From TobinTout at Changewave. Back off on the drool Tobin
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UPDATE ON THE IP COMMUNICATIONS REVOLUTION
I spent some quality time with 8x8 (EGHT) executives on Wednesday along
with a number of other voice over broadband (VOB) players we're looking
at to get the most profitable ride possible from the just forming Voice
over Internet Protocol (VOIP) ChangeWave.
· EGHT will be bringing out their new improved video telephone service
in early 2004, and it quite simply will blow you away. REAL TV-type
quality on a phone plugged into your DSL/Cable broadband modem or your
home/office Wi-Fi network.
· They update their service to include fax next week, so users can
forget those second lines at home/office for fax machines. Another $10-$12
a month saved for the second line and long-distance phone charges.
· I'm so impressed with my 8x8 service at home, I wish I could put a
deal together for ChangeWave to resell their service to our customers!!
I love this service so much that I want to help fuel the revolution.
You have to understand that all VOIP service providers are not the
same. 8x8 is a techie company that makes and owns 100% of their equipment,
including the simple box you plug into you broadband connection at
home. They have special compression technology in their adapter that allows
you to be on your phone and surfing the web without seeing any delay
like you can get on other systems.
With 8x8’s little cigarette-sized adapter, you really just (a) plug
into your broadband connection, (b) plug the main phone line into the
adapter and you have a dial tone. I find the sound is as good as or better
than cell service, and that is before you get all the things that IP
Communications gives you. From any browser in the world, I can get my
voice mail, enter my numbers into the system so my calls find me wherever
I am, or do a TV-quality video feed (or receive one), all for a low
monthly fee.
One analyst came up to me and said, "Man, I finally get it. These guys
have no billing issues --Visa is their billing company. This takes huge
cost out of running a phone network -- no billing, no collection, no
customer service about billing errors. Now I get it."
EGHT is still a big speculation (that’s why it’s on our legacy list)
but VOB is absolutely not. The FCC meeting I saw this week tells me that
they are not going to do ANYTHING to screw up this business. We are at
the equivalent of the 1850s with a new train system. Innovators and
entrepreneurs will add IP communications to their value proposition in
ways no one has thought of -- yet. |
