ITEXPO West Interview: Building the Commodity Internet

Technology continues to change and evolve faster than we run out of minutes on a cell phone plan. In the past year, we’ve seen innovations in HTML5, Super WiFi (News - Alert), 4GWE and M2M. To gain a better understanding of how these evolutions have impacted key players in the industry, TMCnet’s CEO, Rich Tehrani recently spoke with Brough Turner (News - Alert), Founder and CTO of netBlazr Inc. Their conversation took place in anticipation of the upcoming ITEXPO West event in Austin.

When asked about the evolution of his market, Turner noted that netBlazr is creating a new market, the Commodity Internet, and is making great strides. As for the next disruptive force in technology, Turner points to the innovations in wireless technology that are making higher frequency spectrum more valuable for a number of applications. netBlazr offers 100 percent cloud-based software that runs, creates and manages an access network of customer-installed equipment, which relies on the evolution of the cloud. A common request from customers is 100 percent reliable Internet service. Turner does believe universal solutions have lasting value, and the future traffic mix will be more video than voice and more voice than machine.

Turner believes Google+ could outpace Facebook and Twitter. As for enabling mobility, netBlazr is providing low cost fixed Internet infrastructure for those fixed location offices. As for the mobile operating system way, Turner’s pick is Android (News - Alert) because it is open. He does believe that HTML 5 will be the predicted game changer and at ITEXPO West, Turner is most interested in co-located sessions. During his own session at the SuperWiFi Summit, Turner will address novel ways to combine new radio technologies with community models.

Their entire conversation is provided below:

1.      How has your market evolved over the past year and what trends have fueled those changes?

netBlazr is creating a new market – Commodity Internet – and we’re making great strides. There is an emerging recognition that the only way to get reliable Internet is to have two independent service providers. No single vendor can provide complete reliability, no matter what their service level agreement says. Our commodity internet service has no SLA but its ultra-low cost makes it ideal as a co-primary broadband service.

2.      What do you see as the next disruptive force in technology and how will it impact your market or business?

Innovations in wireless technology (MIMO in particular) are making higher frequency spectrum more valuable for many applications. This provides opportunities for new entrant to challenge traditional wireless carriers in several markets. netBlazr is leveraging this technology to provide fixed broadband access services.

3.      How has the acceptance and adoption of the cloud model influenced your development cycle and process?

netBlazr’s 100 percent-cloud-based software runs creates and manages a broadband access network of customer-installed equipment (radios and routers). The cloud-based operation is critical to our business model.

4.      What is the most common request you are seeing from your customers? How is your company addressing these demands?

100 percent reliable Internet service. No single network can provide such reliability but using dual sources comes close. netBlazr makes dual sources affordable and easy to install.

5.      There has been talk of Facebook coming into the mobile marketplace with its own devices, and LinkedIn (News - Alert) just rolled out a new HTML5 mobile app. Do you expect we will see a push towards universal solutions or customized mobile devices as we move forward in social media?

Universal solutions will have lasting value but there will be examples of custom solutions that do well for a few years.

6.      Besides phone calls, mobile is now sharing bandwidth with video and machines. What do you predict will be the mix of traffic in the future?

The future traffic mix will be more video than voice and more voice than machine (unless you count video surveillance as “machine”).

7.      Will Google+ become bigger than Facebook and Twitter? Why or why not?

It is quite possible Google+ will become larger than Facebook and Twitter as Google+ has features that wrap both Facebook and Twitter, i.e. allow one to run Google+ while participating in Facebook and Twitter discussions. But there is still plenty of time for Google to blow it and/or Facebook and/or Twitter to respond.

8.      As businesses continue their move toward virtual workforces, how are you meeting the need for increased mobility?  What barriers are keeping others from adopting mobile strategies?

We’re providing low cost fixed Internet infrastructure to those offices and corporate infrastructure that remain at fixed locations. But we are not directly involved in mobility at this time.

9.      How do you see the mobile operating system war (iPhone vs. Android vs. RIM vs. WM7 vs. HTML5) playing out?

Android leads over iPhone, RIM, WM7, etc. because it’s open. Given adequate bandwidth, HTML5 will beat custom solutions because it’s ubiquitous.

10.  Is HTML5 the game changer many predict it will be?

Yes.

11. What are you most looking forward to at ITEXPO (News - Alert) West in Austin? What do you see as being the biggest trends at the show?

I’m most interested in the co-located sessions: 4GWE, SuperWiFi Summit, StartupCamp and Cloud Computing.

12. What issues will you be addressing during your ITEXPO session and why should attendees be sure to attend?

I will be talking at the SuperWiFi Summit about novel ways to combine new radio technologies with community models to deliver broadband at much lower cost.

To find out more about Brough Turner and NETBLAZR, visit the company at ITEXPO West 2011. To be held Sept. 13-15 in Austin, TX, ITEXPO is the world’s premier IP communications event. BROUGH TURNER is speaking during “White Spaces: The Radio Evolution.” Don’t wait. Register now.

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