ZDNet Must Read:
Analyst: News Corp.'s Google saber rattling really about MySpace
News Corp.'s alleged dance with Microsoft's Bing and Rupert Murdoch's big plan to de-index from Google is likely to be nothing more than saber rattling to secure a semi-respectable MySpace... Continued »
Category: Telecommunications
November 19th, 2009
FAA hit with network glitch; Flight plans go manual
Updated: The Federal Aviation Authority is looking into a networking problem that threatens to delay flights across the U.S.
FAA spokesman Les Dorr said that there’s a “problem with the telecommunications network that’s affecting automated processing system” for things like flight plans.
“Anything controllers normally have done automatically have to be done manually,” said Dorr. Indeed, the FAA has a ground stop. Atlanta is the hub that appears to be most affected, reports CBS News.
According to the FAA, the problems reside in the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure, or FTI for short. FTI provides the voice, data, and video communications that support operations and mission support functions at more than 4,000 FAA and Department of Defense (DoD) facilities. Add it up and the network provides for more than 20,000 services such as switching and routing, network monitoring and control.
The FAA is currently investigating the problem. Dorr reiterated that the FAA can track planes with radar and have communication with pilots, but there’s an efficiency issue: You can only keep tabs on so many planes manually.
November 17th, 2009
Ring Central: a virtual phone system for a 21st Century workforce
The rise of smartphones, VPN connections and even WiFi hot spots changed the way we work. No longer was it necessary to go into the office to catch up on e-mail, do some research or create presentations. However, despite the changing times, businesses still wanted to give the impression that employees are in the office when they’re receiving or making business phone calls outside the office.
Ring Central, which provides cloud-based corporate phone services, is offering a phone system that brings the best of both worlds - the flexibility of a single phone number that follows workers everywhere they go, but without having to leave the internal phone-tree system.
Ring Central is like a corporate version of Google Voice, a Web-based phone number that can be programmed to ring a cell phone, remote office line or even the home phone - but without leaving the corporate PBX-like system. That way, even if the call goes unanswered, callers still have the option of being transferred to a switchboard operator or another employee. In a statement, the company explained its services:
As the traditional office transforms and more staff are working from various remote locations, the inability to integrate distributed and mobile employees into a single business phone system results in a plethora of numbers and overall inefficient and non-professional communications. Legacy on-premise business phone systems are not only extremely expensive, but were designed for the old world of centralized office environments and before the era of Internet and mobile phones. RingCentral delivers cloud based business phone systems – RingCentral Office — that is designed for the modern mobile and distributed business world, and does so at a fraction of the cost.
A survey conducted by the company found that only about 15 percent of small- to medium-sized business employees work from a single physical location while nearly half of the employees - 45 percent - saying that they spend about 75 percent of their time conducting business away from the office.
As a guy who spends a fair amount of time working from the halls of Moscone Center, random WiFi hot spots, my own kitchen table and even a commuter train, I recognize the importance of a single phone number for people to reach me. I use a Google Voice number to stay connected but that’s certainly not tied to my physical office line. I have my own system of using Google Voice and the office line and, for it works - for the moment.
If you’re a company that has a largely mobile workforce, there is a better way. And so far, Ring Central seems to be it.
Related coverage: Business Week: 1.4 million Google Voice users, global push in the works
October 30th, 2009
In recession, VoIP makes strong case for cutting your home landline
What would make you cut your household landline?
In a recession, consumers are more than ever rethinking the expense of a home phone, mobile cellular service…or both.
What better time to give voice-over-IP a try?
For most telecommunications companies, that’s cause for concern — but for Primus Telecommunications, that’s another door opening for new global business.
As the world continues to grow closer, Primus is rapidly expanding Lingo, its No. 2-ranked VoIP service. For a monthly fee, Lingo allows for unlimited calling to the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and more than 20 other countries, including Australia and most of western Europe. An optional mobile plan lets you save when making international calls using your cell phone.
