Android (News - Alert), Apple, BlackBerry and Nokia will share smartphone market dominance as marketing prowess and momentum ensure that each survives and prospers, the head of a Los Angeles-based advanced Software-as-a-Service provider told TMCnet in an interview.
According to Cliff Rees (News - Alert), CEO of XCast Labs, Inc. – a company whose offerings serve both residential VoIP customers and SMBs seeking IP-PBX and SIP trunking services – the most innovative products to hit the market in 2010 will include user-friendly, reliable SIP dialers for the iPhone (News - Alert) and iPod Touch as well as BlackBerry smartphones.
In an interview with TMC CEO Rich Tehrani, printed in full below, Rees also said he thinks it will take quite a few years for carriers to support the wideband speech codec (that’s used in fixed VoIP apps) G.722, “as expanding networks and upgrading switching equipment to handle the new codec is way more expensive than building support for it in endpoint devices or applications.”
Rees, whose company is exhibiting at ITEXPO East 2010 – to be held Jan. 20 to 22 in Miami – also talks to Tehrani about the “danger” of President Barack Obama to the U.S. economy and where he envisions growth in IP communications in the near future.
Their exchange follows.
Rich Tehrani: Smartphones continue to rise, find their ways into offices and homes alike. Who will dominate that market and why?
Cliff Rees (pictured left): Android, Apple, BlackBerry and Nokia (News - Alert) will share market dominance as their respective marketing prowess and current momentum will ensure each survives and prospers.
RT: We hear more and more about high-definition voice features in IP communications products and services. What is going to drive wideband audio and HD VoIP into the mainstream market? How long will it take?
CR: I think it’s going to take quite a few years for carriers to ubiquitously support G.722 as expanding networks and upgrading switching equipment to handle the new codec is way more expensive than building support for it in endpoint devices or applications.
RT: What’s the most innovative product that’s going to hit the market in 2010, from a company other than your own?
CR: Easy-to-use, stable SIP dialers for iPhone, iPod Touch and BlackBerry models.
RT: We entered 2009 in a recession and now we’re seeing signs of the economy picking up. How did the slow economy affect demand for your products and services and what are you anticipating in 2010?
CR: We grew nicely in 2009, even if a bit more slowly than we were anticipating. I believe 2010 is going to see plenty more economic ups and downs, so we’re being cautious and anticipate continued slow growth.
RT: President Barack Obama has been in office for nearly a year. What has surprised you, whether a pleasant surprise or disappointment, about his presidency, policies and administration?
CR: I think he’s a danger to the continued economic welfare of the United States. Racking up trillions of dollars in debt cannot end pleasantly.
RT: If you were president of the United States, what tech-friendly policies would you enact?
CR: I would invest heavily in as-safe-as-possible nuclear energy generation, space exploration and solar energy utilization.
RT: What are some of the areas of market growth in the next few years?
CR: Continued substantial replacement of landlines with wireless/VoIP combinations, electrical utilities finally entering the Internet market in a serious way.
RT: I understand you are exhibiting Jan. 20 to 22 at ITEXPO East 2010 in Miami. What will you show there? Describe the companies or people who should come to your exhibit.
CR: We’ll be highlighting our Video-over-IP technology and showing how we brand and host the full range of VoIP services for Cable operators, CLECs, RLECs, marketing companies, ISPs, etc. We’re not just a reseller of Broadsoft/Sonus/Acme Packet technology – we own our technology all the way down to the SIP Stack and thus have a vastly lower cost of doing business than any of our competitors.
RT: Why should customers choose your company’s solutions? How do they justify the expense to management?
CR: Because we own our VoIP technology all the way down to the SIP Stack, we have a vastly lower cost of doing business than any of our competitors. Our Reseller customers typically see 50 percent or greater retail margins, and with our very low start-up costs, the ROI comes very quickly.
RT: Please give me one outrageous prediction pertaining to our markets for 2010.
CR: We specialize in the affordable and practical. I’ll leave outrageous to you.
To find out more about XCast (News - Alert) Labs, visit the company at ITEXPO East 2010. To be held Jan. 20 to 22 in Miami, ITEXPO is the world’s premier IP communications event. Visit XCast Labs in booth #520. Don’t wait. Register now.
Michael Dinan is a group managing editor for TMCnet, overseeing TMCnet's Web editorial team and covering news in the IP communications, CRM and VoIP industries. He also oversees production of e-Newsletters in the areas of 4G wireless technology and smart products. To read more of Michael's articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Michael Dinan
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