 Convergence & VoIPNetwork World's Convergence & VoIP Newsletter, 09/19/07VoIP’s success depends on robust management, says Mitel, Newbridge founderBy Steve Taylor and Larry HettickToday, we’ll conclude our highlights of a recent interview with Sir Terence (Terry) Matthews, founder of Mitel and Newbridge Networks, and now chairman of investor company Wesley Clover (part 1 of the highlights here). When asked about why he was so bullish on convergence, Matthews replied: “It will never go back.” He observed that when Newbridge was acquired by Alcatel in 2000, the price for a DSL port was about $1,000 while today, based on a recent public tender awarded in Vietnam, the price for that same port is $9. Based in part on the greatly reduced equipment costs, the access and core networks can now deliver services at a similarly reduced price for the broadband services needed to support IP-centric applications. Matthews believes that the next growth opportunities in a converged network will come from video — both from enterprise video conferencing and from IPTV. Citing the lowered cost of long distance broadband combined with the sharply reduced price of HDTV monitors and the advances in video compression, he contends that an “HD video wall” connecting offices between Asia and New York makes great economic sense and can reduce the cost of doing business without affecting the face-to-face contact needed by global enterprises.
And, saving the best for last Matthews contends that the most easily forgotten but the most important fundamental application traveling IP networks is voice. And, he emphasizes that it must be voice that works well and that is as reliable as the TDM systems that it replaces. Not only must VoIP provide superior quality audio, but it must be equally easy to supply and administer in a headquarters location or in a branch office. Consequently, Matthews is a big believer in the approach used at Mitel which offers the same software and provides the same feature set whether to a 60,000-seat HQ or a 10-person office. And, going back to his main point about the need for robust management, he suggests that the management system will be a determining factor for any VoIP supplier’s success. Our thanks to Terry Matthews for his insights. Next time: Trade show and conference announcements and highlights.
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| Contact the author: Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. For more detailed information on most of the topics discussed in this newsletter, connect to Webtorials, the premier site for Web-based educational presentations, white papers, and market research. Taylor can be reached at taylor@webtorials.com Larry Hettick is an industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience in voice and data. He is Vice President for Telecom Services and Infrastructure at Current Analysis, the leading competitive response solutions company. He can be reached at lhettick@currentanalysis.com ARCHIVEArchive of the Convergence & VoIP Newsletter. BONUS FEATUREIT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICESTo subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007 |
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