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Comcast Touts Digital Voice Milestone

Have we entered the age of end-to-end voice-over-IP?
March 03, 2007

Comcast Communications revealed Thursday that it has passed the 2 million customer mark for its digital phone service.



This Comcast announcement indicates that:
- Traditional POTS services can be delivered by the cable companies. VoIP isn't limited to use by geeks with soft phones on PCs.
- The days of voice being transported via IP, end to end, are rapidly approaching. There are several VoIP peering companies that interconnect IP calls. Most of it is SIP-based (Vonage and the like), but CableLabs PacketCable 2.0 specification describes SIP support and the two major eMTA manufactures, Arris and eMTA, have production code support that. In the Netherlands a group is performing VoIP peering. On the wireless side, VoIP over upcoming high-speed cellular networks, such as HSPA, are coming down the pike.
- The xLECs of the world must come to grips with the fact that their traditional wireline customer base is eroding, and they must provide wireless and video services to provide a triple- and quad-play. In many cases, that is already happening (think VZW with Verizon, Cingular now part of the SBC, which purchased BellSouth, and Sprint's joint-venture with cable companies).
Frank Bulk
NWC Contributing Editor

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