The big voice switch
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Lest there be any doubt, this issue's focus on the convergence of two technologies - Voice over IP (VoIP) and wireless computing - is not more hype or optical ball gazing. It is very nearly 100% certain that these technologies will converge and be widely adopted.
Reading our cover story headlines this month, some readers may feel a sense of déjà vu. Revolution in telecoms? A big switch to new technologies? Circuits giving way to packets? Surely all this has happened before.
To a point, this is true. Telecoms, like its close cousin computing, is full of false dawns. And it has also been turned upside down by a series of genuine revolutions in recent decades, starting with the first digital switches in the late 1970s, through to the latest IP-based services of today. Along the way, superhighways, cable telephony, mobile networks and even low-earth orbiting satellites have prompted a vast outpouring of hype; some of these have led to real revolutions, some have yet to happen, and others have crashed to earth.
Lest there be any doubt, this issue's focus on the convergence of two technologies - Voice over IP (VoIP) and wireless computing - is not more hype or optical ball gazing. It is very nearly 100% certain that these technologies will converge and be widely adopted; it is equally likely that the big operators, along with hundreds of software and service providers, will bring in a huge range of powerful, disruptive new services and products. At least some of these will fundamentally alter business productivity, if not, for some, whole industries.
These changes present both a threat and opportunity to the telecoms industry, but the same is also true of its customers. The move to IP-based voice and other services will, like the Internet, be a powerful new set of tools for some, a disruptive and damaging threat to others.
Many of our readers won't have had too much involvement with voice systems, or even networking services. They might even have an aversion to the whole area. But, as Gartner recently advised, most businesses will need a top-level executive who can navigate the new landscape, and that person should probably have a background in IT management. But as ever, this is not about IT, or IP, but about business.
Editor: Kenny MacIver
