robmx

The business model wreakers who took it to Wall Street are now after Telecom territory. I have in on good authority that the next target will be the TV industry.

Bob Miller

(Start reading post below from bottom)

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Brian W. Gortney, II" <list@pannexusa.com>
> To: <isp-bandwidth@isp-bandwidth.com>
> Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2002 12:34 PM
> Subject: [isp-bandwidth] RE: Vonage
>
>
> Interesting to note about Vonage is that it was started by Jeffrey Citron, who started the Island ECN (the most liquid and arguably the most successful ECN in the world), and then Datek Online (one of the largest online brokerages, and the fastest, best managed, and easiest to use, imo). This is interesting because both of these prior businesses played a large role in
> breaking down the walls that limited access to Wall St. I'm starting to wonder if he has a thing for taking on monopolies using advanced technology (and winning). If that's the case, it would be the telco. and the traditional communications moel this time.
>
> And another bonus: their CFO is John Rego, a former RCN (profitable fiber to the home) VP, and from what I understand, he's also a very impressive individual.
>
> Made me feel all warm and fuzzy simply because they're involved. Also tells me that the model is solid and that there's no way they're going anywhere. To me, it's more likely that they'll shake up the market and unseat a few telcos in the long run.
>
> Also, from what I hear (had a few long talks with a member of management) they're there every day, working their asses off late into the evening .. sounds to me like they're pretty dedicated.
>
> Anyway.. Just a little bit of analysis, some info I picked up, and my 2 cents -- fwiw.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Brian W. Gortney, II
> Pannex Corporation
> bwg@pannexusa.com
> 850.582.2181
> http://www.pannexusa.com
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Bob Miller [mailto:bob@viacel.com]
> > Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2002 11:49 AM
> > To: isp-bandwidth@isp-bandwidth.com
> > Subject: [isp-bandwidth]
> >
> >
> > Not free yet but getting there. The best I have seen is still Vonage
> >
Vonage
> >
> > $40 unlimited, $20 limited. You need broadband and they use the broadband to make it work very well. Super simple install. I plugged the Cisco unit that they sell you for $29 into my LinkSys hub (you need a hub). They sell hubs for $39. I plugged the Cisco unit into power, plugged a Radio Shack Phone into the Cisco unit, pushed a button on the Cisco unit as per instructions and waited 3 seconds for the light to stop blinking, picked up
> the handset on the phone and dialed 80#, listened to a recording of the IP address, hung up the phone, picked up the phone again and made a long distance call.
> >
> > Neat things you can do, pick your own area code like 212 in NYC. Take the unit to Bombay or Moscow and you still have a 212 area code. Anyone in NYC can call you in Moscow as a local call. You can make all the calls you want to anywhere in the US for the $40 flat rate. Send your kid to college with one and you can call them as a local call and you have capped their long
> distance cost at $40.
> >
> > This type of thing may be the last thing to same fixed phone lines of any kind. I read in the New York Times that for the first time since 1933 fixed phone lines have decreased by 5% or 9 million lines last year.
> >
> > Of course this Cisco unit and Vonage can work like a Cellular phone a little. I took it out to the park below my apartment and plugged the Cisco into a lamp pole (part of the building infrastructure). I have a 802.11b AP with a directional antenna on my balcony.
> >
> > There I was with my laptop and my Radio Shack conventional phone making long distant calls from the park over 802.11b to the balcony of my apartment then over a cable modem to Earthlink. And the quality was very good.
> >
> > BTW if you sign up you get a month free and if you sign up a friend you get a month free so if you were able to sign up 12 friends a year you would have FREE telephone service local and long distance. The only thing not free would be international and information. They seem to have excellent international rates five cents to Munich for instance.
> >
> > Bob Miller
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Teuber, Craig A, METRO" <teuber@att.com>
> > To: <isp-bandwidth@isp-bandwidth.com>
> > Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2002 11:19 AM
> > Subject: [isp-bandwidth] Re: Free Bandwidth? >
> >
> > I can see how we are all making free long distance calls after nearly a century.
> >
> > Thank You,