Solaiemes

Solaiemes slides about the RCS-e Open & Ubiquitous approach.

2012-01-30T16:11:00.003+01:00

Find the slides explaining our vision about how RCS-e Open & Ubiquitous as a Platform is the Telco-OTT opportunity for carriers to lead the future communications and engage the developer community. The slides also explain the role of each piece of architecture in making feasible this vision.

New Solaiemes product: RCS-e Testing Solution

2012-01-24T15:50:00.000+01:00

We are happy to unveil our new product, the RCS-e Testing Solution, a web based tool based in our RCS-e API allowing carriers to speed up the interoperability testing of their RCS-e solution with RCS-e clients (UNI interface) and other RCS-e networks of other telcos (NNI interface).

The tool is also useful for client vendors and IMS and Instant Messaging suppliers to fine tune their products and improve the time to market.

Spanish carriers set to be first to launch RCS-e services.

2012-01-16T16:03:00.001+01:00

Finally RCS-e is coming and the it seems that it will debut in Spain, just were we are based :-)
Vodafone, Telefonica & Orange will launch this H1 RCS-e interoperable, firstly with mobile app client and native RCS-e enabled devices will come along H2 this year.
We believe that it is the right move, users are demanding enriched comms, and the OTT had demonstrated the traction of this services. Once said that, we expect, and it is our focus that RCS-e will be something else than another person to person messaging alternative :-), you know our RCS-e Open & Ubiquitous approach being trialed in some telcos by today.
A funny anecdote, we saw the counter of one of our videos in youtube rising and rising with no reason and we discovered that our video was embedded by a online newspaper in Spain as what RCS-e :-). See http://noticias.lainformacion.com/economia-negocios-y-finanzas/asi-funcionara-el-nuevo-whatsapp-de-telefonica-vodafone-y-orange_LXeDdlCEz1pgABfd8jzrx7/
Thanks, hope in the next future RCS-e usage will be as what we are promoting.

Solaiemes joins the GSMA

2012-01-11T15:11:00.001+01:00

We are pleased to announce that Solaiemes has joined the GSMA as an Associate Member (vendor status). Solaiemes since early stage company participated in the GSMA Mobile Innovation Market, exhibited at Mobile World Congress and participated in several GSMA awards competitions. Finally we are members as the company must join the relevant referent of our industry.
Solaiemes has been pushing RCS-e technology, and making contributions mainly in the RCSe APIs. With the new status we will be able to join the meetings and work more closely with telcos and other vendors pushing ahead RCS-e messaging.

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.

Happy new year 2012. Solaiemes wishes.

2011-12-31T11:33:00.003+01:00

This year ending today, 2011 we reached some important milestone, we won the RCS DevChallenge 2011, we got new customers in new markets. Also, finally RCS-e is happening and soon will be a common services launched by most of telcos. In this area, we are pioneering how messaging may be something else than person to person chat and the market.
We have still points to improve, and the key is the corporate development, some current & potential customers like what we do but they need to acquire technology to big stablished telecom suppliers. It's time then to work hard in corporate development to grow, funding, strategic partnerships, etc...and the coming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona will be a good opportunity to meet with customers, potential customers, potential partners, VC's and other vendors.
We look forward that 2012 will be a good year for the telecom industry, with carriers lauching new services and suppliers working close with telcos and these new services improving the people welfare.
Happy New Year 2012.
the Solaiemes team

Solaiemes attended Iberian Telecom Summit

2011-12-16T18:31:00.001+01:00

Solaiemes attended and presented its RCS-e portfolio in the Iberian Telecom Summit event in Santiago de Compostela on December 14th.
For us it was a good opportunity to meet new fix and cable operators which are now acquiring LTE spectrum and looking for applications and solutions to empower their offering. Also VoIP carriers were interested in having their own OTT solutions to offer to their customers.
We shared the stage with impressive companies as Acme Packet, Broadsoft, IPtego and the organizer (and our partner in some projects) Quobis :-) It is incredible how many companies are working hard to deliver outstanding solutions to the carriers to help them in the transition from legacy communications scenario to the new IP world with different types of competitors.
It is important that vendors and carriers will meet in this kind of events to share views and find spaces of cooperation. We are here to help them improve their business and customer loyalty.
Looking forward the next year one !!!

Solaiemes "RCS-e is a platform" video.

2011-11-29T15:51:00.000+01:00

We have explain in several posts our views about the telco messaging possibilities and how we envision RCS-e as a platform, a common experience to create person-to-solution, and ubiquitous person-to-person use cases on top. We have compiled several of the things of our RCS-e API technology is making feasible. Feedback welcome.

Solaiemes explained its RCS-e as a Platform vision in Telco 2.0 event.

2011-11-22T17:48:00.001+01:00

Solaiemes participated in the New Digital Economy event, organized by STL partners (the original coiners of the term "Telco 2.0"), on Nov 9th. This is a "must attend" for strategists and anybody interested on, as the event name says, "Strategic Threats and Opportunities" for telco service providers.

The agenda covered many different topics and approaches, and RCS was the focus of several sections, with a very nice presentation on what RCS is, how it can complement and live along OTT offers, including a real live demo, by Dr. Rainer Deutschmann, Deutsche Telekom, and Cenk Serdar, Vodafone, and followed by a lively debate.

We were invited to present our view on how RCS-e is as much a platform as an end-user service, and showed some of the possibilities and sample use cases that could be enabled by allowing third parties to use enablers, very well received by an audience that have not been exposed to this approach before in the most part, and with encouraging tweets from the floor.

A very enlightening event, with many different point of views, and a format that encourages and makes very easy participation and exchange of ideas. "Chance Favors the Connected Mind" (Steven Johnson), don't miss the opportunity to attend the next one.

Jose Recio

Our view from past Rich Communication 2011 event in Munich.

2011-11-02T17:34:00.002+01:00

Last week we attended the Rich Communication 2011 event in Munich, we participated in a panel defending our view about consider and deploying RCS-e as a platform to enable use cases and not a mere only person to person messaging. We explained our view in the panel, and previously in our demo slot we showed how we are this feasible with APIs and Thin Clients. Also we presented first time the demo of our new product RCS-e Personal Manager.

The G5 representatives from Vodafone, Telefonica, Deustche Telekom, Orange and TIM explained the project and the timeline, with all of them to offer the service by the H1 2012. It seems most of device manufacturers are committed to include RCS-e natively, and GSMA will launch a RCS-e App Client to cover other mainstream platforms (IOs & Android).
There was a lot of discussions about if RCS-e is the SMS replacement or something else (our view), how to monetize, and how to get traction in a very competitive segment with several OTTs (over the top) with interesting solutions.
In our opinion, both, companies creating communication services using the data connectivity (commonly referred as OTT) and telcos may be not considered full antagonists or deadly rivals. We believe in cooperation models and innovation to delight the users. A good communication shared model will allow internet companies with focus on e(m)-commerce, location, etc perhaps try to reach the users using universal communication services rather than creating a new "messenger" only for their use case. The task for telcos is how to design their wholesale offering of API's and perhaps some mediation of API usage to create a powerful model to boost mobility and user/customer engagement.
Finally, from the demos, we may say that there are RCSe available clients from different vendors, device client SDKs, and available server side REST APIs (ours) :-)
The networking was very good with senior representatives from telcos, leading vendors and analysts with different points of view, all of them enriching the discussion.

The technology is here, and time is gold to launch and let the ecosystem work.

Solaiemes new product: RCS-e Personal Manager.

2011-10-24T00:05:00.001+02:00

We are glad to present the first demo of our new product, the RCS-e Personal Manager, the platform combining the principles of Intelligent Network applied to messaging and the user capability of customizing their own messaging strategy.

RCS-e Personal Manager allows to set filters and auto responses bases on the sender and/or time intervals, and create scheduled events to be sent using RCS-e on your behalf even if you are offline.
The user has a library to edit the media (text, pics, audios) to be used to create auto responses and scheduled events.
Soon more features as specific mobile configuration tool webApp and videoshare based events.

Feedback welcomed
Solaiemes team.

Solaiemes in the coming Rich Communication 2011 event.

2011-10-18T17:37:00.002+02:00

We will be in Munich next week, 24-26th october to attend the Rich Communication 2011 event, organized by Informa Telecom & Media.

We will demo our RCS-e technology to create services on top of messaging, and will participate as panelist in the panel:
"Is RCS a standalone offering, or, can it be seen as an Enabler for other Applications?"

Our technology is just focused in enabling VAS use cases on top of messaging user experience, and will try to explain how the use of RCS-e as something else than person to person messaging is the way of telcos to lead innovation by exposing telco RCS-e API from the launch of the RCS-e service.

See you there ;-)

RCS-e API Exposure, our IMS Global Congress Keynote.

2011-10-11T15:48:00.000+02:00

Last week we participated in the IMS Global Congress 2011. It was a very interesting event with very good presentations from vendors, carriers and analysts. Finally IMS is taking off and RCS-e is a key driver for IMS usage. Find below our presentation, in the last slides you will find de youtube links to our demos.

RCS-e API Exposure

How Steve Jobs also helped the telcos and us.

2011-10-06T17:32:00.001+02:00

Last night Steve Jobs passed away. A lot of things about him are being written at the same time we are writting these lines, let us try to thank him from a different angle.
We are not an "Apps" company and we just try to create the antagonic approach to create solutions, based on carriers enablers.

Carriers are facing a difficult challenge due to Steve impressive work, the risk of becoming pipes, they are also increasing the revenues from mobile data, as today to include a data plan is a must have for every telco customer to enjoy the devices Jobs pioneered.
These days, telco related services and technology, delayed and delayed during years, as RCS-e, have been accelerated due to the competition between the telco & OTT world that this generation of powerful devices created. It means that we have right now a chance to fix the problem that Steve created to the carriers. Sometimes creating challenges to the counterparts is the best way to help them to improve. Innovation and passion may be present at 2 sides.

Finally, but not less important, Steve Jobs is the example of how passion is what really matters to make feasible the difficult things, to make real the technology challenges, that management should be involved in technology, a valuable guidance for everybody in the industry.

Goodbye & Thanks Steve.

Solaiemes to speak at IMS Global Congress

2011-09-30T16:12:00.002+02:00

We have been invited to speak at IMS Global Congress 2011 to be held in Madrid the coming 3-5, October.
Juan Mateu, Solaiemes co-founder will speak about the opportunities of RCS-e properly openned to the ecosystem with APIs as good opportunity for telcos to get new revenue stream and partner with the ecosystem.
We would thank IIR-Telecom this opportunity to explain our vision to a selected audience with carrier & telecom suppliers professional and analysts.

Oct, 5th. 15:30. API exposure: a valuable asset to create application innovation and revenue generation?
* A secure and consistent exposure layer to maintain secure control over network assets
* How can API provide application developers with access to network functionalities, such as billing, location or connection optimization, to enrich new applications?
* Customised mashup APIs to optimize network access, improve privacy and differentiate your offer

RCS-e and OTT to create combined use cases. Demo: Couponing.

2011-09-06T16:01:00.001+02:00

Here you have a new demo to point how telco messaging enablers as RCS-e can be used with API's (RCS-e Solution GW) combined with OTT APIs to create more powerful use case for mutual benefit. Yes, we firmly believe that telcos and OTT strengths could be mashed-up to build something better :-)

In this demo we used FourSquare App and the Twitter API to make arrive a chek-in to a couponing real time database, the coupon is sent using RCS-e, it means a common enabler.

regards
solaiemes team.

Looking for partners to deploy RCS-e Value Added Services worldwide!

2011-09-01T17:32:00.005+02:00

We are looking for partners to distribute and deploy our RCS-e technology globally, we are eager to work together to IMS (CSCF) supplier and telco integrators making RCS-e happen.
Solaiemes is one of the most active companies in the RCS-e (Rich Communication Suite) space. We developed a layer of infrastructure (www.rcse.tv) to provide Added Value Services based on the RCS-e user experience (combination of chat, file tranfer and live video from your phonebook) and also to deliver RCS-e to all screens, not only mobiles.
We are interoperated with the leading IMS providers, and want to help MNO's and MVNO's to offer their alternative in the messaging area, once OTT messaging apps proved that users like enhanced IM.

Solaiemes RCS-e portfolio & trial as a Service

Are you a telco supplier or IT company looking to increase your offering to your telco customers? do not hesitate, contact us :-)

Telco Dilemma, Apps "toll" or new services to compete with smartphone apps?

