Recent industry figures confirm that the videoconferencing industry continues to grow. It has yet, however, to explode in the way many anticipated it to. Each significant milestone achieved in the migration from ISDN to IP, has come and gone with little more than a raised smile – a “could do better” report card has done little to propel the industry to its destined dizzy heights. However, this underachiever may yet turn it round. Will the growing snowball that is video telephony, be the catalyst for success?

There is no doubt that videoconferencing now, is a much more effective tool  - in fact a business critical tool. The implementation of broadband, and improvement of video and audio protocols have undoubtedly improved the users’ experience, however, adoption in many areas is still slow. Perhaps the responsibility that has fallen upon IT Managers to embrace VC is too much? The much wider, more promising market application of video telephony is on the horizon, and in some aspects already here – a tool which may well move back to the arms of the Communications Manager! The ability to interface any communication tool (be it phone, PC or video), with a PBX, promises to open a world of possibilities. Imagine being able to leave and retrieve video messages, transfer and conference video calls, collaborate, instant message, and make an audio call, all from the comfort of your own workstation! Cisco has provided a number of these features in their call management system, and IP PBX’s are geared towards video telephony. How soon will be untill Cisco bring out their own videoconferencing products, or maybe even acquire one of the existing VC manufacturers?

So we can now all sit back and wait for the market to erupt – or not! There are still barriers to overcome.
 
The emergence of SIP (Session Initiated Protocols) as the motorway of convergence has promised much and certainly is heading in the right direction. However, this “open standard” has created many anomalies, which is making it extremely difficult for manufacturers from various industries to be totally compatible. In simple terms, there are too many flavours of SIP and not enough taste buds to decipher them.
 
Secondly, there is certainly still going to be an issue of infrastructure. The ability to join the video telephony world does not simply hinge on one box. The right networking and bandwidth is imperative to be able to able to successfully implement this. How many SMEs will feel the need to change their existing PBX and/or LAN just for the shiny feel good feature of a video on hold – and at a substantial cost? It will be large global or multinational corporate organisations, which will drive this bandwagon, but are they ready for this? Time will tell, but the benefits of being able to contact any individual within an organisation, regardless of location and content, by simply dialling an extension is enormous. For example you can have your system tell you when an individual has finished a phone call, avoiding unnecessary “engaged calls” or endless voicemail messages. Certainly the ability to route videoconferencing through to any extension and conference to many, will open up the benefits of this tool to many more individuals and allow for more ad hoc meetings. Time, will be spent more fruitfully, maximising an enterprises most valuable commodity - human resource.
 
The prospect of true video telephony (plugging in any communication device to any network/phone port) is an exciting one and where the market will go. Making communication easier is the key to success and this “Total Recall” effect will bring the world closer together. How soon it happens will depend on various factors, but it remains clear that videoconferencing is in good health.

Alan King