The sad life of an old Nortel phone system

They are brought into our office and thrown onto the floor like garbage. Our technicians certainly don’t have the time to sort through, label, and re-package the old Nortel phones, so, they pile them up, stuff all of them into big boxes, and bring them back to the office. Many times they leave the common equipment (phone system cabinet, and voice mail system) at the customer’s office for them to dispose. Unfortunately, the old Nortel Meridian phone isn’t given the respect it deserves.

What respect is it due ?

20 years of solid, hard work, thousands of hours of phone calls, a slightly cracked display, a reliable voice mail light that still works, and – it now finds itself stacked like garbage waiting to find a new home (don’t worry, we don’t throw them in the garbage). More on that in a moment.

But, I am having fun reminiscing in the mean time.

I started in the Telecom business in 1990. 19 years ago. Way before I got married, and way way before I had my first kid (Jordan, who is now 11, Jessica who is now 9). At the time the Norstar was THE phone system in the market. Nortel had the number one market share in the phone system business with their Meridian Norstar and Option 11 (and previously SL-1) phone system. They maintained that number ONE market position for many years.

And quite the fall from glory.

One of the folks in my office pointed out the irony of the picture. The old garbage Nortel phone is sitting in an Avaya box (take a close look at the picture) – looks like the Nortel phone has been taken over by the box.

And where do we send those old Nortel phones ?

Avaya gives us some amazing credits for the old Nortel hardware. We pack it up, call Fedex, and say good-bye to our old faithful friend who finds it’s way to an e-waste processing plant.

Written by: Jeff Wiener. www.digitcom.ca. Follow TheTelecomBlog.com by: RSS, Twitter, Identi.ca, or Friendfeed

Five Reasons to Attend Meshmarketing

If you happen to be in Toronto, Canada on October 22nd, 2009, and have an interest in winning your customers hearts and minds on-line, then maybe you should consider attending Meshmarketing hosted by my friend Mark Evans.

What is meshmarketing ?

Well, it’s not Telecom related, but, it is social media, and web media related, and many of the readers of this blog have an interest in Tech and Telecom, so let me explain what Meshmarketing is:

meshmarketing is a one-day event focused on insights, tools and tactics to help you win customers’ hearts and minds, online. An insightful keynote will start the event, and lead the conference into a series of engaging conversations and “show and tell” presentations, as well as in-depth workshops.

You will interact with digital marketing thought leaders, connect with peers and prospects, and get a better understanding of the impact that new developments online will have on your strategy and your job. You will discuss best practices and the successful use of social media, online marketing, mobile marketing, search, video and word-of-mouth.

As a bonus, meshmarketing has agreed to provide a 10% discount – enter thetelecomblog as a discount code.

I hope to see you there.

Written by: Jeff Wiener. www.digitcom.ca. Follow TheTelecomBlog.com by: RSS, Twitter, Identi.ca, or Friendfeed

Skype for Asterisk – now available for download

Skype for Asterisk is now available for download. Essentially, it is now possible to authenticate a Skype client to the outside VoIP world, and also to an Asterisk for dual mode IP PBX, and outside VoIP traditional Skype use.

According to Skype’s press release, you can:
… Add Skype as a complementary form of communications by downloading Skype for Asterisk, without additional costly hardware. If you’re an existing Skype user, you can benefit from the advanced call features of Asterisk, including call transfer, interactive voice response, automated call distribution, flexible call-routing and much more.

Although this news is interesting, with open standards and SIP end point services, the market is coming close to ubiquitous communications between any open standard SIP end point, and traditional IP PBX connectivity. I spoke about this the other day – I referred to this as Telecom 2.0.

Written by: Jeff Wiener. www.digitcom.ca. Follow TheTelecomBlog.com by: RSS, Twitter, Identi.ca, or Friendfeed

Canadians should be in a National Uproar over the Globalive / CRTC hearings. Is Globalive Canadian owned ? Does it matter ?

