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g · NetworksCurated

T-Com wants to switch the telephone network to the internet protocol

Summary

In January 2004 T-Com, Telekom’s fixed-network division, announced that it would switch its entire telephone network to internet technology, well before 2020. With internet telephony, lines no longer have to be switched exclusively between two parties; allocating bandwidth is enough. The technology also needs less space and power than classic exchanges.

Ideas

  • Packet switching replaces dedicated lines.
  • IP technology saves space, power and, in the long term, acquisition costs.
  • Voice can be combined seamlessly with other data services.
  • Market researchers expected complete internet telephony across Europe by 2020.
  • At first T-Com only wanted to replace its internal technology and not yet sell VoIP connections.

Insights

  • Network operators switch over when the costs of parallel operation exceed the advantages of the old technology.
  • With the switch, telephony depends on power and the router at the customer’s premises.

Facts

  • The announcement was made by T-Com division head Roland Kittel to Technology Review.
  • There was no precise schedule at the time.
  • The regulatory authority planned the area code 032 for internet telephony numbers.

References

Critique

  • The report only names advantages for the operator, not the consequences for emergency calls during power cuts.

Remarks

  • The switch took considerably longer than announced and was only completed in the 2020s.

Recommendations

  • Supply the router and telephony with a UPS if being reachable during power cuts is important.
  • Plan an independent route for emergency calls, for example via mobile phone.

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