[LINK] US FCC now planning "all-IP" phone transition

[Tom Koltai]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au 
> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of 
> Richard Chirgwin
> Sent: Friday, 4 December 2009 9:28 AM
> To: Link list
> Subject: Re: [LINK] US FCC now planning "all-IP" phone transition
> 
> 
> Kim Holburn wrote:
> > 
> http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/12/fcc-plans-for-death-of
> > -circuit-switched-phone-networks.ars
> >
> >   
> >> Telecom carriers increasingly run IP backbones and last-mile IP
> >> access to offer Internet service to home and business 
> users. Cable  
> >> and telcos like AT&T and Verizon have for years tried to 
> move people  
> >> in the direction of IP-delivered services, especially for phone  
> >> service (when it comes to TV service, AT&T is the main IP-only  
> >> player in the US), but huge sections of the country still rely on  
> >> Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) using circuit-switched services.
> >>     
> >
> > ....
> >
> >   
> >> Given that voice services now make up only a fraction of the data  
> >> traveling across the total US communications networks, it 
> certainly  
> >> makes little economic sense to continue supporting two separate  
> >> systems But, as with anything that has grown up for a century,  
> >> pulling the plug requires plenty of planning.
> >>     
> >
> > The mind boggles.  Is anything forward looking like this 
> being planned  
> > in Oz?
> >   
> Certainly the Comms Alliance has been looking at questions of 
> VoIP for 
> some years now; not with an explicit "all VoIP network" remit, but if 
> standardisation work is ready in advance, it certainly supports a 
> transition.
> 
http://www.commsalliance.com.au/Activities/voip


And Optus redesigned their entire switching regime in 1996 for exactly
this eventuality.
Anyone who designed their network with Tag Switching at the ATM level is
looing good for the VOIP transition.

Isnt it interesting that because of their lack of copper, they might
actually become Australias dominant carrier.
Ooops.Ignore that last remark......  :-)

Tom


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