ChannelVision Magazine

Reinvent Telecom has added Robocall Blocking to its product port- folio, providing private-label reseller partners with a means of helping their business customers automati- cally block unwanted and potentially malicious calls. Reinvent’s Robocall Blocking service, which is powered by Metaswitch Networks, accesses up-to-date third-party databases on calling party numbers. Based on that data, disreputable robocalls are blocked while legitimate robocalls (e.g., from emergency services, schools, etc.) are allowed through, said the company. Robocall Blocking is in demand given the rise of telephone scams using robocalling techniques to more quickly reach potential targets. Nearly 80 percent of people reporting loss of money to fraud through iden- tity theft or imposter scams are first contacted by phone, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The problem has become so per- vasive that the Federal Communica- tions Commission recently issued an order to authorize providers to block robocalls from numbers that are in- valid or when the Caller ID has been “spoofed,” hiding the caller’s true iden- tity. And while most illegal robocalling activities target consumers, “Robocalls are a nuisance for businesses just as they are for consumers,” said Ray Napoletano, vice president of sales for Reinvent. “Organizations cannot afford to be targeted by illegitimate calls that distract employees at best and exploit them at worst.” Reinvent’s Robocall Blocking ser- vice is available on a monthly subscrip- tion basis, either standalone or along with Reinvent’s Accession UC or SIP trunking services. Master Agent Consortium Joins IoT Channel Accelerator Convey Services announced that the Technology Solutions Xchange (TSX), a consortium of master agents, has joined the new IoT Channel Accelerator, designed to deliver internet of things solutions and education to sales partners. Convey’s IoT for Partners portal (www.IoTforPartners. com) helps agents and channel sales pro- fessionals learn more about integrated IoT solutions, said the company. The IoT Channel Accelerator screens technology offerings, educates suppliers to make their services channel ready and provides master agents and their sales partners with the ability to sell IoT services under Channel Accelerator pro- vider agreements. “We see the internet of things as a multi-billion-dollar market that isn’t being addressed by our sales part- ners,” said Bill Patchett, co-president of TSX and president of P2 telecom. “Every agent connected to a TSX mas- ter agent has customers or prospects that are candidates for applications such as LED lighting management, fleet tracking, and employee safety solutions. The IoT Channel Accelera- tor provides channel-ready solutions, driven by IoT providers that have been screened and can support a channel sales model. We can accelerate time- to-market for our sales agents, as well as the suppliers using this program.” Reinvent Offers Private-Label Robo-Blocking EMERGENT Wearables Developing Compared to smartphones and tablets, creating apps for wearables and other connected devices can be challenging due to unusual screen form factors and the need to engage with users for a shorter amount of time. And according to a Kony survey, 69 percent of enterprise app designers said wearables and connected devices either “already is” a challenge for application design or will become one within the next 6 to 12 months. OVERHEARD “Today, ‘software defined networking’ is de rigueur, but dynamically defined software networks are what’s coming. With AI and machine learning, we are going to be able to take the pattern recognition that smart agents are capable of and apply that to network configuration almost in real time, so they can avoid problems rather than react to problems.” – Eric Hernaez, president of SkySwitch Channel Vision | March - April, 2018 16 Source: Computer Economics, 2017 When do you think wearables and connected devices will become a challenge for application development? Source: Kony What are the most important features for a conf renc ng and coll boration experience on a mobile device? (Ranked 1-7) Source: PGi; Mobile World Live How frequently do you use your desk phone for conference calls? Source: PGi; Mobile World Live 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Over 75% of calls 50% to 75% of calls 25% to 50% of calls Less than 25% of calls 10% 20% 30% 40% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Usage of battery power Audio quality Ease of access to meeting/one touch Data plan usage It already is 6-12 months 1-2 years 2-5 years Never Reliability Ease of scheduling meetings HD Audio with background noise supression (No mute required) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Source: Spice 40% 20% 0% 1- Pro Aug Sourc 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Cor Fut Sourc 100 80 60 40 20 0