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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><a
href="http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/microsoft-buys-tellme.html">http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/microsoft-buys-tellme.html</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>I thought I would email this post I made
on my blog from yesterday as a way of stimulating discussion on this. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>It looks like the Asterisk community is
no closer to getting a Pre-Paid ‘Offboard Speech Recognition Processing’
SIP gateway than ever. I’ve left the </span></font><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><a
href="http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/index.php?page=Tellme">http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/index.php?page=Tellme</a>
page up for archival purposes but basically we still have no ‘low value’
pre-paid service for the little people.<font color=black><span
style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'>Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black'>Dean Collins<br>
Cognation Pty Ltd<br>
<a href="mailto:dean@cognation.net" title="mailto:dean@cognation.net">dean@cognation.net<font
color=black title="mailto:dean@cognation.net"><span
title="mailto:dean@cognation.net"><span style='color:black'><br
title="mailto:dean@cognation.net">
</span></font><font color=black><span style='color:black;text-decoration:none'></span></span></font></a>+1-212-203-4357
Ph<br>
+1-917-207-3420 Mb<br>
<br>
</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> Dean Collins
[mailto:dean@cognation.net] <br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Friday, 16 March 2007 1:11
PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> Dean Collins<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [Dean Collins] Microsoft
buys Tellme</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h3 style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;
margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><a name=8496663316263171814></a><b><font
size=5 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN style='font-size:17.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></h3>
<h3 style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;
margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:16.8pt'><b><font size=2
color=black face=Arial><span lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black;font-weight:normal'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></h3>
<h3 style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;
margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=5 color=black
face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN style='font-size:17.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";
color:black'>Microsoft buys Tellme <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h3>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:19.2pt'><font size=2 color=black
face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";
color:black'>Hmmm interesting day today. Basically Microsoft bought Tellme for
$800 million dollars.<br>
<br>
Long history between myself and Tellme;<br>
<br>
So basically in April 2005 someone I knew from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> went to work for Tellme
in CA. He called to talk to me about his new company and eventually I was
introduced to his boss, TellMe's CTO - Don Jackson.<br>
<br>
I was explaining to Don about my involvement with the Asterisk community and
how Tellme could really benefit by getting involved.<br>
<br>
What I was trying to suggest they set up was a speech recognition ASP SIP
gateway.<br>
<a href="http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/index.php?page=Tellme"><font
color=black><span style='color:black'>http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/index.php?page=Tellme</span></font></a><br>
or<br>
<a href="http://www.cognation.net/asterisk/tellme"><font color=black><span
style='color:black'>http://www.Cognation.net/asterisk/tellme</span></font></a><br>
<br>
The concept behind this is that there were 20,000 Asterisk servers globally
(now probably closer to 35,000), if Tell Me were able to set up a SIP gateway
that allowed "the little people" to do 'offboard speech recognition
processing' on a low value prepaid basis then there would be sufficient volume
to set up a special channel support team just for the asterisk community and
this whilst initially would require more support, through code reuse and easy
install sample conf files would be a valuable market.<br>
<br>
So long story short, this went back and forward for a while, nothing came out
of it until Tellme announced a joint venture with Skype <a
href="http://www.skype.com/partners/voice/"><font color=black><span
style='color:black'>http://www.skype.com/partners/voice/</span></font></a> to
do exactly what I was proposing.<br>
<br>
This was just plain dumb because although skype are set up to handle the front
end billing (this is one of the main issues with Tellme setting up a SIP
gateway) no real developer is going to be happy using a skype channel for their
Vxml application.<br>
<br>
Of course they've basically made nothing out of it and the idea for a sip
gateway is still sitting there unrealised BUT... thems the breaks. Besides they
get to work for MS now and become zillionaires.<br>
<br>
Oh and in case anyone out there wants to tell me there is no money to be made
in servicing "the little people" check out how many ITSP's exist in
just north america providing termination services <a
href="http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/VOIP+Service+Providers+Business+North+America"><font
color=black><span style='color:black'>http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/VOIP+Service+Providers+Business+North+America</span></font></a>
the secret is automation from credit card processing to minute allocation to
processing allocation. Get that all sorted and your done, application
stickiness will ensure an ongoing revenue.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Articles linking to the news.<br>
<a href="http://gigaom.com/2007/03/14/microsoft-buys-tellme/"><font
color=black><span style='color:black'>http://gigaom.com/2007/03/14/microsoft-buys-tellme/</span></font></a><br>
<br>
Interesting chart in here showing the VC relationships (all told kicked in
$237M over 8 years to get this payoff)<br>
<a
href="http://vcratings.thedealblogs.com/2007/03/tellme_the_next_benchmark_and.php"><font
color=black><span style='color:black'>http://vcratings.thedealblogs.com/2007/03/tellme_the_next_benchmark_and.php</span></font></a><br>
<br>
<a
href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/14/microsoft_buys_tellme_networks/"><font
color=black><span style='color:black'>http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/14/microsoft_buys_tellme_networks/</span></font></a><br>
<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
Dean <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=post-footer><font size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:black;
text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:1.2pt'>posted by Dean Collins at <a
href="http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/microsoft-buys-tellme.html"
title="permanent link"><font color=black><span style='color:black'>11:02 AM</span></font></a></span></font><font
size=2 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;
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