It apparently does, and the incumbents (Bell, Telus, Rogers) are pissed – why ? Well, here’s the new kid on the block that’s going to rain on their parade. If you were one of three firms operating in an oligopoly ripping consumers off for so many years, and a new competitive threat was knocking on the door, wouldn’t you do anything you could to stop the new companies from entering the market ?

And on the flip side, the Canadian consumer should be pissed. We have opened up wireless spectrum to allow for more competition in the marketplace. We need this competition to drive down prices and improve service. We should be in a national uproar that these CRTC hearings are even happening – if Globalive is stopped from entering the Canadian marketplace it’s the consumer that will suffer. It’s particularly disturbing considering Industry Canada has already approved the Globalive structure.

I did a post a few weeks ago about Globalive, one of Canada’s three new cell companies getting ready to launch in the next few months.

Well – with the help of the CRTC, Globalive is back in the news.

The CRTC, apparently the pet dog of Rogers , Telus, and Bell, was let loose to freely attack Globalive. Telus, Bell and Rogers, under the guise of the CRTC, seem to have a bit of a problem with the funding that Anthony Lacavera received to make the bid on the Canadian spectrum, and they are trying to do whatever they can to spoil Globalive’s chances of success.

The incumbents all have a good reason to attack Globalive. As reported by the Globe and Mail, upstarts like Globalive, Public Mobile, and DAVE mobile will potentially eat up 24% of the Canadian wireless market by 2014. That’s some serious market share, and the incumbents aren’t going to lie down and let the new guys steal their lunch.

The biggest problem seems to come down to math. Globalive states that Lacavera is in control, and he is a Canadian citizen. The incumbents are complaining about the amount of ownership and possible influence that the Egyptian financial backer, Orascom Telecom, has on the Globalive company. The way that Lacavera has explained it, the Globalive team is following all the rules while still allowing for some out of this country funding. Here is the breakdown:

• Anthony Lacavera owns 35 % of Globalive, and Orascom owns 65%.
• Orascom funded over $500 Million so Globalive could pay for the wireless spectrum that they bought, and the bridge financing required for the infratructure
• Both of these parties have agreed to replace the loans with third-party investments – as soon as it is commercially viable.

Telus and Bell suggest that Globalive and Orascom are pulling a fast one – trying to get around the legalities by setting up separate companies but still providing Orascom with a majority stake in the company, and also with the added benefit of controlling the operations.

It shouldn’t be a big shock that Globalive was financed through another country, and as long as Globalive and Orascom commit to what they say they are going to do, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Well – still one hefty problem – the CRTC is under the influence of the incumbents. The decisions coming from this regulatory body will provide fuel for many posts to come.

Am I the only one that sees the irony in the CRTC grilling Globalive about being influenced by outside sources? Isn’t this the pot calling the kettle black?

More: You can read about the other two new cellular companies coming to Canada. TheTelecomBlog.com has profiled:
Coming to Canada this Fall – profiling Public Mobile
Coming to Canada this Fall – profiling Wind Mobile
Coming to Canada this winter – profiling Dave Wireless

Written by: Jason Finnerty & Jeff Wiener. www.digitcom.ca. Follow TheTelecomBlog.com by: RSS, Twitter, Identi.ca, or Friendfeed

Avaya is giving away FREE Avaya IP Office phone systems

Well sort of ! Don’t get too excited just yet. But, read on …

This fall, Avaya will be visiting 20 small businesses—organizations with 10 to 50 employees—and giving them FREE communications makeovers. They will help design and install solutions specially tailored to each company’s specific needs. Actually, the installation, if the winner happens to be in a city serviced by Digitcom.ca, might be done by one of our own technicians.

How it works:
It’s simple: You will need to explain the “disconnects” (no pun intended of course) that are hurting your business, and if you win, Avaya will help you fix them (by donating a FREE Avaya IP Office phone system).