2011-08-10T15:43:00.004+02:00

Major telcos published by the end of July their results for H1 2011, showing benefits and worries about the future and how mature services as SMS are declining. Smartphones providing thousands of applications are moving the innovation outside the operator, sometimes to really small companies, using their services only as a data pipe (mobile broadband or Wi-Fi). And strong competition on mature markets forces to reduce the prices.

KPN presented on the Investor Day data that is important to take into consideration: penetration of Whatsapp on Smartphone users is 85% (in April 2011). To reduce the impact of the loss of revenue they have announced an increase of the prices of Mobile Broadband on September 5th, as the regulator is defending the net neutrality. Maybe it is not such good idea just to try to get more money for the same services (connectivity) instead of offering their own OTT services to compete against popular applications as Whatsapp or Skype.

Incumbent operators have lots of customers, the whole population in fact, with different income levels that would continue becoming loyal customers of their telco if they feel that value for money of the services provided is great, no matter the device they are using.

RCS-e is the opportunity for MNO or MVNO to offer a wide range of new services "OTT" competing with other pure OTT alternatives, with the strengths that telcos are still keeping (user real identities, 100% penetration, interoperability).

Coming LTE will increase the mobile broadband capacity, no sense to complain about investing in LTE and others (OTT) taking the bigger slice of the revenue cake.
Carriers must invest simoultaneusly in access technology (HSPA & LTE) and in VAS technologies in order to keep the broadband business and increase their share of the over the top revenue cake. In terms of investment, RCS-e technology (RCS-e Core and RCS-e VAS platforms) is an affordable investment compared to the deployment of LTE & HSPA networks.
It's time for action !

David Culebras

Credit: image by Wiangya

Please, vote on what you think is the key for RCS-e success?

2011-08-04T12:34:00.015+02:00

Hi, we created a poll to know what is perceived as the key for RCS-e success, you can vote and of course add more options and explain your opinion as a comment.
thanks in advance
solaiemes team

GSMA launches the Rich Communication Virtual Exhibition

2011-08-01T11:29:00.002+02:00

The GSMA has just launched the Rich Communication Visual Exhibition. It is a virtual exhibition where vendors involved in the RCS / RCS-e technology can have a permanent virtual booth showcasing their portfolios.
Solaiemes is one of the vendors initially exhibiting (the others are Alcatel-Lucent, NSN, Tekelec, Huawei, Wit, Mavenir and Neusoft).
In our stand you can see our ppt evangelizing RCS-e and explaining briefly the 5 platforms to make open, ubiquitous and smartly monetizable Rich Communication Suite, and several videos of how our technology works and the use cases that could be implemented on top of RCS-e using our approach and portfolio.
We congratulate GSMA, this idea was great and will let carriers to know the full potential of RCS-e, to know exactly what vendor is offering and also will make easier for vendors to find complementarities and search for partnerships/alliances.

See you there, visit our virtual booth :-)

Is RCS-e too late & too little? Our views.

2011-07-26T14:34:00.003+02:00

Just read an interesting article from Strategy Analysis we would like to explain our views about the hype of mobile messaging and the competition between OTT & Telco approaches.

New OTT messaging market is getting hot, Whatsapp, Thrutu, Google Huddle, Apple iMessage and others are great and will help RCS-e to succeed once launched. Till now, big telcos acting did not want to cannibalize SMS setting up their own messaging alternatives with probably less revenue. But today, most of them are realizing that auto-cannibalization is better than being devoured by others.
Current OTT messaging alternatives on mobile, such as Whatsapp and soon iMessage and Google Huddle, are getting people used to see IM as their phonebook or phonebook alike. RCS-e can allow carriers to surf that wave to their advantage. RCS-e is arriving perhaps late but with nice assets:

- Carriers can get manufacturers to include RCS-e (messaging) client in mid, and even low, device tiers.
- Interoperability, use the IM with the same reliability than SMS: the IM will arrive whatever carrier is serving your contact.
- In many countries telcos are required to know real customer identities. Carrier-based IM can then be used to facilitate and intermediate transactions, especially interesting in countries where banking access is basically done through the mobile phone.
- Telco API's to easily create person to solution use cases, that can be accessed through phonebook entries. It may replicate the success of SMS for VAS: once the use of SMS is learnt, it is the same to send an SMS to a person than to a service (sms-to-tv, buy ringtones, voting, etc).
- RCS-e VideoShare is a very powerful feature to be used as tool for live streaming or multimedia user generated content, competing with advantages over current closed OTT solutions.
- Also, telcos can offer RCS-e as ubiquitous access, offering clients for screens where perhaps the connectivity is not theirs (i.e: a Widget capable TV connected to another telco DSL).

RCS-e is not only about personal messaging but a service enabler, and even, RCS-e and OTT offering may co-exist and be complementary in delighting the user/customers, then not too late nor too little.
Your views?

Solaiemes launches a new site explaining our RCS-e portfolio

2011-07-15T10:28:00.006+02:00

We just launched a new company site focused in the RCS-e portfolio aiming to allow to undertand our proposition for RCS-e in 20 minutes combining short introductory texts and videos.
We explain our 5 RCS-e platforms to help carriers to offer more than a new messaging player but a powerful enabler of value added services, alternative to apps and mobile browsing.
www.rcseopenandubiquitous.com
also accessible as
www.rcse.tv

Solaiemes opens RCS-e VideoShare to internet use cases with LiveServe product

2011-07-12T17:26:00.001+02:00

We are proud of the adaptation of our first product (LiveServe) to RCS-e to help telcos and ecosystem to build compelling use cases using telco features as communication enablers for 3rd party solutions.
The LiveServe RCS-e media server combined with the RCS-e Solution Gateway API's allow to create use cases as the below example, a live video streaming site created on blogger. No app needed in the mobile, no changes required in the core network, and soon, available in mid tier deviced powering RCS-e native clients. The power of real multimedia from your phonebook.

Feedback welcomed :-)

Monetizing RCS-e. Telcos as online security providers to 3rd parties.

2011-06-22T22:44:00.001+02:00

Following our last post we now show how the RCS-e End User Confirmation Requests works and how it could be useful for 3rd parties needing to "securize" transactions in a more interactive and real time way that as it is done with SMS.

Solaiemes has an RCS-e End User Confirmation Request Server not only for internal billing messages of the Service Provider (Telco) but opened with API to enable 3rd parties to use the capability becoming a brand new monetizing stream for telcos.

A brand new way to RCS-e monetization: End User Confirmation Request API.

2011-06-13T15:44:00.003+02:00

RCS-e includes an amazing feature "End User Confirmation Request" (section 12.3 of the spec ), implementing a new mechanism to communicate with the user about the service and query for confirmation (or not) for actions. In the client UI this might map to, e.g., a pop-up or similar UI element.
The original spec talks about a sample use case, accepting an "extra charge" for a large file transfer. Other RCS-e centered use cases can be thought: terms and conditions acceptance, etc.

But we believe this has the potential to much more, it can be extended to profitable, non-purely RCS-e use cases. With an appropriate API, any screen with RCS-e access can use this for any transaction requiring user confirmation or acceptance. With the carriers as trusted partner, and, of course, charging suitable fees.

In many countries SIM owners are legally identified and RCS-e is backed by the IMS security and AAA framework, the telco can send a "End User Confirmation Request" required by a bank to one of the customers making a credit card transacton to confirm (or to ask to introduce the PIN). With this approach telcos have the tool to become a security masterpiece of online transactions, fits naturally in their role as trusted parties, much more than OTTs are right now.

With an open End User Confirmation Request API, that makes easy to 3rd parties to access this capabilities, carriers can become a provider of "identified confirmations" to lots of services that need better mass market security for their mobile online services such as banking, online ticketing, micropayments...and it could be a new revenue stream generators for carriers. In many forums where the RCS-e pricing is discussed the alternatives are only about end user fees, but there is also the complementary alternative of business models billing 3rd parties for securized and registered transactions, a huge market in the "online" era.

The model is simple. The telco host the platform, and registered 3rd parties can request confirmations through RCS-e (using a simple REST-like API) and pay for them and telcos monetize one of the most valuable assets, subscriber relationship and identity, to provide more security for their own subscriber and helping the ecosystem to build more compelling solutions, win-win-win.

Solaiemes is working on this and will shortly unveil it to the world:

RCS-e End User Confirmation Request Server with REST API.
Support of RCS-e User Confirmation Request Server pop-up in the Web Clients served from the RCS Thin Client Server.
Adding new API calls to RCS Solution Gateway to allow 3rd party developers creating services on top of RCS-e to request "securized" transactions trough the carrier "end user confirmation" service.

the Solaiemes team

RCS-e chat with Facebook & Google Talk by Solaiemes

2011-06-07T16:57:00.001+02:00

Just to preview our new platform RCS-e <-> XMPP Gateway, an extension of our RCS Solution Gateway product to allow telcos to smoothly interconect their RCS messagin with popular OTT (internet) messaging tooks based on XMPP as Facebook Chat or Google Talk. Soon we will explain more about our platform that does not need hard integration with IMS or IM Server (it is core independent).

The IMS core used in this demo was the Acme Packet Net-Net SMX.
Feedback welcomed

The new Solaiemes RCS-e Web Client for smartphones

2011-06-02T16:01:00.002+02:00

We just released a new version of RCS-e Web Client for smartphones served from our RCS Thin Client Server, with the same look&feel as apps, but with the advantadges of web technology (JQuery), no need to install apps, not permission needed from device or OS providers, just using the browser to provide enhanced messaging, person to person and person to application. Just 2 minutes, have a look.

The IMS core used was the Acme Packet Net-Net SMX.
You can also see the screenshots in our Facebook album here
Feedback welcomed

Solaiemes secures 375 K€ loan from CDTI

2011-05-30T16:50:00.002+02:00

Solaiemes secured a soft loan from CDTI to complete the development of its RCS/RCS-e portfolio. This loan from CDTI completes the initial agreement with the CDTI Neotec programme, part of our seed round.
The 375 K€ loan is conditioned to the 125 K€ direct investment from 3rd parties. This mini-round will be covered by business angels and/or new executives taking a stake.
The speeding up of our portfolio development cycle, and new meaningful references to be disclosed in the coming months will mean to put the company in a new stage, consolidate our leadership in the innovation in enhanced messaging and RCS-e, and prepare the company to look for international VC funding to expand our operations to all countries where we are being requested info and we have not local presence or partnership structure yet.

Jose Recio video about Solaiemes.

2011-05-27T11:25:00.000+02:00

Jose Recio, talk about Solaiemes story, milestones, product vision, current needs, followed by a portfolio brief review. this video was filmed for the IBM SmartCamp competition.

When the small teams are the only ones who can make the elephants run.

2011-04-25T15:18:00.003+02:00

2011 is a very important year for our company, RCS-e is launching, and we are in a good position with 2 ready to market platforms, opening RCS-e and making RCS-e ubiquitous; both interoperated with most core and client vendors, and recognized with the RCS DevChallenge Award as the most innovative RCS solutons.

On the other hand, we are a small team, with limited funding, and facing what the carriers consider "your problem is your size". Obviously it is and egg-and-chicken issue, if customers or potential customers are delaying orders or keeping under NDA the initial references and the company is based in Spain, waiting for VC rounds is basically expect a miracle, and we also gave up trying to actively raise funding (but of course, new business angels or VC's are welcomed on board).

We understood that the "risk avoidance" way of thinking from decision takers is still present coming from decades of inertia, but the timing has changed. The established telecom giant vendors have failed to move the telco elephants but the elephants need to move in the new scenario where they have the OTT's as competitors.

Most of the alternative OTT's are also small team, working fast and with offerings tested and used everyday by zillions of individuals ... their technologies work, are proven to be scalable and their vision is accepted by the users. Of course, Skype is now a relatively big company, but what about WhatsApp? great messaging product by a small focused team.

