This article originally appeared in the October 2010 issue of INTERNET TELEPHONY

The IP industry is constantly evolving – end users and manufacturers are all looking to stay one step ahead of new trends. Unified communications is an important one, and at the ITEXPO (News - Alert) in October UC is once again in the spotlight.

Where does UC adoption stand?  What sectors are utilizing UC the most?  Has UC finally come of age?

One thing is clear – SIP trunking is driving UC adoption.  SIP trunks are a cost-effective way to implement SIP-based VoIP, and once that architecture is in place you’re ready to use all the applications, reap all the benefits that UC has to offer. This makes the value proposition and the road to UC clear for end users, IP -PBX (News - Alert) vendors and ITSPs.

What about incumbent telecom operators? Where do they fit in?

It is critical to understand that the incumbents need and want to be the operators they’ve always been. However, they cannot survive if their focus remains on delivering POTS globally.  Incumbents need to deliver unified communication connectivity globally – that’s their niche, and that’s where they’ll be successful.

Carriers’ futures lie in being more than bandwidth providers. Incumbents must embrace unified communications as a business model, because that’s the best way, the most cost-effective way, a clear way for them to redefine their niche and ultimately generate revenue. This is how they will survive as operators on the fixed network.

Yet UC still seems to be on the brink of that tipping point. So what is holding back global unified communications today? Is it that UC is still blocked, still unable to reach outside of the LAN to extend to the mobile workforce, outsider users, etc.? Perhaps we as an industry need to clarify what UC is and its benefits, and talk more about how to implement it in a very simple, straightforward way. And, just as important, the incumbents need to jump on the bandwagon as well.

At the new SIP Trunk-UC Summit we’ll address these pressing issues and much more.  We hope to see you there.