Seems the old business model in Telco was that whatever the companies came up with is what the consumer would take. The companies drove the market & what was in it...including any technology "advancements" and their application, distribution, etc. Remember.....we had dial-up internet....then DSL, cable, & satellite access. Now WiFi & soon reliable WiMax deployment. We had high cpm PSTN / POTS residential phone calls....then we had bundled local/LD....

then flat rate LD. Now Broadband phone (VoIP). We had bulky analog cell phones then digital/PCS, text messaging, and now sleek video cellular. But that is old world thinking. The reason is 2 fold....

First....VoIP technology (note I didn't say VoIP "phone") stands to afford unprecedented advancements and capabilities yet to be seen. The potential is boggling. Second....the old business model was that whatever companies came up with consumers would accept. The companies drove what was available & came to market. No more...now consumers are dictating to companies "we want this now come up with it".

That's a drastic change in thinking that companies must now deal with. Those that do will be better positioned to capture what markets are created by consumer demand...vice the old approach of markets being created by what companies developed and released. And the foundation of this new consumer driven demand will likely be based on VoIP (and I believe wireless) technology. That aside, I'd really like to see what you think of this shift in product development and market control to consumer "vision" vice company "idea" driven....fueled by the possibilities surrounding VoIP and wireless. We've seen....or soon will....a host of Gee Whiz break throughs & possibilities focused heavily on multi-media & data (both residential & business).

What do you think the future holds?.

If your customers use your connection to access your databases or your server or the internet then reliability of your connection is critical. If your employees depend on your connections because you host the e-mail server in house or host web servers or ASP type products, your connections is considered critical. A critical connection can be viewed much like a lifeline, without which your business would be negatively impacted. Your monthly savings of having a sub-par connections will not make up for the loss in productivity of your employees or loss of customers when your DSL connections gets bogged down or cut off. To reiterate, ciritcal connections should be supported with a T1.Many customers are extremely price sensitive and cannot afford the cost of a T1 which can be as much as 20 times more expensive than a DSL connection (although prices have come down drastically in recent months).

Residential customers who are most sensitive to price should not consider a T1 circuit unless then have a business reason to pay for such a circuit and cannot access DSL service. Most people don't realize that a DSL connection can be just as fast as a T1 at 1.5Mbps. The shortcoming of DSL is that it is oversubscribed. This means there is a finite amount of bandwidth available and a customers speed can drop if other customers in the neighborhood decide to use their service. SDSL (Synchronous DSL) is a business class DSL and is ranked as a higher priority than residential DSL or ADSL (Asunchronous DSL).

This means it is not oversubscribed to the extent than ADSL and is subject to fewer bandwidth restrictions.In short, if price is your critical factor go with DSL. If reliability is the critical factor purchase a dedicated T1..

Because ABC Office has their own warehouse and stocks much of what they sell, they are able to demonstrate much of their office equipment online. It is a way of brining the customer right into the showroom, without them ever having to leave their seat. Customers and service representatives interact with each other, giving and answering questions. This one-on-one training helps eliminate most fears and gives customers the information they need to make a purchase. This is all done via the Internet and a Web cam.

Setup for the online video demo is very easy and requires little effort. It does have a few requirements that must be met before the training can be initiated. The customer must first have a broadband Internet connection, preferably DSL or faster. To maintain the highest level of video resolution possible, audio communication is made via telephone. This means the customer must have an available telephone line for communication with the customer service rep.

One of the best features of the live video demo is that it is completely free of cost. Live video demos are non-committal. ABC Office promises not to pressure anyone into making a purchase decision. The purpose is purely for education. Most people that participate in the live video demo are able to take the equipment, set it up and use it right out of the box.

Customers can choose from a wide variety of office equipment. See available products and sign up for a free live-video demo by going here: http://www.abcoffice.com/live-video-demos.htm. Product demos being offered will cover shrink wrap systems, foil stamping, paper folding, digital duplicators, roll laminators, binding machines and more. For information on live video demos, call toll-free (1-800-658-8788) Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

MST. A knowledgeable customer service representative can then assist with answering questions. For further information, please contact David Stuart, Marketing Supervisor of ABC Office, 1-800-658-8788.#.

"BBned now offers the possibility to its users to realize voice and data over one single connection, without loss of quality of the connection, but against tariffs which can unpack up to dozens of percents lower.""This agreement will create an extra impulse on broadband development in the Netherlands." says Jeroen van Eersel, VP Sales & Marketing of Allied Data Technologies. "BBned will increase its competitive advantage towards Service Providers and will further deploy combined voice and data services in the Netherlands using the CopperJet 816-2P." About the CopperJet 816-2PThe CopperJet 816-2P is a Voice Integrated Access Device that is capable of doing VoATM, ADSL Annex A and Annex B on a single board. No need for different hardware. The CopperJet 816-2P is derived from the new CopperJet 16xx series which support Voice over ATM (ELCP), Voice over IP (SIPv2 and MGCP) and ADSL/ADSL2/ADSL2+, making it ideal for Service Providers offering ADSL, POTS and ISDN Voice services to their customers.About BBned: BBned offers a complete and ambitious portfolio of broadband services to many selected internet service providers, application service providers and telecom corporations. Using DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), BBned prepares existing copper lines for ultra-speed data traffic.