If telcos need to make feasible their own alternative OTT vision, they need to rely on small companies: motivated teams to help them moving to the next stage. Reluctance to work with small companies means missing opportunities, stay stopped while things happens around you, and new scenarios and business communication models are apearing every day. We are eager to cooperate with telcos & the telco business need some fresh blood, take us in count and elephants will run faster than the Road Runner :-)

Review of IMS World Forum 2011

2011-04-18T16:12:00.004+02:00

Last week in Barcelona took place the 8th IMS World Forum (by Informa Telecom&Media). It was quite impressive how the number of delegates, speakers and sponsors were up from previous editions and most important, now optimism regarding IMS future was present.
All keynotes and panels were very interesting, and both carriers and suppliers took about present and future strategies and current deployments. Also the analysts have a leading role trying to get the most of possible info to be discussed. As a summary, the key points that in our opinion are the key takeaways are:

Finally IMS "is happening".
LTE and RCS-e seem to be the key enablers
There are appearing simplified IMS "cores" to make easy and affordable the IMS.
The business models are converging and at the same way that OTT's are being in some way "telcos", telcos must become soon in some ways "OTT's". IMS should be the technological base of a Telco-OTT style. This was our point in the 2 panels we participated.
Carriers are starting to test some OTT models, Telefonica acquisition of local social network Tuenti, and launching an associated MVNO could be a good example. Still to see how to integrate telco technology to make better the OTT delivery.
Very interesting strategies explained by Verizon Wireless (US) & Rogers (Canada).

The exhibitors booths showcase their IMS architecture, and yes, it seems now it is happening. Particulary interesting the SMX product by Acme Packet, a cost-effective IMS architecture to allow whatever type of service provider to enable IMS services as VoIP & RCS-e. RCS-e could be enabled with SMX without the need of Instant Messaging server if the carrier prefers to launch without chat 1-to-many and store&forward features. A good trade off then.

And last, we hope to see IMS and their key enablers launchs very soon in many places, and of course we are eager to participate, remember our RCS Open&Ubiquitous trial as a Service :-)

GSMA video featuring RCS DevChallenge Winning products.

2011-03-31T10:13:00.000+02:00

The GSMA just uploaded to their RCS Channel in Youtube a video filmed during the past MWC with the winners of RCS DevChallenge Competition. You can see there the products of Jibe Mobile (best RCS mobile client) , Movial (best RCS pc client) and Solaiemes (best RCS innovation). In our demo you can see how interacting using chat with services based on RCS Solution Gateway, and also our RCS Web Client based on RCS Thin Client Server including the History feature.

Kudos to GSMA for pushing RCS ahead.
regards :-)

Proposal to telcos, Try RCS/RCS-e Open & Ubiquitous as a Service!

2011-03-22T18:15:00.001+01:00

2011 is going to be the year of the first launchs of Rich Communication Suite, and the year when all the carriers might explore the RCS ways of monetization further the personal messaging service. Solaiemes RCS portfolio has been envisioned to help carriers to overcome the "app store" model where they are mainly "supporting role" and move to the "service contact store" or "network based solutions" with a very simple, powerful and common enabler, the enhanced phonebook.

We can interoperate easily with leading IMS, messaging& SBC vendors, we can prove that, and once did that, the idea is helping telcos to develope their own cases on top of RCS and their own RCS thin client to make RCS ubiquitous. As our approach is UNI (user to network interface) our platforms can be safely placed in the cloud, as they behave as clients. Then we can offer a test enviroment for creating use cases for your own market research, user experience surveys, & creating automatic procedures to test terminal clients, defining particular needs to offer the API's to developers once the service will be launch.

Time is gold, and all the actors may cooperate reducing bureaucracy, and start working in what really matters, making RCS happen and becoming the telco alternative to apps. We designed a package (it could be customized) to be contracted from 3 months terms and with a nice discount for full year contracts.

Package (contract based on quarters or just 1 year with discount)

1 RCS Solution Gateway dedicated in the cloud
1 RCS Thin Client Server dedicated in the cloud
Interoperation Service with Carrier RCS System (IMS+IM+SBC Server or just using IMS+SBC at all). Carrier can choose RCS-e or RCS release 2 spec.
1 Webinar
Initial customization of 2 thin (Web) clients
8x5 support
1 Full documentation of RCS Solution API's
9 engineer days/quarter to prepare or help to prepare on demand demos.
3 days/month of 24/7 support to be used on important demos or events.

Special discounts for additional profesional services, on site training and future "on premise" licenses.

And the price ? Ask us, but just a clue, less than 6 figures for a full year !!!

Yes, our RCS portfolio is supporting new RCS-e spec!

2011-03-18T11:46:00.001+01:00

After the past Mobile World Congress we were asked about future alignment of our RCS portfolio including RCS Solution Gateway and RCS Thin Client Server with the RCS-e spec promoted by leading carriers and just announced with comitted launch dates during the past MWC.
We just posted our views about this new scenario and now we are pleased to announce our platforms will be working as dual RCS release 2 and RCS-e after implementing the dynamic discovery capabilities based on SIP OPTIONS and will be adding all the feature set described in further specs of coming RCS-e.
As one of the argued reasons for new RCS-e is the need of early launch, and Solaiemes considers the real value of RCS-e will be as key enabler not only for personal messaging but alternative access to rich solutions/use cases (our open/ubiquitous RCS vision), from whatever device, it is mandatory to be on time to have our platforms at the launch dates :-)

Solaiemes to exhibit at CTIA WIRELESS 2011.

2011-03-15T10:34:00.003+01:00

Solaiemes will participate as exhibitor in the coming CTIA Wireless 2011 show to be celebrated in Orlando (US) the next 22-24th of March.
Our stand will be the 1440-B inside the Spanish Pavillion area.
We will showcase our compelling RCS/RCS-e portfolio including the RCS Solution Gateway, Winner of GSMA RCS DevChallenge Innovation Category.
We are looking forward to meet there:

Telco infrastructure vendors to partner.
Carriers aiming to deploy RCS open to services/solutions and ubiquitous.
VC's, yes, time for a proper round :-)

Send as an email or a Twitter DM to schedule a meeting and know more about us.

Just took out from the oven, our MWC 2011 Highlights video

2011-02-22T16:34:00.001+01:00

This Mobile World Congress has been amazing for us, with very good news. We edited a video with our highlights, "the discloseable ones" ;-), to share with all of you.

the Solaiemes team

Solaiemes, GSMA RCS DevChallenge Innovation Category Winner.

2011-02-15T20:03:00.003+01:00

We are happy, very happy, 15 months ago we deciced to focus on RCS, being a very risky decision, and now, finally carriers seem to be deploying RCS-e as announced yesterday and today, just one day after, we won the GSMA RCS DevChallenge competition in the Innovation Category.

The Solaiemes team thanks all the people supporting us, providing good feedback, customers, partners, analysts, and our VC, Eurecan.
We hope this could be a new start, having from now on to have more opportunities to work together with carriers "to deliver the next big thing in communications to the masses" :-)

Some pics from this journey here, in our Facebook page.

It is official, RCS launches in 2011 in major markets. RCS-e new approach, our views

2011-02-14T23:58:00.001+01:00

This afternoon during the GSMA RCS Seminar at Mobile World Congress, 5 of the biggest carriers: Telefonica, Vodafone, Orange, TIM, T-Mobile announced their full commitment to RCS and announced the launch of fully interoperated RCS services between second half of 2011 and first quarter of 2012. These leading service providers took the lead and presented a previously agreed subset of RCS 2.0 branded as RCS-e as their alternative.
For us, Solaiemes, it is a good move, stop thinking about new releases 3.0. 4.0 and so on and deciding finally to walk the walk and stop talking the talk :-). More important, this new spec is open for adoption to all carriers interested and open to ecosystem.
RCS-e changes the approach for presence, moving from presence server to a dynamic capabilities discovering based on "SIP OPTIONS". From our point of view it is a minor change in our platforms, we scheduled 3-4 weeks to adapt Solaiemes RCS Thin Client Server and RCS Solution Gateway. Solaiemes first product, LiveServe, an IMS VideoShare application server is already supporting "SIP OPTIONS" for discovering capabilities.
We hope this big move from carriers will be reflected in their budgets for RCS, and start investing to match the tentative launch dates they announced today.

Solaiemes Team.

Trip to Silicon Valley.

2011-02-09T23:10:00.001+01:00

Solaiemes participated during the past week in MadridTech, an initiative from PromoMadrid (promoting internationalization of Madrid firms) and CEIM (Madrid's general industry association), in partnership with Opinno, to introduce the "most promising startups the Madrid region has to offer" to San Francisco and Silicon Valley vibrant entrepreneur and investor communities.

Together with other 9 companies, we have spent five days participating in networking events, visiting companies big and small, meeting prospects, potential investors and exchanging ideas and point of views with fellow entrepreneurs.

Opinno team has done an excellent job in the previous weeks supporting us, understanding the different companies businesses, finding and setting up meetings with appropriate contacts, ... They have a truly great network of contacts that can only grow better as the time passes.

The visit has been far from a tourist trip: interesting, motivating, and inspiring, but also very useful, we have met and got closer to very interesting contacts, an embryonic network that hopefully we will capitalize in the next months, surely lots of hard work ahead, but also plenty of opportunities. PromoMadrid and CEIM have also setup an international trade advisor, working with the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, it will surely help.

Ways and means are very different in San Francisco ... there are good and not so good aspects; plentiful money (at least from the Spanish perspective), positive energy and "can do" attitude by everybody (big and small, VP and just-out-of-the-college entrepreneur) are an integral part of the Silicon Valley culture. Difficult to transplant here to Spain, it would need a cultural change that we don't see happening soon.

Thanks to PromoMadrid and CEIM for inviting us to participate, congratulations and best luck to the participants, and kudos to Opinno for the excellent work !!!

Jose Recio

Solaiemes to exhibit at Mobile World Congress 2011

2011-01-31T18:15:00.001+01:00

Hi, just to announce that we will be exhibiting at MWC 2011 in Barcelona, 14-17th February. Our main stand will be at Spanish Pavilion, CY22, Stand 3, Courtyard (Hall 3.0) and also will be exhibiting during some slots at GSMA RCS DevChallenge zone at AppGarage.
Please contact us if you want to setup a meeting, or just visit us at our booth. While counting the days prior to the event, you can see our video-spot announcing what Solaiemes will offer.

We are also competing in the RCS DevChallenge as shorlisted Finalist in the RCS Innovation category, wish us luck!
The Solaiemes team

GSMA video of the RCS DevChallenge Meet

2011-01-17T12:04:00.001+01:00

Find below the video shooted during the RCS DevChallenge meet in London held the past december. You can see briefly some demos from several entrants, several entrants and jury members opinions about the Rich Communication Suite potential. Solaiemes co-founder Jose Recio is talking at point 1'10".

Glad to see GSMA pushing RCS awareness not only to the telco but also the ecosystem.

RCS History feature. All your communications wherever you go.

2011-01-04T11:16:00.003+01:00

We are releasing a new feature of the RCS Thin Client Server, the RCS History. The RCS History enables the access from the RCS thin clients (web based), with the same look&feel based on CSS to you past communication history, ordered. Our aim is to help carriers to offer a more "OTT succesful approach" to boost the usage of their coming mass market enablers as RCS, combining cloud communications and cloud storage, where carriers can keep a leading role.

See the screenshots of RCS History in a smartphone & a tablet here

From 2010 to 2011, facts & dreams :-)

2010-12-29T12:35:00.003+01:00

This post with "postcard" is just to summarize our year, introduce the next year goals, and wish a happy new year 2011 to all our customers, partners, fans and people who trust us.

Our 2010 was a challenging year. We faced some challenges and changes in our structure and new very talented people come on board, to our ship.
The "telco" sales cycle allowed "finally" to start monetizing our LiveServe product line and hope we can disclose some live deployments of video use cases for emergencies soon. We are comitted to the video and believe the RCS VideoShare will bring amazing possibilities from the live video from/to mobile.
Also, the 2010 was the year when we realize of the huge possibilities of RCS (Rich Communication Suite) to delight carriers customers and focus in help this technology to be more open and more ubiquitous, to help to succeed it with a win-win-win (carriers, developers, users). In just 12 months we got some intersting partnership in the messaging area, actively participated in the events to boost this technology and shorlisted finalist in the GSMA RCS DevChallenge in the innovation category and just we are crossing fingers and working hard to perfom well in the final during the Mobile World Congress.

Hope to find all of being lucky this coming 2011 as we will try to do :-)
The Solaiemes team.

RCS Web for iPhone & iPad.

