Why does interconnect voice still matter?
Seems crazy, but I can’t tell you how many times we hear comments that go something like, “Who cares about wholesale voice?”, “Voice doesn’t matter anymore”, or “Why should I care about voice, let alone interconnect voice?”. We get it! At the end of 2017, haven’t we all done everything there is to do in voice? Is there any real innovation going on in voice today? Why do I have to care about voice anyway? It’s all about apps & data, and OTT services. Voice is not important anymore.
Well, before we all unplug our phones and only communicate via Snapchat, Instagram, or FaceTime, let’s remember this: Throughout the world, voice is still the most ubiquitous technology out there. Yes, mobile wifi & data is growing at a seemingly unsustainable pace. We get that. But, today, voice is everywhere. It still is important. It still is how the majority of people communicate at work or personally. I don’t know about you, but I still spend about one to two hours of the day (when I am not writing blogs), on the phone either in the car talking to coworkers or friends, or at work talking to business partners or customers, or calling my doctor, my plumber, my family.
Voice communication is still a big part of my life. From an interconnect voice perspective, the industry still generates billions (yes billions) in annual revenues and hundreds of millions in margin dollars. Just last month, GCS customers, in total, managed over $1.6 Billion in revenue. Interconnect voice, despite its technical and commercial challenges still represents an important part of a carrier’s business and operations.
So, yes, voice still matters and, as a direct consequence, interconnect voice still matters. In fact, it matters so much that carriers need to continue to make strategic investments in how they manage and operate their voice related businesses. There are billions of dollars at stake and only those carriers with the strategic foresight to make these investments are going to be positioned to reap the rewards both operationally and financially.
What are you doing with your interconnect voice business?