WHAT? ME WORRY?

Asurvey released last week should give some ammunition to carrier executives living under the impression that perhaps all this talk about voice over IP being the predominant technology of the next decade is a bit overblown. According to a study by TNS Telecoms, only 26% of U.S. households with Internet access report having previously heard about VoIP service after it was described to them. That's after millions spent in advertising, the technology being featured often in mainstream business press, and vendors like Cisco and HP touting its abilities in Sunday afternoon broadcast ads. At the same time, perhaps it's a sign that the industry needs to take a step forward in positioning products not based on their technology but on their ability to let people communicate. That same survey, not surprisingly, showed a continuing decline in use of wireline voice and a slowing but still rising use of wireless services. Ask wireless users, though, whether they know GSM from CDMA2000, and you'll end up with blank stares. As cable operators begin their VoIP pushes, note how many of them eliminate the technology from the marketing. To users, voice is voice.