The Voice over Internet Protocol market is ready to pop. This new technology will likely surge over the next few years (big profits, many users). EBay is shelling out just over four billion dollars for VoIP leader Skype (their revenue for 2006 could exceed $200 million).
Questions… Is VoIP a death sentence for common carriers? How will phone companies fight the future? How will the FCC deal with 9-1-1 over the next few years?
Check out
http://www.fcc.gov/voip/
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3 comments:
I beleive that VOIP will become a major competition against land lines, but that may or may not hurt telephone companies. The reason it wouldn't, would be that most phone companies and larger transport carriers are the owners of the network, that is the fiber optics connecting cities, states, and continents. In colorado Qwest was the first to test VOIP protocol and I would bet Verizon has a huge interest in it too. Broadband is the new communication medium and if they don't invest in ATM Switches, VOIP equiptment, and large capacity networks, someone else will. But I do also beleive VOIP has a lot of bugs to work out until it takes the place of regular telephone. One major issue is 911 systems don't work on VOIP
VoIP is close to cresting it's able market. There are only so many households online and only a percentage of those have enough understanding to want or see the need for investing in technology.
As these competing companies (Skype, Vonage, etc.) reach the top of the mountain they'll start what all competing companies do, price wars (good for us but many times bad on service) and add ons.
Will it hurt telephone companies? Absolutely! But the real companies to watch out for are the satellite companies. They are laging behind in services and technology but as repeaters and personal sattelite systems improve, you'll start to see more and more satellite companies competing on a completely different level than they ever have (at least over the next 10 to 20 years).
News coverage has evolved from word-of-mouth gossip to a form of "monarchy gossip" (where all the stories are told to one "Reigning Superpower" - many times it was a government) to now the individual.
News coverage is evolving quickly to niche reporting on a W I D E scale and precise reporting in a very narrow scale.
So what used to be controlled is now no longer controlled. Ten years ago if I wanted to tell a thousand people about what happened in the Smith Trial, I would rely on speaking to a reporter.
Today I only need a PDA and Internet connection with email support from a local portal.
So to answer your question: Will AP's strategy to include two leads help print newspapers bolster interest and readership?
No. It's an old theory to a new idea. What newspapers need to consider is expanding their news department to include everyone with an interest in their publication. The real strategy/solution will be in how to keep the influx of information organized in an effecient manner.
Newspapers are still trying to maintain control over something they cannot. They would be better served to control what they are given.
If the community wants event calendars, give them event calendars and measure the results of use. Allow this measuring to input data people are interested in, into your print publication (afterall, if the people online are most interested in it, chances are good the people in the print will be interested too). By allowing online content to help drive print presentation, the newspaper industry can make their print product as powerful a tool as their online product (content and speed in delivery).
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