iPhone and IP Phone News

China Mobile Ltd. recently announced that it was ending discussions with Apple, Inc. to add the iPhone to its device portfolio. In other news, Google, Inc. announced changes to its iPhone applications suite, while a report showed IP voice services have now exceeded analog telephony in new installations.

Focal Points:

• Officials from China Mobile recently said that they were calling off talks with Apple on integrating iPhones into their product lineup. Neither company would give any reasons as to why they called of their discussions. Unnamed officials stated that the companies were not able to come to an agreement on how they would share revenue. Apple allegedly wanted a 20 to 30 percent share of iPhone user fees.
• Google officials recently announced that they had made improvements to the Grand Prix iPhone software suite. This suite integrates calendar, Gmail, reader, and search mobile applications. Officials said improvements were made to the user interface for these applications, which include tab customization, easier access to frequently used applications, and a more efficient Gmail. Officials said there are plans to add international versions of these applications.
• Recent published reports have shown that voice over internet protocol (VoIP) is now the preferred choice for new business voice services. According to published reports, 80 percent of telephony lines enabled last year were VoIP, with 11.1 million lines shipped. The emerging dominance of VoIP comes at a time when major new players are entering the market for unified communications, including Microsoft Corp. Experton Group expects that this will increase the competition with Cisco Systems, Inc. who has been dominating the IP telephony market in the last two years.

Experton Group believes most companies will continue to embrace IP telephony, as the evolution of IP systems has allowed the gradual replacement of classic public branch exchange (PBX) systems without the need for major "forklift" upgrades. Evolution of telephony will follow with end devices that allow seamless interchange between wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, metropolitan exchanges with worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), and long-haul cellular services. While this integration is likely to take another three years, IT executives should develop strategic communications plans that integrate landline voice communication with wireless technology and unified messaging systems.