2010-12-14T11:47:00.002+01:00

In this video we are showcasing how RCS Thin Client Server is providing customized layouts to fit the screens of the cooles devices (smartphones and tablets).
We think carriers can not be under "manufacturer approval dependency" to deliver enhanced messaging (Rich Communication Suite) to their subscribers. The same user experience can be delivered with HTML+Javascript, clients should be URL. If telco and OTT spaces are converging, and OTT are being very innovative and competitive moving to the telco space, the carriers should move in same way (innovation) to also have their own "OTT style offering" :-)

What do you think?

Solaiemes, finalist in the GSMA RCS DevChallenge

2010-12-10T14:25:00.009+01:00

Just to say Solaiemes has been shorlisted as Finalist in the innovation category of the GSMA RCS DevChallenge. The competition took place in the GSMA headquarter in London and the final will take place in Barcelona during the Mobile World Congress next February. The jury is composed by selected representatives of leading carriers and top telco infrastructure suppliers.
We feel encouraged to work hard to attend the Barcelona final with new features added to our platforms and try to surprise there, not only to the jury, but MWC visitors.
Congrats to other finalist in all categories, and all the entrants, all together are working to push RCS, the technology that will enable the rich mobility for the masses.
Thx :-)

Social Media Plug, a single phonebook contact is enough to connect with your social networks.

2010-12-03T16:03:00.002+01:00

Here, just to unveil a new use case implemented with the RCS Solution Gateway API. It si a Social Media Connector, we labeled it plug because a single contact in your phonebook is ok to access diferent social networks, with simple commands you can update the status & retrieve the wall in Facebook, and tweet and retrieve the timeline in Twitter just using RCS Chat, and upload pics to Facebook just using RCS File Transfer. No apps are needed and mid-tier device is ok. Carriers should realize that common telco enablers are useful to access the OTT world :-)

feedback welcomed.

GSMA opens YouTube Channels to promote RCS

2010-12-02T11:49:00.004+01:00

Happy to see that GSMA is promoting actively Rich Communication Suite (RCS) and also created a YouTube Channel with videos from the vendors and from the RCS events of past 12 months.
Our demos showcasing the possibilities of RCS through openness and ubiquity have been also included. Thanks :-)
Hope 2011 will be the year when we could see the MNO's definetively embracing this technology to keep a key role in the communications evolutions, and start seeing MNO's to launch offers more "OTT" like. We will try to help MNO's to in their change !!!

Our keynote at Rich Communication 2010 event.

2010-11-18T15:46:00.001+01:00

Just to share our keynote at Rich Communication 2010 event held the past 2 days in Barcelona with carrier and vendors representatives together with analysts.
Our point was about explaining RCS as the natural evolution of SMS as a way to "mobilize" the masses and keep the role of the carrier delighting their customer base. RCS needs to be launched ASAP, and be launched "ubiquitous and open", and our portfolio is complementing the traditional infrastructure vendors to do that. Finally in the slides you will find new revenue models based on RCS opened, very close to internet world, if OTT are making profit of telco-web convergence, also the carriers can do it, innovating.

To speak at 3rd Rich Communication 2010 event

2010-11-12T16:10:00.001+01:00

Next week our CEO will be speaking at 3rd Rich Communication 2010 event in Barcelona organized by Informa Telecom & Media. Our keynote is scheduled in the Day 2, 11:45 am, and the tittle is RCS live – the new revenue stream for carriers – act now!
We will explain how a common user experience combining different IP multimedia capabilities will allow the MNO's to keep a leading role in the communications of the future and generating new revenue streams and adapt their business models in the telco-web convergence era.

This event counts with very important speakers and panelist from MNO's, top infrastructure vendors, telecom analysts and academic world, it is a honour for us this chance to share our views with the audience.

Article at Insider Insight section of SIP Mobile Matters blog

2010-11-05T22:57:00.002+01:00

Our CEO was invited to post in the Insider Insight section of SIP Mobile Matters. From their about "This media is a news portal and blog that explores the wireless voice services evolution, ranging from femtocells and fixed mobile convergence to IP interactive communications over 3G and 4G. It is sponsored by Acme Packet".
Thanks for the chance to share our views about RCS as opportunity for carriers. You can read the post here:
http://www.sipmobilematters.com/articles/108248/rich-communication-suite-the-killer-enabler-the-ca/

OAuth, now supported in the RCS Solution Gateway.

2010-11-02T13:01:00.002+01:00

When we unveiled the RCS Solution Gateway product, one of the goals of the platform was creating simple access to social networks, during these months, most well known social networks are using OAuth as authorization tool for external apps/solutions using their APIs.
Then, we just added the OAuth support (versions 1.0 & 2.0) to the RCS Solution Gateway platform in order to create easy social media connectivity with no need to implement the OAuth support by the 3rd party developer.
Why is it different from other approaches to social media connectivity with RCS?
Because it is the only approach allowing carriers to create their own social media connectors not tied to "specific core infrastructure" capabilities provided by core vendors.
We continue breaking the wall that separes the telco and the internet space :-)

RCS Thin Client Server, our new platform, making RCS ubiquitous

2010-10-25T18:20:00.005+02:00

Perhaps you know about it from the videodemos of RCS TV client and RCS Web Client, but it was now officially released as a product itself till now. The RCS Thin Client Server shares the same core RCS "translating protocols" Solaiemes technology running in the RCS Solution Gateway but with a different goal. The RCS Thin Client Server tries to make RCS as ubiquitous and multi-display communicator and RCS Solutions Gateways looks to open RCS to 3rd party developers to create lots of use cases on top (service-users).
The ppt explaining the product, the discloseable :-) is:

Feedback, more than welcomed.

Solaiemes presented its vision & portfolio on RCS at Mobile Brodband Forum 2010.

2010-10-18T14:56:00.005+02:00

Last week, we participated in the Mobile Broadband Forum 2010 in Lisbon organized by Hansecom.
We participated in the RCS/IMS day and try to give a new approach about how to explain RCS to the mass market and make realize the carriers about its huge potential. Even most carriers know that RCS is their chance to keep a role and not become mere pipe, they should realize that time is gold and accelerate the deployment and a broad commercial offer linked to access to solutions and cloud communications having the RCS as enabler.
Find below our presentation, including some examples showing how the promised in now real and possible, explaining how our portfolio expand the revenue potential from RCS beyond the initial use cases, and finally compares the telco role with other industries where the incumbent should take care "of the most" and not focus in the "high tier elite".

Feedback, more than welcomed.

Views on IMS Global Congress 2010

2010-10-06T15:57:00.005+02:00

We were invited to moderate a panel and showcase demos during the IMS Global Congress 2010 in Brussels organized by IIR. Firstly to say that it is a very good opportunity to evangelize, and we are glad to see that innovative companies are invited to discuss with leading vendors about trends and the future, and both together to try to evangelize carriers about their battle is not lost if they rely in their infrastructure to deliver new user experiences to their customer base.
During the congress it was discussed along a list of topics (LTE, Voice services using IMS, convergence, RCS). Our panel was about how difficult is for the ecosystem to work with carriers, and the need of API's soon better than full standarized, developers are costumed to adapt to changing APIs (as the social networks ones), but API's themselves :-) Better if finally there will be final API's fully standarized, but it is more important to have API's asap. A lot of services were developed with SMS using gateways with different API's. We proposed the same approach for RCS, to adopt as preferred the UNI (user to network interface) approach but leave the vendors to create their platforms (our own is the RCS Solution Gateway) offering API's and start working with them until final API's spec will arrive :-). Recent examples as the joint demo during RCS Asia Forum had proven this is the right path.
It was nice to see other spanish companies as technological MVNO Fonyou and Almira Labs transmit the message about how not only the value added is the hands of OTTs, the carrier still have space for innovation and customer delight.
Finally, mention to the positive feedback about the RCS joing trial in Spain (Movistar-Orange Spain) provided by the Orange representative explaining the results of customer survey. Users are willing to pay a some euros on top of fix data plans to have RCS as capability, and users like Instant Messaging provided by RCS.

Glat to hear that! Texting Rocks ! :-)

Colibria and Solaiemes successfully complete interoperability of RCS portfolios

2010-09-16T12:24:00.009+02:00

We are happy to announce that Colibria and Solaiemes announced successful completion of interoperability testing between Colibria’s OMA-compliant RCS enablers and the Solaiemes portfolio including RCS Solution Gateway, RCS Thin Client Server and internal Android RCS Client.

For us it is a great milestone to have a fully interoperated portfolio with a leading vendor of RCS infrastructure including Instant Messaging, Presence and XDM carrier grade servers. Solaiemes is delighted to co-operate with Colibria to increase the availability of these services. It is yet another example of how RCS enables innovation within the ecosystem providing global interoperable new communications experiences for all users. Thanks Colibria :-)

Find the complete PR in both companies websites:

http://colibria.com/media/press-releases/2988 and
http://www.solaiemes.com/index.php?id=99

solaiemes team

RCS experience in your browser. Solaiemes RCS Web Client

2010-09-10T10:23:00.004+02:00

Next month we will unveil our new RCS product, the RCS Thin Client Server, we will write PR, create a section in your web, and a ppt brochure, but here comes the preview...the demo of RCS Web Client, to help RCS to become the ubiquitous communicator, nothing to be installed in your computer, only the browser, also useful for netbooks & new tablets.

The idea explained is to use the cloud communication & UC approaches to split in 2 sides: the communication in cloud platform and the visual user interface the web browser (also other javascript capable devices as TV or STBs). The platform will serve RCS Web Clients to work as standalone communicators and also as embedded contact way for sites (e-commerce, banking, etc) to add to the web experience the natural language texting interaction. We will continue telling you how barriers between telco and internet service approaches are being removed by the facts :-)

Joint Demo. Using RCS as service enabler at RCS Asia Forum

2010-09-09T14:58:00.007+02:00

Tomorrow, friday 10/september we are attending RCS Asia Forum in HongKong organized by the GSMA. We will showcasing our portfolio: RCS Solution Gateway and unveiling the RCS Thin Client Server creating RCS web clients, to help RCS to become even more ubiquitous.

We will show the RCS Solution Gateway interoperated in a joint demo (see joint PR) with 4 other companies. The demo will showcase RCS release 2.0, and extensions to Internet-based services such as Google™ weather and currency, in a secure network environment across different device platforms. See diagram and participant roles.

(extracted from the PR)-> "The participating companies are Colibria, providing its carrier-grade OMA and RCS compliant Messaging, Presence and XDM enablers; Acme Packet, providing its industry-leading Net-Net session border controllers for SIP security and control; Solaiemes, providing its innovative RCS Solution Gateway creating value added services on top of RCS using UNI API's; and the client vendors Comneon and Neusoft, bringing the solution together with a rich end-user experience with several different handset operating systems and on PC platform. This marks the first time five such companies have participated in a demo of this nature of the GSMA Rich Communication Suite initiative."

solaiemes team

2 new demos of mashing-up Google APIs with RCS UNI API

2010-08-17T22:11:00.009+02:00

Just to show 2 new demos using the Google API's not in web but as a RCS contact instant messaging. Using the Solaiemes RCS Solution Gateway API and the service API (the Google ones in these cases) you may create compelling use cases and test them in a couple of hours.

Google Weather via RCS

Google Currency Converter via RCS

texting rocks !!!
solaiemes team :-)

Texting on the rise! ...the future services user interface

2010-08-09T14:47:00.006+02:00

How many calls did you make today? How many texts did you send? And tweets, Skype chats, IM chats…?
More and more often, making a voice call is no longer the first option when we want to quickly contact somebody. It is not a subjective feeling, market research reports by Nielsen[1] & [2] that the trend is there: SMS numbers are raising, voice call usage is going down across all age groups, although for young generations the contrast is even steeper.
Together with the dominance in the desktop of the various instant communication systems (Skype, MSN, Yahoo, GTalk, etc.), the picture is clear: textual communication is the preferred option for quick communication.
Reasons for that are varied; it is not only the price difference between sending a SMS and making a voice call. For many users, the cost difference is not an issue. And, after all, fixed voice minutes are almost free. There are other reasons: a voice call means a time and attention commitment that many are unwilling to warrant unless agreed beforehand; calls do not allow multitasking (is the other party in autopilot, just repeating “ok”? he is probably checking the email or correcting a report); even for the most impersonal calls, carries the risk of an emotional bound with the other party... Many people prefer messaging, asynchronous and impersonal, especially for services whose impersonality are taken for granted, like those that are now carried out in call centres. And young generations take messaging for granted, voice is not even an option for many of them.

