HD voice is the Rolls-Royce of voice communications.

 

It provides two to six times more audio fidelity over PSTN calls – while providing a “better more relaxed experience” for those using it. Plus, it lends itself to a more interactive communications environment.

 

And because it’s much more affordable for enterprises than it was when the G.722 specification emerged 20 years ago, it’s something every enterprise, regardless of size, should consider when it comes time to upgrade.  

 

Want to learn more?

 

Mobile video provider Dialogic’s (News - Alert) in-house HD voice gurus Rich Poole, business development director, and Martyn Davies, director of technology, gave more than 60 minutes of tips and insight during the first of TMCnet’s free, two-part webinar, “The Year of HD,” held earlier this month.

 

Today, HD voice is experiencing explosive growth in North America and around the globe. The majority of IP handsets now support G.722, as business VoIP providers from Alteva to Simple Signal are already offering HD voice service.

 

A few more examples: 8x8 (News - Alert) has deployed more than 70,000 HD voice handsets, while Verizon has installed nearly 5,000 Polycom HD voice units at its corporate headquarters. In Europe, France Telecom (News - Alert) has more than half a million HD voice users on broadband and has started offering mobile HD voice service in Moldova.

 

“Voice still is the killer app out there,” Poole told Webinar attendees. “If we look at the ones that are running, voice is definitely the one that drives the revenue chain.”

 

Need other reasons to upgrade? Consider current market trends: “More high speed lines are definitely being deployed today, so provides more bandwidth to do more applications,” Poole told listeners. “Dollars per minute and dollars per call are going down, so voice is becoming a commodity for operators, and there is still a need to differentiate services.”

 

So, how do you hop the HD train?

 

One quick answer: If you missed the webinar the first time around, be sure to check it out in TMCnet’s online archives.

 

Then, after a good listen, go ahead and mark your calendars for Part 2 of the free series: “Interconnecting HD voice and Video: Options Galore,” to be held April 14 at 2 p.m. EST.

 

“In a global workplace, communications is very important. You want to have the best-sounding communications so you can understand the people on the other side as quickly and as easily as possible,” Poole said. “I’ve sat on many conference calls where I couldn’t understand the other side.”