I spoke with Primus CEO K. Paul Singh about how VoIP is growing from the bottom up — and how voice services can still thrive in a world dominated by texting and broadband Internet.
October 27th, 2009
Will a flu pandemic really bring down the Internet?
The General Accountability Office has rapped the Department of Homeland Security for failure to plan for Internet congestion in the event of a severe pandemic that could overwhelm networks. The worry: Will the Internet hold up if everyone has to work from home under quarantine?
Here’s the nut of the GAO report (PDF, highlights, Reuters report):
Increased demand during a severe pandemic could exceed the capacities of Internet providers’ access networks for residential users and interfere with teleworkers in the securities market and other sectors, according to a DHS study and providers (see figure below). Private Internet providers have limited ability to prioritize traffic or take other actions that could assist critical teleworkers. Some actions, such as reducing customers’ transmission speeds or blocking popular Web sites, could negatively impact e-commerce and require government authorization. However, DHS has not developed a strategy to address potential Internet congestion or worked with federal partners to ensure that sufficient authorities to act exist. It also has not assessed the feasibility of conducting a campaign to obtain public cooperation to reduce nonessential Internet use to relieve congestion. DHS also has not begun coordinating with other federal and private sector entities to assess other actions that could be taken or determine what authorities may be needed to act.
It’s no small issue and I’m well aware of pandemics. My household has its own flu epidemic given we’re all a mess right now.
Is a pandemic—H1N1 or otherwise—a real problem for Internet congestion? Perhaps, but color me skeptical. We’ve heard this before. A few years back it was SARS. Then it was Avian Flu. Today it’s swine flu. The argument is usually the same. The masses work from home. We all start sending around PowerPoints. Things blow up. Read the rest of this entry »
October 26th, 2009
Verizon preps fourth quarter device barrage; Droid will 'stimulate demand'
Verizon delivered a solid third quarter courtesy of its wireless business, which added 1.2 million net customers excluding acquisitions. The company also said it is set up for the fourth quarter with the launch of Research in Motion’s Storm 2 on Wednesday, two Motorola Android devices and 12 other handsets.
However, AT&T added customers at a faster pace in the third quarter on the strength of the iPhone. Verizon is hoping to change that equation via a partnership with Google. John Killian, CFO of Verizon, characterized the company’s wireless performance as strong and said there “are plenty of revenue growth opportunities” ahead. It’s clear Verizon is betting big on Android.
“We think our new device lineup will stimulate demand,” said Killian, on a conference call with analysts. Killian said that the Storm 2 will be available Wednesday and the Droid device “will be groundbreaking.”
Verizon on Monday reported third quarter net income of $2.88 billion, or 41 cents a share, on revenue of $27.3 billion, up 10 percent from a year ago. Non-GAAP earnings were 60 cents a share, a penny better than Wall Street estimates (statement, quarterly presentation).
As usual, the quarter was all about the wireless business. By the numbers:
October 22nd, 2009
AT&T cuts churn rate; Activates 3.2 million iPhones; Touts network upgrades
AT&T’s bet on the iPhone continues to work well. The company reported a better-than-expected third quarter, delivered post paid churn of 1.17 percent (a low for AT&T), activated 3.2 million iPhones and boosted data revenue by 33.6 percent.
The telecom giant on Thursday delivered net income of $3.2 billion, or 54 cents a share, on revenue of $30.9 billion, down from $31.3 billion a year ago. Wall Street was expecting earnings of 50 cents a share. If you’re an AT&T customer you may be more interested in AT&T’s update on its infrastructure improvements. The company added that dropped calls declined by 12 percent.
As usual, AT&T was powered by its wireless unit, which represents 44 percent of total sales. Among the key wireless data points (statement, financial supplement, quarterly overview, presentation):
October 22nd, 2009
CIO Sessions: Verizon Telecom's Shadman Zafar on Internet TV
Shadman Zafar, CIO of Verizon Telecom talks to ZDNet correspondent Sumi Das about the company’s promise to deliver the Internet to television with its new Fios platform. The service will include social media widgets like Facebook and Twitter. Zafar describes the company’s approach to innovating in an economic downturn and where he stands on the net neutrality debate in Washington.