Paradoxically this means voice is regaining the status as the really personal medium. Or perhaps not so paradoxically after all, hand written letters are the summit of communication commitment, there are so few people handwriting nowadays. It is just the “mechanic” or “robotic” voice calls that are being replaced.

Our view (shared with other companies, i.e: see this Voxeo ppt) is that real time messaging is the best communication medium for impersonal communication services and, properly developed, will create a huge opportunity for a new ecosystem of text-based services.

RCS messaging enablers, session based and with built-in multimedia support, unlock possibilities beyond SMS and basic IM, until now restricted to users with a given software or client. RCS will, however, be available across handset ranges and on the desktop, opening a truly mass market, interconnected across service providers.

In the next posts, we will uncover a few demo services showcasing the power of RCS to deliver useful and revenue generating services.
Just a basic RCS client and the RCS R2 specs, unmodified core, unmodified clients. And lots of ideas!!!

Jose Recio

Using Google Translate as RCS contact !

2010-08-04T16:42:00.003+02:00

Hi, see how easy is accessing to the well known internet services using RCS. In this demo we created a simple code to combine Google Translate API with our RCS Solution Gateway API, and voilà, one of the RCS phonebook become a translator.
With this approach, texting becomes an alternative to apps and browsing to access to services and from the point of view of the ecosystem, using RCS contacts as "services gate" services can get a bigger adoption. Also, when users will be costumed to interact with the services by "texting", new use cases will mean just adding new contacts to your phonebook, and no need to install or learn new apps. We are working hard to provide a suitable and more usable alternative to apps/browsing to communicate with the services, stay tunned, more demos coming soon :-)

RCS to create Voice-Alerts ? Yes, possible & useful

2010-07-27T14:29:00.005+02:00

In order to "visualize" all the possibilities of Rich Communication Suite to create a new way of communication and interacting with services we just shot this demo. Combining Android native features as the TTS (text to speech) with our client, even when in background, RCS instant messages received are played as voice, becoming an interesting way to create services based on voice alerts with the advantadge of not needing to transport media and access using a common enabler, the RCS Client.

...in the IMTC Blog, asked about RCS & mobile future?

2010-07-12T23:17:00.006+02:00

Jose Recio, one of the Solaiemes co-founders have been asked by IMTC about our vision and approach on/to RCS (Rich Communication Suite) and the future of mobile and posted the answers in their blog.
The International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium (IMTC) is a global consortium of companies dedicated to the advancement of open standards and multimedia communications through our Activity Group initiatives and annual events that include interoperability forums and workshops. We are pleased to realize that IMTC is listening not only the big brands of the industry, but the communication technology start-ups as we are at this stage. Thanks.

Looking for partners/integrators/resellers in France, Scandinavia & Benelux

2010-07-08T15:43:00.003+02:00

During the last months we were quite quiet blogging, sorry, we were fully focused in speeding up our RCS/IMS portfolio, interoperating with IMS core vendors, and trying to present our vision in different trade shows and conferences (MWC2010, IMTC2025, MOBIP).
We have had nice feedback about our vision and how carriers still have the chance of keep a leading role in the enhanced messaging and communication space and avoide the final sentence to be mere dumb pipe :-)
Now, we have packaged 2 concept trials to enhance RCS offer targetting carriers trialing RCS and the ones planning to deploy the service with 2 main goals.

a) showcasing the possibilities of creating non-intrusive services on top of RCS using API's, and allowing to create different use cases as mobile banking or social networking sharing the same using experience, the RCS client.
b) showcasing how RCS can be applied also as communicator in the TV, STB or embedded in a website making feasible a real convergence and a seamless communication experience.

We believe it is better rely on local partners the approach to the carriers and we are eager to partner with telecom focused integrators and IMS core suppliers without this application layer currently working with carriers in France, Benelux and Scandinavia, and also Italy :-), to help them to take the most from previous IMS investments.

looking to hear about you !!!

Solaiemes participated in the MOBIP event in Valencia.

2010-06-14T10:37:00.002+02:00

Solaiemes attended las week the first edition of Mobile Services Innovation Platform (MOBIP) event was held in Valencia, Spain. MOBIP is a Partnership and Investment Forum for Mobile Services.
Valencia became a meeting point for SMEs, professional experts, corporate partners and venture capital investors that were interested in knowledge-sharing on strategic information, market opportunities and new business trends for the Value-Added Services in the Mobile Industry.
The aim of the Partnership and Investment Forum is to foster the competitiveness of high-growth ventures in the mobile services sector and to strengthen their opportunities for market access both within Europe and in wider international markets. The focus of these projects is on access to finance, internationalization and business to business collaboration.
Solaiemes was selected by MOBIP to present our company project to an audience of industry experts and investors. After that, we had the opportunity to meet one2one with some of the industry experts and investors to further discuss. This will help us to expand collaboration and connect with investment players. The experience was very positive, and it confirms that "mobile" is now boosting, this is the moment.
This is the first edition of the MOBIP Forum and more are coming soon across Europe, so get ready for next opportunities to create connections between the investor community and start-ups in the Mobile sector.

The video of the IMTC 2025-> Triple Play in the Living Room

2010-06-08T15:35:00.003+02:00

Hi,
Following the last post with the ppt you can find now the video with Jose Recio panel explanations. "Triple Play in the Living Room" during IMTC 2025 virtual forum. Jose explained how RCS light clients based on cloud platform + simple widget at TV or STB can help to make feasible standard communications fully convergent.

We shared the panel with Manuel Vexler by Huawei and moderated by Anatoli Levine from Radvision. Find the post in the oficial IMTC blog here

Our presentation at IMTC 2025 Forum, RCS & Triple Play

2010-04-30T12:28:00.003+02:00

Find the slides Jose Recio presented in the IMTC 2025 Forum in the Panel "Triple Play in the Living room" shared with Manuel Vexler (Huawei) and Anatoli Levine (Radvision).
Our point was about with light clients based on current TV widgets or STB frameworks are enough to build more complete communicators based on Rich Communication Suite, keeping the "complexity in a shared cloud based platform".

Feedback, more than welcomed.

If you consider this post interesting to be shared, remember you can tweet this post using the button in the upper-left button :-)

Panel at IMS 2.0 World Forum in Barcelona.

2010-04-19T13:16:00.004+02:00

Next week I will be at IMS 2.0 World Forum 2010 in Barcelona and will participate in a panel "How to boost IMS applications" on 29th, April.
We are happy to be there and have the chance of explaining a demo-ing how Rich Communication Suite (RCS) could be the killer app based on IMS and not only "app" but "solutions enabler".
The IMS 2.0 forum is also a chance to be in touch technology and service development representatives from main suppliers and carriers and meet new leads.
This is our second year there as speakers, and it seems finally this year the IMS community will be more optimistical, as RCS is taking off with some important trials, being interoperated with different carriers. Finally carriers are understanding the role of IMS, and also they should work together to offer a "solution" mass market model (as SMS in the past) against the "app" model, not able to arrive to the masses.

juan

UNI versus propietary interfaces for communication services platforms

2010-03-25T15:05:00.005+01:00

User-to-network interface or UNI is just a fancy term for naming the procedures and protocols that communication tools in the user hands (phones, mobiles, soft-phones, IM clients …) use to do their work and establish communicate with the network.
In the pre-Internet circuit based communication world, user devices were very simple, as simple and dumb as possible. Intelligence was supposed to be in the network. UNI capabilities were very limited, as corresponds to a very stable and limited service offer.
Internet turned upside down that approach: the “End to end principle” (https://www1.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1958.txt) translates roughly into “dumb network – smart endpoints”. It is assumed in the Internet that intelligence in the endpoints, and not in the network, that has a very important, but limited role: moving packets as efficiently as possible. Services are deployed in the endpoints, without relying on specific network behaviour. The UNI actually defines the services.
Telco core design (and a good chunk of the business) is based on the “smart network” view. The advent of IP based services thus supposed a revolution, and IMS was designed to mix both approaches: access and core assume the role of the “dumb network” efficiently moving IP packets, whereas the smart endpoints are the IMS, the application servers and the user mobile.
As in the Internet, in IMS the UNI comprises and defines the services. There is little difference between the UNI (client-IMS) and the ICS (app. Server-IMS) interfaces. One example is RCS: a rich, complete UNI that allows to perform all sort of service invocations and combine them with quite a lot of freedom.
Landing from these disquisitions to earthly matters: given that the UNI comprises the services, it is complete, stable, tested …. Wouldn’t make sense to extend the ideas explained above and use it also for communicating with the external, non-RCS world? We propose to use the RCS UNI to communicate web services, enterprise systems, and social networks with RCS.

Obviously the carrier is keeping a role, it's providing a valuable common enabler with its core, and assuring interoperability with other carriers & service roaming, security, and at the same time making easy for the ecosystem create mass market possible adoption for their solutions. WIN-WIN.
Why reinvent the wheel? Why spend money and time on designing new services interfaces when the UNI is there and contains the full service capabilities? Surely it is the better starting point.

Jose Recio

Key for success of RCS.

2010-03-01T15:53:00.004+01:00

After "evangelizing" posts about RCS technology, own product portfolio explanation and demos, and finally, last week reflections on MWC RCS Seminar, we would like to add our view about key factors to make RCS a huge success and a new way of conceive mobility & unified communications.
The key advantadge of RCS is a type of "SMS enabler", only 1 experience to be learnt, very different use cases to be available using the service, all carriers, all devices compatible. This is the right way to address to the masses, not only geeks of smartphone owners.
On the other hand, unfortunately we are at the beginning of "all carriers, all devices, lots of services using RCS as door". Carriers start trialing RCS, and luckily with a good approach, including interoperability as part of trials (the 3 top carriers in France and Telefonica and Orange in Spain).

But...to run faster...there are a key few points:

a) Affordable core for small carriers, MVNO's and even servive providers trying to offer RCS using agnostic data connectivity. The good new here comes from Acme Packet, launching their new product Net-Net SIP Multimedia-Xpress

b) All devices. The good news come from Genaker with their J2ME RCS Client to enable the boost of RCS service usage before native clients arrive. (It won the RCS Innovation devChallenge).

c) Lots of services on top. The good news here come from us !!! The Solaiemes RCS Solution Gateway, is designed to create services on top of RCS being "content buddies" with no telco experience, the idea is merge internet & telco space, and our platform enablers the service creation based on APIs, being fully interoperated with telco IMS core to create fully compliant content buddies.

Then, even smaller innovative MVNOs looking to differentiate with compelling services, carriers looking for affordable service testing can save time to validate the service, and give a chance to the ecosystem to think about solutions, as it happened with SMS in the past...
And finally, let us remember how we finish our latest post, because it is the key to understand the battler, apps vs services...Devices apps could be the Ferraris, but the real success is the Ford-T, providing a nice experience everybody can afford in terms of cost & usability.

If you consider this post interesting to be shared, remember you can tweet this post using the button in the upper-left button :-)

Reflections on the RCS seminar in MWC 2010

2010-02-23T15:44:00.005+01:00

GSMA organized again a very interesting seminar on RCS as part of the Mobile World Congress GSMA activities. Almost 4 hours packed with experience from trials and vendors and operators heavyweights. It is difficult to say that there is no commitment after listening to the attendants.

I will summarize the most important points on our view, just a schematic, not the full session proceedings.

Telefónica: Stressed the dynamic nature of the future enhanced phonebook, one of the RCS strong points. Advantages of RCS services vs over-the-top: Native and embedded client + Universality + Telco service model.

Japan operators: Very intesting explanation of the timeline. PoC + Presence + IM launched in 2008, limited success due to poor interoperability. Step back and work on agreement under standard organisation umbrella. Now launching IMS based services and integrated with RCS group.

Trial operators: Ongoing and well.

AT&T: Sharing very interesting lessons learnt from SMS slow start and MMS blazing success in the US market: Interoperability between operators is key, it was lacking initially with SMS (and harmed it a lot), carefully worked for MMS (contributed to quick and massive success). GRX is not good enough, RCS interconnectivity should be IPX.

Very important insight from an Asia operator: when RCS service was launched, it didn't canibalize SMS traffic, on the contrary, SMS actually increased !!!. RCS stimulates communication, any kind of communication.

