MikeM,
Sorry it's taken me so long to respond. The one point I think that is missing with the argument "why kill off a voice network that works, works well, and is paid for" is the fact that there are new "greenfield" operators entering the market that are building converged networks from scratch. These "greenfields" can provide convergent services at lower costs than the incumbents. Additionally, many people think (however, I am a bit skeptical) that there are compelling value-added services that can only be offered (at least efficiently and cost effectively) over a converged network. For example, VoIP,streaming video-on-demand, streaming audio, etc. Some also believe that the operators that will prosper will be the ones that can offer a complete bundle of value-added services, as well as, the traditional services, and do so at a low cost to the customer.
However, given the state of the market, this vision is maybe too optimistic. Maybe, deregulation will not live up to its promise and less competition enters the market. Just like you said "only age will...kill the old networks." If this is the case, maybe we get business as usual - where the industry evolves at a lethargic pace due to issues like "a voice network that works, works well, and is paid for"...
Comments welcome! |
