Hello from Bangkok in Thailand where I'll be representing the USA and Comunicano at this year's ITU Telecom World Congress where along with the master Disruptor, Dean Bubley, I'll be on a panel on the subject of Telcos and OTT (over the top) communications. Now that's something we at Comunicano have been working on for many, many years. 

Clients in the past and currently have been at the forefront of that industry with the likes of GrandCentral (now GoogleVoice), HiDef Conferencing (now a part of Citrix), CounterPath with their Bria softphone, Sansay with their APIs and SBC that's aimed at this market squarely, iotum, Voxeet, WebDialogs, Magor, Vidtel and others in audio and video collaboration, conversations and conferencing sectors, and of course Truphone who is both an OTT player with their apps, and a carrier of their own with their SIMS. And the list goes on.

To know more about OTT here are two nice reports. One from Arthur D. Little, the global consulting company, and another quick recap from Dean Bubley, who has written the very defining report on the subject of WebRTC and OTT comms, and is is the process of authoring another.

Because of all my travel I've also become a bit of an expert on travel technology. Our clients Benbria and Endomondo are currently working with InterContinental Hotels around the world, each making guest experiences better in different ways, so in today's Daily you'll see more coverage on travel and technology, something we'll be watching more of and sharing, just like we started watching technology on VoIPWatch, when collaboration, VoIP and Video Conferencing were less entrenched ten years ago than they are now.

Oh..and one more thing. If you ever need to get a bag, a set of golf clubs or your ski's somewhere please contact the wonderful folks at Luggage Forward. My bag that needs to be waiting for me in Australia arrived today. It left just four days ago. How do I know?

They're smart, technically savvy and keep track of it so I don't have to. Waking up to their email, was the way customer service should be. Ahead of the client, making one less thing to be concerned about. 

And now, onto the news….

Andy Abramson

Dean Bubley's of Disruptive Wireless Updates his WebRTC forecasts + new analysis of browser vs. non-browser uptake

I saw someone on Twitter post the other day that we are currently at "Peak Telco Conference". Last week & next week have an extraordinary number of clashing events, around the world. One interesting thing I'm noticing is how many seem to be adding in a session or couple of presenters on WebRTC, which is fast becoming the "topic du jour" across telecoms overall.

Over the past week I've been moving and tracking a bunch of stories that are of interest to clients and friends of the agency. One that may have been overlooked was the recent move by FaceBook to join the GSMA. A social network in the cabal of mobile? Our Ritch Blasi was sought out and quoted by Forbes and eCommerce Times' Erika Morphy on the subject.
 

FB Jockeys for Inside Track in Wireless Industry

Facebook has reportedly joined the GSM Association, making plain its heightened interest in mobile and wireless. GSMA is a group made up of mobile operators and other technology companies interested in standardizing and promoting the GSM cellular system. Nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators are members, as are more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem.

Seeing FaceBook move into the GSMA is no surprise. It's all about clout, and derives from regulatory activity. With a change for the better in the USA with Tom Wheeler, Facebook is looking globally to insure their growth with ad sales, content, privacy and of course, revenue.

Interview: Tom Wheeler isn't afraid to wave the FCC's big regulatory stick

New Federal Communications Chairman Tom Wheeler this week set the tone for relationship with the mobile industry. Earlier this week he sent a letter to the CTIA – the mobile operator lobbying group he once headed up – telling them to either adopt a consumer-friendly phone unlocking policy or have the FCC do it for them.

Every quarter independent mobile analyst Chetan Sharma publishes a quarterly mobile market update. You can download the full report from here. It's full of trend data and insight from one of the industry's bright lights who is working with companies up and down the mobile eco-system chain.

Chetan Sharma: Mobile Industry Growing. Data Is a Big Contributor.

 Sharma highlights that the US mobile data market grew 5% Q/Q and 15% Y/Y to reach $22.8 billion in mobile data revenues. Data is now 48% of the US mobile industry service revenues and as we had forecasted a few years back, the cross-over point of 50% might occur next quarter.

Back in 2011 and 2012 Comunicano worked with Ortiva Wireless, a company that set out to solve a problem for mobile operators. Video over Mobile delivery and what it would do to their networks. Well, a new study from Bain & Company points out just how big of a problem it is.

Bain & Co.: 70% of Multi-Device Owners Watch More Video than 3 Years Ago

Access to digital media across multiple platforms – be it video, music, games or books – is prompting a shift from traditional buy-to-own to individual rental models, a trend with broad and deep ramifications for content producers and other participants across the physical and digital media value chains, according to a study from Bain & Co.

Mobile phones are essential, especially in times of disaster. Just look at the recent typhoon in the Philippines last week and how mobile phones played their part.

Mobile phones are now as crucial as food and water in emergency aid

Foreign aid is streaming into the Philippines from around the world as the news of the devastation wrought Super Typhoon Haiyan spreads, but it's no longer just food, water and shelter: Before the storm even made landfall, a team from non-profit Télécoms Sans Frontières was on the ground, carrying satellite phones and laptop-sized BGans, which…

The heavy consumption levels are leading Verizon Wireless to admit, "they have a problem" with their networks.  But the problem, which is Cisco and other's like F5's gain, should cure up soon.

