leading mobile device company would want such valuable map data. When you're on the move, you often want to know where you are and what's around you. But consider this comment of Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, president and CEO of Nokia: "Location based services are one of the cornerstones of Nokia's Internet services strategy. The acquisition of NAVTEQ is another step toward Nokia becoming a leading player in this space." Hold the phone...what's this about location based services and their Internet services strategy? Aren't mobile operators—Nokia's customers—usually considered the service providers?
Indeed, mobile service providers have long anticipated new profits from location based services, built using subscriber location information mandated for emergency services. So far, those profits have proved elusive, perhaps because of stringent privacy concerns and regulations, or perhaps because such information is currently too expensive or too difficult for creative location application companies to flourish.
Such services expect that location information is captured by the service provider, in their network, and is theirs to sell. But what if the location information is captured by the mobile device instead of the network? Many mobile phones, particularly those using the CDMA standard, already include a GPS chip. (Its location fix might be augmented by the mobile network for more exact location.) Software on the mobile device could read this location information, send it across the mobile network in IP packets, and trigger some independent location service (built using NAVTEQ data?), with no involvement by the mobile service provider (aside from carrying the packets). If that happens, no new profits from location services accrue to the mobile operator.
This business challenge has not gone unnoticed by mobile operators, prompting some to block access to the APIs that would allow software to read location information. Now Nokia seems ready to challenge the operator's sole hold on location information. Perhaps they are emboldened by the success enjoyed by Apple, in creating a full iPhone experience with relatively minimal operator involvement.
Personally, these new location services can't be ready soon enough for me, because, of course, real men don't ask for directions. (And here's one theory why.)
Speaking of men's foibles, have you noticed a decline in men wearing ties? Recently, I was surprised when some Japanese visitors, usually dressed quite formally, arrived at our customer briefing center without ties. Then, during a fairly formal meeting at the CTIA conference last week, I counted: of 42 men in attendance, 34 wore jackets or blazers, but only 4 wore ties. Neckties seem to be headed the way of men's hats, into the back of the historical fashion closet. Of course, women always knew better than to wear a silk noose!
Posted by Larry Lang at 06:53 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
October 26, 2007
Grace Hopper Women in Computing 2007, Orlando Florida
Yes, 1400 attendees internationally converged in Orlando, Florida for the Grace Hopper Women in Computing Conference last week, from Oct 17 to October 20.
A group of women actually participated in the TechLeaders for Social Innovators Workshop held on October 17 2007. Cisco participants at the workshop, included Barbara Fraser, Corporate Consulting Engineering and myself. Other participants ranged from academia to private industry; and included a journalist who has been involved in human rights issues globally.
Whilst the speakers were interesting, Anuradha Vittachi, co-founder and co-director of OneWorld Network, was quite compelling as she instantiated her identity remotely
1. An e-learning gender equalizing project in Nigeria
2. A phone-based project supporting farmers in India
In 2006, Anuradha started the OneClimate initiative, that integrates Second Life islands, so called OneClimate archipelago with a social networking space, OneClimate.net.
Somewhat related to the Social Innovators Workshop was the panel ‘Using Technology to Empower Women in the Developing World,” Cisco’s Kate Roberts was a co-presenter on this panel.
Information Technology has become a powerful force for transforming social, economic, and political life around the globe. However, women throughout the world often run the greatest risk of being excluded from the opportunities offered by the field of IT. Without proper IT recruitment strategies and training, women will continue to be left behind unless we take action now.
Cisco is investing resources to impact the gender digital divide globally by focusing our core competencies in three areas (A,B,C's): Access The Internet, Build Knowledge, and Create Careers.
- Access The Internet – Programs for Donation of Equipment into Sustainable Programs and NGOs Globally
- Build Knowledge: Build Skills Through Technology and IN Technology – Networking Academy Program is the largest laboratory for skills development
- Create Careers
An example from Create careers is partnering with UNIFEM and USAID in Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco, where the Networking Academy is the basis for the "Achieving E-Quality in IT" Initiative in which women receive education in networking skills, as well as job preparedness training for entering the job market. Since the project’s inception, over 1,620 students have participated in the program, with 44 percent female enrollment.
