As we head into the 2009 holidays it’s a good time to pause and ask: What are the defining technologies that will exert the most powerful effect on the telecom industry in 2010?
Two of the likely innovations are high definition (HD) voice and video connectivity. Offering applications in both the consumer and enterprise space, HD voice substantially improves the quality of voice communications by delivering rich, full-bodied audio never before available. Video communications also offer great promise to businesses and individuals, particularly to mobile users who don’t mind paying a premium for on-demand video services.
But the growth of previous IP-based solutions, like collaboration, unified communications, and VoIP, has been predicated on the ability to integrate those technologies with legacy infrastructure – such as TDM and SS7 networks. That means a number of challenges must be addressed if HD voice and video are to reach their potential.
HD voice provides an audio experience that is not only pleasing to the listener but also enables new applications and more effective communication. But when it’s packetized and transported across networks, odd things can happen to the signal along the way. The inconsistency that is inherent in network infrastructure can seriously impair the quality of HD voice.
Take a common network connection between a caller and an HD conference service or another HD endpoint. Even if both endpoints have the highest quality and high-fidelity equipment, the actual signal delivered to the ear is only as good as the weakest link in the network connection. If the service provider can guarantee that the full bandwidth required is available end-to-end, and the connection is never routed through a traditional TDM switch, then it’s possible to hear the benefits of HD voice.
Video has been around for years, but only recently is it starting to build momentum, thanks mainly to the popularity of YouTube. But while video at the desktop is quite entertaining, that’s not where the industry is headed.
Many competitive service providers the ability to deliver video content to the mobile device offering the greatest upside. Likely applications for mobile video include video clips and streaming, video messaging, video conferencing, interactive voice and video response (IVVR), and video-enabled call centers.
But transporting resource-hungry video to a power-stingy mobile device with minimal bandwidth and limited processing power presents particular challenges. Plus, a multitude of hardware and software standards, codec choices, frame rates, and screen sizes all contribute to the complications in providing high-quality IP video to users.
As for new mobile devices capable of video conferencing, manufacturers such as Nokia (NOK), HTC, and LG (1577.TWO) have already introduced high-end phones with dual cameras. These will remain high-end options, at least for the next year, but could in time be as prevalent as handsets with single cameras today.
As was the case with VoIP, and is the case with HD voice, the ability of network operators to address all of these challenges will be the tipping point for video to become a high-margin, mission-critical business application that customers will pay for. While the enabling gateways, codecs, transcoders, and endpoints are beginning to surface, the challenge of bridging different networks that have varying capacities and capabilities will remain – at least in the near-term.
To read the full, in-depth article at our sister publication, VON, click here or on the source link below.