Verizon admits network faces traffic pressure in big cities

The company is pouring money into the problem, and a top executive says the issues will dissipate by the end of the year. (Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET) Verizon Wireless is feeling the crush of all of those LTE-enabled devices on its network.

A good average LTE speed is somewhere between 10 and 20 mbps

As smartphone usage has surged, so has the demand for reliable, fast cellular data. Sure, your smartphone can use Wi-Fi to surf the Web, watch video, stream music and download documents. But Wi-Fi isn't always available or costs extra in some public places. In the U.S., the fast cellular technology of choice is called 4G LTE.

All this leads to what is expected. Capping of data speeds. We already see it on mobile networks, and with some fixed line cable and DSL providers. If you wonder who caps, look at this GigaOm report from Stacey Higginbotham.

Want to know if your ISP is capping data? Check our updated chart

A A As we prep for the launch of two new consoles that will allow people to download games that are 30 GB to 50 GB in size, and as new research comes out showing that over-the-top television viewing is rising, it's worth taking an updated look at how ISPs around the U.S.

These caps on data consumption by downloads and streaming are coming when buyers of Verizon's fiber in the ground product seem to be increasing.

Verizon's Shammo: Customers are buying FiOS speeds of 50 Mbps, above

Verizon ( NYSE: VZ) may have halted further builds of its FiOS network into new markets, but where it is converting problem copper-based customers to the fiber-based service it's finding that customers like purchasing speeds of 50 Mbps and higher.

The Pentagon is dropping Blackberry. 

Pentagon Preparing for the End of the Blackberry Era

The Defense Department, owner of 470,000 BlackBerrys, is distancing itself from the struggling vendor while moving ahead with construction of a departmentwide app store and a system for securing all mobile devices, including the latest iPhones, iPads, and Samsung smartphones and tablets.

Ever wonder just how big Google really is…take a read below and find out.

Google Is Now Bigger Than Both The Magazine And Newspaper Industries

Google has become so big that sometimes it's difficult to understand just how big it is. It's on course to do $60 billion in revenue this year, almost all of that from advertising. But how big is that in terms of the media it competes against for ad dollars?

To see where Google is going, just take an old phrase, "follow the money" and you'll know.

Analyzing the Investment Syndicate of Google Ventures

The investment syndicate dashboards of 10 of the most active CVCs in 2013 (list below) can be found on the 'Research' tab after logging in to CB Insights. (Note: The free PDF is available to anybody who logs into CB Insights, not just our paid subscribers.)

Tech and travel are on my mind, what with the PhocusWright conference coming up later this week. So it's no wonder that news about that industry sector is starting to bubble up too.

Airlines Should Make Like Amtrak and Create Cellphone-Free Quiet Flights

The Federal Aviation Administration has already started allowing customers to keep their electronic devices on during takeoff and landing, and NBC News is now reporting that the in-flight Wi-Fi service Gogo will soon start offering text and voice service during flights. Texting is a blessedly silent activity, but phone calls…

6 Ways Tech Will Change the Airport Experience in 3 Years

The rate of innovation in mobile technology suggests that even if security still takes too long and seats are too small, flyers can at least rely on updated flight statuses and hassle-free check-ins. – Samantha Shankman Travelers want to get through the airport as quickly as possible with access to updates at their fingertips.

The Top 22 Hotel Brand Sites Around The World

Skift is starting a new monthly feature on top trafficked sites in various sectors in travel, using data from SimilarWeb. We have found SimilarWeb's traff

And now some stories to get you thinking and working differently, to look at opportunities more and see what is bubbling in the news.

Young Upstarts-Taking Risk to Be Successful

Imagine you stand at the edge of an enormous cliff, a parachute strapped to your back. To your right is a winding staircase with a sturdy handrail. There are only two ways off the cliff – jump or take the stairs.

The 10 Smartest Cities In North America

The survival of our species on planet earth is largely going to be determined by what happens in our cities. By 2050, 70% of the world's population will live in them. We are observing a mass migration to cities at an unprecedented rate.

Embracing Digital Technology

Executive Summary Advertisement Companies routinely invest in technology, and too often feel they get routine results. Technology's promise is not simply to automate processes, but to open routes to new ways of doing business.

Investors don't want to meet you. They wanted to be introduced to you. – 42Floors

I remember when I first started fundraising for my first company, my investor network was pretty weak. Not only did I not know many investors, I also didn't really know how to pitch them. I'd basically take any meeting I could with any investor at any time.

It Takes $78 Million in Prior Funding for a Tech Company to IPO, and It's Getting Bigger Every Year. Capital Efficiency?

VC-backed tech companies take seven years on average to go public and now it looks like they need a boatload of cash to get there too. What happened to not being capital intensive? Using CB Insights venture capital data, we analyzed VC-backed tech companies that have exited since 2007 to identify how much funding they need to raise prior to exiting via IPO and M&A.