Cisco participation at the Grace Hopper conference also included the following sessions:
- October 18, “The Road to Executive Leadership” panel discussion with Susan Monaghan as moderator and Ana Pinczuk as panelist
- "Managing Your Career 2-5 Years Out of School", panel discussion with Yanting Li as panelist
- "How to Lead Your Dream Job in Industry", panel with Pat Shiver as panelist
- Kathy Hill presented at the evening awards banquet along with Bill Jennings. Check out the award winners here.
- Oct 19, Nancy Cam Winget and I shared a session on Internet at the edge with the following presentations: “RFID: IP Network Applications and Societal Impact” & “Wireless Security Best Practice Guidelines” Nancy Cam-Winget. Both Morrow and CAM-Winget and reviews from Software Engineer, Valerie Fenwick, Sun Microsystems
- Cisco’s Bev Crair followed as panelist in “Technical to Management" Expect the Unexpected – A Synopis of Two Women’s First Year’s Experiences.” This panel, was also reviewed by Valerie Fenwick, Sun Microsystems.
- Finally, Nancy Cam-Winget ended the day as a panelist for “Innovation Inside Corporations.”
Final observation is that the conference was a platform for technology and societal impact exchange between individuals from universities and private industry; in addition to an opportunity to discuss career options for those women just completing their studies.
There was quite a bit of positive energy at this conference and stay tuned for next year where the venue will be in Colorado!
Posted by Monique Morrow at 09:50 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
October 25, 2007
The End of the Summit - The Beginning of a Relationship
Al Safarikas signs off from the 2007 Cisco Powered Marketing Summit.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 05:03 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
How Managed Services Providers Can Stay Relevant and Valuable
Kunjal notes that managed services providers need to respond to their customers' changing needs -- and drive sales - by refreshing existing services to remain relevant and valuable.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 05:01 PM Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
SecurView Speak out at the Cisco Powered Marketing Summit
Rajeev Khanolkar, president and CEO of SecurView Inc., shares his thoughts about Cisco managed security and the 2007 Cisco Powered Marketing Summit.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 04:17 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Guy Kawasaki's Take on Managed Services
Guy Kawasaki, technology guru and author of The Art of the Start reflects on the necessity -- and natural fit - for evangelism when launching new managed services.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 03:50 PM Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
Cisco Powered Marketing Summit is a Forum for Customer Feedback
First-time Summit attendees James and Martina appreciate services providers' impressive and growing knowledge of the technical aspects of delivering managed services.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 03:09 PM Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
Exciting New Services for Service Providers
TelePresence and digital signage are just two of the exciting emerging technologies discussed by Guido Jouret.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 02:40 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Managed Services in Demand in Botswana
Botswana Telecom's Pilot Yane discusses the state of in-demand managed services in Botswana plus his plans to use new-found Cisco Powered Marketing Summit knowledge upon his return to Africa.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 01:45 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Impressions of the Cisco Powered Marketing Summit
Dimension Data's Shaun Struckmann shares his impressions and experiences at the 2007 Cisco Powered Marketing Summit.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 12:56 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
ACBB-BITS Success with an IP-based Next Generation Network
Chuck Daniels describes how, since 2004, he's led managed services through the Envision, Build, and Market process, achieving success in building an IP-based Next Generation Network.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 12:51 PM Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
Cisco Powered Marketing Summit: Juile & Angela from EMBARQ
Julie and Angela talk about the greatest value of the 2007 Cisco Powered Marketing Summit -- connecting names to faces and strengthening relationships.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 12:11 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
How XO Communications Differentiates its Managed Services
XO Communications differentiates itself in the managed services market with Cisco marketing support. Watch as XO Communications' Marty Weiss describes how.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 11:35 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
October 24, 2007
Special Message to Customers & Associates in the Southern European Region
Giorgio offers a special message to customers and associates in the Southern European region.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 05:20 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
The SMB Market is a Huge Opportunity for Managed Services
There's a tremendous opportunity for managed services in the small to medium-sized business (SMB) market -- Rick knows that SMB's want to do business, not Information Technology (IT)!
