In the last decade, many changes have taken place in the telecommunications sector, with increasing focus on the Internet, and as data and voice technologies continued to converge. One obvious area of change in the industry is the increasing number of mergers and acquisitions. Another is the dazzling array of new products and services being introduced on an almost daily basis. What is the best way to stay up to date with all the changes? In this article, we investigate and analyze some of these changes and provide ideas that will help in selecting the best business broadband internet service provider.
In recent years, many telecommunications entities have been affected by mergers and acquisitions. A few of the biggest in the US include:
* The acquisition of US West by Qwest Communications in 1999
* AT&T Inc. acquired BellSouth in 2006
* SBC (Southwestern Bell Corporation) Communications acquired Ameritech in 1999
* The merger of MCI Communications Corporation and Worldcom in 1998
* The merger of GTE and Bell Atlantic to form Verizon in 2000
* SBC acquired AT&T in 2005
* The acquisition of MCI by Verizon in 2005
In addition, many new services and products have been introduced and continuously enhanced in recent years including:
* Voice over IP services (VoIP) – Beginning in 2004, VoIP services have been available over broadband DSL or business Internet T1 service, without using standard switched telephone services. Three main methods of providing VoIP services are using an analog telepone adapter with an existing analog phone, using dedicated VoIP phones, and using softphone (or software) on a personal computer.
* Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) – SIP is a signaling standard approved in 2000 and now available in hardware or software solutions, as one method of “standard” VoIP service. Many companies provide SIP hardware and services, including both carriers and manufacturers of telephone systems such as Avaya, Shoretel, Cisco, Nortel, Polycom, and Snom.
* Skype – Skype is a proprietary system that delivers VoIP services. Skype provides one of the most widespread VoIP services and uses its own non-standards based approach.
* Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) – MPLS is a way to define a protocol-based private network using DSL or business Internet T1 service and without using hardware devices at each location. The main advantage is a having fewer points in the network that require configuration and management; this reduces overhead.
These are only two of many areas undergoing rapid change in the telecommunications industry. Choosing the best business broadband internet service provider may require some expert advice in order to make the best possible choices for MPLS, VoIP, SIP, business Internet T1 service and many more new technologies. A telecommunications broker that keeps up with the latest industry trends can advise on the best services available from numerous industry souces to meet specific requirements.
In the last decade, many changes have taken place in the telecommunications sector, with increasing focus on the Internet, and as data and voice technologies continued to converge. One obvious area of change in the industry is the increasing number of mergers and acquisitions. Another is the dazzling array of new products and services being introduced on an almost daily basis. What is the best way to stay up to date with all the changes? In this article, we investigate and analyze some of these changes and provide ideas that will help in selecting the best business broadband internet service provider.
In recent years, many telecommunications entities have been affected by mergers and acquisitions. A few of the biggest in the US include:
* The acquisition of US West by Qwest Communications in 1999 Read the rest of this entry »