Reportedly, some nostrils perceived the uncertain aroma of doubt in the last part of the seminar, I think it is just another take in the continuous game between vendors (we won't ship until operators commit) and operators (we can't commit unless more units and models are available). Hopefully with RCS a common interest will leave behind this conundrum, as old as the mobile industry (remember the "God send mobiles" joke?).

And finally we want to remark that Solaiemes point of view remains intact. High tier devices apps could be the Ferraris, but the real success is the Ford-T, providing a nice experience everybody can afford in terms of cost & usability. Steve Jobs could be a nice "ferrari" type innovator, but the huge mass market impact should come from carriers (the communication Henry Ford's) if they do not throw the towel :-)

If you consider this post interesting to be shared, remember you can tweet this post using the button in the upper-left button :-)

Wow, included as vendor in a GSMA flyer to promote RCS !!!

2010-02-15T19:20:00.006+01:00

We were really amazed as appearing listed in a flyer to promote Rich Communication Suite technology with 6 vendors listed as "please ensure the visit to the following...".
We are appearing with other fantastic start-up's, even some of then were start-up's decades ago :-)
Just kidding :-)
Now, seriously, we are glad to see that our product gets some attention, and is complementary to the core IMS and device/desktop client suppliers offering.

Mobile Banking using RCS, finally a common way to deliver mobile CRM

2010-02-11T23:08:00.004+01:00

When we explained our RCS Solution GW we said it was conceived to create social media interfaces, CRM mobile channels, not intrussive advertisement, and other solutions as TV remote clients. Well, we showcase in this demo how RCS can help banks to deliver a very intuitive easy to use self-service for mobility. (It also applies to other types of companies needing to provide their customers a mobile access).

The clear adavantadge of this approach is that using a near coming "universal service" as RCS people will learn once this kind of interaction (as in the past most of mobile users learnt SMS) and will become the most natural way for mobile data services, compatible with all device tiers.

feedback welcomed
solaiemes RCS team

Meet us at Mobile World Congress 2010!

2010-02-10T16:10:00.003+01:00

This is our 3rd year exhibiting at Mobile Innovation Zone of the MWC (stand Hall 7-IZ12, download floorplan). Since we were a new born start-up till today we grew our portfolio, have some references but still needing funding, partners and potential customers to boost. MWC for us is "the event".
We are particulary motivated this year, as it seems carriers are finally decided (or at least, it seems so) to compete in new services under common user experience using Rich Communication Suite, and we are developing a platform to allow 3rd parties to create services on top of RCS.
We are also showcasing our mobile video framework to mash-up live mobile video from mobile to web application (enterprise and social media).

Eager to know about you !!!

Interviewed at Techistan

2010-02-08T22:43:00.003+01:00

It is nice to find people with entrepreneur spirit trying to find out what is happening at other side of the ocean :-), I was interviewed for a 5 minutes podcast by Suzanne Bowen (her twitter) and it was transcripted and podcasted the audio at Techistan.com.
Glad to see how people is interested in what is being cooked to improve communications, no matter where and who is doing that.
Thx Suzanne

Unveiling our RCS Solution Gateway, merging telco and web services

2010-02-02T15:03:00.010+01:00

Being small start-up it is always difficult to decide which level of product roadmap disclosure is the optimal one, if you do not share your vision and some level of execution you are never paid attention from customers and potential investors, if you disclose too much, powerful companies can dedicate their "army of coders" to create alternatives.
Well, in the pdf/ppt below we explain our goal to easily create services on top of RCS.

We look for a win-win-win scenario:

- subscribers getting very different services (CRM, social media connectors, smart advertisement) with a only one client (RCS) being also a personal communicator
- telcos enabling a lot of services very easy to adopt to their subscribers, and compatible with all device tiers, and without the need of interoperating telco infrastructure with 3rd parties services.
- 3rd parties service providers & developers, able to reach critical mass of mobile users with a single client being "evangelized" by carriers.

previous posts include videos of use cases implemented for demo: rcs-tv , rcs-twitter

Whatever feedback, more than welcome,
solaiemes team

If you like the video (only in that case) remember you can tweet this post using the button in the upper-left button :-)

Unified Communications? and the TV? RCS to provide seamless communication

2010-01-25T16:58:00.005+01:00

Hi,
Just releasing a new demo of use case of our RCS Solutions Gateway. In this case the platform instances "cloud" RCS clients to mirrored with IM/file sharing apps at TV side (with TV Widgets) or at STB/deco side (using MHP and other frameworks).
In this demo you can see how mobile and TV subscriber can initiate a instant messaging session, and even the mobile can share a pic to be displayed in the TV by the receiver. Soon live video from mobile will be added.
Using Rich Communication Suite (with a live IMS core) carriers offering triple play can also offer communication capabilities to the "TV" in a very simple way.

No need to modify the RCS client at mobile, or the IMS/RCS core to deploy this use case.

If you like the video (only in that case) remember you can tweet this post using the button in the upper-left button :-)

solaiemes team

For those who do not believe that "telcos" & internet can walk together...RCS

2010-01-16T00:27:00.005+01:00

Hi,
We are glad to post new demos and unveil a new product, with RCS Solutions Gateway, 3rd parties will have the capability to create mobile channels using a common carrier or service provider feature, RCS. In this demos we use our platform and our own first version of droid client to show how a Social Media connector is possible to reach mobile customers with RCS, both are working under a live IMS/RCS Core. The idea was demonstrating that internet space and carrier space can co-exist and help each other.

If you like the video (only in that case) remember you can tweet this post using the button in the upper-left button :-)

soon more demos

Help us to create a shared Q&A (Faq list) about Solaiemes

2010-01-08T23:54:00.009+01:00

We try to interact with customers, potential customers, partners, analysts, media, and people eager to know more about us.
We found specially useful Twitter, as a way to make quick questions publicly or privately using DM's. Recently I knew about Formspring.com and created our profile there, it is a fantastic method to create a Q&A list that remains public, it allows anonymous questions and also people disclosing their identities in a form of just using Facebook connect.
We invite you to help us to create an interesting question list, we will try to answer accurately this "user generated interview". You can use English and/or Spanish to type your questions.
Perhaps some questions could be impossible to answer due to NDA's with other companies or internal information not able to be disclosed, but we like tranparency and will do our best to answer all your questions. You can post your questions here :-)

2009 vs 2010, what we did and what we want to do.

2009-12-29T17:52:00.009+01:00

Last december we posted about our goals and just checking the accomplisments we are partially happy. We survived a very tough year, with dramatically reduced innovation budgets in telcos and big companies. The common feeling was "wait and see", both, for big companies needing technology and new services to launch and also for VC.
About ou goal of being funded from international VC, we were contacted by several VC's and also we contacted a few ones and we learnt "for A rounds, VC's invest only where they have office", then, we focused in our portfolio, trying to increase references and revenue and will come back to them again :-)
Other important goal, partnerships with big telco suppliers, we explore it, it seems our product fits someone else, and in the very next future we could offer together new mobility and UC use cases. About other listed 2009 goals, public references for our LiveServe video solutions will be disclosed Q1-2010, and we were mentioned in analyst reports from 2 important firms.
We finally become a Red Herring Top 100 Global last January.
We could not grow the staff but we managed to increase the revenue while saving costs, and increase brand awareness combining few events and the use of social media.
We invest in our new product, RCS Solution Gateway, to approach coming telco opportunity to the world of the web for CRM, Social Media and advertisment.
It was a difficult decision, as with limited resources, the RCS platform development delayed the global cloud/saas offering of our previous platforms, but, for sure, we are not forgetting our vision about communication solutions as a service and our RCS platform is including this vision (API's) from the beginning.

We are participating in the RCSdevChallenge next January, and unveiling our RCS portfolio coming Mobile World Congress. Stay tunned, also unveiling RCS client, no mobile, no desktop :-)
2009 was a hard year, and survived, and 2010 looks better, as the pic tries to describe, now we see the goal bigger, more space to score: our portfolio getting awareness and with sinergies with other suppliers, VC's needing to invest againg the new funds raised, M&A activity last months shows the big players are moving to strengthen their portfolios and most important, carriers needing to offer compelling service to compete with internet style service providers.

We strongly believe 2010 will be a very important year for Solaiemes, the long telco developement/sales cycle was completed in our first products and is being monetized, and for new "challenge/venture", the RCS, we are arriving just in time, no too soon, no too late.
Yes, we know some people think 2010 will be similar of worse than 2010, but it is better to focus in working everyday to exceed expectations during 2010, isn't it?
Let us dream !!!

Start-up's marketing, Twitter helps !

2009-12-14T19:48:00.005+01:00

I suppose it would be very nice to have full pockets to have resources for marketing and brand awareness, but being a technology "bootstrapping" start-up, resources are very limited :-)
We have to decide each brand/marketing action valuable to spend our restricted marketing budget, and our own time.
We learnt about social networks by doing, and started with Twitter shyly and being a bit skeptical, but now, our first tweet was written 18 months ago.
Today, we read in a Nurun (a global presence marketing & communication company) report (report available in spanish) that Solaiemes is the 4th spanish most "conversational" brand in Twitter. Of course we are not leading by number of followers (about 300, more or less as following but not symetrica at all) or number of tweets, mere activity, we are happy because we are well positioned just where we need, conversation.
We used Twitter to announce products, our blog posts, our slideshare keynotes, and try to generate debates. We could create conversation with analysts, other start-up's, potential partners and costumers, communication managers of very nice companies able to provide feedback, where we suppose cold door email will never work, it seems tweeter is not a cold door if used properly, with non invasive style.
Of course we are aware that we should keep posting, creating presentations to share producs ot views, shooting video-demos of our portfolio, being at Facebook & Linkedin and of course, we need to update the website (be patient), but...Twitter becomes the circle around the communication strategy, and we recommend start-up's to use it, learning slowly but avoiding the risk of being considered spammer, or just 1 way emitter and use it to announce new info available in the other social or corporate communications channels.

Thanks Twitter for your help and thanks Nurun to just seeing us in the middle of so many brands using Twitter.

What about including Push to Talk in RCS ?

2009-12-09T15:45:00.004+01:00

When talking about RCS (Rich Communication Suite) current features are Presence, Instant Messaging, VideoShare (enriched call) and file sharing...With all of them, using a "common use" a lot of applications and services could be offered on top, and Solaiemes is also working in a platform to make really easy for 3rd parties reach their customers using RCS.
But....we still miss the Push To Talk there.
Half duplex VoIP could be a great enabler for user generated content (UGC) to social media, voice alerts, and voice updates from social media and CRM universes.
Being triggered from the enhanced phonebook, Push To Talk is the missing feature to ensure the RCS success and complete the types of media directly reaching the web world from mobiles. PTT deserves a second chance to show its potential, more focused to subscriber <-> solution use cases system rather than subscriber <-> subscriber use case.

Come on !!! GSMA people...for mobility's sake, let's include PTT in the RCS specs !!!

Big fishes, small fishes, who eats who?

2009-11-23T19:12:00.003+01:00

We are just facing the decisive time regarding the boost of mobility. Till now, carriers considered themshelves the big fishes, owners of the market,
and able to eat the small fishes at any moment. But that is becoming increasingly unclear. Once extended the mobile data, with a fixed monthly
fee for data, external service providers (basically internet-style service providers) pay more attention to mobility. Till now, in mobility they were small fishes, very limited by the walled garden carrier model, but that is changing.
Internet (and HW) companies such as Google, Skype, Apple/iTunes are seeing increasingly capable devices and affordable mobile data prices as their opportunity. In mobility they can be considered small fishes, but they are really big fishes overall, and not only big, also fast swimmers.
Application marketplaces where revenues from apps are shared between providers and the marketplace owners are constraining possible carrier value added solutions based revenue, and even in the case of "loved by users" devices, they are forced to share their data revenue with the manufacturer :-) It is clear that the big fish is not so big, the small fish is not so small, or even being smaller their strategy is better.

Could the carriers avoid becoming a mere dumb pipe, what they consider a defeat? Yes, but....
The internet-style boost of mobility has weaknesses: apps, device fragmentation, no common use model, the target of users is not the whole mobile user. Carriers can offer rich solutions based on common services, easy to learn and compatible with most devices, they can offer the next
generation of SMS model (you learn one service, and you can do very different things). Carriers still have services not properly "squeezed" to get juicy value added services, VideoCall/VideoShare, Push to Talk, and right now RCS (Rich Communication Suite) are, properly combined, an incredible framework to build mobile solutions on.
Then, the operators have not been defeated yet, but they need perhaps to be smaller but faster, in the modern world speed and time to market are more important than sheer size.

