[February 23, 2005]

Volo Founder and CEO Shawn Lewis Speaking This Morning at ITEXPO

By David Sims, TMCnet CRM Alert Columnist

Shawn Lewis of Orlando-based Volo Communications, which provides advanced voice and data services is the featured speaker at two of today’s sessions at ITEXPO.

Lewis wrote the patents for the first softswitch and the first SS7 Media Gateway, and TMC President Rich Tehrani said that Lewis’s presence at the conference would “help educate CLECs and service providers about the issues surrounding how to begin offering VoIP services.”

He will speak at 10:15 a.m. on “Is There Life After UNE-P?” CLECs know their UNE-P days are numbered, Lewis believes, due to recent regulatory rulings, and their business plans are in jeopardy without IP-based technology. As such, Lewis sees them turning to VoIP in order to grow their business, and protect against a large loss of revenue tied to their UNE-P business model.

“There is talk that several of the largest UNE-P providers are planning their transition by geographically concentrating their marketing activities around central office concentration, and then installing soft switching and broadband access gear in each central office to provide next-generation services,” the guide to Lewis’s talk says. “Is this a viable, long-term business model that will work?”

Session attendees will hear Lewis outline a low-cost, high-quality VoIP strategy that speeds time-to-market, assures carrier-grade quality, and enables early entry without the CAPEX requirements associated with building a new network.

Then at 2:00 p.m. in the same room Lewis will speak on “What to Look For In a Wholesale VoIP Partner.” Industry analysts believe the wholesale market opportunity creates a large business opportunity for new, next generation wholesale carriers. Fine, and the market for wholesale broadband voice services in the U.S. is characterized principally by quality, price competition and least-cost advantage.

“But is that enough?” Lewis asks. “How do you know which wholesale partner is the right wholesale partner for you?”

Session attendees will hear Lewis speak on what you should look for in a wholesale partner, including technology (customizable applications, service creation environment, scalability); automated provisioning (service provider interface, end user controls, real-time CDR); and fulfillment (rapid deployment, end point equipment, and customer support) – all critical to a successful VoIP business.

Volo is wholly owned by Caerus, Inc., the parent company of Caerus Networks, Inc., and Caerus Billing, Inc.

David Sims is contributing editor and CRM Alert columnist for TMCnet.