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Cablevision VoIP Hits Milestone

Source: www.voip-news.com

Cablevision has a success story in its award-winning Optimum Voice digital voice-over-cable service. The VoIP service has just passed the 2 million phone line in service mark. More than one-third of homes where Cablevision’s fiber optic network is available have the service.

“The response by residential and small business customers alike to the value, reliability and advanced features of Optimum Voice has been extraordinary,” said Joe Varello, Cablevision’s vice president of digital voice product management. “We want to thank our customers for helping us achieve this latest milestone - more than two million phone lines in operation across our service area - as Optimum Voice continues to win high praise and accolades, redefining expectations of how good a voice service can be.”

The service requires no contracts and allows up to four lines for residential customers. Businesses — small and medium — can have up to 12 lines.

Published on August 4th, 2008 under , , , , , ,

Cable Lighted in Costa Rica for IP-based Communications

Source: www.voip-news.com

The new fiber-optic submarine cable for Global IP-based communications in Esterillos of Parrita, Puntarenas, has been lighted by Global Crossing. The cable will connect the area of Costa Rica with ICE’s international network.

“We’re excited to reinforce our partnership with ICE in this initiative to expand Costa Rica’s telecommunications services and increased connectivity around the world. This agreement is another step in the ongoing, cooperative effort between ICE, RACSA and Global Crossing to promote the continuous social and economic growth of the country,” said John Legere, CEO of Global Crossing.

The cable is part of the Pan American Crossing that connects the west coast of the U.S., Mexico, Panama, Venezuela and the Virgin Islands as well as the U.S. east coast, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Published on July 19th, 2008 under , , , , ,

U-verse vs Cable: Read the Review…

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

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Home Entertainment magazine’s Geoffrey Morrison has a fair and balanced review of U-verse vs. TWC Cable.

Read about it here.

Published on July 8th, 2008 under , , , ,

Waiting for The Cable Guy….AT&T Still Processes Repair to Be Done on August 16…..

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

Yesterday I called AT&T’s U-verse customer support to report a problem. 

I am waiting to post what the problem is about until they get it fixed.  (Hint:  they told me it would take 14 days to replace the remote that is defective…..but more on that later.

They told me they would come out today between 2 and 4 PM.

They never showed.

So, I called AT&T and after going through a couple of supervisors, I finally got through to someone in dispatch named Gloria who basically told me that the system scheduled my service call for August 16 (not a misprint.)

So here I am on June 23, thinking that I would have to hunker down for the next six weeks waiting for the AT&T repair guy to show up. 

Gloria apologized, made a call or two and the repair guy is one his way.  This was at 4:35 PM CST.

Gloria’s direct dial number is 214-869-4488.  If you are a U-verse customer and the "cable guy" does not show up, call Gloria and she can help.

Stay tuned….

Published on June 23rd, 2008 under , , , , ,

Why Cable Needs Wireless

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

D.C. based blogger, Cynthia Brumfield has a very concise post yesterday on why cable needs to have a mobile play in order to compete with the long established telcos.

She’s right. Here’s why from my point of view.

First the idea of ONE source provider is being proven to be very much the way the mass market wants to go. Look at the uptake for VOIP by cable customers who want one bill for video, data and phone. Now look at how Verizon is retaliating against CableVision, Comcast and Time Warner Cable with a very well thought out deployment of FIOS which for now offers higher speeds than cable, but has a series of limitations (i.e. DNS, the Search Gateway, a fixed use of Port 25 to send email using the FIOS SMTP server which begs the question, is Skype and third party SIP providers next to be snipped?)

Next look at the business opportunity with the enterprise market. Imagine the MSO (multiple system operators) offering fat fiber to business which they can deliver, plus mobile services as a single offering. Talk about leveling the playing field in a defined market area. The MSO’s can go literally door to door and deploy by block or zipcode.

Lastly, the MSO’s have direct marketing in a community that is far better than the Telcos can access. With FIOS and UVerse just getting started versus all the marketing tools available to the MSO’s, the ability to sell mobile and data through to the market is much easier for the MSO’s than the tired old telco.

Published on May 24th, 2008 under , , ,

Cable Telephony Grows @ HOME, BUT WHAT ABOUT @WORK?

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

The cable industry is showing that it can really play the "takeaway" game when it comes to telephony in the home based on what I’m reading over at IP Democracy this morning.

What does this mean? Here are some thoughts about the landscape that runs over cable and why the cable guys are winning.

