ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A major initiative aimed at helping telecom operators roll out next-generation voice-over-IP (VOIP) services was announced today by Light Reading, the telecommunication industry’s leading source of news and analysis, and the International Packet Communications Consortium (IPCC), the only industry association dedicated to the advancement of packet communications of all types.
The two organizations are working together to create the industry’s most comprehensive online directory of VOIP applications software products.
“VOIP is now moving to a second phase, one in which carriers are focused on using packet-based infrastructure to generate new revenues by rolling out new services,” said Peter Heywood, Founding Editor of Light Reading. “Light Reading wants to oil the wheels of this development by providing a directory of products that will help carriers achieve their goals.”
The first stage of the project went live today, when Light Reading published a taxonomy of VOIP applications software which defines major product categories and lists suppliers in each of them (see: http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?site=lightreading&doc_id=46756).
The taxonomy is in the form of a Light Reading “Who Makes What” report, where readers are invited to help refine it by suggesting additions and corrections – not just to the lists of suppliers but also to the taxonomy itself and the definitions of the product categories.
The initial product categories are:
Messaging and presence services
Voice/Multimedia and VPNs
Media content and distribution
Billing and customer care
The report incorporates a downloadable questionnaire to enable vendors to submit details of their products and companies. This information will be added to the online report as it comes in, to create an online directory that gives prospective purchasers of VOIP application software an easy way of not only finding products but of comparing them as well.
The IPCC is assisting Light Reading by helping to identify the categories in the directory and by refining the vendor questionnaire.
“We are very pleased to endorse this directory,” said Michael Khalilian, Chairman & President of the IPCC. “There is a need in the industry for a definitive directory that represents the broadest range of VOIP applications. This is in keeping with the IPCC’s mission to support the advancement of packet communications of all types.”
The initial directory will focus on VOIP service applications software, but it will be extended quickly to also include network devices and software such as application servers, media servers, gateways, and gateway controllers.
“Our overall goal is to repeat the success we've had in other areas of telecom technology and to become the go-to website for everything to do with VOIP by giving readers by far and away the best quality information and the best quality analysis, in a highly readable manner,” Heywood said.
About Light Reading Inc.
Light Reading’s website, Light Reading, delivers timely and entertaining in-depth analysis of telco networking developments for free, to a worldwide audience of 750,000 people a month. Light Reading’s other publications include Byte and Switch (storage networking), Unstrung (wireless infrastructure), and Boardwatch (services and software). It also owns Heavy Reading (paid market research).
About the IPCC
The International Packet Communications Consortium (IPCC) is the leading international industry association dedicated to the advancement of the market for all products, services, applications, and solutions that utilize packet-based communications technologies of all types. The IPCC membership is comprised of a diverse group of wireline and wireless service providers, governmental agencies, standards bodies, equipment and software vendors, and enterprises, representing all network elements involved in next-generation networks. Additional information about the IPCC can be found at www.packetcomm.org.