Last night the FCC gag rule came off, and the winners of the 700 MHz frequency auctions were free to describe their service plans. The two major winners, Verizon and AT&T, both weighed in, and not surprisingly, they’re both looking at deploying services based on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. Most notable was that neither of their visions included any mention of WiMAX.

They did make it clear that we should not be anticipating any new services in the 700 MHz band for three years. Given the wireless industry’s track record regarding new service rollouts, you can safely tack two or three years on to that prediction.

The most interesting comment came from AT&T Wireless’ CEO Ralph de la Vaga. Ralphie was quoted in the Wall Street Journal saying that the spectrum AT&T acquired was more valuable as it was “not encumbered” by open platform conditions like the C Block that frequencies Verizon bought.AT&T likes their customers hog-tied.

While I am pleased that Mr. de la Vaga’s observations regarding spectrum valuation agree with the observation I made in a post last week, it’s clear that the cellular carriers’ are still addicted to the “walled garden” view of wireless data services. Of course, this does not bode well for flexible mobile unified communications solutions. I wonder if AT&T can develop an upbeat advertising program around “handcuffs”?

Tags: UC Information by Michael Finneran
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Over the years, manufacturers have often asked me which channel – voice or data – I thought would be most successful with “convergence” (and now unified communications) products and solutions. My answer has always been the same and now I am seeing an ever-increasing number of “integrators” who support my answer….

It is possible to draw a general conclusion that data VARs will have an easier time understanding and implementing unified communications technology because it is based on hardware platforms and integrating various applications. But data VARs will find it more difficult to sell UC solutions because the sales process has generally been product focused, involving primarily one department within the customer organization – the IT department.

On the other hand, telecom dealers should be better equipped to handle the sales process of UC because they are familiar with more complex decision-making processes involving numerous departments and multiple influencers and decision-makers. But telecom dealers will find it more challenging to deal with the complex integrations involved in UC.

So what’s my answer to “which channel will be more successful”? I don’t believe that it’s in any vendor’s best interest to rely solely on one channel or the other. The successful convergence integrators that I’m seeing are successful, not because they are telecom dealers or data VARs, but because they have a focus and a strong vision. They are making significant investments in hiring and training the right sales personnel and training their technical staff for the more complex environment of UC. It’s all about the vision and mindset of the owner – not where the company came from last year!

Tags: UC Information by Pam Avila
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Word is out that Cisco is introducing the Cisco Unified Personal Communicator (CUPC) client with native support for the Apple MacIntosh and Leopard. According to a blog post by M. Michael Acosta, manager of Cisco engineering, the latest version of CUPC is a fully native Mac application with a user-interface developed specifically for the Mac.

Why am I not surprised? For one thing, Chris Thompson, Senior Director, Solutions Marketing for Cisco’s UC group, has been carrying around his Mac at every conference, noting how Cisco doesn’t care what system or desktop you use – it’s all about the network. Once I saw Chris, who is often the spokesman for Cisco UC, with his Mac, and learned that Macs are an orderable laptop option for Cisco employees, I knew that Cisco would come out with a UC client that would support the Mac. Chris told me that there are about 7000 people at Cisco on Macs and that Cisco recognizes that people are increasingly working in environments that are “not standard,” which is why Cisco is embracing an inclusive strategy to make the UC experience portable across devices, operating systems, network topologies and business applications.

Also, as I noted in a previous column (http://www.ucstrategies.com/unified-communications-strategies-views/cisco-sets-its-sights-on-collaboration.aspx), Cordell Ratzlaff, formerly of Apple, has been leading a new Cisco team focused on providing a consistent user experience across devices. As Director, User-Centered Design, Ratzlaff and his group are working to redesign all of Cisco’s UC products to have a common look and feel. Is it a coincidence that Ratzlaff used to work at Apple? I think not.

Avaya already made the move to welcome Apple into the enterprise by supporting the Apple iPhone with its Avaya one-X Mobile, “offering direct access to sophisticated features found on your Avaya office phone.” Other enterprise vendors will follow suit by supporting both the Apple iPhone and Macintosh computing system. While Apple currently has a miniscule share of the enterprise market, this could change in the near future. We’ve seen consumers driving evolution in the enterprise – bringing in social networking, IM, and other consumer-related offerings. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of these consumers do the same for Apple products, which are clearly more popular in schools and homes than in the enterprise. Remember, a large portion of college students use Macs, not PCs, and as they enter the workforce, they may bring their Macs with them.

While Apple will never take over Microsoft in the enterprise, I would expect to see more and more individuals, followed by departments within the enterprise, slowly move toward worker-driven options such as Apple products, including the Mac platform and the iPhone. This means that enterprise UC vendors need to take a look at how Apple fits into their integration and alliance strategies. And for those of you competing head on with Microsoft, remember the saying: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Nuff said.

Tags: UC Information by Blair Pleasant
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