The Prepaid Press - May 15, 2008 - (Page 8)

PREPAID BUSINESS May 15 · 2008 - 8 5 MINUTES WITH Ray Horak, Author, Telecom Maven Interviewed by Gene Retske Ray Horak is one of the most prolific writers in the history of telecom. As the editor of Newton’s Telecom Dictionary for many years, he is also one of the most widely read authors. (We reviewed his new Webster’s New Telecom Dictionary in March.) Ray started as a Bell head in Southwestern Bell, which is now the new AT&T, and spent over 30 years in and around the industry. The first version of this book sold over 50,000 copies, probably only exceeded by Newton’s. I first met Ray when we were both part of Harry Newton’s stable of Flatiron Publishing authors, and we have remained close, working on several projects and ideas over the years. GR: What is the difference between this book and your other previous books on telecommunications networking? RH: It’s a re-focused, and much more technical derivative of my previous book, Communications Systems and Networks, that went through three editions. (ed. Note – this one also sits on my shelf, dog eared, tea-stained and bulging with post-it bookmarks.) GR: When was the first book? RH: 1997. GR: What are the biggest differences in telecom technology in those 11 years? RH: That is exactly what drove this book. There have been considerable changes in the last decade, or even less. Those changes run across the voice and data world. And, video world. All three, for that matter. The big difference is the fact that there is an orientation towards packet switching, particularly IP networking today, as opposed to switched voice networks. The Internet and World Wide Web have had an incredible effect on all of our business and personal lives. There is an emphasis on mobility, cellular networks. GR: How have these changes impacted those who package and sell communications services, like prepaid calling card companies? RH: Computing technology has changed to the point that processors are so much faster, port speeds are so much greater, processing power is so much better, storage is so much less expensive. And, the Internet drove the service providers in the U.S. to increase the bandwidth by orders of magnitude, so that it becomes possible to do things on a distributed basis. So, I can place a server in Saipan that serves customers in Guam over cellular networks that might be in Taiwan. All of that can happen “virtually” through software instances on servers, rather than taking place in physical devices that have to be physically located in proximity to the end user. So, all of this happens over facilities and bandwidth that was initially developed for the Internet. GR: What is the next wave of changes you see? RH: Certainly wireless, not only cellular, but also WiMax and Voice over Wireless Area Network, and we are moving towards 4G technology, where all of those things come together through the use of cognitive radio, which senses which signal is the stronger or more appropriate in a given circumstance, and connects you to a local area network versus a cellular network - all sensitive to air time charges. There is also a movement towards applications that are multimedia in nature. So, multimedia communications is now a reality over cell phone networks and devices. We are also moving towards unified communications, where voice, video and data can be presented over a single network to a single device. Through Session Initiation Protocol, it is possible to determine not only whether the person you are trying to reach is present, but at what level they are present, what kind of device are they using and its capabilities. Now, the conversation is sent to the highest common denominator. Multimedia is throttled down in recognition of the least capable device in the communication. Ray Horak is an independent consultant, lecturer, writer and author. He can be reached at ray@contextcorporation.com. Book Review By Ray Horak Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook This book is the top center of my telecom bookshelf. Although I have only had it for a few months, some wear is already beginning to show because of overuse. It is organized simply and logically into 15 chapters, from the fundamentals to regulation. There are diagrams and illustrations as necessary, but not enough to make it look like a comic book. Most technology books fall into one of two categories – inane or arcane. Horak’s book is written in clear English, understandable by the unwashed masses, but covers highly technical concepts without glossing over the necessary details. Best of all, even though Horak is a Bell veteran, the book is acronym friendly. (Bell heads have a tendency to cling to acronyms, even converting them to verbs on occasion.) Horak uses acronyms, to be sure, not gratuitously; they are an essential part of the telecom scene. Published by Wiley, this is actually the fourth version of this work, which was first published in 1995. It has become a standard in academic circles. I used it in a master’s program in telecommunications that I taught. The various versions of this guide are probably used in more classrooms than any other telecom book. If you can only have one book on voice and data communications, this is the book to have. (Telecommunications and Data Communications Handbook, ©2007, Ray Horak, 791 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-04141-3, $87.30, Amazon.com) http://www.wcgltd.com http://www.wcgltd.com http://Amazon.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Prepaid Press - May 15, 2008

The Prepaid Press - May 15, 2008 Prepaid Attracts Press Attention First Data to Acquire InComm Contents The Retske Report: To Everything There Is A Season Regulatory Rundown: Rules, Bills and Probes Courtesy of the FCC 5 Minutes With Ray Horak, Telecom Author The Prepaid Press Expo Spotlight The Age of Prepaid Prepaid Wireless in Brief Prepaid Wireless Roundup American Wireless to Sell Virgin Mobile Openet Introduces Flexible Accounts Prepaid Reviews Launches Pay as You Go Podcast Motorola Reports Losses APC Wireless Buys Movida Virgin Mobile to Deliver Limbo Services The State of Prepaid Technology Start Your Engines! The Legal Line PhoenixSoft Adds Service Providers Blackstone to Distribute Viscom Calling Cards Spot Rates IVR Technologies Releases Talking SIP 3.4 Calling Cards in Brief Former IDT Employee Wins $10.5 Million Payments in Brief Hypercom SmartPayments Certified for Windows Pacific Resource Credit Union Selects TMG New Payment Software for QuickBooks POS Blood in the Water Prepaid 101: Give Me the Power 7-Eleven to Hold Innovation Event First Data Gives Ingenico I-Series Class A Support Coinstar Kicks Off Change Reuse Program Payment Application Data Security Standard Issued Forrester Predicts Online Sales to Climb Retail Focus in Brief Our Advertisers Contact Us

The Prepaid Press - May 15, 2008

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