Blog: John Myers

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July 30, 2007

Nacchio at the Bat

The first time that I heard Joe Nacchio speak he wanted all school kids to mispell the word "quest" with a "w" - Qwest. The next time I really took notice of Mr Nacchio he was the target of much ire from Qwest and USWest employees. Last week, Nacchio was sentenced in his insider trading case.

Al Lewis gives an view into the final moments of the hearing. Qwest and USWest employees give a little smirk after they read it. I just thought about the immortal poem "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Thayer.

Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Joe Nacchio, Qwest, Casey at the Bat, Al Lewis

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July 27, 2007

Net Neutrality, but Premium Web Services

Jeff Pulver is once again moving his VoIP vision forward. Carolyn Schuk takes a look at the new "participatory communications" path for Pulver's Free World Dial-Up (FWD).

With his Vonage efforts appear to be heading down a bumpy path, turning his FWD effort toward a "premium membership" model is interesting. The memberships aren't as capitalistic as Vonage rates, but they are a payment for a previously free service to enjoy "enhanced service". I wonder if this is inline with Pulver's Net Neutrality efforts.

Perhaps it is just a case of "NIMBY"

Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Free World Dial-Up, Jeff Pulver, Carolyn Schuk, Net Neutrality, VoIP

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July 25, 2007

TomTom Worried by Nokia

Could the handheld GPS market be worried about what Nokia has planned for GPS?

Tarmo Virki's article talks about how Nokia is looking to improve their GPS performance and some in the handheld GPS market are starting to worry.

While I doubt that anytime soon my Garmin GPS will be replaced by a GPS enabled cellphone, I'm an interested in my potential ability to move forward with a "convergence" plan for my running electronics....

For those who may not see me running in Boulder County, I look a lot like a slow moving NASA probe… :) I have a Garmin GPS to know where I am and how slow I am going; a Polar heart monitor watch to know where my heart is/should be; a cell phone so that my wife can know where I am... if I answer...; and an iPod so that I can think of other places that I might be. I privately yearn for one device, but I am not really that excited about a $1000 price tag.

Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Nokia, GPS, TomTom, Garmin, Polar, iPod, Running Gear

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July 23, 2007

Google Looks to Become a Telecom

Dibya Sarkar wrote recently on the topic of Google unique approach to biding on FCC spectrum.

Google appears set to bid for the upcoming release of spectrum to protect for the average consumer. In other words, to keep it out of the hands of traditional telecoms. I find this interesting since they have placed conditions on how the government should handle the spectrum.

As usual, I applaud anyone who stands up for what they believe and/or puts their money where their mouth is.... And Google has most certainly put around $4-5billion dollars where their opinion is. But, can Google really put that much investment out for an open network in the same week that Wall Street starts asking harder questions about their business model?

It could either be the best land grab since Jefferson bought Louisiana or it could be beachfront property in Arizona.... :)

Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Google, FCC, Spectrum Bid, Dibya Sarkar

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July 20, 2007

Big Show on the Move

So......... I usually don't "pimp" press releases, but I thought that this one deserved some notice.

The best hour on talk radio, in my opinion, has been the hour where Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann talk about all topics on ESPN Radio. Now, Dan Patrick has decided to move on to other ventures relating to putting his unique style on all forms of telecommunication - radio, tv, Internet, etc.

While I applaud DP leaving the "nest" of ESPN, I cannot help but think that he is heading off to the same pastures that Frank DeFord is currently in after his departure from Sport Illustrated for the National in the 1990s.

Good luck DP. Please don't end up as the cranky, sports contributor to NPR of the 2010s.... :)

Technorati Tags: Big Show, Dan Patrick, Keith Olbermann, Frank DeFord

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July 18, 2007

Fergie's m-commerce Concert Tickets

Recently, I was reading an article/note from Michael Roberts about the upcoming Fergie concert tour coming to Denver.

It appears that you cannot buy tickets for the Fergie concert, but rather you can win them by purchasing something from one of Fergie's concert sponsors. Verizon Wireless and Candies are the two major sponsors mentioned in the article.

I found the fact that people do not use tickets, but rather a text messaged image to gain entrance to the concert. What an opportunity for marketers and data miners? Not only do they know who is interested in Fergie, but they know who goes the concert, when, where, how... Very impressive. Let's hope that this marks the start of something "good" (ie great imaginative targeted marketing efforts) and not something "bad" (ie big brother reducing access to concerts/games/etc).

Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Fergie, Michael Roberts

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July 16, 2007

Cable Not Immune to Market Forces

Andy Vuong wrote a good article yesterday about consolidation in the cable industry. Vuong talks about the drivers creating the conditions where cable operators could grow from their current customer and product bases to be some of the major telecom players.