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 03:30 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Managed Service Providers are 'Rainmakers' for Unified Communications
Peter shares his ideas about managed services providers as "rainmakers" for Managed Unified Commnications in the small to medium-sized business (SMB) space.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 03:10 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Cisco Responds to Market Pressures
Vijay explains how Cisco is all about responding to market pressures faced by services providers by offering the solutions customers are demanding.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 03:00 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Cisco's Vertical Strategy
Paul describes Cisco's vertical strategy and the opportunities for managed services providers to engage a greater number of industry-specific customers.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 02:49 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
The Value of the Cisco Brand
Marilyn explains the value of the Cisco brand and, when combined with managed services providers' brands, presents a powerful, unbeatable combination.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 01:54 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Empowering Managed Services Providers
Watch as Tom Wallace of Cisco explains how attending the 2007 Cisco Powered Marketing Summit helps him create practical materials that empower managed services providers.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 01:48 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Extending the Reach of Managed Services
Cisco's Cecilia Hutt describes opportunities at the 2007 Cisco Powered Marketing Summit plus extending the reach of managed services, especially Unified Communications.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 01:42 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
October 23, 2007
Interview with Eric Goodness
Hardy Lipscomb interviews Eric Goodness of Gartner at 2007 Cisco Powered Marketing Summit in Monterey, CA.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 10:53 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Interview with Garry Davis and Rhonda Danielian
Hardy Lipscomb interviews Garry Davis and Rhonda Danielian at the 2007 Cisco Powered Marketing Summit in Monterey, CA.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 09:45 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Interview with Skip Tappen
Hardy Lipscomb interviews Skip Tappen, NWN Corp. at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 08:47 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Interview with Will Scott
Hardy Lipscomb interviews Will Scott at 2007 Cisco Powered Marketing Summit in Monterey, CA.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 07:20 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Interview with Paul Dippel
Hardy Lipscomb interviews Service Leadership CEO Paul Dippell at 2007 Cisco Powered Marketing Summit in Monterey CA.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 07:08 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Al Safarikas welcomes you to the 2007 Cisco Powered Marketing Summit
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 06:35 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Kicking off the Cisco Powered Marketing Summit
It's day one of the Cisco Powered Marketing Summit 2007 and I'm here in Monterey, CA. I'll be joined by 250 marketing executives from managed service providers from over 40 countries who are here for intensive marketing training, designed to help the service providers aggressively market managed services to their customers.
In an effort to capture the highlights of the event we've arranged to capture videos which we'll be posting to this blog. We have a great line up of speakers including Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start and founder of Garage.com, who we'll be talking to along with attendees of the summit.
So whether you're in Monterey or not I hope you'll get the most out of this year's summit.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 05:47 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Africa Perception vs. Reality *Response M.J.Morrow*
Jeff's experiences are quite aligned with my own, most recently in Ethiopia this past August 2007 for the World Information Technology Forum 2007 (Witfor 2007), see also.
I noted a passionate discussion from both government and IT leaders in Africa to explore how technology can be used to stimulate collaborative wealth (education, closing skill gaps, jobs, e.g. pulling cottage industries and so on). I have had the honor and pleasure, to have met great colleagues during my session in Ethiopia; some of whom are preparing to meet in Kigali, Rwanda next week for “Connect Africa.”
Cisco has been quite active on the education level, at least via its Network Academy Program in Africa, as noted here and here.
In short, it’s not about spelling “IP NGN” but rather collaborating with African leaders in creating models for these deployments, which will benefit African nations ultimately.
I will continue this dialogue at the Third Global Knowledge Conference, December 11-13 2007, to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
So stay tuned!
