silicon valley telecommunications council

Telecom Deficit Slows Angola's Development

20 July 2009 by Steve Blum
angola, development, gates foundation, huambo, microfinance, microwave, movicel, ngo, planet earth, rotary, silicon valley telecommunications council, telecom, unitel, world vision

Steve Blum, Tellus Venture
Associates, doing project
due diligence in HuamboTelecommunications and transportation make the difference between subsistence farming and sustainable commercial agriculture in Angola’s Huambo province, where Tellus Venture Associates is supporting a development project through Rotary International. The physical infrastructure was obliterated during nearly 30 years of civil war, but mobile phone applications could soon provide a life-saving solution.

Potatoes sold in Huambo might earn $175 per ton, but could fetch $500 or more per ton in coastal markets, hundreds of kilometers away.… More

When they say shovel ready, they mean real shovels

3 March 2009 by Steve Blum
12seconds.tv, att, Blue Field Strategies, floor64, kerton group, NTIA, public policy, rini coran, RUS, silicon valley telecommunications council, silver springs networks, techdirt, tia

Notes from the Silicon Valley Telecom Council’s Policy Luncheon

The prevailing view amongst the private sector people who have been talking to contacts with the Obama team is that the lion’s share of the broadband money will go to incumbent carriers. “Jobs are created through the existing structures,” was how Mike Masnick put it, quoting a highly placed source in the administration.

Yesterday’s Silicon Valley Telecom Council policy luncheon in Santa Clara was sponsored by AT&T, but big carriers by no means dominated the panel.… More

Real-time tweets from the Silicon Valley Telecom Council's Spiffy Awards Gala

26 February 2009 by Steve Blum
2wire, 4home, amika mobile, bling software, brilliant telecom, mobile, morpho, northwest venture partners, silicon valley telecommunications council, swisscom, trutap

At Silicon Valley Telecom Council Spiffy awards, a comedian is warm up act for a venture cap presentation. Who will be funnier?
VC won’t have to be too funny to win, I think.
Tim Chang, Norwest Venture Partners up now, says trends are good for telecom.
Says U.S. consumers are spoiled, over-entitled and living beyond their means. Recession is good time to reset.
Says in recessions “good enough” is good enough for consumers, hard times for premium or leading edge plays.

… More