CommuniGate Systems develops carrier-class Internet Communications software for broadband and mobile service providers, enterprises, and OEM partners worldwide. Over 130 million subscribers including 47 million voice customers rely upon CommuniGate Systems products for their voice and data communication daily.

 

Jon Doyle is vice president of Business Development at CommuniGate. Jon is a frequent speaker at TMC (News - Alert) events and a featured author and regular contributor in our publications and on TMCnet. I recently asked Jon to describe what CommuniGate has been up to, and what we can expect to see from them in 2008.

 

 

 

JD: Our fiscal year actually runs through to January 31 so we have some time to close a lot of business that did not happen in the Holidays or was waiting for 2008 budget. However we are on track for another great year of results with double digit revenue expansion. Mid-year, we saw a shift towards applications with a strong trend toward Media and Content delivery. Our Flash-based Client Framework Pronto! was designed from the ground up to be modular and rich in Multimedia capabilities helping us drive new business opportunities.

 

JD: We think so as the market has matured a lot, having moved to an IP-based infrastructure and lots of convergence of topologies. CommuniGate Pro 5.2 will be released in the early Spring and will include a Mobility Suite with features for OTA AirSync and CalDAV support. We expect to see a lot of movements in the mobile applications, and devices like the iPhone2 supporting OTA.

 

JD: There are a few this past year that have changed the market significantly. We see Web 2.0 delivery of applications and the SaaS model being very key to our solutions becoming more pervasive. Adobe Flash became the defacto medium for video and Rich Media on the Internet in 2007, and we see that uptake in HD driving new market opportunities in 2008 for us. Unified Communications is now realizing the dreams of past Unified Messaging concepts.

 

JD: In many ways yes. Skype first opened the eyes to many of us about what the Internet is really capable of, removing barriers of the Toll- and Location-based models paradigm in the Telecom world. But I think more important is the single address space, what we most often call an e-mail address, becoming your single identity for all forms of communication. Certainly Skype has also compelled the Telecom and Network operators in the world to get more applications and value add, and this is good for all of us, consumer or business; driving new innovation.

 

JD: Certainly each of these companies will help drive innovation, but I think when you talk about the Telecom market, Google has potential to really change things. Meaning, if they grab a wireless operator, or gain spectrum, it can change a lot of business models. Apple on the other hand is helping Telecoms, look at AT&T (News - Alert), their profits shot up 41 percent last quarter, and I expect the iPhone will do more to help companies like this in 2008 as it becomes more business class, adding Flash and OTA sync. When I think of Microsoft, I look to them getting into the SaaS model, and then the question becomes will they serve applications, or would an AT&T?

 

JD: Hmm…, well it really depends upon who grabs that spectrum, if it is AT&T it will mean a huge share of the market for them with a frequency that penetrates buildings far better than WiMAX. The AT&T Unity program expanded in 2008 can mean a lot to flatten the access model and grab new subscribers. If on the other hand the spectrum goes to Google, there could be a change in the business models of AT&T and the other big 3.

 

JD: Internet Entertainment, with Media and Content becoming distributed direct from the professional or User directly. We see network operators needing solutions that can deliver and manage that content on mobile or broadband networks.

 

Presence Services and Widgets will drive a lot of the business process benefits around Unified Communications. We see our technology as becoming very flexible to adapt to various business needs and delivery these solutions in a multi-tenant SaaS model the operators need.

 

JD: As with any software company it is always a challenge to develop good ideas into product faster than the competition. Market expansion is always a challenge for any company and we plan to do this through partners and channel.

 

JD: In my speaking session “SIP-ify the E-mail Base” on January 24th I will explore using SIP to unify the more than one billion e-mail accounts around the world making each e-mail account capable of receiving a request for an IM session, a direct voice call, even videoconferencing. Drawing on lessons learned from the evolution of e-mail technology in the early 1990’s, attendees will get a feel for the current barriers to widespread adoption and gain understanding of the key technologies and market factors needed to make the transition to open standards-based IP Communications a reality.

 

JD: Product Managers and BizDev people looking for new VAS applications

 

JD: How an open system brings true mobility and portability, where one address can find and follow users no matter where they are, regardless of the network or access device.

 

JD: The emerging growth of the mobile phone as an all-on-one entertainment device will drive digital-music players into decline. With 80 percent of all Americans having a mobile device this will open markets for advertising, location-based services, and presence-based applications on the mobile device. The mobile device will become an extension of the desktop PC with over-the-air synchronization. The multimedia capable mobile handset will become a mandatory feature for business subscribers as they move from their personal to business lifestyle daily.

 

JD: There will be some major consolidation in the market before the presidential election. We could see large cable operators buying out wireless carriers.