October 13th, 2009
Google Voice growth spurt coming with "Invite a Friend" invitations
There’s strength in numbers.
And Google Voice - the controversial service that’s put Google, Apple. AT&T and the Federal Communications Commission into recent headlines - is about to experience a growth spurt.
Until now, you could only become a Google Voice user through an invitation from Google, not people like me who are already Google Voice users. Now, Google is going to give guys like me - users who sing the praises of GV - the power to extend invitations to friends.
No, I don’t have invitations to hand out yet. (So, please refrain from asking.) Google said in a blog post that the “Invite a Friend” will be rolled out to existing users. It didn’t say how many invitations each user would receive. 5? 10? 100?
Google Voice, you’ll recall, is a Web service that allows users to have one phone number for life and forward calls to that number to (almost) any landline or mobile phone number. Without a secondary number to route calls to, it’s just a voice mail service.
Most recently, AT&T and lawmakers have called for the FCC to investigate Google Voice and the rules it must follow. Is it a telecommunications service or a Web service. This follows an FCC inquiry about the rejection-that-really-wasn’t-rejected GV app for the Apple iPhone, which, of course, is powered by AT&T.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin, speaking about the government’s Apps.gov initiatives and Washington’s private Google cloud, said that the more familiar people in Washington are with Google’s cloud apps, the more likely they are to shape policy that reflects that familiarity.
Sounds like a good time to send more invitations and get some folks in Washington - and elsewhere - equipped with an account.
October 13th, 2009
Cisco goes shopping (again) scoops up Starent
Updated: Cisco said it will buy Starent Networks in a deal valued at $2.9 billion. The move comes shortly after Cisco bought Tandberg.
Starent provides mobile Internet Protocol (IP) gear. Cisco will use Starent’s equipment to better target carriers, which are increasingly relying on wireless units to fuel their growth.
According to a statement, Cisco’s purchase will work out to be $35 a share in cash for each share of Starent. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2010. The Starent acquisitions comes just two weeks after Cisco announced plans to buy Tandberg.
Cisco said it plans to use its video and IP expertise and combine it with Starent’s equipment to better target 3G and 4G wireless buildouts. On the 4G front, Starent’s equipment has been mostly used for WiMax buildouts.
Starent’s equipment allows carriers to manage mobile networks and services. Once the deal is completed, Starent CEO Ashraf Dahod will report to Pankaj Patel, who runs Cisco’s service provider business. Starent, which was founded in 2000 and went public in 2007, has roughly 1,000 employees worldwide.
Among the initial analyst reaction:
JMP Securities analyst Samuel Wilson:
Starent Networks produces infrastructure hardware, software, and services that enable mobile operators to deliver video, Internet access, voice-over-IP, and e-mail services to their subscribers. Starent is the market leader in North America but competes with Ericcson, Nokia-Siemens, Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, and ZTE. Starent’s strength has been with CDMA networks, and 75% of Starent’s revenue comes from Verizon; it was recently named a secondary supplier on Verizon’s LTE rollout. AT&T is currently making its 4G (LTE) plans and, in a blow to Starent, reportedly narrowed the field to Nokia- Siemens, Ericsson, and Cisco. It is possible that Cisco saw Starent’s technology as a key toolset to help seal the AT&T deal.
Cowen analyst John Marchetti:
We view the deal favorably, as we think the addition of Starents multimedia intelligence, core network functions, and services to manage access from any 2.5G, 3G and 4G radio network to mobile operators packet core network enhances Cisco’s competitive position in wireless infrastructure market.
Deutsche Bank analyst Brian Modoff:
Our checks indicate that Cisco was also motivated by Starent’s engineering talent which has software expertise that Cisco can leverage across other product offerings. We expect Cisco to launch a variety of service blade offerings on its routing platforms (e.g. IMS, policy, femtos, ad-supported services, etc.) that mainstream Cisco’s platforms into the operators’ services-aware networks.
