Looking for comparison on trading turrets /dealer board phone systems

[KaiK8]

Hi experts,

I am new to this forum, but was attracted by the high quality and proper answers - and of course worthwhile to mention the rapid and appropriate responses from the nethawk.net team.

Working in consulting to telecommunications I do have the task to put together some information about trading turrets /dealer board phone systems. Most of the technical data sheets and other proprietary information I found on the website of the manufacturer (IPC, BT, Orange, Siemens, Speakerbus).

But on the lookout for more information besides the technical stuff, such as some figures like "market quadrants", "market position", "quality experiences" etc I have found nothing. These days I have spoken with some of the manufactures (i.e.: IPC, Orange, Siemens), but as expected they were very "secretive" to this question .- (. As well I am very interessted in any comparisions of the main aspects to the systems (architecture, BCP, process integration to middle and back office, benefits and USPs).

Maybe someone here in this forum can provide me a couple of tips, ideas or links to other sources.

Thanks in advance. I look forward to each answer.

Kai


ps: Please excuse my broken english, I hope to keep the number of mistakes small.

 

[VTE1]

There is very little in the public domain about trading turrets. The industry is too small of a niche to be followed by anyone in the analyst community. Though having said that, episodic reports are disseminated periodically, the most recent published by Rik Turner at Ovum Group. It is a relatively good overview of the market, trends and players. Otherwise, your best bet is to try and find a specialist consultant in the area of trader voice. The quality and oobjectivity vary by region. Though if you are in Asia you might try Planned Telecom Services (PTS). Another is JP Reis. Both are reputable and objective and operate out of the UK as well as Japan and I think either HK or Singapore.
In terms of the market it breaks down like this:
Incumbents
IPC - the 800 pound gorilla (and usually acts every ounce of it)
BT - second in line, heavily focused on largest global firms
Orange - strong following in Southern Europe, present in Asia as well
All three have in the past 12-24 months introduced next-gen switching fabrics and all can provide a comprehensive portfolio and global support. It comes at a high cost and may not be necessary for firms that do not have rigorous voice trading requirements or large numbers of traders. If your trading floors are smaller (5-50) and distributed across several cities these systems to network and offer BCP can be astonishingly expensive. The other negative is once you go with them they are the only authorized providers of support so you have little to no bargaining leverage or choice when it comes to ongoing support.
Challengers:
Speakerbus, IP Trade...both Speakerbus and IP Trade have systems that are optimized to integrate with Cisco or Avaya PABX platforms. They have small installed bases and cannot possibly invest the R&D dollars that the bigger three can so there is a noticeable difference though the counterargument is that traders do only a finite number of things with their turrets so after about 10 features it does not matter anymore.
The same can be said for their ability to provide quality implementation and support. Best to describe it as hit or miss.
In terms of pricing, the challengers will come in below the incumbents but the incumbents will generally discount aggressively to get close. The problem is that once you buy the system the discount does not generally apply to follow-on purchases so the TCO can skyrocket if you add a lot of users over the system life cycle.
Both Siemens and Mitel also market a native IP Turret with their PABX but outside of the Germanic countries Siemens does not focus on the business and Mitel has a small installed base in the USA through a dealer but their platform lacks a robust speaker solution if that is a requirement.
All in all, it is worth remembering that whatever system you choose will probably have a lifespan of at least a decade so consider the cost per user over that interval and be sure of the manufacturer's commitment to support the platform you choose and be comfortable with the responsiveness and domain expertise of the support provider.

 

[CharlesMisc]

Dear KaiK8
As VTE1 correctly describes, the analyst community does not focus on the ‘trader voice’ segment in much detail. We participated in the September 2011 OVUM study which I think is a credit to the authors: Rik Turner & David Molony and would recommend this as a good market overview.
The opinions expressed by VTE1 are not quotes from the report and I would like to respond to three points made.
Speakerbus’ installed base in financial markets is substantial (~65,000 live seats) that is comprised of turrets, intercoms and speakers. We are building our market share of turret seats and are considered to have a highly competitive and functional product offer. I am very comfortable for you to take opinion from the consultant firms mentioned regarding our capability.
Our investment ratio for R&D:Revenue is very aggressive for a company of our size and we are independently assessed and registered to the BS EN ISO 9001 quality management standard. You will see substantial product announcements across our range this year.
Speakerbus’ ability to provide quality implementation and support is founded on our international network of wholly owned subsidiary offices, combined with our experience in supplying and supporting 9 of the top 10 Tier-1 banks over the last two decades across all continents. We have support offers ranging from embedded personnel (on site staff) through structured maintenance contracts with SLA terms and conditions.
I concur and fully endorse the closing comment by VTE1 regarding lifecycle costs as they have demonstrated sound market knowledge in their post overall.
Speakerbus would of course welcome the opportunity to provide details of our architecture, BCP, process integration to middle and back office, benefits and USPs on request.


Charles Miscampbell
Chief Marketing Officer - Speakerbus

 

[biglebowski]

if you are in the UK speak to PTS Consulting, they have consulted for most of the banks and evaluated their needs and recommended the best vendor solution based solely on those requirements.

ps. I have nothing to do with them but worked for etrali many moons ago and project managed some installs they put in via us.

Biglebowskis Razor - with all things being equal if you still can't find the answer have a shave and go down the pub.

 

[JOHNSONDESOUZA]

I supposed that if you looking for comparison, the way to look at it is the support.

I had some interesting facts about the support. A great and expensive product should at least had good support.

http://www.justvs.blogspot.com/