Posted by Monique Morrow at 08:54 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
October 19, 2007
The ABC’s Continued: Taking on Bold and Innovative Business Models
Anticipating market direction and innovating for the future can yield big results. In my earlier post, I emphasized how service providers, in order to become experience providers, need to follow the ABC’s: Adopt a Connected Life, Boldly innovate business models, and Change the equation. This entry will focus on boldy innovating and will highlight several providers in the US market.
15 years ago, Comcast was just a cable company delivering video. But in the past several years, Comcast has made big bets on triple play offerings to include high-speed Internet access, digital video and digital voice. As a result of its desire to innovate and transform its entire business model, Comcast has produced excellent financial results and grown its subscriber base. In its July earnings report, over 670,000 digital voice customers were added in Q2 alone, with over three million digital voice customers added in two years. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said earlier this year: “…we're providing customers with superior products in a compelling triple play package that is clearly driving growth…we continue to be very bullish about the future and expect the strength and momentum of our business to continue to deliver this kind of growth for years to come.”
Comcast formed an alliance with Sprint to offer a unique experience called Pivot, enabling an end user to watch Mobile TV channels on their Sprint handset, check e-mail, and make unlimited mobile calls to their home phone. On the horizon, Comcast is looking to offer over-the-top services as well as serving the commercial market. Looking at the evidence, I’d say Comcast is well on their way to becoming an experience provider.
Verizon has chosen to innovate along the lines of entertainment, expanding its business model from traditional voice offerings, offering a variety of innovative experiences, and growing its customer base. Verizon’s FiOS service enriches the lives and homes of its customers; the Verizon “ultimate play” monthly bundle offers experiences that include digital TV, broadband Internet services, as well as mobile services that play upon Verizon Wireless assets. In July, Verizon reported over 500K FiOS TV customers, as well as 1.1M FiOS Internet customers, along with its 60M wireless customers. Verizon continues to evolve itself into an experience provider.
AT&T’s innovation took the form of a strong partnership with Apple, as well as a willingness to evolve its image and focus. AT&T's chairman/CEO, Randall Stephenson commented that the iPhone is just one part of a multi-pronged global strategy to turn AT&T into a "mobility" play. Apple’s innovative iPhone offering bundled with AT&T’s network moved both Apple and AT&T into new territory, bucking the mobile industry’s standard ways of introducing new handsets, according to the Wall Street Journal. Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs said it took just 74 days to sell one million iPhones (versus two years to sell one million iPods).
AT&T recently launched a new advertising campaign (see video below) to underscore the company's new, mobility-centric view of life, combining IPTV triple play (U-Verse) with their mobility (Cingular) assets. AT&T’s new tagline: Your Seamless World. According to Stephenson, the new advertising initiatives are designed to highlight how AT&T helps connect people to their worlds wherever they live and work. AT&T continues to take steps to innovate and become an experience provider.
AT&T Advertising Campaign
And one of the market’s boldest innovators, Google, has leveraged their search engine roots into offering a myriad of services and experiences. And now Google is focusing its vision on the wireless 700MHz spectrum……only time will tell where Google boldly takes its innovation next.
Posted by Suraj Shetty at 03:39 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)
October 16, 2007
Africa - Perception vs. Reality
Perception of sub-Saharan Africa is often based on western media reports. Rwanda's genocide, Ethiopia's famine, wide spread poverty, corruption and crime are all perceptions that we carry with us before visiting many of these Africa countries. This was not my first trip to Africa; I had already been to Kenya and Tanzania on a family safari in the summer of 2006 so I knew a bit about where I was going. As you can imagine, visiting Africa on a family safari is much different than visiting Africa on a business safari.
During the first two weeks of October, I visited seven countries and engaged with Ministers, Regulators and Service Providers in which we discussed a variety of issues facing their countries. In contrast, instead of observing what the media perception describes, what I consistently heard from each of these leaders was a vision for the future, a vision that included the need for wide spread availability of voice and data communications for their entire nation. A vision that is based upon the belief that access to information is an essential component of a stable, knowledge based society. The African leaders that I visited with are passionate about the role ICTs will play in providing access to information and distributing knowledge throughout the population. You could see it in there eyes, and hear it in their voices, these leaders will not stop until their vision is fulfilled and everyone who wants access to information can get it.