October 5th, 2009
Verizon reshuffles units as operating chief retires
Verizon is reshuffling its units as chief operating officer ahead of the retirement of chief operating officer Dennis Strigl.
Among the moving parts (statement):
- Verizon’s two wireline businesses—Verizon Telecom and Verizon Business—will become one unit Verizon Wireline. The aim will be to optimize performance. Both units are more mature businesses relative to Verizon Wireless.
- Strigl will retire.
- Verizon’s two units—Wireline and Wireless—will report to CEO Ivan Seidenberg.
- Lowell McAdam, CEO of Verizon Wireless, remains in his role, but he gets a new chief operating officer. Daniel Mead, president of Verizon Telecom, will become operating chief of Verizon Wireless. Mead replaces Jack Plating, who is retiring as chief operating officer of Verizon Wireless.
- John Stratton, chief marketing officer for Verizon, is now chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless and reports to McAdam.
- Fran Shammo, vice president of Verizon Business, is now president of Verizon Wireline.
- Richard Lynch, Verizon CTO, and Shaygan Kheradpir, Verizon chief information officer, now report to Seidenberg.
October 1st, 2009
AT&T acquires VeriSign's security consulting unit
AT&T said Thursday that it has acquired VeriSign’s security consulting business in a move to beef up its services.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
AT&T said in a statement that it will use the acquired VeriSign team, which counsels large companies on vulnerabilities, defenses and compliance, to broaden its cybersecurity business.
AT&T along with other telecom providers like Verizon provides network-based security services. The aim: make the network intelligent enough to fend off attacks.
September 22nd, 2009
FCC's Net neutrality push: Is wireless access different?
The Federal Communications Commission forged ahead with its Net neutrality proposals and invited industry players to comment on six principles. It didn’t have to wait long. The big question: Would Net neutrality regulations hamper the wireless industry?
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski on Monday outlined six Net neutrality principles including two new ones focused on network management transparency and non-discrimination against content and applications (Techmeme, FCC speech).
The reaction from Comcast, AT&T and Verizon was mixed. To wit:
- Comcast says: “Before we rush into a new regulatory environment for the Internet, let’s remember there can be no doubt that the Internet has enjoyed immense growth even as these debates have gone on. The Internet in America has been a phenomenal success that has spawned technological and business innovation unmatched anywhere in the world. So it’s still fair to ask whether increased regulation of the Internet is a solution in search of a problem.”
- AT&T says: “We are concerned, however, that the FCC appears ready to extend the entire array of net neutrality requirements to what is perhaps the most competitive consumer market in America, wireless services.”
- Verizon also raised the wireless issue, according to CNet News’ Maggie Reardon: “Our customers want an open experience,” David Young, Verizon’s vice president of regulatory affairs. “They want more choices, which is why we allow third-party developers and are providing developers complete access to our network. But our concern is that these new regulations, which apply regulation to the Internet for the first time, could have unintended consequences.”
- The CTIA, a wireless industry group, says: “As a justification for the adoption of rules, the Chairman suggested that one reason for concern ‘has to do with limited competition among service providers.’ This is at the core of our concerns. Unlike the other platforms that would be subject to the rules, the wireless industry is extremely competitive, extremely innovative, and extremely personal. How do the rules apply to the single-purpose Amazon Kindle? How does it apply to Google’s efforts to cache content to provide a better consumer experience? How about the efforts from Apple and Android, Blackberry and Nokia, Firefly and others to differentiate the products and services they develop for consumers? Should all product and service offerings be the same?”
Reading the tea leaves it appears that the big network providers aren’t going to fight a whole lot over landline access. Wireless will be a different story entirely.
And that makes a lot of sense. Think about it: There’s limited bandwidth in wireless; there’s unlimited data plans in theory; and wireless networks aren’t nearly as developed. If the FCC goes too heavy on new regulations there could be unforeseen wireless repercussions. Meanwhile, the FCC’s take on transparent network management requirements may be more of an issue in the wireless industry. Simply put, network management—and making sure there’s enough access to go around—is really the entire game in the wireless industry.
