20 years in the VoIP Business
We are just getting started.
In the early days of VoIP, mobile phones were as large as bricks and had tiny little screens. The Internet was still in its infancy, and Skype hadn’t even been invented yet. There were truly “no limits” to what one could do with this amazing new technology. I was hooked.
We started tinkering with VoIP in 1996–1997. All we had were these home-built PCs, H.323 code hacked together, a dial-up modem and a clunky server somewhere that would serve as a PSTN gateway. We have come a long way since the home built Dialogic servers running Windows NT ((shudder)).
Back then, companies were trying to figure out how to leverage IP Telephony on private networks to cut their communications costs. IP Telephony then gave rise to Internet Telephony or Voice over IP (VoIP), which is where things became much more attractive. The thought of delivering free communication to the masses was what got me excited.
In the fall of 1999, we formed a startup whose mission was to remedy the B2C gap in communications. To my knowledge, we were the first Canadian company to provide web-to-phone services, available for small business to enterprise. We had graduated from NetMeeting, Dialogic and NT to our own client that was written by long-time friend Robin Raymond, wrapped in Java (Applets) with Cisco AS5300s and PRIs on the backend.
Right around the same time, there was another upstart bursting onto the VoIP scene, and it went by the name of Dialpad.com. They were offering free calls to the US from a web browser, and it was a massive hit. Everyone in the business knew it well, and it was the benchmark when referencing stellar growth in VoIP. We saw their user base skyrocket into the millions in a very short timeframe; we were all blown away with how quickly it ramped. Craig Walker and Vincent Paquet ran the show, and their names would not soon be forgotten.
Fast forward a few years, I am into my second startup, Xten (now Counterpath). This time we are focused on enabling service providers with software SIP endpoints. We delivered a SIP softphone and a developer toolkit that could allow the telecom service providers to compete with the genuine threat from a new contender, Skype. We saw exponential growth, and soon we were the belle of the ball. Many Tier one and two telecom service providers were licensing our toolkits to deliver VoIP service on PCs.
One of the great friends I made during my time at Xten was Andy Abramson. Andy, through his blog, VoIPWatch, and agency, Comunicano, helped drive attention all around VoIP. His focus on media, blogging, events, expos, strategic relationships all helped shape how we positioned Xten in the market. And even though we did not have a marketing department back then, we just did things that worked.
After Xten, I went on to help Trent Johnsen build one of Canada’s fastest growing business VoIP service providers at the time. I then went on to create a Conference Service Provider (CSP) with Daniel Gibbons. Finally, founded Hookflash along with Trent Johnsen, and spent some time in the standards bodies (IETF and W3C) working on WebRTC, with my old friend Robin Raymond.
Now I’m at Dialpad because Andy called me up and asked, “do you want to work at Dialpad?” And I’m having a blast.
Wait, what? Dialpad from 1999? Well, kind of. This is Dialpad reinvented for the 21st century. Lead once again, by none other than Craig Walker, Vincent Paquet with engineering superstars Brian Peterson and John Rector, all now ex-Googlers. This truly is a fantastic team to be sure.
Looking back on my experience in the industry, the one thing that always stood out and sometimes makes me a bit sad is the user experience, or lack thereof. It seemed like software development shops get caught up in getting features into the product and who cares if it’s virtually unusable by the end user. I was guilty of this as well. I just didn’t have the mind of a modern designer.
We can do better, I thought.
If there is one company in today’s intelligent cloud communications for business space, which goes the distance when it comes to user experience and design, it’s Dialpad.
With the advent of WebRTC, UI/UX has certainly improved. SIP is getting pushed into the center of the network and out of the endpoints. SIP was always tough when it came to interoperability with various networks, even though it was the best way to perform VoIP interoperability at the time. With that complexity out of the client interface, better design could shine. Dialpad does an excellent job of this.
I started working with Dialpad in the Summer of 2016, and almost immediately we started hiring in Vancouver. It’s serendipitous that I find myself working with now friends that formed the Dialpad.com that I remember so well, Craig & Vincent make me feel like I am right at home. Oh, and Andy, he’s here now too.
Dialpad exemplifies innovation balanced with business. We innovate for our customers, making their daily lives better, few companies have figured out how to do that. Dialpad does it all day every day, like no other.
On October 2, 2017, we launched Dialpad in Canada. Now my Canadian brethren can sign up for what will very likely be the best communications service their business has ever seen. Don’t believe me? Give it a try; you won’t be disappointed. If you would like to hear more about our services in Canada, feel free to stop by our Vancouver office and say hello!
This is just the start. There is so much more in the pipeline at Dialpad; it’s invigorating to work with others that just want to do much better than “satisfactory”. This company is going interstellar and I’m ecstatic to be part of it.
