Posts Tagged ‘voice vs. data’
October 6, 2008
Another point scored for iSkoot’s “VoIP via voice” approach to mobile Skype this past weekend! Jim Courtney over at Skype Journal was tinkering with a data channel-based mobile VoIP app for the iPhone on Friday, and in a virtual side-by-side comparison with iSkoot, the result was, well…read for yourself!
“The benchmark in call quality would be my experiences earlier this week where twice, when my home office cable was disconnected due to “cable plant” improvements in my neighborhood, I used iSkoot on the Blackberry Bold to call into SquawkBox via the CalliFlower voice conferencing service over the Rogers 3G network.
Let’s just say in the iSkoot calls, the technology was transparent to the discussion and I could lay the phone on my desk while still actively participating.”
As it should be! In this day and age - mobile Skype shouldn’t be about what you can do, but what you can do well. Thanks–as always–for the positive plug, Jim!
Posted in: The Word on Mobile VoIP | No Comments
Tags: iSkoot for Skype, Jim Courtney, Skype Journal, voice vs. data
September 17, 2008
Following iSkoot’s acquisition of Social.IM, Calcalist, the Economy section of the Israeli newspaper Yediot Acharonot visited iSkoot’s Israeli office for an interview with our CEO Mark Jacobstein and David Guedalia, iSkoot’s CTO.
One of the topics they covered in the interview: how iSkoot for Skype’s one-of-a-kind technology sets it apart from other mobile Skype applications. Of course, Mark loves nothing better than an opportunity to defend the iSkoot business model. Here is an excerpt:
Calcalist: Most start-ups nowadays use technology which circumvents the cellular networks to direct their calls- like the Israeli start-up, Fring. What is unique about iSkoot?
Mark: In contrast to the majority of the companies which offer VoIP
service from the cellular phone, iSkoot does not circumvent the cellular networks, but utilizes them. In reality, iSkoot’s Skype conversation begins as a cellular conversation and is directed to the data traffic from there. Cellular service providers do not like VoIP conversations on their network, as it clogs the network, and takes away from their income. I do not think that a company which provides VoIP services will be successful in the long run without working together with the cellular service providers. RIM, the manufacturer of the BlackBerry, is a good example of how this works.
Calcalist: So doesn’t courting the cellular company come at the expense of courting the clients?
Mark: If you work with the cellular company, you will also be able to provide better service for the clients. For instance, Hutchison provides iSkoot for Skype for free (with purchase of the X-Series package or a 3 SkypePhone).
Posted in: Management Team, The Word on Mobile VoIP | No Comments
Tags: Cataclist, David Guedalia, Mark Jacobstein, voice vs. data
May 9, 2008
Jahangir Raina over at iLocus nabbed a few minutes with Mark Jacobstein last week to discuss the nuts and bolts of the business model behind our carrier-deployed mobile VoIP solutions. You can check out the full Q & A here.
In the meantime, we’ve got a few of the finer points of the conversation right here!
On why iSkoot’s low-cost international calling solution is a friend, not a foe, to the operator, Mark comments:
“For Skype-to-Skype calls what the operators have determined is that we are not cannibalising their business. In fact we are adding to their business because if I am on Skype and my friend in Hong Kong is on Skype, I was not going to call that person for two dollars a minute anyway. I would have waited to Skype them over PC and completely cut out the operator. So by putting Skype on mobile phone at least the operator is able to use up the free minutes. With SkypeOut which involves calls to a non-Skype user, you probably had no choice but to call with very expensive ILD rates. So some of the operators prefer not to turn SkypeOut on. At least not at first. They are however realistic about the ILD rates substantially reducing over time with the calling cards and callback and Skype etc. At some point therefore they will also turn on SkypeOut.”
On the technical challenges facing mass implementation of mobile VoIP:
“A couple years back people thought that mobile VoIP is as simple as putting a client on mobile phone just like putting it on PC. 3g had good enough speeds on paper. Had that turned out to be true, iSkoot would not exist. I think the idea of using circuit switched network thought of by our founders was brilliant.”
