Important Emerging Trends

One of the most important emerging trends at the minute seems to be Voice over IP and IP Telephony. We discussed in class the various advantages this service could provide if fully realised. So it was not surprising when I found this web page on the subject. I have summerised as follows. Please read.
Voice over IP (VoIP), the convergence of voice over packet-switched IP data networks, and IP Telephony are amongst the most important emerging trends in telecommunications. The business case for implementing VoIP or IPT will inevitably include such business benefits as increased functionality, ACD, CTI and extension mobility whilst cost savings may be found in reduced on-net call costs and lower costs associated with moves, adds and changes. However, once inherent start-up costs are considered, it can be challenging to build a business case based entirely on cost especially for companies currently with a private internal network or having an install base that is not fully depreciated.
Implementing VoIP requires attention to many factors including: available bandwidth, Qos/Cos policies, manageability, scalability, functionality requirements, availability (including survivable remote solutions for branch office networks), performance and security. Integration is another key consideration as, inevitably, large enterprise telephony environments often feature heterogeneous, multi-vendor networks with disparate devices deployed for the distinctive needs of their large and small sites.
Business deployment can be hindered by the lower quality of voice over IP.
Voice quality is a subjective topic and the definition of ‘good’ voice quality varies greatly with business needs and user expectations. Whilst lower delay, packet loss and jitter values produce the best voice quality the trade off may come in the form of increased costs associated with network infrastructure upgrades. There is also a trade off between real world limits and acceptable voice quality. Indeed some limits lie beyond easy control (such as the inherent fixed delay between geographically remote sites, for example between the UK and India).

Here is a link to the full article