BBned develops a fully integrated Business and Operational Support Environment and offers her customers, via Web-based technology, current information about the subscribed services. With one of the largest DSL infrastructures in the Netherlands, BBned is able to offer DSL services to more than 85 percent of the businesses and consumers in the Netherlands. Because of the solid financial structure of BBned's largest investor, Telecom Italia, the continuity of the company is ensured to its customers. BBned was founded in July 2000 and is located in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands. For more information about BBned, visit the web site at www.BBned.nl.For more information about BBned, please contact:Bbned, Mirjam SmetsE-mail: e-mail protected from spam botsTel: +31 (0)23 565 99 62Fax: +31 (0)23 56 333 56About Allied Data Technologies:Allied Data Technologies is a Dutch manufacturer of modems and other communication applications, such as ISDN equipment, PC Cards, Remote Access Servers and xDSL applications such as ADSL, SHDSL and VoDSL products.

Their own R&D department can count on a many years of experience and has an excellent reputation in the market when it comes to innovative and customer-specific applications. With a vast network of offices in Europe, Thailand, the US and its own production facilities in Rayong - Thailand, Allied Data Technologies is one of the key players on the worldwide datacom market is. Further information can be found on their Internet site www.allieddata.comFor more information about Allied Data Technologies, please contact:Allied Data Technologies bv, Jurelyn van Kapel - Doelslamete-mail: e-mail protected from spam botsPhone: +31 (0)181-652519Fax: +31 (0)181-614840.

Since its inception, it has provided more than 16,000 real-time, highly qualified leads to its partners. Each day, thousands of customers -- ranging from Fortune 500 to small businesses ? come to BroadBandBuyer.com in search of Internet Access, Voice, Data, VoIP, VPN, Frame Relay and other service needs.Telecom service providers have selected BroadBandBuyer.com over traditional lead generation programs for a number of different reasons:- Costs Per Lead ? At least 50% less than most other lead-generation programs.- Time ? Because BroadBandBuyer.com spends the time to create qualified leads so that Telecom companies can focus on what they do best ? selling services. - Quality of Leads ? Better quantity and quality of leads. BroadBandBuyer.com has more than four years experience in creating the best business leads for telecom services, producing more than 600 leads/month with an average 10% close rate.- Turnkey Approach ? Virtually no system implementation and backend support required. BroadBandBuyer.com deliver leads to the client via email in real-time.

BroadBandBuyer.com then works closely with providers, coaching them as to the best approach to be successful with the leads.- Flexible Terms ? No long-term commitments required, unlike traditional lead generation services. "BroadBandBuyer.com is an extremely powerful source to winning a lot of new business today," said Tony Franchi of DSL.net. "The old-school approach of cold calling to generate sales is an unsuccessful and expensive method of the past. With BroadBandBuyer.com, we've been able to aggressively increase our customer base, all the while receiving a very positive ROI."BroadBandBuyer.com's advantage over traditional lead-generation programs was gained in part by leveraging the power of the Internet as a safe and trusted environment for businesses seeking new services. "We use a combination of our industry contacts, brand name recognition and aggressive high-quality marketing initiatives, which consist of both online and traditional marketing venues," said Paul Ferraro, co-founder of BroadBandBuyer.com.About BroadBandBuyer.com:BroadBandBuyer.com is the number-one free online service that helps business customers find and comparison-shop services from the nations leading service providers who offer various broadband/telecom solutions.BroadBandBuyer.com provides real-time highly qualified business telecom leads to service providers & agents, which dramatically increases their new business revenue, all while receiving a superior ROI.For additional information, please visit http://www.broadbandbuyer.com/provider_form.htm or call 843-971-1210.Contact:BroadBandBuyer.comJamie Ferraro843-971-1210http://www.BroadBandBuyer.com.

Firewalls, simple and inexpensive softwareavailable at virtually any office supply or computer store,block the most common ports hackers use to enter yourcomputer. Firewalls also help you detect and block unauthorizedtransmission of information from your computer to theInternet. This adds a significant measure of protection ifyou get infected with a Trojan Horse virus that tries to"phone home" to the hacker with your sensitive information.If you'd like to test your connection for vulnerability toattack, log on to http://security1.norton.com and run thevarious diagnostics. I would strongly advise anyoneconnected to the Internet through DSL or cable to get anduse a firewall to protect against unauthorized access.Infected with "Spyware?"Previously we talked about unauthorized access to yourcomputer. But a growing problem online with people watchingyou and your activities involves using programs youwillingly place on your computer.