And on the effect and reception of iSkoot-powered mobile products from multinational operator 3:
“iSkoot-led service is not only available on Skypephone, but the capability is preloaded on every single H3G phone that is being sold now. Skypephone is to H3G what iPhone is to AT&T.“
Posted in: Management Team, The Word on Mobile VoIP | No Comments
Tags: 3 Skypephone, iLocus, Jahangir Raina, Mark Jacobstein, voice vs. data
April 23, 2008
The industry implications of the 3 Skypephone’s “Best Mobile Handset” Silver Medal win back at the Mobile World Congress certainly sparked interest over at Wireless Week, and in her article “Around the World with VoIP” journalist Monica Alleven looked to iSkoot to get the insider perspective on the ostensible push for VoIP-enabled handsets.
In an interview, our CEO Mark Jacobstein affirmed that “getting the nod from the GSMA awards was a big thrill, and iSkoot is getting inquiries from operators around the world, including North America, Europe and Southeast Asia. It’s fair to say there’s a high degree of interest both for solutions with brands like Skype and for white-label solutions.”
Monica surmises that operators are going to inevitably beef up their data networks to meet consumer demand for mobile broadband. So couldn’t they–in theory–offer their own flavor of mobile VoIP?
Mark explains that “much like voice mail or any number of other services that carriers provide using third-party specialists, the same can happen with VoIP. iSkoot can power [carriers'] VoIP solutions with any number of VoIP communities or provide a white-label solution. And with IP, iSkoot can boost voice minutes without requiring carriers to pay termination fees, historically a big expense.”
Mark went on to espouse the carrier-friendly aspects of the iSkoot solution, one of many features that makes our VoIP-enabling technology unique.
“A big differentiator for iSkoot is it uses the voice channel, not the data channel. That’s far more operator-friendly than a lot of other solutions. Plus, [in the case of the 3 Skypephone] iSkoot is deep in the stack, so it’s not just an application. It’s tied into the call log and address book and uses a gateway that sits inside the carrier’s network operations center, allowing the connection between mobile devices and the IP cloud.”
Monica’s conclusion: “A lot remains to be seen in terms of how U.S. operators incorporate VoIP into their offerings. In the meantime, to say the VoIP players have their heads in the clouds could mean a very good thing.”
We like to think so. 
Posted in: 3 Skypephone, The Word on Mobile VoIP | No Comments
Tags: 3 Skypephone, awards, Mark Jacobstein, trends, voice vs. data, Wireless Week
April 18, 2008
Lee Dryburgh, eComm coordinator and telecom technology expert, sat down with Chief Analyst at STL Partners and long-time telecom strategist Martin Geddes a while back to mull over the short- and long-term industry effects of the telecom-broadband convergence. It was supposed to be a 15 minute conversation. It ran about an hour and 15 minutes. Yowza.
So what happens when you put two telecom thought leaders into a room to chat it up for 75 minutes? 2 things:
1. They confirm that mobile VoIP calling via the voice channel is the only viable solution, of course.
2. Jim Courtney takes notice.
You can hear the audio of the interview in its entirety here. But we’ll go ahead and share a few of our (and Jim’s) favorite excerpts with you.
For one, Lee sums up that when it comes to getting VoIP calling on mobile, “Ingeniously, Martin has been thinking of the Internet as a means of signaling and coordination rather than always also the best means of delivery.”
Martin proposes, “Why don’t we focus on allowing the “IP” part to do what it does well,” things like providing “presence data” and “location information….and let the phone[voice] network do what it does well, which is phone calls.”
He also points out that to get a 100% data-based VoIP calling system in place that will actually, reliably work for people, you essentially “have to throw an awful lot of [VoIP] technology at a problem [voice quality/delivery] that does not exist” otherwise.
Martin advises that we should “stop worrying about trying to do voice over IP until the technology is super duper mature until we can not possibly afford to maintain two networks -which is quite a long way away still.”
That’s what we’re saying.
*VoIP solution that sticks calls on the Voice network: Check!
*VoIP solution that uses the Internet as a “signaling system” to deliver presence info: Check!
So does this qualify our solution as (dare we say) “ingenious?”
