Understanding Broadband Technologies

Watch this timely presentation to help your business understand exactly what you need for your internet network, and how it should work for you. Armed with this information you'll know what to look for and how to ask for it. This will make sure you get what you need, and nothing more. Once you can talk the language, you'll never risk being taken advantage of again with a solution that costs more than it should...and doesn't perform the way you need it to.

If your business has a need to improve your current network, or build a new one, you can get free advice at the below website including no obligation quotes from available providers that serve your location. Simply submit your request, and include any specific requirements you need the solution to meet. It's that easy.

Network Solutions

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CIO Playbook....Enterprise Telephony

The big business communications space is moving quickly. Is your business getting the most out of the technology available? Are your employees using these powerful communications features to make their jobs easier? This brand new CIO Playbook: Enterprise Telephony from CBP research gives you their latest advice on everything from enterprise phone systems to addressing BYOD (bring your own device) concerns... and much more.

This complimentary guide covers:

* Changes in the enterprise phone system market

* Collaboration tools

* The rise of BYOD

* And much more

The field of telephony is constantly evolving -- is your business ready for the latest wave of changes? There are two ways to look at these changes and their effect on your company. One is as a series of potential challenges to deal with. The other is as opportunities to improve your employees’ ability to communicate. This newest enterprise telephony white paper honestly deals with both sides of the coin, presenting you with the latest changes and soon-to-be changes to the industry so that you can not only ready your company for the evolutions, but embrace the ever-changing nature of telephony to come.

Get your free copy here...

CIO Playbook

Once you've armed yourself with the insights from the guide....you can request free quotes from the avaiable providers in your area here:

Enterprise Telephony

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Telecom Industry News

We haven't shared news for the Telecom industry in awhile. What follows should catch you up a bit on what Telecommunication providers have been up to recently.

* Cbeyond now offers TotalAssist Services, which takes IT management off of customers' plates.

* CenturyLink announced that it has extended its fiber network into metro Jacksonville, Fla., connecting to two independent, third-party data centers.

* EarthLink launched its Cloud Disaster Recovery service, the latest in its line of virtualization platforms for businesses.

* EarthLink has opened a new data center and sales office in Dallas.

* Windstream announced Wednesday that its Advanced Application Reporting (AAR) product for enterprise business customers is now available throughout its footprint.

* MASERGY says its Intelligent SIP Trunking service is now compliant with key communications solutions from Avaya, the provider of business collaboration and communication solutions.

* CenturyLink named Ciena as one of its latest 100G suppliers with plans to leverage the vendor's 6500 Packet-Optical Network Platform.

* TelePacific has launched an integrated hosted PBX solution now available to channel partners through the company's TelePartner program.

* AT&T expands its cloud and IP service presence with a new reseller program.

* Integra Telecom rebrands itself as Integra, expands focus to enterprise market.

* TelePacific has launched an integrated hosted PBX solution now available to channel partners through the company's TelePartner program.

* Comcast becomes world's first carrier ethernet 2.0 certified provider.

* Verizon spent over $347 million on its wireline networks and IT infrastructure in Florida in 2012.

* XO debuts intelligent WAN. The XO Intelligent WAN solution offers a comprehensive and integrated approach to meeting the demands placed on networks today through tomorrow by combining intelligent networking, integrated security, and end-to-end visibility of the performance of applications across the network.

* Advantix will be adding international rate reduction and BYOD management solutions.

* Cbeyond is expanding their Metro E footprint in all 14 of their markets.

* EarthLink launched their new TechCare solution for Telarus partners, enabling you to offer IT care solutions and support to your clients.

* MegaPath now offers enterprise SIP trunking

* Nitel launched their new hosted PBX and SIP products N-Tellivoice

* Telnes will be launching several new products including 100MB Fiber, Integrated Access, SIP Trunking, and much more.

If you'd like to learn more...and take advantage of any of the services mentioned above ... simply request more information and a free rate quote here:

Telecommunication Services & Free Quotes

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Unified Communications.... Potentially Lucrative, Definitely Needed, But Still Currently Untapped

Research conducted by MDS has found that 75% of IT and telecoms decision-makers are looking to move towards a Unified Communications (UC) infrastructure in the next 12 months; good news for operators looking for additional revenue streams from the business segment.

At the same time, 61% of the sample admits they’re uncertain of the value that UC will bring to their business – suggesting that more needs to be done by operators to validate businesses’ decisions to adopt it and make propositions as clear and attractive as possible.

