VOICE ON THE NET: VoIP in the new world

The terrorist attacks on September 11 have finally done what a horrid economic picture couldn't--cast a pall over the voice over IP market, which had been one of the more exciting areas of telecom.

Vendors attending this week's Voice on the Net show (October 15-18 in Atlanta) more than once used the "cannonball" reference--as in "you could shoot a cannonball through this place and not hit a customer."

Despite the gloomy environment, VoIP technology and the VON event are showing signs of growing up in one very important aspect: VoIP carriers no longer view themselves as rebels operating on the fringe of proper telecom society. Instead, they're openly talking about cooperation with law enforcement officials through adoption of CALEA-based technology.

At the CEO Summit lunch Tuesday, an FBI official laid out the new landscape facing VoIP carriers. Ignoring the market's past attitude toward law enforcement, the FBI warned VoIP carriers to not even think about asking for exemptions from CALEA (Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994) laws that allow law enforcement authorities to monitor certain calls. Previously, VoIP carriers "frankly didn't give a damn" about CALEA, according to one gateway vendor.

More than one of this breed of voice carrier--many of which come from ISP breeding--has taken refuge in the prevailing anonymity of the Internet to skirt the responsibiliity of allowing law enforcement to monitor calls.

In the current environment, though, those same carriers don't have a choice. Like it or not, complying with CALEA is now the responsibility of every carrier, regardless of the transport technology they are using.