VoEX, Inc., is a VoIP managed-service provider offering global peering infrastructure, network interoperability, industry-leading quality of service, and advanced applications capabilities for top tier carriers, mobile operators, cable operators, voice service providers, academic institutions and enterprises. VoEX maps the world’s phone numbers to resolvable IP addresses by combining an advanced carrier-grade VoIP peering infrastructure with the world’s largest carrier ENUM registry — now totaling over 250 million phone numbers — to interconnect IP, TDM and hybrid-network service providers.
I recently had the opportunity to discuss industry trends with Cyril N. Matthews, Director of Registry and Network Services at VOEX. For more on the company be sure to check out a March 30th, 2007 discussion between Cyril and Russell Shaw.
RT: Please outline your new corporate initiatives.
CM: Our company has built our network on IP at the core and we are working with our customers and vendors to push IP to the edge of the network (using ENUM and other technologies) to provide a base for the development of applications that can take advantage of the IP-based environment to drive convergence.
RT: How has SIP changed communications?
CM: SIP has opened up communications to the level of flexibility and innovation previously seen in personal computing… creating the ability for personal communications such as Instant Messaging (text, voice & video), as well as other presence- and location-based applications.
RT: What is the biggest request coming from your customer base?
CM: Give me something to help me differentiate what I do from my competitors.
RT: How are you answering their demands?
CM: We are working with our customers to develop solutions
RT: What do you think the future of the market is?
CM: Applications that seamlessly blend voice, video and data with real-time (inter)personal communications.
RT: How does the U.S. growth rate compare to the rest of the world?
CM: We are seeing lots of innovation both in U.S. and globally. In U.S. more innovation is in broadband communications due to ubiquity of high-speed access at home and work while outside U.S. we see tremendous innovation in wired and wireless narrowband communications (e.g., Skype, wireless phone-based services).
RT: What do you think of Google and Apple entering the telecom market?
CM: The more software applications development platforms there are, the more developers will be attracted to the market and the more innovation will happen.
RT: How will wireless technologies change our market?
CM: They will make presence and location (as well as mobility) part of the “table stakes” for innovation.
RT: How will communications evolve over the next five years?
CM: It will become more personal and more interpersonal (think Facebook and instant messaging versus blogs, newsfeeds, e-mail and phone calls).
RT: What sorts of things will we be hearing about during your presentation at ITEXPO?
CM: How the world of tomorrow will come from the network of today.
RT: Why is your presentation a “Can’t Miss?”
CM: It is always good to learn about real-world examples from someone who is helping to deliver them (and in an entertaining manner).
RT: What do you want the industry to know about your company?
CM: We are one of the ones to watch, both now and in the near term.
RT: Please make one surprising prediction we will see in 5 years.
CM: Microsoft will be developing software for the next-next-next-next-generation iPhone.