Smart Planet: Net neutrality: When does transparency collide with competitive edge?
September 15th, 2009
T-Mobile and Sprint? Wild-cards abound
T-Mobile is reportedly considering acquiring Sprint in a deal that would create the third largest wireless carrier in the U.S. But there are enough wild-cards to cast doubt on an outright merger.
According to the UK’s Telegraph, Deutsche Telekom, parent of T-Mobile, is looking into a Sprint purchase and has recruited investment bankers to study a deal.
If this sounds familiar it is: T-Mobile has been repeatedly rumored to buy Sprint. But you shouldn’t get too wound up about a deal. Why? Analysts are somewhat skeptical about the timeline for such a T-Mobile-Sprint merger and note there are multiple technology hurdles. None of these hurdles mean a deal couldn’t happen, but there are enough of them to make all parties think twice.
“We still view reports regarding M&A activity surrounding Sprint Nextel with a grain of salt, if for no other reason, than the numerous previous instances of such rumors in recent years,” says Stifel Nicolaus analyst Christopher King.
Simply put, A T-Mobile-Sprint merger isn’t a slam dunk to happen.
Here’s a look at the moving parts:
September 9th, 2009
AT&T: 'Over the hump' of quality of service problems?
AT&T is “definitely on the uptrend” on quality of service improvements and should be “over the hump” by the end of the year, said an AT&T executive.
John Stankey, President & CEO, AT&T Operations, made the comments at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2009 Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference. Stankey was taking on the “discussion of quality of service,” notably complaints about the iPhone’s ability to connect on AT&T’s network.
Stankey acknowledged that the “iPhone has created some challenges,” but AT&T was improving its operations. However, Stankey noted that AT&T’s quality index, which tracks blocks and poor data transmission rates, was improving. AT&T still has a “two coasts” problem, but Stankey said New York was improving in terms of service. San Francisco and Los Angeles still had problems that would be resolved by the end of the year.
AT&T will “roll through end of year have these issues behind us nationwide,” said Stankey.
Stankey’s talk comes as AT&T announced the details of its High Speed Packet Access 7.2 rollout. The technology (HSPA) is supposed to improve AT&T’s 3G network.
In a statement, AT&T said the deployment of HSPA 7.2 in six major U.S. cities, including Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami by the end of the year.
Stankey took a few shots at Verizon’s LTE plans. He positioned HSPA 7.2 as a nice stepping stone to LTE and a better transition. Stankey said that big technology jumps often mean fewer devices available and a more lumpy experience overall.
More:
September 9th, 2009
Comcast's Burke: TV Everywhere trials going national in 30 to 60 days
Comcast has built a TV Everywhere site that’s “complicated technically,” but will roll out nationally as a pilot in the next 30 to 60 days, said Stephen Burke, chief operating officer of the cable giant.
Burke, speaking at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2009 Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference, gave the quick update on Comcast’s TV Everywhere rollout. TV Everywhere is a partnership with Time Warner to extend cable subscriptions online and other providers are following suit. In a nutshell, cable subscriptions would be portable to the Web.
The technical details are complicated due to the authentication required for a user to get the online video. Comcast’s challenge is to make that authentication easy enough for widespread adoption. “Anyone who subscribes to cable should get a lot of that video as long as they first prove they are subscribers,” said Burke, who noted the TV Everywhere has 22 content providers lined up.
The stakes for Comcast and other cable providers are high—especially as consumers demand their video be on more screens. “I think we have a model here that if we do it right will allow us to get ahead of the inevitable,” said Burke.
On other topics Burke said:
September 9th, 2009
ShoreTel gives Skype's enterprise plans a lift
ShoreTel, a big enterprise telephony player, has just given Skype’s business plans a boost.
