Supercomm show stoppers

In recent industry discussion about voice over IP, some observers have expressed concern about VoIP's rapidly increasing hype volume. In Telephony's Supercomm preview, in fact, Staff Writer Kevin Fitchard conveyed some of the concern service providers have about VoIP--particularly incumbents, for which VoIP could prove to be a boon for enterprise business but a drain on residential revenues. Meanwhile, VoIP momentum continues to be threatened by regulatory wrangling and important issues like security, quality and cost.

It's for those and myriad other reasons that Telephony decided to hold a conference on VoIP in Chicago on Monday, June 21, the day before Supercomm exhibits open. Telephony's event will offer insight from service provider and technology developer representatives, including Level 3, Sprint, Tekelec, Netrake, Telica, Time Warner Cable, ICG, VeriSign, Vocal Data, Net2Phone and more. Our intent is to address all aspects of VoIP in a practical and open forum that offers plenty of time for conference attendees to interact with speakers and panelists, gain insight into VoIP's potential, and get their questions and concerns addressed by industry experts.

The VoIP technology and service sector is poised to revolutionize the telecom industry, but its opportunities and challenges must be addressed in a pragmatic way to avoid getting lost in the din of hype. We hope to accomplish that with our event, and we certainly hope you'll join us.

On the subject of technological revolution, Telephony is producing another Supercomm event that will feature some of the industry's foremost authorities on network transformation. On Tuesday, June 22 at 2:30 p.m., Telephony Executive Editor Vince Vittore and I will moderate a panel sponsored by AFC that includes high-level executives from SBC, Sprint, Qwest and Verizon. The panelists will address the evolution of their access and switching efforts and how rapidly changing technologies--including VoIP--have dramatically altered the composition of their networks, their technology directions and their investment strategies. The event is open to all Supercomm attendees, and again, we hope to see you there.

At the risk of adding to the aforementioned hype, my personal expectation is that Supercomm 2004 will highlight a collective enthusiasm not seen in this industry for several years. I hope I'm right, and I hope to see you at the show.

E-mail me at jmeyers@primediabusiness.com