Consumer Usability Seen As Key To VoIP's Success

Convenience is seen as the key to consumer acceptance of voice-over-IP (VoIP) technology as rival industries seek to deliver new types of content over the emerging communications technology. A panel of industry executives at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association's show here this week agreed that the technology behind VoIP is meaningless unless companies make it possible for customers to use and enjoy it. The executives also maintained that providing products that customers were comfortable using was their chief goal, regardless of the protocol at work.

"The customer does not need to know how VoIP works," added Len Lauer, president and chief operating officer of Sprint Corp. "They just want their phones to work." Lauer said Sprint is working with cable companies and others to study ways to bring the "convergence experience" to customers.

Lauer said Sprint maintains a usability lab where the company researches customers' ability to use products.

"Usability of products is a huge challenge for this industry," agreed James Robbins, president and CEO of Cox Communications.

While acknowledging that consumer usability is an important challenge, Rob Glaser, chairman and CEO of RealNetworks, said the challenge is generational. "For the generation that grew up using cellphones and broadband, this technology is second nature," he said. (Via InformationWeek)