The disconnect could be technical—like an outdated phone system, or a patched-together “system” that’s unreliable. Or it could be a human problem—like frustrated customers or a key employee who no one can get a hold of. Or it could be a combination of both.

Whatever the problem is, you will need to explain this in a short video or written essay. You can be funny. You can be serious. You can be desperate. But however you do it, be sure to submit it by October 15, 2009.

Interested in finding out more – check this out …

Interested in speaking with Digitcom.ca about a new phone system (that’s not FREE) – then visit our web site or give us a call – 866-667-8357

P.S. I have been in the Telecom business for 20 years. I’ve seen some real horror stories out there, so if you are looking for some good ideas then give me a shout !!

Written by: Jeff Wiener. www.digitcom.ca. Follow TheTelecomBlog.com by: RSS, Twitter, Identi.ca, or Friendfeed

Micello – the mind of a building in the palm of your hand !

The folks at Mashable.com just released a story on another iPhone app – and they keep getting bigger and better.

Anyone that has had to do that awkward fast walk to find an information kiosk in a mall, only to find out that you were nearly at the washrooms before you gave up to search for an info booth, will be happy to learn that this app from Micello will be available soon. Mapping the inside of buildings might be considered an invasion of privacy to some, but to the rest of us this is the next logical step in the mapping/GPS world. Universities, airports, and malls can all benefit from this utility.

Quoting from Micello’s web site:
Micello provides a unique indoor location-based service for mobile devices. Millions of people today use Google Maps to get to their destination. Micello goes one step further by extending a map inside locations, such as convention centers, shopping malls, college campuses, airports, and theme parks. Micello brings any location alive on a mobile phone by providing a navigatable map and a rich set of interactive services in the context of time and place. Micello creates communities for these places, providing you highly relevant information on your mobile device.

This app is cool !

Written by: Jeff Wiener. www.digitcom.ca. Follow TheTelecomBlog.com by: RSS, Twitter, Identi.ca, or Friendfeed

Who owns Nortel ? A response from Mark Goldberg

Over the course of the last 3 months while maintaining this blog I have had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with some very dynamic and certainly well versed individuals. Yesterday I published a blog posting titled “Who owns Nortel ? I say the Canadian taxpayer. Why ?” I had written this posting as a rebuttal to a posting that Mark Evans from AllAboutNortel.com had done on Monday. Mark Goldberg, (who hosts the Canadian Telecom Summit and maintains his own blog), took the time to rebut my posting with the following comment. I am re-posting Mark’s comment below:

There are a number of problems with thinking that the Canadian taxpayer owns Nortel and that the government should have intervened in Ericsson’s purchase.

Not the least of these problems is the fact that much of Nortel’s intellectual property stayed with Nortel – the Ericsson deal licensed the intellectual property on a non-exclusive basis. Let’s also keep in mind that for years, Nortel has not been able to take advantage of tax incentives, since they haven’t been profitable, so the cash exposure to taxpayers has been less than many think.

Does Nortel (and its owners) own the company’s assets or does the government seize possession by virtue of having ever provided a tax incentive or benefit? To simplify the thinking on this point, let me ask if you continue to own your home or does the government now get a piece because you take advantage of a home renovation tax incentive?

The xenophobic views on foreign ownership (nationalizing assets if acquired by a foreign company) are outdated. Modern societies encourage foreign investment. Canada’s own industrial policy and numerous treaties ensures that we don’t discriminate in the manner you propose; after all, we provide tax credits for R&D performed in Canada by Canadian firms and similar benefits are paid to those that happen to be foreign owned. Why wouldn’t we? The point is that Canadians are working in attractive R&D jobs.

Ontario recently gave more than a quarter of a billion dollars to recruit a foreign gaming software company. Ericsson didn’t ask for cash handouts and it is maintaining skilled jobs in Canada. The Canadian taxpayer will continue to benefit from payroll taxes being remitted to both levels of government, in addition to property taxes, and all sorts of economic benefits from having stability for these employees.

