Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology can offer companies significant cost savings, but overzealous service providers could harm its potential.
So says Gateway Communications director Mike van den Bergh. There is no doubt that you can deliver perfectly acceptable, quality VOIP in SA, but there is a possibility that consumers will be put off the technology after receiving a poor service, he says.
"The technology is new to mainstream SA, and the primary draw card in the early stages will be cost. This will be driven both by service providers looking to undercut their competitors and companies seeking the cheapest possible deal."
Some providers might try to oversubscribe their network in order to cut costs, meaning their clients will receive a poor quality service, he says.
"In the corporate world, they not only expect but require crystal clear quality. So they will then ditch their VOIP strategy, thinking it is the technology that is faulty, rather than the service they were given," says Van den Bergh, adding that the solution lies in setting consumer expectations.
"They must learn that there is still a correlation between the amount of bandwidth provided and the quality of a call. VOIP is not simply free."
Van den Bergh will be among a number of industry players addressing the VOIP 2005: How to without the hype conference, organised by ITWeb, which will be held at the Forum in Bryanston on 19 April.
In his presentation, Van den Bergh will look at the challenges and realities of deploying a VOIP network. "I will also highlight the major areas to focus on to start with, like interconnection, bandwidth costs and so on."
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