Cable Is Winning

If you're in the VoIP business and the cable systems aren't part of your sales roadmap, then you're going to be on the short end of the stick in the long run.

Take a look at the post over at IP & Democracy and read it closely. The cable MSOs are ramping and clearly winning the race vs. the iLecs. And the picture won't be getting any prettier any time soon.  The slow roll out of FIOS and FTTP/FTTH is clearly one reason, but another is the continual erosion of the home phone line, as more and more people move to a "mobile" phone as their only phone.

That would never work for me. I was on my mobile phone almost all day on Monday as I went to L.A. for a meeting and back, and sans car charger, the battery went out by the time I reach L.A. Fortunately I packed some other phones with me and made it home and had a phone all the way. That point though, about battery life has to come into play for heavy users who fall into the cord cutter's bucket.

Comments

[Mel]

Eventually FTTH (fiber to the home) will be commonplace - the race has already begun. My question is where does this leave "one trick" ponies like Vonage which only do voice?

Verizon will always offer a higher quality voice product for a higher price. Vonage and SunRocket will always be the low cost product struggling for market share and profit.

My post quality of service shows the benefit DSL already has over cable.

[Tom Keating]

Interesting. You just linked together my Verizon deploying fiber in NYC from the other day and my post about pure play VoIP players vs. telephony and cable companies.

Of course, you were giving cable a positive nod and I was giving BOTH cable and telephone carriers the nod, and then I gave a negative nod towards one-trick ponies like Vonage.

Cable companies are certanly ramping up fast, but don't discount fiber and ADSL2+ in the long-term which could turn the tide in favor of the telephone companies.

Also, as I mention in my post, single-play providers like Vonage could be in trouble without net neutrality protections.