ShoreTel said Wednesday (statement, Skype blog, Techmeme) that it is interoperable with the beta version of Skype for SIP, which launched in March. SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol, which is a standard for voice over Internet protocol used it corporate networks. Skype will now connect to corporate phone systems so you can Skype fixed line phones and mobiles from a traditional PBX system—your standard phone set-up.
Also see: What’s Missing from Shoretel’s Skype-for-SIP Deal
Makes sense now: eBay unloads Skype; Gets $1.9 billion in cash and keeps 35% stake
The problem: There weren’t a lot of corporate phone systems connecting to Skype. Enter ShoreTel, which has 11,000 enterprise customers. ShoreTel customers can now register for Skype for SIP. Given the need to save dough don’t be surprised if more than a few enterprises give Skype for SIP a spin.
ShoreTel customers can get inbound calls through their unified communication systems from Skype’s 400 million registered users. ShoreTel users can also use Skype to get low rates on outbound calls.
Add it up and ShoreTel’s plunge is likely to give Skype for SIP some momentum among potentially skeptical enterprise customers.
September 1st, 2009
eBay finds its Skype exit and it's probably for the best
EBay is reportedly ready to sell Skype to a group that includes Andreessen Horowitz and private equity firms. The big question is whether a sale makes sense right now.
According to the New York Times, eBay will announce a sale of Skype as early as Tuesday (Techmeme). EBay is looking for $2 billion for the unit, but the New York Times couldn’t nail down a price. TechCrunch first reported eBay’s potential sale of Skype last week. EBay announced in April that it planned to spin off Skype in an IPO.
August 27th, 2009
TV Everywhere: (Almost) everyone is at least trying it
Verizon and Time Warner Cable are the latest to hop on board the “TV Everywhere” bandwagon. Comcast and Time Warner already have trials going.
The concept behind TV Everywhere, which made a splash with Time Warner and Comcast in June, is simple enough: Make your cable subscription portable to any Internet accessible device. Time Warner and Comcast have started limited trials with participation from Time Warner’s TNT and TBS networks. CBS, parent of ZDNet, HBO, Cinemax and Starz are some of the other content providers participating in the trial.
And now it’s time for Verizon and Time Warner cable to give it a go (Techmeme).
Details about the Verizon trial are a bit sparse. In a statement, Verizon said that FiOS TV subscribers will be able to checkout TNT and TBS programming on demand over broadband or wireless video. Since I’m a Verizon FiOS subscriber I’ll be interested to see how the trial goes. Authentication between services will be the big hang up. Verizon said it will add other content providers shortly.
Time Warner Cable’s attempt at TV Everywhere is much more developed. Time Warner Cable’s TV Everywhere trial will include: TBS, TNT, HBO, CBS, Syfy, BBC America, AMC, WE tv, IFC, Sundance Channel, Discovery Communications and Smithsonian Channel. The first trials will reach about 5,000 Time Warner Cable subscribers, according to a statement.
Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes has championed the TV Everywhere concept for much of 2009. On a conference call announcing the Time Warner-Comcast trials, Bewkes said TV Everywhere could be more successful than YouTube and Hulu.
Other groups such as Public Knowledge and the Media Access Project have criticized TV Everywhere as an attempt to preserve the cable business model.
You bet cable providers are trying to preserve their models, but is that such a bad thing? If I’m already subscribing to cable channels I should be able to view them online. And if that’s more of a convenience for me I’m all for it. If TV Everywhere flops there are always other online video outlets.
Also see: Knowledge@Wharton on TV Everywhere
August 25th, 2009
Frustrated developers and scrutiny of other apps: Are things falling apart at Apple's app store?
I’m probably just as tired as all of you over this matter of Apple and the Google Voice app for the iPhone. But I would like to share two related posts that I read this morning and chime in with some reaction to both.
The first, which appeared in the MacLife blog, recounted the story of an iPhone app developer team at technology consulting firm Riverturn that is plenty upset that their VoiceCentral Google Voice app was removed from iTunes on June 27 with no warning. The short - and only - answer they’ve received from Apple is that their app, which was previously approved, “duplicates features of the iPhone… and was causing confusion in the user community.” And now, it seems, the company that developed the app is on the hook for refunds for those who bought it.