As Jim Courtney says in his Skype Journal recap on the interview, “Sounds like iSkoot…may be on to something here.”
Posted in: The Word on Mobile VoIP | No Comments
Tags: Jim Courtney, Lee Dryburgh, Martin Geddes, Skype Journal, voice vs. data
April 10, 2008
We’ll be the first to admit it. All this talk about VoIP (”…is that like Vonage?”), data channels, voice packets: It can get a little…techie. All the same, the advantages of sticking iSkoot on your mobile phone are way too juicy to let something like telecom jargon stand in your way. And fear not: We’re pleased to report that our friend Jim Courtney over at Skype Journal has broken down all the reasons why iSkoot’s mobile VoIP recipe REALLY WORKS in his recent post: “iSkoot - Providing Carrier Friendly Access for Skype Calls.”
Nice! Now let’s get to some highlights.
Lesson 1: Trying to make VoIP calls over your phone’s data connection just doesn’t work. Why? Mobile phones are NOT mini-PCs. The technology is different, and so are the rules. Mobile phones run with limited internal resources, and just don’t have the battery life, memory and CPU speeds to handle sustaining phone calls over the data channel. As Jim warns, “Even the ability to multi-task with multiple applications becomes an issue.” Yikes. On top of overburdening your phone, you’re also going to battle with inconsistent, mediocre call quality.
Starting to seem like a No-Brainer? Wait! There’s more - Chances are, your mobile service provider wants to shoot “data-channel mobile VoIP” out of the sky too. In Jim’s words, “it does not provide a carrier-friendly business model. Filling the data pipe while attempting to reduce the billable “minutes of use” (MOU) is not appealing to a carrier executive who’s responsible for increasing average revenue per user (ARPU).”
Lesson 2: VoIP calling over the voice channel–a.k.a the iSkoot approach–absolutely works.
iSkoot uses the channel that was built specifically to sustain phone calls. (Why take bumpy back roads when the streamlined highway is right there?) You get the great call quality you’re accustomed to, in a way that won’t annihilate your phones battery or memory supply. In fact, our network infrastructure is specially designed to keep the technical “heavy lifting” on our network and OFF your phone.
Lesson 3: You, the user, will like what you see.
In the words of Jim himself: “The process for the user is almost as simple as making a normal call: Install the iSkoot client on your mobile smartphone, answer questions about your setup, including Skype ID, password and mobile phone number, Sign in - it takes a moment or two to download all your Skype contacts with their status, [and] select a contact and launch either a voice or chat conversation.” It’s a snap. Call or chat with anyone on your Skype list at the click of a button.
Lesson 4: Your mobile carrier will like us too.
Since we’re working with the carrier’s infrastructure to put voice calls where they belong, iSkoot actually increases MOU and ARPU for carriers. Just ask our partner, mobile operator 3 - the purveyors of the Skypephone and the Skype-enabled X-Series handset line. Heck, the Skypephone did so well that 3 “accelerated the launch of the Skypephone in its other eight markets.”
The moral of the story: With our carrier-friendly style of mobile VoIP, iSkoot’s got a solution that makes sense for everybody. We plan on sticking around for a while, and delivering you, the user, the best mobile Skype experience in town.
Posted in: The Word on Mobile VoIP | 1 Comment
Tags: 3 Skypephone, Jim Courtney, Skype Journal, voice vs. data
April 8, 2008
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin dropped a bomb on “open network” proponents at CTIA last week, publicly and candidly rejecting a petition from Skype that would require wireless operators to allow any lawful mobile device to connect to their network. Martin defended that with ample competition and a shift toward openness already happening in the marketplace, such a regulation was unnecessary.
Skype Journal’s Jim Courtney is one of many industry players expressing heated disapproval towards Martin’s out-of-hand dismissal, asserting in a GigaOM editorial yesterday, “This decision demonstrates nothing less than a failure on the part of a U.S. government agency to comprehend the technology infrastructure available to enhance business processes…and take advantage of today’s more cost-effective rapid software development tools.”
