Alec Saunders SquawkBox

While at Torcamp I have heard from several sources that Rogers and Shaw are blocking podcast downloads.  After two to three downloads, the data stops.  This, of course, is the same issue that the VoIP industry is facing. Carriers who have voice and data, are seeking to stop voice applications from using their low cost data pipes.  Now, Rogers and Shaw, who care video and data, are seeking to stop other forms of data. 

I’ve spent the last couple of days in Toronto, which explains the absense of new postings.  I extended my stay by one day to attend TorCamp, which is the Toronto BarCamp event.  Last night the event kicked off with drinks at The Social Bar on Queen Street W.  This morning we’re all heading over the to the Teehan+Lax offices for the day.

Stay tuned…

When we lived in the United States, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday.  It was one time of the year when you could simply chill out with friends and family over a lovely meal and forget the worries of the day.  It helped that the powers that be had wisely decreed it be a four day weekend too! One of our best friends there, Steve and his lovely wife Nikki, used to run an expat’s Thanksgiving.  Nikki provided a warm welcome to all their foreign friends, like my family. We would gather at their house, mid-afternoon, for socializing and a fabulous meal.  I can still smell the wood-smoked turkey, and taste those amazing pecan pies.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends, family, and colleagues.   Enjoy the holiday!

Google’s Click-to-Call beta yesterday is generating some interesting comment about the nature of VoIP over on Om Malik’s site.  I’m sure that Google is terminating the calls on PSTN handsets, because the vast majority of the customers wanting to use the service do not yet have VoIP softphones, and may never have softphones.  Wireless phones are ubiquitous.

Caveat: I do not know the way that Google’s system is built. But, if I were going to build it, I would do the following:

• Use a VoIP application server and softswitch to manage the traffic.  It’s by far the least expensive to build out, and the fastest way to get a service into market. 
• Write a Click-to-Call server (it could be as simple as a CGI script!) to convert those clicked links into signalling requests to call two end points on the network — one at the advertiser, and one at the prospect.
• Route the traffic using an IP backbone provider like Level3 to a destination gateway.  At the gateway closest to each of the PSTN numbers given, drop the call onto the local class 5 switch. 

That’s how you eliminate the long distance.  You could do the same within the existing PSTN network , it’s worth noting, by hosting the Click-to-Call application on a Service Control Point.  It’s more expensive and would take longer to deploy, but it could be done.  All VoIP does is eliminate the long distance tolls.

• The next obvious upgrade would be to route the call to an IP client in the advertisers business (they’re more likely to have an IP PBX than the prospect is to have a softclient on the desktop). 
• And finally, the last upgrade might be to route the call to to IP client on the prospects desktop.

With VoIP peering arrangements you can accomplish the last step completely transparently.  In my every day use of the phone, I have a number with Unlimitel which takes any calls people make to me from the PSTN, and turns them into VoIP traffic.  I use the Iotum Relevance engine to route all my desk calls to the softphone on my desktop PC, to my cell phone when I am not at my desk, and to PhoneGnome when I am at home.  My perspective — I am a VoIP user, who occasionally sends my calls to a PSTN device, which is my old cell phone. 

VoIP’s already widespread, even if it’s not on every desktop. 

UPDATE: Venkatash Rangarajan has a very detailed look at how to build a Google-like Click-to-Call system on his blog.

Here’s a Google FAQ on the new Click-to-Call feature they’re testing.  (Thanks Randy).  It requires some artificial behaviour on the part of the user (filling in the call back number), but this could easily be automated using the Google Desktop form fill feature.  That would be a very nice experience then.  Click an ad, have the phone ring beside you, and talk to the advertiser. 

So, who will get there first with Click-to-Call, Skype/EBay or Google?  Will the AdWords bid per click model be better than whatever Skype/EBay is planning, or worse?  Will Adsense publishers participate in the revenue stream?  Will EBay build a context-driven advertising business, too?

The mind reels…

Update:  Good posting with some screen shots from Tom Keating.  Greg Yardley has some screen shots too.