Ouch. No wonder they’re upset with Apple. Talk about bad business partners.
August 21st, 2009
Apple: 'Continues to study' Google Voice apps; AT&T: We played no part
Apple, AT&T and Google have responded to an Federal Communications Commission inquiry into the Google Voice app flap. Apple says Google Voice apps interfere with iPhone functionality. AT&T says it had no role in the App Store approval process. If you recall, Google Voice related applications were booted from Apple’s App Store in a move that raised a few regulatory eyebrows.
On Friday, all the parties chimed in. Here’s the short version (Apple and AT&T statements) of the response to the FCC’s inquiry last month:
AT&T’s Jim Cicconi, AT&T senior executive vice president, external and legislative affairs, says:
Let me state unequivocally, AT&T had no role in any decision by Apple to not accept the Google Voice application for inclusion in the Apple App Store. AT&T was not asked about the matter by Apple at any time, nor did we offer any view one way or the other.
Apple says:
Contrary to published reports, Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application, and continues to study it. The application has not been approved because, as submitted for review, it appears to alter the iPhone’s distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone’s core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail. Apple spent a lot of time and effort developing this distinct and innovative way to seamlessly deliver core functionality of the iPhone.
So now what?
Apple spent a lot of time outlining its App Store approval process. First and foremost, Apple said its responsibility is to its users and core iPhone functionality. The company said:
Most rejections are based on bugs found in the applications. When there is an issue, we try to provide the developer with helpful feedback so they can modify the application in order for us to approve it. 95% of applications are approved within 14 days of their submission.
In a nutshell, Apple is arguing that the Google Voice application replaces iPhone functionality like Visual Voicemail. Simply put, Apple considers that takeover one helluva bug.
Meanwhile, it’s unclear what will resolve the stand-off. Apple added:
The Google Voice application replaces Apple’s Visual Voicemail by routing calls through a separate Google Voice telephone number that stores any voicemail, preventing voicemail from being stored on the iPhone, i.e., disabling Apple’s Visual Voicemail. Similarly, SMS text messages are managed through the Google hub—replacing the iPhone’s text messaging feature. In addition, the iPhone user’s entire Contacts database is transferred to Google’s servers, and we have yet to obtain any assurances from Google that this data will only be used in appropriate ways. These factors present several new issues and questions to us that we are still pondering at this time.
Apple maintains that it acted alone in its decision about Google Voice. It’s unclear how the FCC will react. Can the FCC really dictate how Apple approves apps?
One wrinkle that may garner FCC attention is this one from Apple’s statement:
There is a provision in Apple’s agreement with AT&T that obligates Apple not to include functionality in any Apple phone that enables a customer to use AT&T’s cellular network service to originate or terminate a VoIP session without obtaining AT&T’s permission.
However, the way Apple positions that agreement it’s portrayed as standard operating procedure.
Update: Here’s a PDF of Google’s response to the FCC. Most—if not all—of the good stuff is redacted.
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
For daily updates, follow Larry on Twitter.
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White Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads
- The Impact of Virtualization Software on Operating Environments VMware Today's use of virtualization technology allows IT professionals to ... Download Now
- Reducing Server Total Cost of Ownership with VMware Virtualization Software VMware VMware virtualization enables customers to reduce their server TCO and ... Download Now
- Three Steps You Need to Know to Stop Data Loss Varonis Sensitive data exposed to misuse or loss... it is the stuff of nightmares ... Download Now
SmartPlanet
- Thought-provoking progressive ideas on diverse topics that intersect with technology, business, and life, and matter to the world at large. Visit SmartPlanet
- More from IBM
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- Can your business work smarter? Learn more about Lotus Symphony
- Learn how to work smarter and optimize cost using the IBM Smart SOA approach Download the eBook
- Smarter ways to make smarter products Read the brief from IBM
