Disruption in Telecom: Voice & Messaging

The proliferation of the internet and wireless broadband connectivity is disrupting the telecom industry status quo. Innovative IP based voice and messaging services challenge traditional phone services.

The Telco 2.0 blog (STL) has teamed with Telecom TV to cover this topic in a very interesting panel discussion. Their Chief Analyst Martin Geddes explains how the value proposition of telephony is likely to invert over the next 10-15 years:

• access was in short supply (traditional telco)
• user's time and attention is in short supply (next wave)
• value is shifting from providing access to serve real needs of the users
  (usability, relevance, transactions, trust)

Keith Wallington represents a disruptor on the panel: Truephone. They offer free software that brings Internet/Wi-Fi based VoIP to mobile phones. That means free or very cheap mobile calls and messaging. He explains:
"the ability to charge a human being ... for a minute or a second of air time will tend to zero"

So the future is in rich services that create real value for the users. The user is the king!

Check out the full video here:
Telco 2.0 on TV: Disruption & Innovation in Voice & Messaging.