* The media-rich world is changing how communications infrastructures are built
During a recent “in the office” chat with several key staff members at Current Analysis, the discussion turned to how the PBX model has evolved away from being hardware-centric. We also discussed how a premises-centric model has changed to a model in which communications applications, such as hosted voice and instant messaging, are integrated on a multi-purpose server rather than on a purpose-built PBX or application-specific hardware appliance.
Adding fuel to the discussion was a recent tour of a lab at a large service provider that looked a whole lot more like a data center (with lots of servers) than the traditional central office (with lots of switches and routers). While transport gear such as optical switches and MPLS-capable core routers are still critical to the carrier network and enterprise communications, the ability to provide and integrate applications inside the core network is becoming as important as the transmission capabilities.
Another observed trend was the number of minutes callers spent on a mobile phone vs. the minutes spent on the same party’s landline when both mobile and landline phones are available. Depending on the user demographics, it isn’t unusual for many callers to spend more time on the mobile phone vs. the landline – even if the landline is cheaper per minute. We attribute this trend to a social factor of turning voice conversation away from a location-to-location (or phone to phone) phenomenon into a person-to-person (and geographically irrelevant) phenomenon.
Finally, we noted that many users who can’t reach a caller via phone will send an e-mail, an instant message, an SMS and a voicemail message, all in an effort to see which medium will reach their intended party the fastest. This trend speaks to the broad acceptance of text-based messaging and the move toward media-neutral communications.
We contend that collectively, these observations are both the “chicken and the egg” of how communications is affecting and being affected by convergence.
Next time, we’ll hear from a few infrastructure suppliers and get their take on how these social phenomenon and network architecture changes are affecting communications. If you’d like to join in on this discussion in the coming weeks, please drop us an e-mail with your thoughts at the e-mail addresses below and we’ll publish your comments.