What is promising for operators, though, is that 93% of respondents believed that IT and communications services received through the same provider are seen to be ‘of value’. Again, though, this is a double-edged sword, with 57% believing this increasing convergence makes it more difficult to review their telecoms infrastructure.

There is an obvious disconnect in terms of what decision-makers believe UC can bring to their business, but whether it’s a justifiable expenditure.

Another obvious disconnect is demonstrable, regarding what operators are telling businesses about UC. Operators are clearly missing a trick in terms of communicating value to their customers, and must adapt their sales and marketing and delivery to provide a more transparent and integrated proposition for enterprises.

A study by The Radicati Group in 2011 found that the value of the UC market is expected to reach $7.7 billion in 2015, almost doubling from a value of $4 billion in 2011. With the UC market demonstrating a potentially lucrative revenue-generating opportunity, operators can’t let the market to pass them by when they are in a unique position to serve it with a combination of IT and communications offerings.

What has been previously unknown to the market is the scope of the opportunity for operators, and more precisely, exactly what needs to be done to validate the business case for moving to UC. Clearly businesses, especially SMEs, are keen to receive IT and communications services under a single umbrella offering, but operators in some cases are failing to deliver a compelling and clear proposition for an integrated customer experience.

Cutting through the noise, operators cannot afford to let the UC opportunity slip by – the market is indicating the need for simple yet effective UC solutions, and operators must deliver them to cash in from what is a position of strength.

Operators must look to provide clear propositions that highlight the benefits of UC. With continued changes in the market driven by cloud and consumptive business models, communications and IT services are being pushed ever-closer together, providing a great opportunity to offer bundled UC packages that will be attractive to the enterprise segment.

Operators must better educate the enterprise market if they are to unify services under a single package and deliver the services that businesses clearly have the appetite for.

By Matt Hooper, TelecomsTech

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CellPhone Thefts Growing, Carriers Still Not Doing Enough

Last year you might recall that AT&T was sued for enabling and profiting off of the theft of cell phones, the plaintiffs alleging that AT&T and other carriers intentionally don't do a very good job tracking and shutting down stolen phones, so that they can sell new service to both victims and thieves that bring the stolen devices into stores. After the lawsuit brought attention to AT&T's failure to do much about theft, they and other carriers launched a nationwide database to track stolen phones by IMEI number. AT&T also launched a stolen phone website with safety tips.

According to a new New York Times stories, the countermeasures don't appear to be working particularly well. According to the Times, the national database doesn't help stop phones stolen then shipped overseas, and it's not particularly hard to modify a phone's IMEI number (I recently had to do it after a Cyanogenmod install on a Galaxy S3 wiped my IMEI).

Just as we've seen with cramming, cellphone thefts are actually profitable for carriers, so there's little incentive for them to help address the issue. Only last year did we start to see increased regulator and legal pressure on carriers to do something, but law enforcement continues to argue that carriers aren't doing enough:

“The carriers are not innocent in this whole game. They are making profit off this,” said Cathy L. Lanier, chief of the police department of the District of Columbia, where a record 1,829 cellphones were taken in robberies last year.

With politicians and regulators traditionally too afraid to challenge large carriers for their culpability and inaction on issues like this, they're instead proposing bad laws to help "fix" the problem, like making modifying phone identifiers illegal. In conjunction with recent fracas on phone unlocking now being illegal, that means my above-mentioned personal repair attempt of my Galaxy S3 makes me the worst kind of criminal. Needless to say, such laws are something the Electronic Frontier Foundation is fighting.

Read more here ....

Cell Phone Theft

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Broadband Industry Giants Just Love New Wheeler FCC Pick

As noted in May, the FCC has selected former cable and wireless industry lobbyist Tom Wheeler to replace Julius Genachowski as the head of the FCC. Wheeler has been a top fundraiser for the Obama campaign during the last two election cycles, and it appears he's now getting his political reward for being a loyal foot soldier. Current Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will be the interim head of the FCC while Wheeler awaits his Congressional confirmation.

His blog posts and past interviews give clear illustrations of his pro-carrier positions, and consumer advocates are split on the pick. Groups like Free Press have shown clear skepticism that a lobbyist is going to magically shift his thinking after thirty years and be a progressive, forward-thinking consumer protector. I tend to agree with them.

That's in contrast to Public Knowledge, who breathlessly supported the pick and downplayed concerns about his lobbyist past. Even Susan Crawford, who has spent the last six months selling books that attack this industry's problem with revolving door regulators, helped ensure the Wheeler selection via a letter of support sent to Obama.