I particularly liked this quote:

"Five years from now, I think there will be five major telecom providers in the United States," said Scott Chandler, managing partner of Franklin Court Partners, a Littleton-based telecommunications consulting firm. "At least two of those five will be cable companies."

It may very well be possible that in five years there are only five major telecom providers, but that seems a little short sighted. It reminded me of the following quotes:

“Everything that can be invented has been invented.” Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, US Patent Office (1899)

“640K ought to be enough for anybody.” -Bill Gates (1981)

Scott Chandler has probably neglected the concepts of wireless, the upcoming spectrum to be released when broadcast TV goes digital and the entreprenuerial nature of the telecommunications industry when technical advances catch the attention of the consumer. Then again, Chandler might have made the quote for the "shock appeal"... I am blogging about it... :)

Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Cable, Consolidation,
Andy Vuong, Charles H. Duell, Bill Gates, Scott Chandler

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July 13, 2007

Motorola Continues to fall on Friday the 13th

Andrew Farrell has an interesting article about Motorola. Farrell mainly talks about the profitability of the cell phone unit... or lack of profitability.

I believe the underlying message has more to do with companies being content with a product and not innovating. Motorola rode the RAZR for all it was worth. However, the rest of the handset manufacturers caught up and past Motorola. Apple (and no this isn't the mainstream media mandated iPhone reference....) is a good example of a company that does not settle for the status quo. While this probably has more to do with the driven nature of Steve Jobs and the culture that he has created than it does with corporate strategy, I firmly believe that companies that continue to innovate will maintain leadership. Those that allow themselves to rest on their laurels will slip behind the leaders.

Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Motorola, Apple, Innovation, Andrew Farrell

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July 11, 2007

FCC un-"Locking" the Future?

When I blogged about Nokia looking for an un-"Locked" future for mobile handsets, I had no idea that the FCC Chairman was thinking the same thing.

While we are not exactly on the same page, I like the fact that the FCC might be moving in the direction of open devices for the soon to be vacated 700MHz spectrum. It may not come as fast as some would like, if at all. However, the promise has interesting possibilities.

Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, FCC, Unlocked, Mobile Handsets

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July 9, 2007

Opportunity Cost

I found this article on Sprint's customer service practices and found it quite interesting....

One, it wasn't on cnn.com or easily found googling around unless you were directed to a consumer "defense" website.

Two, it shows how fast a bad customer service situation can go from "this shouldn't cause too much trouble..." into "...coming to you live from Overland Park; and now back to you in the studio...."

Finally, it shows that some companies are finally starting to take seriously the "offloading" of troublesome or negative equity customers. For many years, the airline industry has had practices similar to this by "offloading" tourists on to other carriers only to pick up the more valuable business traveler (yep charging higher prices actually creates better customers....). While I don't agree with the way that Sprint executed their plan, I do agree with the concept that customers who longer offer value to the company should be shown the door.

NOTE - All businesses beware.... Don't offload customers just because they are troublesome! There is gold in "dem dar customers". Find the right offering to make them valuable customers. Grow them from negative equity to neutral to positive. Or find the price point that will make them revenue neutral and/or churn all by themselves.... The PR costs of "releasing" them can be just too troublesome... :)

Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Sprint, Customer Value

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July 6, 2007

Fixed-Mobile Convergence Moving Forward

Annie Lindstrom has an interesting take on Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) progress.

I like the movement forward that FMC is taking. However, I have questions about whether or not the more open IMS/SIP solution will find traction with wireless operators. Unfortunately, the "walled garden" approach to features and functions seems to be the modus operandi for the US operators and that perhaps will stifle the growth in this area.

Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Fixed Mobile Convergence, FMC, IMS, SIP, Annie Lindstrom

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July 4, 2007

An American Tradition

Happy Fouth of July!

For those who have not heard it, the NPR July 4 reading of the Declaration of Independence is one of my favorite annual events on the radio. It ranks right up there with the "Mama Stamberg's Cranberry relish" story on Thanksgiving... :)

However, on a more serious note; please take the time today (or anyday for that matter...) to salute, honor, or even just say "hi and thank you" to all of those who have made the great experiment that is the United States what it is today - our brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters in military service.

My "shout out" goes to the fine men and women of the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, KY and around the world. Thank you and be safe!

Technorati Tags: Declaration of Indepedence, NPR, 101st Airborne

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July 2, 2007

Private Equity Binge Continues

Is Virgin Media the next telecommunications firm to be the target of private equity?

With Bell Canada going private over the weekend, it appears that the movement toward moving telecoms out of the spotlight of the public equity markets for "re-fitting" and/or "re-purposing" is gaining speed or at least is in "fashion"....

Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Private Equity, Virgin Media, Bell Canada

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