What to do when all is CLEAR

With the current icy roads in Portland people have been working from home and are perhaps more in touch with the limitations of their internet service provider. While driving conditions are the most pressing factor, another reason we haven’t been able to work in a location of our choosing has been the lack of a robust and reliable internet connection.

All that changes in the next few weeks, as Portland dethaws and the 802.16e implementation of WiMAX becomes accessible to those that live in this area. It is offered as “wireless broadband” available as “Clear” from Sprint.

I’ve been asking a handful of technology solution providers how they might take advantage of the technology as consumers and business are able stay connected to a “fat pipe”, regardless of location. However, to date I have been unable to find anyone ready to fully embrace the opportunity.

For one there has been confusion as to how this differs from what Verizon, Cricket and others have also termed “wireless broadband” in their previously available 3G network. Earlier this summer, I spoke to a local analyst on the technology who projected that the service could be offered at twice the speed and at half the cost. Sam Churchill writes that he now gets up to 3mpbs service at $30/month, roughly fulfilling his projection versus a Verizon unlimited plan of $60. However, he must be getting an inside deal - because that varies from the plans currently posted which show a 2GB plan available for $35/month. They give a short description of different usage profiles – but what’s missing is what the maximum connection speed of 4 Mbps/384 Kbps really means.

For consumers interested in speed, that certainly beats DSL – but at my house we have Verizon’s FIOS and I know that Comcast also has a higher speed option. Further, both of those providers bundle TV services so I have to weigh Clear’s mobility advantage vs. totally different vectors like my wife’s preference for on-demand television features. In time, Comcast hopes to offer a quadruple play, and we may even see television content coming directly across WiMax

I mention the consumer value proposition first, because it’s likely that their adoption is to going to spur the business community. Business can be hesitant to send their information over wireless. An early advocate for WiFi security once relayed to me how he was going down in flames with his attempts to justify the need for his offering to a Fortune 100 CIO who had set a policy against WiFi networks. Fortunately, the salesperson remembered his WiFi locator and was able to instantly show over 20 networks accessible from that conference room’s location. Clearly, if a technology is compelling it will find it’s way into the corporate environment.

Professionals who are using 3G for merely monitoring their email inbox or sporadically locating a specific piece of information, may not be compelled to move. It’s already available in the same form and boasts nearly identical coverage as the familiar cellphone. WiMax requires a higher-end plan and not yet available card once you leave the Portland metro area and because of the battery consumption you won’t see WiMax handhelds for at least another year.

However, others have said that it is virtually unusable if you are typically having to access network resources more than 3 times over a ten minute stretch. In other words, if you are sitting down with the purpose of getting computer based work done in a place other than your office you are a good candidate for WiMax

So the key question is who fits that profile? Certainly salespeople who are doing most of their calling on the local area. An account manager who needs to show critical system information to their client in a face to face meeting can give greater confidence pulling that up on their laptop. CRM software become more powerful if it can be used online. It will be interesting to see if financial advisors or mortgage brokers are willing to take the mystery out of their work and perform a real-time analysis right in front of the customer. Ironically, one of the biggest opportunites I hear technology solution providers mention is VoIP, especially Microsoft’s ResponsePoint. Will Clear’s offering of business voice service be complimentary or competitive to that?

Purpose of this blog

This blog is intended to serve the needs of three parties:

1) Value-add resellers (VARs), system integrators, consultants and other technology solution providers that recommend and configure solutions for implementation

2) Vendors: manufacturers, software providers, and distributors whose offerings are dependent on localized support and customization

3) Me: So there are no hidden agendas I'll state that I am in job transition and my mission to connect the above audiences is not totally altruistic. I am pursuing this activity so that I may:

• Stay in touch with the needs of an audience I know from 10+ years of channel marketing
• Develop local relationships to complement national relationship already in place - thereby establishing myself as a trusted advisor with firm ties to the local base and job security in channel sales for whichever technology company I choose
• Have a sense of accomplishment prior to and related to my next full-time employment

I have been speaking to local owners and business development people about their business challenges and opportunities and am identifying common themes. I will be collecting observations, advice, and links to relevant information. I'm looking for your own contributions, suggestions for future topics, links, and recommendation for individuals I should seek out.

The feasibility of providing relevant content to an audience this large is to be determined. Can VARs that sell software integration services, video surveillance, computer systems, internet service, database configuration, telecom? Given the title VAR - should a consultant who sells only their time be included? This will be defined based on where the audience takes us.

For the near term, some of the items I plan to address are:

• Market Development Fund Strategies: There's always $ out there - but are the hoops I have to jump through to get them realistic for me?
• Regional/ Emerging Technologies: i.e WiMax - Does the upcoming launch of Clearwire impact my business?
• Business Expansion Issues: Credit Crunch?, List Buy? Partnership issues? Tips on how to manage a referral network, hiring personnel?

What do you think? How might this be tweaked to be more relevant to you?