VoIP: The state of play

 Cost saving is still the main driver for VoIP uptake, with secondary drivers being productivity and collaboration. “After that it’s less clear. Companies want all of the above, as well as flexibility and scalability, consistent functionality, centralised management and consolidation of networks,” Fevre says.

Where VoIP players are starting to define themselves is with applications. Historically telephony did not integrate much with the rest of a company’s applications, but VoIP brings almost infinite possibilities.

“There’s a lot of database applications at the moment,” says Avaya’s business development manager Robbie Kruger.

“We’re seeing directory applications and video, voice and web collaboration. It doesn’t matter what the media type is anymore, people can share PowerPoint, and do voice and videoconferencing all on the one platform.” Business productivity applications for 'rich media communications' is one area taking off, says Cisco’s Hughes.

“I’m seeing applications like natural language, speech recognition, voice calls, personalisation of services, instant messaging and video.” Efforts are also going into applications that integrate wireless and wireline, so that when you go from the corporate network to the public network, communications are seamlessly handed over between the two.


Challenges
 

IDC's Fevre: VoIP to go mainstream this year

At present one of the biggest challenges to VoIP growth is getting the message out there. The uptake of VoIP is still predominantly reliant on word of mouth.

Forrester Research conducted in November 2004 titled “Where did you first hear about VoIP”, showed that friends and colleagues were the main evangelists for VoIP, with newspaper and magazines advertisements coming equal last. “It’s just a time issue,” says Freshtel’s Carew. “I’d say 50 percent of the population haven’t even heard of VoIP, which is a good opportunity for channel partners to spread the word.”

The extent to which the VoIP industry should be regulated is currently under the microscope. Some are advocating a light-touch approach so the market does not get smothered under a wet blanket of legalese.

Others want more stringent criteria to protect the VoIP industry so shonky services and practices do not wreck VoIP’s new-darling reputation.

Sonic Wall's Dickinson: Important to make a full assessment of whole network

Three regulatory bodies are encouraging VoIP industry participants to have their say via a discussion paper. The Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) issued the discussion paper in conjunction with the Australian Communications Authority (ACA) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

“We’ve had 40 submissions so far and we expect more as people return from leave,” says the ACA’s manager of industry operations and licensing, Greg Neylan. “It will take us a couple of months [before] we have some preliminary views available,” he says. 

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