Can you say IP NGN...? The service providers play a pivotal role in enabling digital inclusion within Africa. The SPs’ ability to transform themselves and deliver the IP platform for the distribution of ICTs throughout the continent is essential. The good news is that many of the SPs in emerging Africa have begun to chart the course and transform their business models. However, this is heavy lifting. To begin with, many countries do not have access to high speed Internet connectivity, therefore, bandwidth is constrained and hence, very expensive. In addition, there is a shortage of skill sets in these countries to execute on the vision which causes delays in implementation. The list of barriers is long, but the passion is stronger. I fully expect Africa to continue to make significant strides towards a networked society where ICTs and the applications they bring along with them truly deliver value to the population of these wonderful countries.
Cisco and other large, global ICT vendors play an important role in this transformation. Our ability to assist these countries in there transformational objectives is critical at this fragile time in their development.
Posted by Jeff Spagnola at 10:30 PM Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (1)
October 15, 2007
The Ultimate Transport
The unprecedented growth of IP based networks over the last decade or so has blurred the traditional distinctions often made between switching and transmission systems in SP networks. Many in today’s IP dominated businesses scarcely acknowledge there is a difference, and maybe what differences there are will eventually disappear, relegated to history’s dustbin.
Still, it would be foolhardy to design networks assuming that these two basic aspects of networking did not answer to quite different requirements, since they fulfill entirely different functions in SP networks. If so, does it make sense that one type of packet technology, e.g. IP/MPLS, can be pressed into service for both switching and transmission systems?
Conventional wisdom suggests this should be quite feasible. After all, a packet is a packet, so what if you switch it in routers located in San Jose, or transmit it from San Francisco to Boston over an optical fiber transmission system! But the reality is that transmission systems have traditionally dealt with a whole different problem set than switching/routing equipment need to deal with.
Many of these issues stem from the need to effectively manage long haul networks remotely using centralized OSS. And there is always the challenge of ensuring extremely high availability and survivability in the face of inevitable human and natural disasters to widely scattered outside plant. Conventional transport systems, such as those based on the ubiquitous SDH (or even ATM) technologies, have evolved complex network management and OAM mechanisms to handle these challenges.
As network operators evolve their transport systems from conventional SDH based equipment to packet based (IP/MPLS or Ethernet) transport in their drive for OPEX and CAPEX savings, these challenges remain. The question arises as to how these packet technologies, originally conceived for primarily switching/routing operations, should be adapted for long haul transport operations.
It seems how one does this depends on who you talk to! Many approaches are being pursued in the burgeoning market for packet based transport. But the nagging doubt remains as to whether these approaches, often adorned with hopeful acronyms like T-MPLS, PBT, PBB-TE and the like, really meet the stringent demands of carrier class packet transport technology? They seem like work-arounds, rather than solutions!
It has been tried before, and not so long ago. After all, ATM was designed as both a switching and a transmission system technology, with capabilities built-in to satisfy the demands of both worlds. It could even be conjectured that ATM’s brave attempt to be all things to all men resulted in an over-complex technology that had to make so many compromises that it satisfied no-one in the end!
Could such a fate befall other packet technologies that tried to satisfy both the diverse transmission and routing worlds? Yes, it’s possible, if we don’t learn from the lessons of history. But if we architect packet transport intelligently, bearing in mind the differing demands of transport and switching, there is no reason why it would not be possible to come up with the ultimate transport technology.
That’s a challenge I for one am willing to sign up to.
Posted by Rajiv Kapoor at 02:10 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
October 10, 2007
Software-as-a-Service offers Upside to SPs
As the global business climate drives the need for increased flexibility in IT services, it will become increasingly important for SPs to dynamically deliver services to their business clients. This Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business model will provide business customers with the ability to purchase and pay for services on an as-needed basis.