Commonly called "Spyware," this refers to any program thattransmits information about you to someone else without youknowing exactly what gets sent. The main purpose of Spywareinvolves tracking your surfing habits so advertisers knowwhich targeted ads to send you.Most Spyware basically comes onto your computer bundledwith other software applications, as a standalone program,or as modification to the HTML on a web page. Regardless of how you get it, you need to understandexactly what information gets transmitted about you so youcan decide whether to keep or uninstall the software. Plainand simple, these Spyware programs can potentially revealextremely sensitive information about you and your onlinehabits.If you have concerns about Spyware and whether or not yourcomputer currently carries any, log on to www.lavasoft.deand check out the free PC software that will scan yoursystem for known Spyware..

Both companies have joined efforts to help interested customers find a broadband provider and VOD services. "CinemaNow's customers need broadband speeds for their VOD service, which is where we come into play," said Ferraro. "We help their audience in need of a broadband connection, so the customer can take advantage of CinemaNow's high-quality VOD service. We compliment each other's business model, in which both companies promote the other's services to its large, highly targeted broadband audience.""Offering an easy way to locate a broadband service provider is a great way for CinemaNow to target the narrowband audience that may be interested in accessing video-on-demand," said Bruce Eisen, CinemaNow's executive vice president. "Connecting our audience and that of BroadBandBuyer.com's is a natural fit and we are excited to be one of their featured partners."BroadBandBuyer.com has the largest selection of the most recognized broadband providers in the industry today.

Just recently, two more of the best-known residential broadband providers have partnered with BroadBandBuyer.com, which gives customers even more provider choices. Customers can compare availability, prices and services of residential broadband providers at http://www.broadbandbuyer.com/homeservices.htm. About BroadBandBuyer.comBroadBandBuyer.com (http://www.BroadBandBuyer.com) is the premier free online service that helps both residential and business customers find, compare & receive the best prices, plans and services from many of the nations leading service providers who offer various broadband connectivity solutions. BroadBandBuyer.com customers can comparison-shop many different types of high-speed internet access & data services such as DSL, cable, satellite, T1/T3, VPN, wireless, VoIP, Fiber-OCx, frame relay, ATM and many more connectivity services. Customers can also take full advantage of the web's only specific Broadband Directory, which list's leading sites that offer online music, movies, videos, gaming, live TV/radio, MP3's and much more..

In fact, that is one of the primary arguments in favor of any VOIP service. The savings can be quite significant when a VOIP service is used for business or personal long distance calls. If you are now making international long distance calls for businesss or personal reasons, you should see immediate savings on your long distance telephone charges.

Is VOIP legal? Yes, it is a legal and acceptable alternative to standard telephone and long distance calling systems.

Will DSL or Broadband access enhance my VOIP service? Absoulutely. high speed internet services, such as DSL or Broadband, allow the use of multiple phone lines. This would be of particular importance to a business user.

Would VOIP work for an internal business network? As a matter of fact, many businesses have used it successfully for exactly that purpose, in addition to using it for external business contacts.

Is VoIP portable? One of the advantages of VoIP is its portability.

You can make and receive phone calls wherever there is a broadband connection simply by signing in to your VoIP account. This makes VoIP as convenient as e-mail ? if you are travelling, simply pack a headset or Internet phone and you can talk to your family or business associates for almost nothing.

Can I fax with VoIP? Ah! There's the rub! Sending and receiving faxes over VoIP is one of the technical difficulties that hasn't been completely solved yet. Although not as serious as emergency calls and power supplies during blackouts, a reliable method for sending faxes would help in the wider acceptance of VoIP. However, with the way technology advances, this problem may have been ironed out by the time this article appears.

What can we expect to see with VoIP in the future? With all the advantages of VoIP there is still one drawback -- it cannot give you total wireless phone communication the way that cell phones do. Industry analysts, however, predict this kind of service will be widespread within the next five years.

Cellular phone companies will have no choice but to offer plans which combine VoIP and cellular otherwise they will lose business to companies that step in to fill the void.

Is VoIP secure? Since VoIP data is travelling through the Internet the same as any other kind of data, it is vulnerable to the same kind of attacks. There are many software tools available to hackers who wish to retrieve information that is being transmitted over the Internet, and these tools are just as effective with voice data as with any other kind of data. While this may not be a concern when you are making personal calls, it is a big concern for businesses that may routinely use telephone communication for discussing sensitive business information. Due to the increasing popularity of VoIP, security is a big concern and is receiving a lot of attention.

All in all, VoIP is here, and it is growing. Whether or not it is for you will involve research and decision-making on your part.

Rest assured, however, VoIP is a permanent part of the communications landscape.
.