Countering the oft-cited carrier concern that openness would ultimately enable users to circumvent the traditional voice networks entirely, Jim reminds that the impact of Skype’s presence on mobile platforms thus far has been virtually “negligible,” given that mass availability of “pure” mobile VoIP (VoIP over the data channel) still requires the resolution of hefty wireless data infrastructure issues.
In his editorial, Jim highlights iSkoot for still managing to not only enable access to Skype via any carrier, but to do so in a way that “bring[s] both market advantages and cost savings to carriers” as well. iSkoot’s approach to mobile VoIP has enabled us to develop unique relationships with carriers, and simultaneously offer Skype access to subscribers on carriers with whom we don’t yet have a direct relationship.
In response to the FCC’s refusal to take a direct hand in opening networks, Jim calls for mobile users to gear up for “guerrilla warfare mode.”
Step one: “Use iSkoot…to access your Skype and SkypeOut contacts from mobile devices such as Blackberry, Nokia and other smartphones.”
Game on, Jim.
Posted in: The Word on Mobile VoIP | No Comments
Tags: CTIA, FCC, Jim Courtney, Kevin Martin, Skype Journal, voice vs. data
April 3, 2008
iSkoot’s unique mobile-to-Skype gateway got a another great plug earlier this month - this time in John Edwards’ piece “The Essential Guide to Wireless VoIP” on VoIP-News.
Check out John’s article here:
John confirms that the phenomenon of mobile VoIP is a disruptive technology that’s here to stay. As he explains: “VoIP technology has transformed the telephone industry over the last half-decade. Now, VoIP is promising to make a similar impact on mobile communications.”
We here at iSkoot suspected as much.
John’s article takes a glance at some of the various incarnations of mobile VoIP devices we’ve seen in the wild thus far, noting:
“A company called iSkoot Inc. (hey, that’s us!) can link several types of mobile phones to the Skype Ltd. hosted-wireless service via an iSkoot network gateway.”
John does point out that there are some challenges facing mobile VoIP proliferation, particularly how to overcome the compromised Quality of Service that results from stuffing calls over the data channel:
“Since these systems were engineered to handle data traffic, not voice packets, many W[ireless]VoIP users complain about poor voice quality, garbled audio, noise and other service-robbing problems.”
Ain’t that the truth? That’s why iSkoot is pleased to offer wireless VoIP over the robust voice channel instead. The result: clear, carrier-grade call quality!
Posted in: The Word on Mobile VoIP | No Comments
Tags: John Edwards, mobile-to-Skype gateway, voice vs. data, VoIP-News
March 28, 2008
iSkoot’s very own CEO Mark Jacobstein hit the ground running at the 2008 eComm conference earlier this month, giving a talk on the virtues and viability of iSkoot’s uniquely carrier-friendly approach to mobile VoIP. By designing a thin-client application and network infrastructure that route Skype calls over the mobile phone’s voice channel instead of data (iSkoot’s “secret sauce” 
), iSkoot can run on nearly any phone with minimal impact on battery power and memory–unlike data-dependent mobile VoIP clients, which can’t make the same claim.
Mark illuminated the competitive advantages of iSkoot’s technology by pointing to our successful collaborations with mobile operator 3 to bring Skype-enabled mobile handsets to market in 8 countries.
As Jim Courtney observed in a recent Skype Journal post, “iSkoot has demonstrated how to overcome these barriers with their support for the 3 Skypephone service as well by providing clients for other smartphones, such as Blackberry and Nokia, that take advantage of their architecture to operate IM over the data network but voice over the inherent voice channel.”
Jim also pointed out in a previous post that “Mark’s presentation generated lots of post-presentation informal discussion, especially with respect to the potential for iSkoot’s operation on…mobile platforms such as BlackBerry, Nokia and Windows Mobile devices.”
Of course, we’ve got iSkoot for Skype solutions for BlackBerry, S60 and Windows Mobile devices available on our website TODAY, free to download! Check ‘em out, people!
And thanks for the shoutout, Jim!
Posted in: Management Team, iSkoot Appearances | No Comments
Tags: eComm, Jim Courtney, Mark Jacobstein, Skype Journal, voice vs. data