There was no “pilfering” of any public or private assets – the sale conformed to the law with judicial oversight.

On the other hand, political interference would have sent a message to the investment community around the world that we are no better than banana republics that change the rules and nationalize assets on a whim. Just imagine the impact that would have on jobs, investment, the dollar, stock prices.

The government got it right by looking at the big picture and resisting the temptation to score short term, cheap political points.

Who owns Nortel ? I say the Canadian taxpayer. Why ?

Does an organizations intellectual property belong to the organization itself ?

That depends on how much of the intelectual property was funded using taxpayer dollars. The amount of ownership should depend on the percentage of government grants that the organization used to to build the intelectual property in the first place.

If the Canadian government hands out billions of dollars to a Canadian company and assists that company in developing their intellectual property with R&D tax credits, tax grants, and EDC loans, then that property is NOT, and should not belong to the sole domain of the organization itself. Technically, the Canadian tax payer helped fund the business. As long as the business remains in Canadian hands then the property belongs to the owner / shareholder. And as soon as the assets are sold to outside foreign interests then this property should revert, (as a percentage of the total amount “donated”) back to the Canadian taxpayer. Furthermore, there should be laws in place that protect the Canadian taxpayer as a secured creditor in the event of a foreign sale or bankruptcy.

The US government is standing in line with their hands open, waiting for their billions in proceeds from Nortel’s bankruptcy sale.

Where is the Canadian government and why aren’t they protecting Canada’s interests in the Nortel debacle ?

At this point it’s probably too late to deal with the Nortel issue – they’re done. But, this philosophical discussion should be happening at senior levels of our bureauracy.

Why am I bringing this up ?

I read a post on AllAboutNortel.com yesterday, and I quote Mark Evans:

Second, the federal government made the right decision when it decided not to review the Ericsson’s deal. The CDMA business was not of “national interest” so it made little sense to review it.

Mark references a Bloomberg article which states Michael Ignatieff as follows:

Canada needs an investment law “that protects our national interests” Liberal Party Leader Michael Ignatieff said today at a speech in Toronto. Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper “dropped the ball” when the government declined to review Ericsson AB’s purchase of some Nortel assets, Ignatieff said.

Mark – YOU ARE WRONG. Canada made the WRONG decision when it decided not to review the Ericcson deal. This is Canada’s asset – it belongs in many respects to the Canadian tax payer. Well, not entirely, but, we are entitled to our fair share of this asset. We should be waiting in line, ahead of all of the other creditors. We should be protecting our intellectual asset, and if it gets pilfered in a bankruptcy then we should review the process.

Don’t you think ?

Written by: Jeff Wiener. www.digitcom.ca. Follow TheTelecomBlog.com by: RSS, Twitter, Identi.ca, or Friendfeed

Telecom and Healthcare – 7 Applications for Integrated EHRs and IP/PBX

This guest post was written by Houston Neal. Houston manages the Software Advice blog focusing on Medical Software.

Having recently installed a new IP-PBX system in our own office, we got thinking about ways medical practices could combine electronic health records with IP-PBXs. By combining the two technologies, we think there is great opportunity for medical practices to reduce telephony costs, improve office efficiency and potentially improve patient care. To our surprise, little has been developed in the way of medical-specific IP-PBX applications. So we decided to put together a list of ways IP-PBX and EHR technology can be combined. Here is a preview of three applications:

Find me, follow me – The system would prioritize an after-hours call based on the urgency of the situation. Emergencies could be immediately forwarded to 911. Calls from patients that recently had an ambulatory procedure might be forwarded to the physician’s mobile phone. All others might receive voicemail or the answering service. Urgency could be assessed not only by patient responses (e.g. pressing 1 for an emergency), but also by the content of recent encounters (e.g. yesterday’s botox injection).

