Home     Program     Speakers     Registration     Travel Info     Resources
  <<Pre-workshop

<Morning

Afternoon
  FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1
Wells Fargo Room
Haas Business School
12:00-1:00 Buffet Lunch on Site
1:00-2:20 Viable Business Models for Service Providers
Moderator: Prof. Michael Katz, Haas, UC-Berkeley

Making money from VoIP services could prove challenging. The dependence of VoIP on embedded infrastructure but the potential separation of the application from the physical layer alter the economic incentives of service providers. This session will address questions such as: What business models have succeeded so far, and which ones have been rejected in the marketplace? What are the properties of success in these services: target customer segment, pricing structure, channel strategy? What works for incumbent service providers and what works for pure-play startups? Pricing remains a critical variable as the trend is toward flat rate schemes absent the per-minute alternative of traditional voice services. Structure of the viable VoIP enterprise is also up for grabs as carriers experiment with standalone operations and various partnerships. Incumbents face the added challenge of competing with specialized VoIP providers when committed to legacy circuit-switched technology. An important emerging question is whether a “walled garden” model that persists in mobile cellular or online music distribution platforms are more conducive to rapid deployment of VoIP. Will providers attempt to tie CPE to VoIP services or will the cross-platform dream be realized with VoIP? After so many allegedly disruptive communications technologies fell short of their hype, will burned-once-twice-shy carriers place deployment of VoIP on hold?

-Ron Vidal, Group VP, Emerging Opportunities, Level 3 Communications
-Bryan Martin, CEO, 8x8, Inc.
-Keith Epstein, VP & General Counsel , SBC Data Services
-David Young, Director, Internet & Technology Policy,
     Verizon Communications
2:20-2:45

Xlab: A Crystal Ball for Business Decision Making
Moderator: David Gautchi, Principal and Director of Research for CCG Group

Controlled laboratory experiments are offering deeper insights into business decision making processes--including the design and introduction of new services and products. This new empirical tool promises to inform decisions that confront VoIP service providers and equipment vendors. UC-Berkeley’s Xlab located at the Haas Business School is a leader in research on these techniques.

-Prof. Teck Ho, Director, Xlab, and Haas, UC-Berkeley
2:45-3:15 Coffee Break
3:15-4:30

Dilemmas Facing Equipment Vendors
Moderator: Prof. Dave Messerschmitt, EECS, UC-Berkeley

Price and functionality of enabling equipment and software are essential to VoIP’s commercial viability. This session will hear from equipment vendors as they migrate their R&D and marketing organizations away from circuit-switched business model. Vendors must decide whether to reaffirm their commitment to customers’ sunk investment in older technologies, or to lead their customers into the new world of VoIP. They must also resolve tensions that arise when selling equipment to carriers as well as the carriers’ business customers. As sales are dependent on developments in the complementary layers of a VoIP network, what options have the companies pursued to foster competition at complementary layers? A compelling feature of VoIP is its basis in open standards for protocols and interfaces. It remains to be seen whether the industry can achieve end-to-end quality of service and still maintain modularity. How will this industry balance the age-old conflict between the economies of standardization and the need for appropriation of profit, especially as the industry continues to move toward open source development?

-Don Proctor, VP & General Manager, Voice Technology Group,
     Cisco Systems, Inc.
-Wymond Choy, Vice President for Innosphere, InnoMedia, Inc.
-Cedric Westphal, Sr. Research Engineer, Nokia Research Center
4:30-6:30 Wine Bar + Small Plates
Wells Fargo Room, Haas, UC-Berkeley
  <<Pre-workshop

<Morning

Afternoon

Home  |  Program  |  Speakers  |  Registration  |  Travel Info  |  Resources