1) AT&T still has the best quality platform in VoIP with CallVantage, but they’re no longer really pushing it. Instead they want to see consumers either stay legacy PSTN or switch to UVerse where VoIP is part of the deal.

2) Earthlink, which has a very rock solid VoIP product with TruVoice has pretty much hung that up too. My guess is they will shed that to someone in the next six to nine months.

3) Vonage is the runaway leader of the independents, and now with a Covad deal in place they can actually sell a bundled high speed package. They will also finally be able to offer some QoS to the customers as Vonage with Covad’s help will be able to manage the call path for most of the way.

4) Speakeasy is the BestBuy brand now for VoIP. Reports of internal bickering between retail, online and the Speakeasy crew continue to bubble, and I’m also hearing that BestBuy may be looking to dump it as they have yet to find a way to really integrate it into their overall retail mix, beyond the Geek Squad.

Of the four Vonage has the best base to build from, simply because AT&T has given up on the cable customer market after initially wanting to be the cable guy’s best friend.

5) The remaining players like Broadvoice, Packet8 and VoicePulse all have their very loyal customers and in reality, far lower churn than Vonage. Then again, Vonage outspends them in advertising and gets builds the category.

So, basically, despite all the major efforts from big players like AT&T, Earthlink and even AOL, the cable guys have pretty much wiped them off the map with cable telephony subscribers. Verizon’s VoiceWing isn’t even an afterthought by anyone either so where are the telcos going with VoIP if the cable guys have the consumer market pretty much sewn up? The big telcos are going to the business market.

For the most part cable is not in the business game. It’s also their biggest opportunity. Fatter pipe, better pricing. A need for more converged offerings. If cable can make the jump, and its a two to three year game, then they can win the business VoIP war too. But it’s a big IF. That same IF exists for the telcos because upstarts like Junction Networks, cBeyond, M5, CallTower and a whole host of others are providing better services, at better prices. Plus you’re not tied to the Telco for bandwidth, so options for business abound.

Net Net–Cable may be winning the @HOME battle, but as far as @WORK, it’s a wide open ball game.

Published on May 17th, 2008 under , , ,

Taming the Submarine Cable Dragons

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Pacific Telecommunications Council meeting in Honolulu has brought many ideas out. Upgrading of submarine cables across pacific is one hot, warm, cold topic! Telecomtv’s Commsday has written a very intriguing article that I this is worth reading.

After all, with much existing capacity still unlit in both the North and South Pacific, what is one to make of actual and proposed builds from the likes of Verizon, Tata Communications, Reliance, Pacnet, the Telekom Malaysia-helmed Asia America Gateway, Pipe Networks and Telstra? Plus plans for massive upgrades on existing cables such as Australia-Japan Cable and Pacific Crossing?

Milling around the conference halls at last week’s Pacific Telecommunications Council meeting in Honolulu it’s fair to say that no one was in denial about the fact the 2001 bubble was based on similar causative factors to those that exist now, nor the fact that there is trepidation that industry players will march steadfastly and damagingly into another one.

May be because;

By some estimates, Google –mainly as a result of the poularity of YouTube – now generates about quarter of the world’s Internet traffic. Obviously, the likes of Yahoo and MSN must also account for meaningful shares, as must other significant servers of video content such as the big US entertainment corporations such as Fox.

To get a better idea and to watch out for Hidden Google with crouching cables.

Tags: Telecom, Telecom Asia , Pacific Telecommunications Council, Telecommunications, submarine cables, Google, PTC, VoIP

Published on January 22nd, 2008 under ,

FCC Releases Data on High-Speed Services for Internet Access

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

(SnapVoIP) After asking for broadband maps this week, FCC has released the the report "DATA ON HIGH-SPEED SERVICES FOR INTERNET ACCESS". The data might be enough for me to construct a rough map or perhaps a telecom mashup, nevertheless good news for USA.

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today released new data on high-speed connections to the Internet in the United States. Twice a year, all facilities-based broadband providers are required to report to the Commission basic information about their service offerings and types of customers pursuant to the FCC’s local telephone competition and broadband data gathering program (FCC Form 477). Statistics released today reflect data as of December 31, 2006.
For reporting purposes, high-speed lines are connections that deliver services at speeds exceeding 200 kilobits per second (kbps) in at least one direction, while advanced services lines are connections that deliver services at speeds exceeding 200 kbps in both directions. Highspeed lines encompass advanced services lines. Commencing with the June 2005 data, FCC collect and report more detailed information about the speeds of in-service lines, provide finer distinctions among technologies, and collect and analyze information about the availability of high-speed Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connections from incumbent local exchange carriers (incumbent LECs) and high-speed cable modem service from cable TV system operators. Also commencing with the June 2005 data, providers with fewer than 250 high-speed connections in service to end users in a rticular state are no longer excused from reporting data for that state.

