Guest Blog: HD the Next Wave in Telecom
The emergence of high definition options finally gives the voice business an opportunity to accelerate innovation. This represents very good news as the pace of innovation separates the prosperous from declining sectors in telecom. Doug Mohney argues the arrival of HD sets in motion a Third Wave in telecom as significant as the emergence of mobility in the 80′s and VoIP in the 90′s.
The proliferation of email and adoption of communication tools available from Facebook, Twitter, or the myriad of applications enabled by mobile phone data plans shrinks demand for voice services. The prospect of HD reversing this decline means a voice industry that can move from harvesting back to growth mode. HD can alter the way end users consume voice as the cell phones did by introducing mobility and VoIP did by making unlimited and international calling affordable.
The failure to improve voice quality limits the ways people can use telephones. The torture technique otherwise known as music-on- hold becomes something entirely different with devices that support HD. HD can save businesses from confusion about whether the deal is $50 million or $15 million. International diplomacy gets transformed as HD makes it easier to understand people speaking in other than their native language. Does the reliance of teens on texting reflect a love of text or the fact poor cell phone voice quality makes holding a conversation by any other means difficult?
An HD call offers a level of intimacy that replicates the in-person experience far better than traditional telephones, but HD requires compatible devices on both ends of the connection. This means adoption will need to proceed incrementally via strong links at first in a manner similar to fax machines. HD devices and software already provide a relatively simple means for people with intensive communication needs to set up “hotlines” between each other. In addition to offering better voice quality, keep in mind HD calls get setup as end to end data calls via the Internet or other data connections, so the usual telephone metering for time and distance do not apply.
Everything in life comes in a range of quality options as a function of need and willingness to pay, except telephone voice quality. President Obama suffers the same mediocre voice quality in conversations with world leaders as a teenager planning a party on Friday night. The arrival of HD is poised to transform the landscape, because the factors limiting the world to a single level of voice quality no longer apply. The transition to HD sets in motion a process of continuous improvement that can continue to drive demand year in and year out. Surf’s up!
Jeff Pulver is the Chairman and Founder of pulver.com. He is the publisher of The Pulver Report and creator of the industry standard Voice on the Net (VON) events. Additionally, Jeff is the founder of FWD, the VON Coalition, PrimeTimeRewind.TV, Vivox and is the co-founder of VoIP provider, Vonage.
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Tags: HD-voice, Jeff Pulver, VoIP