What's the thinking here among consumer advocates who are suddenly cheering the appointment of a lobbyist to the top FCC spot?

To be clear, many of these groups have to work actually with him, and aren't afforded the luxury of criticizing him while still wearing a bathrobe and Boba Fett slippers like yours truly. That doesn't make their arguments in favor of his appointment any more cogent. One cornerstone of the argument from the pro-Wheeler consumer advocacy set is that Wheeler's stint as a lobbyist was so long ago (he stopped lobbying for the wireless industry in 2005, not exactly ancient history) that this past doesn't matter. The other cornerstone appears to be that he's just a really nice and smart guy to hang out with at DC functions.

That this logic isn't swaying those who'd like more serious FCC reform isn't too surprising.

Quite often you can weigh just how consumer friendly a regulator is going to be by the response of the industry he'll be regulating. Progressive, pro-consumer regulators get tepid but polite rhetoric about bridging gaps and hoping for the best (see: Elizabeth Warren). Regulators for whom real consumer interests are an afterthought receive gushing adoration from industry. Guess what? The giants in our sector absolutely adore the Wheeler pick.

AT&T's top policy man Jim "searing hubris" Cicconi thinks the Wheeler pick is "inspired" and that he's potentially "one of the most qualified people ever named to run the agency." Wireless industry group the CTIA offered similarly-gushing praise, lauding Wheeler's passion, work ethic, knowledge and creativity. The NCTA, the cable industry's biggest lobbying organization, calls the Wheeler pick exceptional.

I genuinely hope the industry folk praising the Wheeler pick are right, and that their time navigating the halls of DC has brought them insight into his character I simply can't see from my snark outpost here in New York. I sincerely hope he is capable of independent thinking, and brings less timid management to an agency that desperately needs strong, objective leadership less relentlessly marred by the anti-competitive interests of its biggest and wealthiest players.

That said, I've been watching this industry and its endless-parade of empty-rhetoric regulators for too long to blindly believe in promises coming out of DC, or that a man who has spent the majority of his business life lobbying for companies will suddenly grow a genuine interest in seriously addressing consumer issues. If in six months Wheeler is happily helping AT&T gut landline network consumer protections while continuing the proud FCC tradition of ignoring competitive issues, broken usage meters, predatory below-the-line fees and high prices, the consumer advocates and other allegedly progressive sector leaders who assisted in his ascension should be held accountable for their poor judgement.

Read more here ....

Head Of FCC

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Cisco vs. Avaya and More....18 Enterprise Phone Systems Compared‏

The CBP research team has just completed their evaluation of the top phone systems in the enterprise-class space. All the big names for big business are here. They deliver all the features, pricing and integration considerations in one easy-to-use Excel spreadsheet so you're armed to make a better buying decision.

In this complimentary guide you'll get:

* The latest pricing for 18 enterprise phone systems

* Key features like unified communications detailed

* Compatibility, scaling & more

Choosing the right phone system for your business is crucial and can be difficult. The stakes are even higher for larger companies. Let us help you simplify the selection process with this complimentary comparison chart! It compares the top business phone system manufacturers on 20+ performance metrics, including:

* Technical Requirements

* Costs & Features * Compatibility, Scalability & More!

Navigate easily through this Excel chart; edit and add information in order to suit your analysis and presentation needs. Simplify your decision-making process and download the chart today!

Phone System Comparison To get help negotiating with providers servicing your location....including free quotes...simply ask here:

Enterprise Phone Systems

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Once Again With Feeling....You Have Absolutely No Privacy Online

We've noted repeatedly how privacy technology discussions often have a bizarre and amusing lack of context, the press getting borderline hysterical about every NebuAD or CarrierIQ scandal, while all-but ignoring that carriers and the government buy, sell and trade all user information daily with a total disregard (and often disdain) for law. Your iPhone tells Apple you went to Costco? Unified outrage. Carriers and the government monitor everything you do constantly? Dull chirping.

Time and time again we've seen folks come forward with evidence of carriers like AT&T, Sprint and Verizon simply dumping all live traffic in the government's lap in violation of law (which the government simply had changed when they were caught). AT&T employee Mark Klein gave evidence of this, and a slew of NSA whistleblowers have also since confirmed it repeatedly. Speaking with CNN recently, former FBI counterterrorism agent Tim Clemente again reiterated that all U.S. communications are tapped, and stored, all of the time:

BURNETT: Tim, is there any way, obviously, there is a voice mail they can try to get the phone companies to give that up at this point. It's not a voice mail. It's just a conversation. There's no way they actually can find out what happened, right, unless she tells them?

