There is one thing that has remained consistent in the 22 years I have been writing about telecom, and that is the industry's search for services that add value--and revenue--over and above the mere transmission of voice or data. When I started writing about telecom, that search was generating ISDN and advanced calling features such as caller ID. Now, obviously, there is much more afoot.
But the basic problem remains for telecom service providers. They must constantly be adding value or risk becoming the dreaded "dumb pipe." If anything, the Internet has exacerbated that problem, since consumers now can use broadband connections--very high-speed dumb pipes--to get voice service and video content as well, with no need to pay more to purchase those from the company selling them the pipe. As wireless data proliferates, and next-generation offerings deliver more bandwidth, there is even a threat to the pipe business.
Where technology taketh away, it also giveth. The transition to an all-IP network promises to give service providers new tools to enable them to offer those higher-value services, and if they do so on a timely basis, and at a reasonable price, they can retain and even expand their customer base. Those are some big "ifs," and there is little doubt that the battle to add value will rage on indefinitely.
This first issue of our "Next-Gen Technologies at NXTcomm" newsletter series looks at what service providers can expect to find at NXTcomm, June 19-21 in Chicago, to help them address this eternal challenge.
