2017 was a year of massive digital transformation for telephone service delivery. Several forces working together have cracked open the promise of hosted phone’s potential and made it a reality. Here we discuss those forces and what we can expect to see as a result.
Cutting the Cord on POTS
POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) lines are being officially outmoded. Part of this change came in July, as Illinois become the 19th state to announce that in the future they will cut the cord on copper lines servicing. At the same time, 80% of states have stated that they will also reduce or eliminate entirely their oversight of wired telecom in the future. This allowed telecom companies to devote resources to developing VoIP and other future communications technology. Another factor for change is how the telecom companies will prove the ability to perform emergency service calling, 911, and exhibit that it will not be impacted using IP calling, which has long been a sticking point for keeping POTS.
The Smartphone Takeover
Customers have spoken, and they want to be able to use their smartphones for business. VoIP can enable the call-forwarding and presence to make this transition seamless. And in combination with increased bandwidth availability and enhanced applications, this becomes a viable option for almost any smartphone user.
Call Quality Improvements
While VoIP has been around for almost 20 years, it has been plagued with call quality issues. This is especially true for those using the hosted options like Skype. The Quality of Service was often limited by bandwidth and network limitations. But, the major cell service players have upped their game with high definition service options with first-class voice UX delivered over cellular networks.
The introduction of 5G
The 5G network is predicted to send voice, video, and data 10 times faster than 4G and is anticipated to come online in more locations in 2018. That increase in bandwidth is going drastically reduce jitter, packet loss, and dropped calls currently associated with VoIP service.
The Mobilization of the Last Mile
Service is no longer extending to a stationery desk phone, but to a mobile phone that you can use where you need to. The providers that will dominate will provide mobile-first, software-based phone systems designed to be managed and deployed across your mobile phone infrastructure.
These factors in combination are creating a sea change in how phone service and communications can be delivered. 2018 will be the year hosted phone becomes the way of business.
If you’re ready to make the switch, Corporate Technologies Group can help.
We can you find the solution that fits your business needs and goals. Whether it’s application integration, hosted phone, backup and recovery, or a total unified communications solution that integrates all of those, we’ve got the expertise to integrate it into your operations while minimizing downtime and wasteful spending.