CLEMENTE: "No, there is a way. We certainly have ways in national security investigations to find out exactly what was said in that conversation. It's not necessarily something that the FBI is going to want to present in court, but it may help lead the investigation and/or lead to questioning of her. We certainly can find that out.

BURNETT: "So they can actually get that? People are saying, look, that is incredible.

CLEMENTE: "No, welcome to America. All of that stuff is being captured as we speak whether we know it or like it or not."

The problem hasn't traditionally been tapping these lines, since companies like AT&T, Verizon and Sprint have been more than happy to oblige, usually for a fee. The problem for intelligence and law enforcement has been storing and sorting through these oceans of data, which is why the NSA is building a new $2 billion supercomputer warehouse in Bluffdale, Utah. The project was exposed by Wired last year, and is expected to provide the government with 25,000 square feet of traffic analysis computing power.

Read more here ....

Internet Privacy

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Settling The VoIP Debate...Hosted vs On Premise Solutions

Thinking about installing a VoIP phone system for your business? Make sure you know all about both hosted VoIP and VoIP PBX before you make your decision. This latest guide from CBP Research gives you a clear tool to understand the benefits and drawbacks of both types. This free guide arranges the details of both systems so that you can purchase the solution that will most benefit your organization.

Their complimentary guide answers:

* Which system is easier to implement?

* Which gives you more control over features?

* How do initial costs compare with long term costs?

* Pros and Cons of VoIP PBX vs. Hosted VoIP

* Key differences between the two solutions

* Personal purchasing considerations for your business & more!

Let us help you make your VoIP purchase with confidence and knowledge. Download this helpful guide today!

You can download the free guide here ....

Hosted VoIP vs VoIP PBX

Once you've digested all the knowledge in the free guide...you can request free quotes for the exact solution that fits your needs here ....

Business VoIP Solution

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Shockingly, Our Timid National Broadband Plan Isn't Working

Back when the FCC's broadband plan came out in 2010 I noted that it had serious shortcomings -- particularly when it came to seriously acknowledging this sector's biggest problem: high prices and bad behavior due to limited competition. A recent TechNet study subsequently found that while the plan focused primarily on "broadband adoption," we haven't seen much of an improvement on that front. Worse perhaps, the study found nobody really was coordinating the plan or tracking its impact.

The high point of the plan has to be grants helping rural communities and Native American territories get wired, though even this has been tarnished by the kind of corporate greed, political corruption and oversight issues we saw in West Virginia. In short, most of the plan was a bit of a show pony designed to make us feel good, with even the few quality portions of the plan being implemented poorly.

Three years later and even Blair Levin, the man who designed the plan, is acknowledging that it isn't being implemented particularly well. In an interview with Telecompetitor, Levin lambastes carriers like AT&T and Verizon for freezing their landline broadband deployments, and gives the FCC a tongue lashing for political dysfunction and way too much self-congratulation:

Like other D.C. political institutions, he said, the commission is "increasingly caught up in a one-note narrative of self-praise rather than focusing on providing the expertise and analytic agility necessary to adjust programs to provide bandwidth abundance to constituencies it is meant to serve." In an interview with Telecompetitor on Friday, Levin directed further criticism at the FCC’s self-praise. "I would never invest in a company that had a CEO who behaved that way," he said.

Levin may be hinting at the self-congratulatory showmanship the FCC has been engaging in when it comes to 1 Gbps deployments. The agency recently instituted a "1 Gbps challenge" intended to bring gigabit connectivity to at least one location in all fifty states by 2015. The problem? Numerous people (including Levin in his new role at Gig U) have been building these networks for years, and don't appreciate the agency coming in after the fact and pretending they helped. Especially given their lack of action when it comes to anti-community broadband efforts that cripple many of these efforts.

Levin isn't exempt from criticism, given he went to almost comedic lengths to avoid even mentioning competition issues when discussing the plan, and if you'll recall insisted such criticism "wasn't productive." Nobody at the FCC was seriously willing to challenge carriers, nobody paid attention to the FCC's own data on embracing open access models, and nobody addressed soaring prices, regulatory capture, and competitive stagnation. Three years later and people, including the man who wrote most of it, now wonder why the plan isn't doing much.

Surely things will get better now that a former cable and wireless lobbyist is taking over the FCC, right?

Read more here ....

National Broadband Plan

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