To support the SaaS model, SPs will have to create a software layer which sits on top of the CPE and manages the applications and services which are currently being delivered by the SP. This layer will support dynamic, end-user provisioning and will monitor the hardware in the business customer's environment to ensure resources are available to support the end-user's processing needs. This will also provide the Service Provider with a source of business intelligence as their sales force will now be able to clearly identify when a customer's hardware must be upgraded to meet their business needs.
By delivering SaaS, the SPs will take a large step in meeting the needs of IT managers trying to stay in front of their company's constantly changing business needs. Ultimately, I believe it will drive business customers to view SPs as a true partner versus simply a provider of bandwidth.
Posted by Joe Wojtal at 09:21 PM Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
October 09, 2007
Notes from The Big Apple – Service Providers and the Mainstream Media
The 3 min. video here was compiled during a press tour conducted in New York on October 3. On this tour, I met with Reuters, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today to discuss the rise of the Experience Provider, the development of the Connected Life and other service provider industry trends and dynamics. This video was done between meetings and features brief observations on dialog with the media on these points.
Posted by Tony Bates at 04:14 PM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
October 04, 2007
IP over DWDM (IPoDWDM)
Service Providers continue to look for the best economics for increasing network capacity to accommodate the continued growth in IP traffic driven by data, voice and primarily video traffic. The advantages of integration have already been witnessed at the transport layers through the integration of SONET/SDH and DWDM. This integration was realized in the form of native DWDM interfaces on SONET/SDH Add Drop Multiplexers (ADMs), cross connects and common management systems.
Why IPoDWDM?
The reason for integrating IP and DWDM are simply to deliver a significant reduction in capital expenditures and improve the operational efficiency of the network. The premise of IPoDWDM is to reduce the electrical transport layer as much as possible as this provides the highest bit-rate robustness, future protocol robustness and functional robustness. For example, moving an underlying SONET/SDH infrastructure from 10G to 40G requires significant redesign but using some novel modulation formats, accommodating 40G over existing 10G transmission infrastructure is possible. Additionally, modifying an electrical cross-connect from 10G SONET/SDH to Ethernet is not a simple task. Lastly, integration of the IP and DWDM layers can improve the overall reliability of the network by creating visibility of the optical layer into the IP layer enabling faster protection at Layer 3 instead of leaving un-used bandwidth in the network for protection as with SONET/SDH.
What makes this possible?
Given several advancements, the time has come for a level of integration between IP and DWDM elements to enable service providers to deploy cost effective, scalable networks. These include, but are not limited to:
- Development of terabit capacity routers capable of supporting tens of gigabits per second interfaces on a single line card
- Integration and form factor reduction of transponder technologies
- G.709 or Digital Wrapper function for providing a framing function for monitoring, error correction etc.
- Fast Re-Route (FRR) technology for MPLS and IP
Integrating IP and DWDM requires a much broader approach that must include:
- Element Integration: integration of DWDM interfaces in core routers as well as integration of photonic switching into the DWDM layer, allowing bypassing of transit points optically when there's no need of layer 3 processing
- Management Integration: integration of management functions from both the IP and DWDM layer into a single streamlined solution - still allowing different users to have views based on the role
- Control Integration: integrating control plane functions building on existing standards approach and extending them to the DWDM layer
Cisco believes this technology is going to be all the more necessary as the customers need for more and more bandwidth continues its dramatic rise. As a result, we'll continue to push innovative approaches of integrating IP and DWDM layers closer together introducing solutions that enable providers to scale their core networks at the best possible economics while providing efficient operations.
Posted by Kelly Ahuja at 08:12 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)
October 03, 2007
Drivers for the Service Provider Marketplace
Let me start by saying service providers are in a great marketplace. And I'm talking about service providers worldwide. This includes the cable companies and wireline providers, and in many cases the programmers and broadcasters.
As we look at the overall market, there are a number of product and service advancements fueling service provider growth that stand out. The bundle is one of the most important drivers in the marketplace right now. The bundle is working. The common strategy is to lock in the customer who is buying more, while paying less for the bundle. Then you develop customer loyalty, reduce churn and use the devices that are in the home, and up-sell new applications.
