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OECD: Internet Telephony to Revolutionize Telecommunications

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 25, 2005 - 6:46am.
Paris -- A new report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a group of the world's leading industrialized countries, has identified Internet telephony (VoIP) as the next technological innovation to shake up the global telecommunications industry. "The growing popularity of Internet telephony threatens the fixed-line revenues of traditional carriers, especially for international calls," the OECD said. "VoIP presents a challenge to mobile telephones, which in many countries are now more numerous than fixed connections." The OECD report also said that the growing popularity of downloading video from the Internet would significantly reduce the time people spend watching free-to-air TV, driving down audience share and advertising revenue for broadcasts and making it harder for public-service broadcasters to meet their social policy objectives.
tags: OECD | telecommunications | Internet Telephony |

Comcast to Make Major Push Into Internet Telephony

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 10, 2005 - 10:57am.
Washington, D.C. -- Comcast, the largest provider of cable TV and Internet services in the D.C. and Baltimore areas, on Monday announced plans to make a major push into the Internet telephone business, with plans to launch its service in 20 markets by the end of the year. "There is going to be a profound change in what a phone is in a home and we're going to be part of that process," Brian Roberts, the CEO of Comcast, told The Wall Street Journal. The company said that it expects to enter 40 markets by mid-2006 and have about 8 million subscribers within five years. Two of Comcast's largest cable competitors, Cox Communications and Time Warner, already offer Internet phone services. Many analysts predict that Comcast's entrance into the market will further diminish the market shares of the Baby Bells, which have traditionally dominated local telephone markets.
tags: Comcast | Internet Telephony | Major Push |