IP peering and federation provider XConnect has been busy in 2010 building awareness and adoption of end-to-end IP communications options, with the free trial of its HD Voice Federation in the U.S., extended this week to the United Kingdom. Also this week, XConnect said it has formed an alliance with three of the leading IP-based communications vendors – BroadSoft, Dialogic and Polycom – to promote the adoption of HD voice by service providers in the United Kingdom.
XConnect CEO Eli Katz sat down with VON/xchange editor Richard Martin to discuss these latest moves as well as the broader adoption of HD voice and other IP-based communications services.
VON/xchange: Can you give me some more detail on XConnect’s news this week?
Eli Katz: There are two components to our recent announcements. One is around HD voice: We’ve launched an industry initiative, involving a number of vendors who are key part of the HD ecosystem: Polycom, BroadSoft, and Dialogic. We’re looking to have a coordinated series of initiatives, working with U.K. providers to help them on the migration path toward HD.
The kickoff event was with ITSPA [the Internet Telephony Service Providers Association], and we look forward to doing more events, technical workshops, articles, and so on, helping to educate providers on how easy it is to adopt HD and helping them overcome the possible pitfalls to boost further adoption of HD.
The second component is that several U.K. providers have now become part of our HD-enabled federation. We’re pleased to extend what we’re doing in the states, to the U.K. We’re delighted that not only will those customers be making U.S.-to-U.S. calls, but also U.S. to the U.K.
V/x: How many providers are now part of the HD Voice Federation?
EK: There are 10-plus providers in the states that have been announced, plus three so far in the U.K. We’ll see that expanding rapidly to close to 10.
V/x: Can you talk about what’s driving the adoption of HD voice?
EK: There are two drivers we’re getting a feel for. No. 1, it’s the easiest way of delivering new the capabilities that IP communications bring. It gives service providers the ability to offer a new service, HD enabled initially within the enterprise. If the enterprise has, for example, a hosted IP PBX, it’s a very easy new service to bring to the business. In a way it’s a unique selling point – a new feature available only within IP communications.