High-Speed Lines
• High-speed lines increased by 27% during the second half of 2006, from 65.0 million to 82.5 million lines in service, following a 27% increase, from 51.2 million to 65.0 million lines, during the first half of 2006. For the full year, high-speed lines increased by 61% from 51.2 million to 82.5 million (or 31.3 million lines) compared to 37% in 2005 (37.4 million to 51.2 million).
• Of the 82.5 million total high-speed lines reported as of December 31, 2006, 58.2
million served primarily residential end users. Cable modem service represented 53.6% of these lines while 39.1% were asymmetric DSL (ADSL) connections, 0.2% were symmetric DSL (SDSL) or traditional wireline connections, 1.3% were fiber connections to the end user premises, and 5.8% used other types of technology including satellite, terrestrial fixed or mobile wireless (on a licensed or unlicensed basis), and electric power line.
• ADSL lines increased by 2.8 million lines during the second half of 2006 compared to an increase of 3.2 million lines for cable modem service. For the full year, ADSL increased by 5.9 million lines and high-speed cable modem connections increased by 5.5 million lines.

Advanced Services Lines
• Advanced services lines, which deliver services at speeds exceeding 200 kbps in both directions, increased by 17% during the second half of 2006, from 50.8 million to 59.5 million, compared to a 16% increase, from 43.9 million to 50.8 million lines, during the first half of 2006. For the full year, advanced services lines increased 36% from 43.9 million to 59.5 million (or 15.6 million lines).
• Of the 59.5 million advanced services lines reported as of December 31, 2006, 63% were at least 2.5 mbps in the faster direction and 37% were slower than 2.5 mbps in the faster direction.
• Of the 59.5 million advanced services lines, 53.5 million served primarily residential end users. Cable modem service represented 57.7% of these lines while 35.3% were ADSL connections, 0.2% were SDSL or traditional wireline connections, 1.4% were fiber connections to the end user premises, and 5.4% used other types of technology including satellite, terrestrial fixed or mobile wireless (on a licensed or unlicensed basis), and electric power line.

Geographic Coverage
• As a nationwide average, we estimate that high-speed DSL connections were available to 79% of the households to whom incumbent LECs could provide local telephone service as of December 31, 2006, and that high-speed cable modem service was available to 96% of the households to whom cable system operators could provide cable TV service.
• Providers list the Zip Codes in which they have at least one high-speed connection in
service to an end user, and over 99% of Zip Codes were listed by at least one provider. Our analysis indicates that more than 99% of the nation’s population lives in those Zip Codes. The most widely reported technologies by this measure were satellite (with at least some presence reported in 91% of Zip Codes), ADSL (in 84% of Zip Codes), and cable modem (in 65% of Zip Codes). ADSL and/or cable modem connections were reported to be present in 90% of Zip Codes. The summary statistics released today also include state-by-state information, and population density and household income information ranked by Zip Codes. As additional information becomes available, it will be posted on the Commission’s Internet site. The report is available for reference in the FCC’s Reference Information Center, Courtyard Level, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC. Copies may be purchased by calling Best Copy and Printing, Inc. at (800) 378-3160. The report can also be downloaded from the Wireline Competition Bureau Statistical Reports Internet site at www.fcc.gov/wcb/stats.

Time Warner VoIP, “Digital OnePrice”

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Time Warner Cable has started to deploy a VoIP plan in certain markets called "Digital OnePrice", a flat-rate pricing plan for its customers. The service offers 3,000 minutes per month of international calling to 100 countries for $19.95 more a month if you bundle the plan with TV, broadband and VoIP service, TWC’s triple play.

Q:What countries are included in the International OnePrice calling plan?
A:More than 100 countries are included in the International OnePrice calling plan. For a complete list of countries click here.

Q:Can I make calls to cell phones via the International OnePrice calling plan?
A:Calls to cell phones in Anguilla, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Macau, Paraguay, St. Kitts, Thailand and Trinidad and Tabago are included. Calls to cell phones in all other countries will be charged at a per-minute rate.

The plan was launched this week in San Antonio and New York, but should make its way to other markets shortly, according to a Time Warner Cable spokesman.

Published on August 28th, 2007 under , , , , ,

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