Dunning Voicemails - If a patient hasn’t paid their balance after a given time period, this module automatically calls and leaves a voice message: “Dear %%INSERT FIRST NAME%%, we recently noticed your balance of %%INSERT OVERDUE BALANCE%% has yet to be paid. If you’d like to pay now over the phone, press one. If you think you have received this message in error, press two.”

vPrescribing – Need to get a prescription refilled? Call your doctor’s dedicated prescription-refill phone number. Following instructions from the IVR, you can request a prescription be refilled. The system then automatically initiates a workflow for the physician to approve or deny the refill. This may be in the EHR, on a mobile device or even via the phone after hours by voice or SMS communication with the physician.

To read more, visit: Seven Great Applications for IP-PBXs in the Medical Practice

Coming to Canada this Winter – some (MORE) new cellular competition – profiling Dave Wireless

Coming to Canada in early winter 2010, ready and armed to compete with the incumbents Bell, Telus, and Rogers – Dave Wireless.

We’ve already introduced you to two of the other new wireless companies, Public Mobile and Wind Mobile, in previous posts, and armed with little information (as Dave hasn’t disclosed much as of yet) let’s see what we can figure out about Dave Wireless.

Dave (Data & Audio Visual Enterprises), a Toronto-based company, brings high speed (HSPA+) and affordability to the estimated 8 million potential subscribers that are either mired in an ugly contract with one of the incumbents, or those Canadians that don’t have a cell phone yet.

Dave’s mission seems to be one of simplicity and honesty, promising a healthy atmosphere of customer service, internal and external. Their newly launched website reflects this simplicity. No flashy banners, no outlandish promises, and no ostentatious logos are found here – it’s basically just the Dave team saying “This is who we are, and this is how we will treat you”

Dave’s acting President is Dave Dobbin, previously of Toronto Hydro Telecom. For those that live in the Toronto area you might remember Dave from his radio ads urging customers to come to one of his seminars on network security. Incidentally, the fact that DAVE Wireless and DAVE Dobbin both share the same name are completely coincidental, although very convenient. DAVE is headed up by John Bitove, controlling shareholder of XM Radio in Canada, and KFC Holdings, Director of Priszm Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell franchises across Canada.

The fortune tellers are predicting that the new entrants into the Canadian wireless industry will be vying for the over 8 million new subscribers by 2014. Through lower prices and faster technologies, the Dave Wireless team wants to make themselves stand out from the competition. Dave’s Wireless is implementing HSPA+ for now, with an eye on LTE down the road.

The Dave wireless team says that they are on track to launch their product line in early 2010 in 5 Canadian cities: Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa. By opting to roll out HSPA+, the Dave team is hoping to be able to offer speeds of 21 megabits/sec.

Keep your eyes open to find out what Team Dave is going to bring to the market. With no information about pricing and plan options on their website, the Dave mobile team is going to be answering a ton of questions prior to the launch. . But don’t watch for Dave Wireless by name, because when they come to market there will be a new name for this Canadian company – hopefully they live up to the promises made on their website.

The good news – this new competition should result in lower prices for all of us. The bad news for the carriers – we’re in for some fairly aggressive predatory pricing by: the incumbents who will fight extremely aggressively, and the 2 other new players, who will fight equally aggressively, for any new market share.

This won’t be an easy market to enter – fortunately senior management at Dave Wireless is filled with some excellent talent. But, it looks like they will be last to enter the market, and haven’t disclosed much by way of early marketing information. It looks like they are going to keep us guessing – hopefully for them, not for too much longer !

More: You can read about the other two new cellular companies coming to Canada. TheTelecomBlog.com has profiled:
Coming to Canada this Fall – profiling Public Mobile
Coming to Canada this Fall – profiling Wind Mobile

Written by: Jason Finnerty. www.digitcom.ca. Follow TheTelecomBlog.com by: RSS, Twitter, Identi.ca, or Friendfeed