TMCnet News
VoIP, It’s All About AccessBy Erik Linask
Associate Editor, INTERNET TLEPHONY
Day three of INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO witnessed a good-sized audience getting a glimpse into the voice over IP space through the eyes of Covad’s CEO Charles E. Hoffman.
The telecommunications industry has changed more in the last decade than it did the entire century prior to that. In that space, VoIP has a substantial presence, and is gaining traction on a daily basis. Indeed, business-class VoIP has matured to the point where it is nearing the reliability of traditional TDM systems.
On the consumer side, Hoffman admits, the situation is slightly different, largely because, for consumers, the single biggest selling point is inexpensive technology — consumers want cheap phone service and certain basic features. Enterprises, however, have been adopting VoIP in much larger numbers, primarily because of the cost benefits combined with added feature functionality. The mid-size market, through it all, has been underserved, which is where Covad saw an opening.
To these clients, minimizing initial cost tends to be more important that RoI. Covad also prioritizes voice packets, so a lower initial expenditure does not have to mean lower QoS. For the past year, Covad has been selling in this space — quite successfully, according to Hoffman.
Naturally, the key differentiator is quality — in this case, the quality of the applications, the products, and the services offered by providers. Furthermore, there is little doubt about the variety and uniqueness of new and innovative features available from any one of a number of providers.
So, the future will bring multimedia IP communications. And various industries will be drawn to it, not only because of cost savings, but because of the applications and features, many of which will be customizable at the business, workgroup, or individual level.
But, as the VoIP space continues to grow, customers will find that what really matter, and what will really make the difference, are more and more robust access networks. Access — that’s what the future is all about.
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