Over-the-top applications are in high use across the mobile enterprise arena.   In Australia and elsewhere in the world, corporate employees are using commercial products to communicate. Chief among these are WhatsApp, Skype (News - Alert) and Viber. These easy-to-use apps are on nearly every device and either have web applications or desktop equivalent applications. They are also the apps most likely used in personal communications and it would make sense that they soon invade the work place. The trouble for corporations is the lack of security or control over the security, but for small businesses it is a boon.  Without the large budgets of larger corporations small business owners can quickly benefit from a large IT structure.

What is an "over-the-top" or "OTT" application or service? For a regular user of the Internet, an "OTT app or service" is something like: YouTube (News - Alert), Hulu, Netflix or Apple TV for streaming video, Skype or Facetime for voice/video calls, WhatsApp or iMessage for messages on a mobile device.

It is difficult to pin down exactly what an OTT is but you can be sure it is one if it is any service you are receiving over the Internet that is NOT provided directly by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Therefore it is a service you are not paying them for. Messaging services that use data networks instead of the cellular network cut into telecommunications company profits. Some telcos have reported falling income as a result.

The problem for telcos is that the all-IP architecture most mobile networks create are a more open environment for OTT applications, especially for third-party VoIP services. These will continue to threaten further commoditize the data networks. Telcos do not want to be in the wholesale of bits and data. They want to provide specialized premium services but that cannot happen as long as cheaper or free services are using their networks.

To overcome this threat, gain more revenue and avoid commoditization of their data networks, service providers have already removed unlimited data plans. The same will come to home services where services like Netflix and Hulu (News - Alert) threaten premium TV channels. The only question is when this will occur?