Jay McCall (News - Alert) is VoIP and Wireless Editor at Business Solutions magazine, which is published by Corry Publishing. McCall will be moderating a panel discussion at the upcoming ITEXPO titled “Preparing Your Network for Quality Voice.” I asked McCall about that session and about what trends he is seeing in the industry that our readers should be aware of.

 

 

JM: Users want a single device to manage e-mail, voice mail, and a host of business applications while away from the office. The iPhone (News - Alert) is a big hit with consumers but because it’s currently restricted to AT&T’s network and it’s locked down it doesn’t meet the unified communications needs for most businesses.

 

JM: Yes, we experienced double-digit revenue growth, and we’re looking forward to a strong 2008.

 

JM: 2008 is projected to be as strong if not stronger than 2007.

 

JM: Wireless mobile computing and VoIP.

 

JM: I sat next to the CEO of a communication software company at a trade show as he was making several calls to employees and clients all over the world. He shared with me that he had been using Skype for several years to make calls while away from the office, and he said that over the past several years he hasn’t paid more than $70. When you combine cheap calling with decent call quality, you have a huge, market changing solution.

 

JM: Apple is bringing the unified communication concept to consumers in a fresh new way. As is often the case, the buzz in the consumer realm will lead to greater adoption (and new products) in the business arena. Many people agree Microsoft will become a major VoIP player, initially with enterprise customers and possibly in the SMB market down the road. Because of the mission critical nature of making quality calls, many businesses will opt for a trusted name such as Microsoft over less familiar names. We can expect to see more VoIP-related mergers and acquisitions in 2008, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft and Google are responsible for a few of them.

 

JM: I think that players such as Google, AT&T, and Verizon (News - Alert) Wireless will push this auction over the $20 billion mark, but it’s too early to tell how they’ll capitalize on this spectrum, which was previously reserved for analog television stations.

 

JM: Covering technologies such as VoIP, RFID, storage, networking, security, and wireless mobile computing will be key to our company’s continued growth.

 

JM: Growing our employee base to properly cover various hot markets without losing the camaraderie of an SMB.

 

JM: I’ll be moderating a panel discussion on the topic of preparing your network for quality voice. This 45-minute session will tackle the key technologies and business practices that ensure VoIP networks perform without jitter, delay, echo, and other problems.

JM: VARs/systems integrators as well as service providers and end users will find this topic of interest.

JM: I’ve covered the channel for more than four years and will relate some real-world problems that VARs, systems integrators, and service providers have shared with me over the years.

 

JM: WiMAX will forever change the landscape of wireless mobile communications, providing large amounts of bandwidth as well as QoS, which is essential for voice and video communication. We’ll begin to see WiMAX in the news later this year and its momentum will grow to iPhone status within the next two years.

 

JM: A device that truly competes with the iPhone will be launched, and it will run on Verizon Wireless’ network, have an open platform, and be the big hit of 2008 for businesses.