The SIP market is growing so quickly it is exciting that it defies growth projections. I wrote about SIP just today and how the standard is now so closely intertwined with VoIP, it is tough to see where one technology stops and the other picks up. Incidentally the first issue of SIP Magazine is printed. I haven’t seen it but will get my hands on a copy tomorrow. I can’t wait. There is nothing like seeing the launch of a new publication. It is perhaps one of the most exciting parts of my job. The interest in this inaugural issue has been higher than I expected. I hope the first issue exceeds your expectations. Be sure to get you free subscription immediately if you have any interest in session initiation protocol.

Here is an interview with Ken Osowski the VP Marketing & Product Management at Pactolus Communications Software Corporation that will appear in the first issue:

Where is the SIP market headed?

SIP is formulating the multimedia story for IMS-enabled networks.  It will become the core signaling/event notification protocol for all real-time media – voice, video, messaging, presence events, multi-media messaging – that never had been wrapped before in a single application framework.  All embodied interfaces such as MMS and SMS will be consumed by SIP, from the core network to the handset.

What are your expectations or estimates for the growth of the SIP market?

For 2006, expect that incumbent service providers and carriers will start their migration off of TDM-based services platforms and move to SIP-based services and endpoints.  This growth will continue to be fueled by increased competition from Tier 2 and 3 players that have SIP-based network approaches at the core of their business models.  This market dynamic will force all players big and small to adopt SIP.

How does the development of SIP affect your product plans?

As SIP pioneers, we’re past baseline incorporation issues, so two product areas stand out: 1) incorporating advanced user interactivity, call handling, and rich billing options into voice services, heightening the user experience and reducing their costs, and 2) helping service providers achieve broad cross-market/subscriber voice service reach.  For example, enabling long-haul IP network operators to deliver wireless services and leverage their backhaul capability.

How do you your customers benefit from SIP?

As devices, intermediate networks and core networks all become SIP-based, everything becomes more functional and affordable for both service providers and consumers as proprietary devices and single function networks become obsolete.  Specifically, while all cell phones today have Java applets, there’ll be new events & applications that are driven by 3^rd parties directly to the consumer.