The 1st of February 2005 has come and gone and the build-up around the immediate promises beckoning from all the hype associated with deregulation has unfortunately gone with it.
This is not necessarily because the promises cannot be fulfilled but because a.) The still unclear regulatory environment is preventing telecommunications progress for Africa (SA to lead by example) b) The industry has not cemented and therefore communicated the risks and benefits c.) The South African market doesn`t have much to benchmark itself against and d.) The industry has yet to find a solution to ensure mass adoption due to the social and geographic issues that Africa face.
What now needs to be examined for a successful VOIP approach locally is for the industry to a.) Realise this is a learning curve and international assumptions and comparisons need to be interpreted for local effects and development and b.) Understand the risks and benefits associated with voice. Service providers and businesses need to develop clear business strategies to ensure successful implementation of a convergence strategy - which is more than just the age-old product punt of here`s a leased line and how much more bandwidth do you need and how about we throw in some hosting and security with that!
Service providers in particular need to take cognisance of the new role of partnerships, sharing best practice and mutual working relationships for the benefit of the entire telecommunications industry and in turn the economic stability associated with this technology upturn. For too long service providers (mobile and fixed line) have worked in isolation and it is this exact mindset that needs to be rectified to realise the true benefits of voice.
The business models of various service providers locally are naturally common in their dimension and composition and this is causing an industry assumption of hype! What now needs to be examined is more of the synergies and accurate consultancy around voice to ensure the greater benefit of the local market and economy - a goal that we are striving to achieve. Now is the time to air opinions and suggestions, to learn from and eradicate any challenges and risks and to design a shared model of compliancy that will benefit the business arena from both a financial and infrastructure perspective.
Having worked in the telecommunications industry for 8 years, Elia Tsouros, business development executive at UUNET SA, is well versed in the challenges and opportunities associated with technology introductions such as VOIP. In light of this, UUNET SA is perfectly positioned as a service provider of choice holding a clear understanding of voice and its role in convergence.
"Now is the time to be observant and bold in voice to highlight the pitfalls, understand these challenges, learn from our international counterparts, work as an industry in partnership and reap its remarkable benefits," says Tsouros. "Now is the time to explore and be open to discussion around voice for the benefit of South African growth and stability."
For more information, please contact UUNET SA on or (021) 658 8700 or visit www.uunet.co.za.
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