Paving the Way for VoIP Cloud Connectivity

Voxbone (News - Alert) has done it again! Something great that is.

From their recent announcement...

“Greatly expanding availability of emerging HD voice technology, Voxbone will transcode, or translate, between Skype (News - Alert)’s super-wideband SILK codec and the widely deployed HD codec, G.722, Voxbone announced at eComm Europe 2009.”

This is great for many reasons, but high on the list is that it opens up HD voice to users of VoIP outside of Skype’s “private-peered” HD. This interoperability between Voxbone’s 883 iNum prefix, the “Internet Country Code” for VoIP, and Skype HD VoIP users is a crystal-clear example of HD VoIP peering between two different clouds. The development will pave the way for other VoIP clouds to connect so that they too can more efficiently and effectively peer with these communities. HD will no doubt become the preferred listening experience for audio communications just as it has become so for television. The next big step for all will be full duplex mobile HD video.

There are a few other interesting points to consider about this development as it relates to mass adoption of applications and new, better features and the impact that has on broadband demand and investment. Skype’s “about us” section gives many hints as to the cause, effect and business case for users and companies that sell broadband services.

“Skype is software that enables the world’s conversations. Millions of individuals and businesses use Skype to make free video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other Skype users. Everyday, people everywhere also use Skype to make low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles… Access to a broadband Internet connection is required.”

Skype is used by millions of people. It is global and has no borders. It enables audio – in HD – and video calls, which require a fairly decent amount of bandwidth when all of the full-duplex sessions across millions of people are accounted for. The calls within the Skype peering community are “free,” but a broadband Internet connection is required. The broadband connection is not free, but the economics work for most people to migrate away from costly PSTN voice services to a better quality VoIP service via the public Internet. It is also rather easy to show someone the value of video calling when it is not even available on the PSTN.

All of this as well as HD voice are features and benefits that continue to accelerate the adoption of broadband globally. The demand for these applications drives the business case for the broadband service providers to build out their networks deeper in to regions of the world that have never had such services. The impact is profound.

As the feature/benefit/broadband equation plays out, people are entering the interconnected world. They make their way on the basis of one or two applications at first, but the broadband link gives them access to millions of other features and benefits that they are not even aware of. Over time each individual will come to know many of these functions and uses from a singular perspective as well as social one. The power of billions of minds processing information, thinking, creating and contributing back to the collective process is currently being “wired.” We are as a global community just taking our first steps in the direction of an internetworked future. It is truly an exciting time to be a active participant in the development of this collective cerebral infrastructure. IT

Hunter Newby (News - Alert) is chief strategy officer and director of a special purpose acquisition corporation focused on the communications industry. Reach him at [email protected] or visit www.hunternewby.com.

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