Next, the goal is to protect the bundle. How do you do that? You keep the enhancements coming, and keep the applications coming in the bundle. And they don't necessarily have to be new applications that cost a lot of money.
Another driver is the DVR. DVR penetration is continuing to grow and is continuing to be a major driving force in the marketplace. Time shifting is something everybody wants. Remember the days of 500 channels and nothing to watch? Well now you can watch what you want to watch, when you want to watch it, at your convenience. In some cases you can even move it around and place shift it.
HDTV is a phenomenon. Across the U.S. we’re seeing flat panel TVs for less than $900. More and more programmers are shifting to full HD content. Our willingness to buy it and watch it is mostly driven by sporting events, but soon it will be expanded by movies and all other formats of television. And it's a major phenomenon.
So what does it do to the network? Video on the edges of the network demands more bandwidth, more router capacity and a better managed network, and the best way to do that is with an IP converged network. So this increased demand for HD is both a service and network expansion driver.
New technologies, such as MPEG-4 AVC encoding, can drive business opportunities by supporting upgrade cycles so that service providers can stay ahead of the power curve and continue to grow revenues.
And the last driver, but not the least, is the desire to attract new customers and keep existing ones, which loops us back to the importance of the bundle, plus HDTV and DVR services.
I don't think there has ever been a more dynamic, opportunity-filled time to be in the service provider business. New opportunities seem to appear every day, and we're excited about the ways service providers continue to use our end-to-end solution to drive innovation in the marketplace.
Posted by Bob McIntyre at 08:54 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
October 01, 2007
Flexing the Business Model to Keep the Customer
Earlier this year, I read an interesting article in the USA Today by Barbara De Lollis on the rebound of Air Canada. As an aviation nut, I am always interested in the inner workings of the airline industry, but in this case, it was a interesting case study for what’s possible with service providers too.
The article covered how Air Canada went from struggling to be a “profitable pioneer” – it did so not by changing its industry, for as at its most basic level, it still delivered people and cargo from point A to point B as it did before. Rather its change was more to its business model, largely focused on changes to allow customers to “personalize” their air travel experience to meet their own respective needs. For example, instead of having just non-refundable or refundable tickets, it unbundled them so that, as a flyer, you can have a non-refundable outbound but a more flexible return ticket, should the meeting end ahead of schedule and you can get to the airport earlier. If you want to reserve a seat, you can for a small charge; or if you don’t care where you sit, then no problem, just take any unreserved one. If you don’t check a bag, they’ll give you a $5 refund. Don’t care for frequent flier mileage, they’ll give you money back for that as well. And they increased the entertainment options as Dameon D. Welch-Abernathy from Phoneboy shares with us here. With all the options, some may think that the margin would plummet, but what they’ve found is that 75% of their customers are upgrading and taking advantage of one of the services. So by giving greater control and options to consumers, Air Canada became the preferred carrier for many and helped to boost their bottom line.
This same focus on personalization, a more flexible business model, and the customer’s overall “experience” can just as easily apply to providers. With a platform built on IP, they now have the means to offer very unique, blended services which aren’t necessarily voice, video, data, or mobility but a mix of all them all. And those services don’t have to be significant entities unto themselves, such as TelePresence, but they can just as easily be smaller features, such as network-based parental control or turbo button on broadband, which may not be of value to all subscribers but could be of high value to some. By having a number of choices to for the customer to select, the provider can permit each subscriber to craft the type of experience they want and, in turn, build their loyalty. So while the fundamental “services” providers offer is the same, the way that they offer them can be different, resulting in a better experience for customer and better profits for the provider.
I hope this example gives you a greater appreciation for the power and value of personalization. For Air Canada, their focus on personalization has enabled them to become the premier Canadian Airline and their rewards program has been hailed as the best in their industry based on its flexibility and the increased customer patronage and loyalty that it has created.
Posted by Doug Webster at 09:53 AM Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (1)