Obviously carriers can try to block protocols, but the generalized use of mobile data is changing the mind of regulators, and they are more keen on supporting mobile net neutrality.

The lessons learnt from internet says that Skype becomes long distance minutes leader, succesful VoIP providers leading the integration of voice with apps (Voxeo, Ifbyphone, Twilio, etc), Google Voice becoming a real alternative. In mobility the device fragmentation offer an opportunity to carriers, the only ones who have the capability and the goal to offer new possibilities to mid and low tier users, and monetize that.

The future of carriers still depends on themshelves, but only for a little while, they have to move faster and offer their alternative, boosting the mobility based on common mobile services being used by 3rd party ecosystem to deliver use cases based on them.

Created company profile at dotopen.com

2009-11-19T19:50:00.003+01:00

We just created our profile in dotopen.com, a database/social network of companies, organization, ngo's, networking companies, start-ups related with mobility and communications.
Sometimes it is a bit hard to fullfill complete profiles, and in this case it takes some time but it worths. We like the profile, the info you can edit is complete, you can describe your product/service lines as projects and you can embed in the media tab your best slideshare ppt's or youtube demos.
We strongly advice start-ups to join dotopen.com and share info, we can find partners when sinergies are possible.
You can also "follow" other members activity (pure social media) and rate the companies, a good point to get some feedback :-)
And carriers, investors, journalist, don't be shy, join also and start the conversation :-)

Explaining RCS, will RCS become the killer enabler?

2009-11-03T17:12:00.003+01:00

We just made a presentation using the minimalist Lawrence Lessig style. It's about the need of simplifying communication tools for mobile and unified communication and at the same time provide rich experience and the possibility of interaction with everybody and "everything" as your social media profiles and your providers customer care.
For us RCS, Rich Communication Suite is "THE ENABLER", we are working to enrich their potential use cases and want to help to RCS to be understood, adopted by carriers and have the people accepting and using as a "natural" rich communication method in the next future.

eComm Highlights (part II)

2009-10-30T17:02:00.003+01:00

Keeping up with the previous two days a fantastic day at eComm at Amsterdam, ideas pouring, challenging audience. Politically incorrect but valid things said on stage, you will never hear that in other events. A bunch of quick notes summarizing the first and last days:

Martin Geddes, BT: "goodbye minutes, welcome moments"
Current voicemail (automatic messages left by IVRs, etc.) ineffective: relies on customer acting, doing + poor user experience + inefficient + unsecure (how to re-authenticate customer call back? how do I know message is from tax agency and not from a fraudster?)
What can be done to e.g. enhance voicemail:
1. use better existing channels (e.g. phweet)
2. insert/update/delete APIs (chargable events) + high definition audio + personalise interactions + smarter containers for messages + add multimodal channels

Sample revenue opportunities for new-think voicemail:
• connect: message informing or asking to contact.
• interact: avoid CRM call by using smart containers (e.g. data in the message avoids the call).
• transact: collect payment on behalf of the enterprise.

James Enck mCapital:
Future is not going to be a repeat of the past. World is not going to be the same.
So ... what do we have to say about all this? Are we a serious industry allocating capital to Kindle, iPhones, etc.?
Greatest value will be found in solving real problems (some of which we haven't found yet): Awareness + engagement + investment + reorientation.

J. Salanave, IDAE: Telecom in 2015: death or bazaar
Future scenario for telcos? Model possible outcomes as a 2x2 matrix:
• Telecom market expanding vs declining-stagnant
• Competition integration model: concentrated-vertical vs fragmented-horizontal
4 possible outocomes
• Silent death: surviving of the fattest, perhaps bailouts from governments and becoming utilities
• Market shakeout: service providers entities mixing device partnerships, spectrum, brands. Probably forced by investors.
• Clash of giants: vertical integration + optimized content + RCS + succeeds.
• Generative bazaar: open model prevails.
Bazaar means do-it-yourself connectivity? No, some entity will be needed to provide interconnection (key aspect) and other services.

Rudolf van der Berg, Logica: "almost everything in telco services is wrong"
Telcos not satisfied being an utility, they see no value being vodafone, they invest in being apple/google/etc.
All telcos offer the same, stuck in a standard value proposition. Telcos fail at innovation.
But ... other approaches are possible and successful in the real marketplace: Free.fr: everything for 30€. How? Keep back-office simple; finances and business cases are simple and transparent, not faked; offer the best product; deny competitors competition on price or capacity. 1000 total staff, 850 staff in call centres.
How to copy free.fr? Accept you work for a telco. Think cool things. Simply billing with single contract + top ups.

G. Leonhard MediaFuturist.com :
Media future: Must transition from ego-system to ecosystem, and, by the way, driven by capitalism, not by goodwill or philanthropy. Price moving from expensive to cheaper (but not cheap enough) to flat rates and bundles. Pricing logic will flip: lower prices, ubiquitous access.
But content pricing and licensing can’t be solved without engaging ISP, advertising, right holders, social networks (recommendations, trend setting). Spotify solved it, paying 0,1 cents per song, but it might become a time bomb if there are no upper caps.

After these 2 last post, we will prepare for coming week a post explaining the view of Solaiemes about the Telecom trends, and the possible scenarios of next decade telco/communication industry, stay tunned, and remember, the debate is open

Jose Recio

eComm Highlights (part I)

2009-10-29T19:25:00.006+01:00

I am attending the eComm Europe event in Amsterdam, just amazed by the level of the speakers and the quality and rythm of the 15 minutes keynotes schedule.
Just writting this post (and additional one after the event with final thoughts) just to share some headlines and sentences to think about :-)

VoiceSage:
There are white spaces in the enterprises: communication-enabled services may help to surface them and optimize/monetize/ save costs. An edge perspective allows to surface this data. Simple example: allowing customers to confirm just a bit earlier may have big impacts in resources.

Nauiokas Park:
There is nothing wrong with being a dump pipe, capital structures will adapt to be cash flow driven.
Platform and APIs basically selling trust, technical capabilities are a must, but not enough.
Everything as a Service is coming (including banking). Future platforms blending identity + trust + messaging may allow that.

Mangrove:
Major disruptive driver in the last years: Telecom operators displaced to their rightful place in the eco-system: providers of the tubes. Capital models will have to change to adapt to that situation.

VURB:
Peering-up is the best way to cope with climate change, peak oil, financial crisis, ...

RJ Auburn - Voxeo:
To innovators: Get passionate or get out.
Voice is coming out, text is in. Kids and next generation don’t talk on the phone unless they have to, TXT is second nature to them. Communication pace is faster than voice now, customers want instantaneous answers, not wasting time waiting for IVR answers. No money in voice, cost saving in text (permits multitasking, voice not).
Building person to person communication based on bots and mash-ups. What happens with the existing phone applications?: look at IMified. Just use text instead of bots.

Jay Phillips - Voxeo:
If open source is communism … where is the proletarian?
Voice is not the application; it’s the spice to make the soup taste better.
Innovators to build lots of little voice experimental apps to find the right soup.
Voxeo open sourcing SIPMethod !!!

Jan Linden - Global IP Solutions:
H264 SVC codec for the Internet era.

Dean Bubbley - Disruptive Analysis: “LTE hostage of voice?”
IMS is the dead parrot in the Monthy Python sketch. Dead but nailed to the perch of LTE.
Is industry using LTE as the lever to persuade operators to deploy IMS? CS fallback: 2-3 seconds longer setup times (sometimes 8-10 seg, and double that for LTE-LTE calls). Drops data connection !!!. Extra capex in network.
And SMS on LTE? SMS was completely forgotten in LTE until it was too late. Fact is: You need SMS for backoffice operations (configuration, activations, passwords, prepaid top up, etc.) even if you use LTE only for data.

Sten Tamkivi - Skype: “peace, love and pstn”.
Skype processes 100 billion calls a year. Their view is that they are not taking revenue from telecoms, most of Skype minutes would never happen without Skype. 33% Skype calls include video.
Skype is for the people I actually want to talk to (average skype contact list is a single figure number). Somebody told Skype founders it would never happen because people don't have headsets, but people invested in headset to talk with their valued contacts.

To cover global needs, you need something relevant to developed (“peace and love” way of thinking, good voice quality, video, etc.) and emerging (PSTN, bad voice quality doesn’t matter so much, no video needed). Things like a MVNO focused on price and regular quality (long call setup, not very good audio, etc.) can’t be global (may succeed in emerging, but would be niche in
developed).

Voxygen:
Good user experience: calling a service number and directly listening what you wanted (e.g. ticket status, appointment confirmation), with no delay, no input of account, etc.
How much money wasted by couriers checking parcel delivery times, etc.?
Unlock that value !!!

Tomorrow more :-)

Jose Recio, VP Alliances

AVISG Tecnology for Multimodal Interaction explained

2009-10-27T09:45:00.007+01:00

When demonstrating the AVISG tecnology for mobile multimodal web interaction (see videos here) customers tell us about how can it be possible, how to synchronize real time voice and mobile web if mobile browsers are not AJAX enabled. The others concern is about the possibility of reusing their IVR/ASR/TTS. Basically the answers are: YES, Solaiemes AVISG can synchronize real time voice and web content with only xhtml capable devices and AVISG can use whatever pre-existing IVR or using cloud IVR's. But in order to explain better our technology and advantadge we just prepared a ppt product sheet to help architects of partners and final customers understand how AVISG can be combined with their offers or cover their needs.

Solaiemes featured in the Moriana Group IMS & RCS Report 2009

2009-10-13T11:38:00.005+02:00

Solaiemes has been featured in the vendors appendix of the Moriana Group IMS & RCS Report 2009.
Our vendor profile is included with other 13 companies profiles. We are very happy to see our company profile together big industry players as Intel, Huawei , ZTE among others, and see other 2 companies based in Spain (Almira Labs and Genaker) also listed.
We understood how difficult is entrepreneuring in technology in Spain with limited funding and it could help to boost VC operations when investors realized the important matters are vision and execution rather than company location :-)
Solaiemes aims to contribute with its vision to improve the mobility, convergence and UC, and participated in the last edicion of IMS forum, and believe IMS & RCS could have a key role, you can find our keynote here.

The Moriana Group (from it own about) specializes in the telecom service layer and next generation networks. Our focus is on: Service Delivery Platforms, Next Generation OSS/BSS, Convergent Charging and Billing, IMS, FMC, VoIP, WiMAX, IPTV, Triple Play Mobile Commerce and Advertising and other key technologies and services. Their mission is to help network operators and service providers to transform their business models, service offerings and network infrastructure to create new revenue streams and to meet the challenges of the competitive Telecom market and the growing pressure from Internet and Web 2.0 players.

Latest Solaiemes Company Profile presentation.

2009-10-05T14:50:00.005+02:00

In this company executive summary presentation we explain: "the problem" we are trying to solve, our approach, what is different and is a real enhancement, our aimed business model, and our portfolio and real use cases applications.

If you are interested in see the demos visit http://www.youtube.com/solaiemes
Feedback, comments, suggestions, more than welcomed.

RCS DevChallenge...carriers aiming a new paradigm?

2009-09-30T16:17:00.008+02:00

The GSMA launched a new competition, the RCS DevChallenge trying to boost mobile and pc solutions based on RCS specifications.
Rich Communication Suite is perhaps the last chance of carriers to keep a key role (not exclusive) in the solutions based communication market and avoid to become finally a mere dumb pipe.
The idea is about combining a lot of experiences around the address book, allowing to combined voice call with additional media sharing possibilities (audio files, live videoshare, instant messaging, etc).
The powerful Presence feature (IETF, 3GPP and OMA specs) is enabling a lot of rich "use cases always on" not being intrusive. Then Social Media interaction, CRM info from your suppliers, user generated content and distribution can be "re-invented" using a common interface, the RCS client. A compatible multi-platform RCS client, backed from powerful data core and IMS, coming as a native feature even in low-mid tier handsets, with API's to create clients and extensions (as app or web based) for personal computers will make RCS as successful as SMS.
a) most of devices enabled
b) a common interface being used for a lot of different use cases (no laziness to learn how to use, little effort, lots of possibilities).
We hope carriers take RCS seriously and forget their traditional trial/deploying times and push the accelerator. Solutions based on particular apps, not always multi-platform are being launched everyday, app-stores being opened...are not the win-win-win scenario. If services are not compatible for all types of users making difficult to arrive to critical mass of users, and when most of users reject the idea of installing an application and learn it for each communication experience they want to try.

