Seven steps to VoIP heaven
The traditional view of VoIP is that it is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, as a ‘disruptive’ technology, it constitutes a major threat to incumbent fixed-line telecos; on the other, it creates business opportunities for new entrants.
Take ISPs. For them, VoIP clearly represents a vehicle that will allow them to enter a new market territory. Unlike basic internet access services, which are often offered on flat-rate basis, voice is — potentially — a significant new revenue stream. By contrast, traditional fixed-line telcos have seen, during the last decade, the cannibalisation of their business by wireless operators. VoIP now appears to be the next major threat to their business.
That said, VoIP could turn out to be an opportunity for even the traditional telcos. Technological convergence of voice and data onto one platform is fuelling customer expectation and demand for converged services; that suggest that service providers cannot maintain their business by offering standalone voice and internet access services.
However, the major challenge for service providers is to constantly maintain an attractive service portfolio consisting of a mix of voice and data services with high quality and availability. We outline seven critical steps in building a successful VoIP-based business. Each step is inspired by experience and practices from mobile network operators where the strive for a good voice service quality is a constant battle and where, at the same time, major parts of future revenue growth is expected to come from other related services using the latest 2.5/3G technology.
