reading week 10

How do you expect VoIP to impact cable and telephone networks (both are regulated infrastructure industries) ?

In the next decade or maybe even sooner than that, I suspect that the telephone industries that don’t jump on the VoIP bandwagon are going to get left in the dirt. This is a revolutionary idea that is going to streamline to many people world wide. As quoted in the articles it is compared to as re-inventing the wheel. The VoIP idea bypasses the phone companies completely and its charges most importantly. I can see most major phone companies that have the money and technology will begin to offer VoIP plans sold along with computers. Some telephone companies have been using this technology for years. The only problems that exist with VoIP technology is that it relies on wall power, like most computers. If the power was to go out for any period of time this would have a effect the connection entirely. Once telephone companies develop a solution to this problem I suspect moderate growth in the VoIP technologies.  I don’t think that VoIP will have such a drastic affect on cable companies because their uses are Internet related, maybe further in the future we will see an affect.

1. What are some major issues affecting VoIP technologies?

2. What are some reason VoIP may not be the dominant way to make phone calls in the future?

3. In what ways with the explosion of VoIP technologies be an disadvantage to some distant cultures who have limited Internet access?