The paradigm of "only carrier owned" services was not successful, carriers can not think and flawless execute all the use cases.
The opposite paradigm based on mere dumb pipe carriers and a ecosystem of applications with no standards and compability (the current one) is not being successful, it is not including the most of users.
A new paradigm is needed. It will be relying on both approaches, openness and also standarized enablers being shared to develope use cases on the top.

Of course, Solaiemes backs RCS, we will participate in the contest, our vision from the beginning was about communication services, using standard features, considering IMS as a very good enablers and being our first product, LIVESERVE, using combination services (videoshare).

Carriers, we look forward your feedback and positive collaboration.

1 or 2 Cameras ? that's the question

2009-09-21T11:33:00.005+02:00

Everybody knows how one of the most promising features of 3G technology, the videocall was not successful. Carriers, with initial limited 3G capacity launched low profile the videocall, it was more related to say "we have videocall" rather than "videocall is powerful, use it". Initial prices were too high and the person to person videocall is not really "the killer application".
A lot of services can be deployed using Videocall, IVVR (video IVR), user generated content for enterprise use cases, online journalism, multimedia blogging, law enforcement use cases and also social media interaction. But the initial "not correct promotion" just discouraged solution developers from innovating based on mobile video. The point is that as videocall/videoShare was not being used, right now, in order to reduce the cost of the handsets, the 3G devices are missing the front camera, not only useful for videocall/IMS_videoshare features but also for well known applications being ported to mobile.
When mobile bandwidth & stability capacity is ok, and some carriers (as 3G in UK) are welcoming 3rd Party VoIP/ToIP communication applications as Skype, now it is time to reconsider that the front camera is really a need, not only to use properly videocall and IMS videoshare, but also be used in traditional full multimedia and UC conceived applications.
In our opinions it makes no sense to add megapixels to the main camera, (not usefull when the device has not the zooming and optics of a photo-camera device) and remove from the design the front camera.
Just a mere example, when using a mobile to live broadcast a breaking new, the online journalist will need to appear him/herself during moments, and later...be streaming what is happening.

Carriers can still monetize videocall/videoshare when using them for added value use cases and other front camera based apps can help to monetize boost data plans.

Hope carriers and device suppliers reconsider this...WE WANT BOTH CAMERAS !!!

Solaiemes, semi-finalist at Qprize Business Plan competition

2009-09-04T09:30:00.008+02:00

Solaiemes has been selected as semi-finalist in the Europe/Israel region of the the global Qualcomm Ventures competition Qprize.
The competition rules set only early stage technology companies (< 1 M u$ in VC investment) could compete with their business plan to try to win convertible notes. The competition itself is a great chance to get awareness, as being shorlisted regional semifinalist means that the investment arm of one of the more innovative global companies as Qualcomm screened your business plan and consider feasible the entrepreneurs ideas and the how to convert them into a profitable business. We will be pitching in the regional semi-final next week, september, the 10th in London. Find here the list of Europe/Israel selected companies for the semi-final:

Solaiemes exhibiting at SIMO Network event

2009-08-31T16:40:00.005+02:00

Solaiemes will have a booth during the coming edition of SIMO Network, next 22-24 September in Madrid (at IFEMA exhibition center).
This year SIMO event, with long tradition in Spanish IT market is re-invented, from a large exhibition for everybody, this year it is transformed as a smaller exhibition area, but with a parallel powerful programme of conferences and pannels, focused in professional attendants.
We thank the organization for the free of cost booth as a prize for becoming finalist in past edition of "Premio Vivero" last january.
We will be showcasing our progress in our portfolio and explaining the next step, "cloud-ifying / SaaS-ifying" our offer as we understand what the market is asking for. A good opportunity to meet with partner & customers (and potential new ones) and also investors.
Suggestions, meeting requests, questions, very welcomed.

Update: the PR associated
http://www.simonetwork.com/es/cargarAplicacionSalaPrensa.do?identificador=117

Our view about trending topic: Cloud/SaaS market opportunities & challenges.

2009-08-19T17:36:00.005+02:00

In these slides we analyze our view about how IT is being changed with the irruption of Cloud & SaaS technology trends and the opportunities and also challenges it will offer for all players.

Solaiemes adds X+V support to its AVISG product family.

2009-08-06T11:51:00.007+02:00

X+V is a nice standard endorsed by the W3C initially developed by Opera and IBM some years ago to bring vocal functionality to web browsers. Among its nice features is to allow to embed
voice content (using VXML 2.0) on XHTML content. This allows to leverage current web applications architecture to bring also vocal and multimodal functionality to voice enabled web browsers.
The Solaiemes approach is to use the AVISG infrastructure to implement X+V using current web browsers that do not have any voice functionality and using current IVR systems. This allows bringing multimodal (web + vocal) interaction to users that just have a simple web browser and a vocal phone (POTS, mobile, SIP, VoIP, widgets enabling VoIP embeded in a webpage, etc). Then, we try to achieve the main objective of X+V standard, to leverage current web application architecture to provide both web and vocal content in a single document. This is done by means of AVISG that splits web content and pushes it to the simple web browser and vocal content and pushes it to the phone channel through a current IVR system.
This fresh approach to X+V greatly leverages current premise and cloud based IVR systems (or if you want it the other way around: leverages current self-customer care web systems) to provide multimodal interaction using simple clients already in place in most users PC Desktops, mobile phones, etc.

Soon, videos with use cases mobile and pc-browser using 3rd party cloud IVRs, stay tunned

by Saúl Labajo

Live mobile video to create Web apps using Cloud LSF. Video-tutorial.

2009-07-31T13:16:00.003+02:00

We are introducing with this videotutorial how easy is to create a customized (social or enterprise) solutions over a cloud shared platform based in LiveServe.
The video last 7 minutes and showcases the full proccess of adding a new user, creating the channel/app configuration: mobile numbers allowed to stream, channel design, channel layout and how to include external widgets or own web applications to fit properly the use case needed.
This approach very "platform" aims to get a base of developers/designers working on offer new features to their projects for their costumers in each field.

Hi carriers, do you want an innovative new "cash-cow" ?

2009-07-15T15:33:00.009+02:00

Yeapp !!! we believe a new cash-cow can help the telco industry to find new consistent revenue stream, take the most from past capex investment and "re-invent" carriers services not being pushed properly in the past, and what is more important, monetize the social media interaction, offering an easy way communicate dual way with web 2.0 concepts. Twitter is a clear example of how web 2.0 concepts need mobility for a proper "always on".
IP services are winning, carriers aim to offer standarized services rather than specific application to be portated from mobile platform to mobile platform....IMS and PTT Servers investments were done....USE THEM.

The fear of mobile 2 way radio (push to talk) cannibalizing voice and sms markets only applies when thinking in person-to-person use cases....but on the other hand why no using PTT for

- User generated content to the web (enterprise or social media) ?
- Quick interaction with IVR for customer care not needing permanent full-duplex connection ?
- Audio based non intrusive advertisment when combining PTT and presence ?
- New user alerts customized in lots of fields ?
- Receiving audio-read of your incoming emails ?
- Standarized audio-push from web to mobile and/or mobile to web?

Even owning high tier smartphones, people can not walk in the street, or travel permanently focused on what is happening on the display....Why not using from low to high tier devices PTT enabled to offer a wide range of amazing mobile use cases for your base of customers ???

Solaiemes platform VOXSERVE is designed to interoperate with whatever OMA PoC Server vendor to deliver a full range of mobile services.
We are eager to partners with Mobile Carriers, MVNO's and service providers feeling the need of keep a role enhancing Mobility, taking the most from past CAPEX investment and offering new capabilities to keep and improve customer loyalty.

Solaiemes is looking for Carriers offering Push To Talk service to partner a mobile Voice 2.0 revolution...contact us...win win and win your customers. Maybe Solaiemes become the farmer of your cash-cows :-)

Solaiemes, now, new Facebook Page

2009-07-06T22:59:00.002+02:00

Now, just trying to encourage to provide feedback and interactivity from customers, analysts, VC', supporters & fans, we just launch our Facebook page.
Social Media are becoming the key of communication with people, a 2 way channel when companies and people can talk about mutual needs and hoy to satisfy them, the place where companies learn about their customers, analysts and investors, and they can help companies to define the expected product/service portfolio, and improve processes.
Of course, we are going to keep active our site, this blog, and youtube , slideshare and twitter channels, and most probably Facebook page will be the melting pot to keep you fully updated and to collect your feedback.

Our Experience at HIT Telecom

2009-06-23T12:22:00.005+02:00

We attended last week the HIT Telecom event in Barcelona.
Firstly, we could not win the Mobile Innovation Award to the most innovative consumer application or service, we congratulate the winner, Multiplied Media :-).
We will keep trying with our other platforms in next Innovation Awards calls :-).
The HIT was a very interesting event and it is one of the key actions of Barcelona Council to become "the place" chosen for start-up's to be created or established in Europe when oversees companies initiate their expansion. This area is the @22 (the innovation district), we think it is a great idea and probably they will succeed becoming a reference in Europe where many cities wants to "own" the european Sillicon Valley.
As GSMA Mobile Innovation Finalist we are awarded with 1 year of space at @22, we hope we can fund the company to have presence there also soon.
Regarding the HIT Telecom, we pitched, watched the other finalist pitches, and the interesing pannels, with leaders of the industry and succesful entrepreneurship stories as spinvox.

If you are interested in the summaries of innovators pitches you can read about them here

Voice 2.0 matters!

2009-06-02T12:12:00.004+02:00

The Voice is the quickest way of interaction, last years the "multimedia revolution" and internet moved the focus away from voice, but now the current scenario favouring the convergence and mash-up concepts are coming back to take again the voice and take the most of it.
Voice 2.0 are not related only with transport method and signalling (VoIP/SIP) but also the use and the combination with different solutions. You can find interesting definition here.
Voice can take profit from the "building blocks" trend, in order to build up very complex and powerful solutions. Till now...

a) Voice could be carried using legacy PSTN, VoIP, IP streaming, and 2 way Push To Talk (also IP)
b) Voice could be recognized (ASR), voice can be generated from text (TTS) and voice can be transcripted to text
c) Voice could be used for interaction (IVR) and this interaction can be designed easily using VXML & CCXML protocols.

From now on VOICE can be used as additional input/ouput source/destination in ubiquous /convergent solutions, voice mash-ups can be created to merge voice, mobility, web 2.0 creating powerful sinergies. Media task reporting, social media new concepts, personals assistant solutions, emergencies and law enforcement fields will be benefited.

Currently there are companies offering "building blocks" to be combined and interoperated with 3rd party applications easily: SpinVox (voice to text matching), Voxeo (cloud IVR), IfbyPhone, etc).
Solaiemes wants to offer new enablers to use voice combined with Web and Mobililty. Using our VoxServe and LiveServe platforms combined we can create a web based push to talk client to interact with mobiles, working as a dispatcher and also as media repository without installing external apps at pc or mobile. Watch our alfa demo.

How can IMS help launching new services?

2009-06-01T16:06:00.003+02:00

During past IMS 2.0 World Forum, panelists pointed about IMS deployment being slower than anticipated. When convergence is a main goal, but on the other hand internet communication services are becoming more and more popular, the Telco role is being questioned mainly from internet related representatives.
In our opinion, even considering the fact that a lot of convergent communication services can be offered directly only needing connectivity from the telcos, this approach has 2 weaknesses in order to boost "mass market" services:
a) Complexity, the mobile penetration index is higher than pc-based internet penetration, then a lot of mobile users with not internet and internet-based literacy will be out of mobile advanced services revolutions if the approach is the "internet applications" one.
b) Entry costs for users, the internet/internet applications based approach to enrich mobile solutions needs powerful smartphones, and has portability costs, and most of people don't want to install hundreds of apps.

In the past we can find examples of simple enablers being the base of very different services (SMS case). Simple and common enablers, included in all the device range are easy to be massively adopted. This is the main reason to forecast that proper combination of IMS with RCS (rich comunication suite) combined with a proper and "transparent" billing scheme could be a good alternative for carriers to keep heading the mobile revolution for the masses and this is compatible with other approaches.
Find our keynote about "what final user wants and how IMS could fit the bill" :-)