It’s clear from AT&T Inc. and Deutsche Telecom AG’s partial-to-full banning of Skype on their cellular networks that mobile VoIP and its toll bypass capabilities are still seen as a threat to operator revenue. But carrier-friendly might soon be the new adjective as operators start making mobile VoIP part of their strategy for delivering smart, personalized IP services.
“There’s an increasing level of confidence from traditional telecom players in IP telephony and IP services in general – it’s very relevant for 2009,” said Paul Naphtali, vice president of global marketing at Web telephony company JAJAH, in an interview. “Carriers are starting to clarify their own strategies towards IP services, particularly thanks to the popularity of the Apple App Store and other widget markets. Customers have a demand for a new services mix that is microtargeted and highly customized, and operators know they can’t do it on their own, so there is an immense need to find partners that can give them value-added services they can offer quickly.”
In short, the killer app is choice, and the idea of personalized communications is becoming a snowballing trend as the applications market phenomenon proliferates. Witness the fact that the Apple App Store is approaching 1 billion downloads, and has been joined by BlackBerry’s App World, Nokia’s Ovi portal and others as ways for users to customize their communications experiences.
The upshot? Integrating mobile VoIP with existing services and ancillary functions like SMS and IM can alleviate some of the pressure on traditional providers to drive new services out to the base. “With users demanding a level of tailoring for their needs, and operators focusing more on retention instead of growth, that’s where mobile VoIP services can enhance rather than detract from existing services,” said Naphtali. “Suddenly VoIP is no longer entirely competitive.”
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