From convergedigest.com
Top Five Ways the Next 5 Years of Voice Communications Will Be Different than the Past 5 Years
by Dr. Hassan Ahmed, CEO
12/22/2006
The telecommunications industry has a rich and storied history, but rarely has there been a point in that long history where the industry has evolved so quickly that the very ways in which people interact with one another can seemingly change overnight. One of the biggest catalysts for this period of rapid innovation has been the growth and acceptance of IP technology across the network. Today, virtually every major network operator is either deploying IP technology or finalizing plans for doing so, and over the next few years, the impact will be felt by everyone.
As we look ahead to the next five years, these are the dynamics that will change voice communications and empower the next generation of users:
1. A New Era for Application Development
We often get asked, "What’s the next killer application?" As network operators struggle to differentiate themselves from their competitors, the battle for new customers and customer retention can only be about price to a certain degree before business models are adversely affected. The truth, however, is that nobody really knows which applications will take off, while others fail to capture consumer imagination.
Innovation in voice applications up until this point has been stifled by the limited capabilities of traditional telephone networks. These restrictions created an environment where development and deployment of new services was a costly endeavor. By adopting an IP infrastructure, network operators can move towards an application environment that mirrors Web applications. As such, the costs associated with experimentation are dramatically reduced, opening the door to limitless possibilities for new applications, where in many cases, voice is just one element combined with other data services. IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)-based architectures and multimedia application platforms that integrate a telephony and Web-based environment, like the Sonus IMX™ Multimedia Application Platform, make it easy for network operators to develop homegrown applications or integrate third-party applications and trial the offering on a select group of friendly users. Depending on the received feedback, network operators can make immediate adjustments, roll out the applications to a broader basis, or terminate the project before vast amounts of resources are invested.
2. Hi Network, It’s Me, Hassan
I subscribe to many services: landline phone, wireless phone, my Treo™, and cable television, to name just a few. Right now, my ability to access those services is dependent on the device with which I connect to the network, but that doesn’t have to be the case. IP technology enables device-agnostic access to the network. If I subscribe to a service, such as premium cable channels, it shouldn’t matter to the service provider whether or not I’m watching television on my 40" plasma or my handheld device. Looking ahead, the network will recognize who I am and what services I’m entitled to, regardless of how I’m physically accessing the network.
3. While the tech trend is convergence, the social trend is divergence
As the explosion in online interaction and social networking has enabled people to join a multitude of social scenes from anywhere in the world, people are defining their own personal brand in more complex ways, with affiliations to different music scenes, art forms, hobbies and groups. In the next five years service providers will have to design their offerings to cater to an increasingly diverse audience with unique demands. IP-based voice networks provides the ideal platform for the seamless integration of a wide variety of services that enable network operators to create service packages specifically targeted to meet their users’ individual needs.
4. Wireless is just another IP endpoint
In the past five years, we’ve gotten a taste of the types of services available over our wireless phones and handheld devices, but the real catalyst for the introduction of exciting new services will be the deployment of high-speed wireless data connections and a new generation of handheld devices. Today, email is a widespread application for wireless devices, but email is frequently a gateway to other forms of communication and entertainment services. In business, we use them to convene conference calls and collaborate during online meetings; socially they are used for sharing online video clips and driving traffic towards online petitions and forums. As the power of end-user devices increase, and bandwidth becomes derestricted with the rollout of new technologies like EVDO-RevA, we will see a convergence of communications services that will extend and even surpass email. People will seamlessly switch between text, voice, video, Web and data over a converged communications network.
5. Nothing Spurs Innovation Like Competition
Around the Globe, new players are entering the voice communications industry. In the U.S., voice over broadband providers like Vonage and Earthlink are challenging the traditional competitive paradigm with the introduction of cost-competitive, innovative services. The past five years were focused on building brand awareness and educating consumers about the benefits of VoIP and debunking myths about quality and security. For the next five years, we envision more service providers will take advantage of the value offered by IP-based networks and aggressively enter the voice market. In Europe, the Local Loop Unbundling legislation has opened the door for players like CarPhone Warehouse to leverage their existing customer base to challenge the incumbent service provider. In Japan, where VoIP solutions are already widely deployed, the race to deliver new applications is paramount. Despite the different market drivers in various regions, the common denominator is the acceptance and deployment of distributed, SIP-based IP voice networks.
The IP voice market is reaching an inflection point and will continue to rapidly evolve over the next few years. We will start to see the emergence of new applications that leverage IP; bringing a new dynamic to the way people communicate and interact. Applications such as those that integrate presence, fixed-mobile convergence, and the true combination of voice, video and data services into one seamless experience will broaden the adoption of next-generation communications over the course of the next 5 years. Both the industry and consumers alike will feel this evolution – making for an exciting time in the overall communications landscape.
About the Author
Dr. Hassan Ahmed is chief executive officer and chairman of Sonus Networks. Prior to joining Sonus Networks as president and CEO in 1998, Dr. Ahmed was executive vice president and general manager of Ascend Communications’ Core Systems Division, which grew under his direction to a $1 billion business. Before Ascend’s acquisition of Cascade Communications, he served as Cascade’s chief technology officer. Previously, Dr. Ahmed was president and founder of WaveAccess, a pioneer in high-speed wireless network products. Additionally, he has held the positions of product engineering manager, Analog Devices, and director, VSLI Systems, Motorola Codex. He was also an associate professor at the Graduate School of Management, Boston University. Dr. Ahmed holds a BSEE and MSAE from Carleton University and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
About Sonus Networks
Sonus Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of voice over IP (VoIP) infrastructure solutions for wireline and wireless service providers. With its comprehensive IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solution, Sonus addresses the full range of carrier applications, including residential and business voice services, wireless voice and multimedia, trunking and tandem switching, carrier interconnection and enhanced services. Sonus' voice infrastructure solutions are deployed in service provider networks worldwide. Founded in 1997, Sonus is headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
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