Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/370756
W i re l e s s W o rl d 2 5 W e d n e s d a y, S e p te m b e r 1 0 , 2 0 1 4 M2M AND SATELLITE: INDUSTRY GROWTH, OEMS AND CELLULAR CONVERGENCE By David Wigglesworth, Vice President and General Manager, Americas Global M2M Services M2M and its many applications are one of the fastest-growing market segments for satellite companies such as Iridium Communications Inc. In partnership with cellular providers, satellite can extend the reach of M2M beyond the ~10 percent of the Earth covered by terrestrial networks, providing connectivity to remote regions of the world, making the Internet of Things truly global. This convergence of technologies is fueling innovation in a huge variety of markets from oil and gas to utilities to heavy equipment and fleet management to personnel safety moni- toring. One ground-breaking example of satellite communications in employee safety monitoring is the newly released Loner Bridge System by Blackline GPS. The Loner Bridge System uses cellular and satellite networks to mon- itor the safety of workers in remote or isolated locations. If an accident occurs, the system provides accurate location and safety information to managers or designated alert recipi- ents, significantly improving emer- gency response times. With Iridium's low-latency, reliable and global net- work providing the satellite uplink complementing the cellular connec- tion, Blackline GPS empowers organi- zations to improve the outcomes of workers who find themselves in dis- tress or injured while on the job. Another example of satellite applica- tions in M2M is CalAmp, a leading provider of wireless products, serv- ices and solutions that give original equipment manufacturers M2M services. Through their LMU-4520 Series device, CalAmp delivers a communications solution that enables companies in the heavy equipment, agriculture, forestry, mining and construction industries to track and monitor equipment, providing greater communications access globally. As companies continue to expand, explore and develop their business in more remote regions, they will be able to rely on satellite communications to track equipment and communicate with work- ers even in the furthest reaching corners of the world. Iridium Communications inte- grates our core satellite technologies into these kinds of solutions – includ- ing chipsets and transceivers that oper- ate using Iridium ® short burst data and circuit-switched data – extending M2M solutions to anywhere in the world. Iridium sees the companies using its technologies develop- ing and marketing incredibly innovative and high-value M2M solutions, and ones that are making a significant impact on the business as well as the end users they support. Moving forward, Iridium will continue to innovate new commu- nications services for M2M through its next generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT, which is scheduled to begin launching in 2015. Unlike cellu- lar services which turn off older capa- bilities, with Iridium NEXT customers and partners will retain the ability to use their existing Iridium devices to access the only truly global satellite network. Additionally, Iridium NEXT will enable new product innovations and even faster data speeds to support solutions yet to be imagined. Visit Iridium at booth 5930. For more information, go to www.iridium.com, call 866-947-4348 or email www.communi cations@iridium.com. MAGICJACK HAS VISION TO KEEP COMPANY STRONG AMID INCREASED COMPETITION An interview with Gerald Vento, CEO, magicJack VocalTec Ltd. WW: With new players joining the VoIP space, how will you maintain or grow your market share? GV: Being one of the first to market always brings benefits and challenges. The customer experience needs to be seamless, and we must ensure that setup is easy, billing is simplified and call qual- ity is stellar, despite varying internet con- nections – all offered for the lowest price on the market. We have a couple dozen technology patents that will help ensure our market leadership. In 2013, magicJack was awarded the prestigious Frost and Sullivan Best Practices Award – Best VoIP Provider, based on overall best quality, ease of use, value and pric- ing. Our quality is the best and our pric- ing can't be beat, which will keep us on top. WW: You recently announced a brand refresh. What's the new campaign? GV: We launched as an "As Seen on TV" brand, and quickly gained great brand awareness. This is our first brand refresh since our debut in 2007. We created a new marketing campaign called "Do the Math," which is a simple way to commu- nicate our lowest price position in the market. We have an updated look, and created TV and radio spots in both English and Spanish in addition to refreshing www.magicJack.com, social media, packaging and point of sale at retail. Our point is that by doing some simple calcula- tions, customers can save hundreds of dollars and keep their existing numbers. WW: Where are the ads running? GV: We're running in our top 15 mar- kets, which are large metro areas corre- lating with our top performing retail. We're complementing this with Spanish programming, morning and evening news and prime time fringe. We're also running nationwide spots on SiriusXM radio over multiple show formats. WW: Who are you targeting with magicJack PLUS? GV: Our base has traditionally been 35- plus year-olds who have purchased based on quality and value, but the convenience of eliminating poor indoor cell coverage at an affordable price is proving attrac- tive to younger d e m o g r a p h i c s . Additionally, we've launched our Talk Free app on iOS and Android, which enables one phone num- ber to ring at home and on your mobile phone, and is very appealing to a younger demographic. We're also targeting small businesses, of course. WW: What's next for magicJack? GV: Right now, our focus is on rolling out the new brand and advertising cam- paign to effectively communicate our vision to potential new and existing cus- tomers in the U.S. Many people don't know there is a high-quality, affordable alternative to the phone company. Once we can educate people about that and build some momentum, we'll look at additional ways to deliver attractive, value added features in the future. For more information, visit www.magic jack.com or email pr@magicjack.com.