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Industry News
(VON Magazine)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.) What is the VON Coalition?

A.) The VON (Voice on the Net) Coalition is a US 501 (c) (6) non-profit organization incorporated in May 1998 to represent and promote the interests of the Internet Telephony/IP Telephony industry worldwide. Members include the world’s leading suppliers of IP Telephony products and services.

A.) Voice on the Net refers to communication across Internet Protocol (IP) networks. As such it represents a departure from the majority of communications today, which is performed over conventional switched networks.

A.) IP Telephony represents a fundamental change in the potential services end-users can obtain, and the way in which these services are delivered to end-users. Governmental restrictions, we believe, will hinder the growth of the IP Telephony market. The VON Coalition will protect the interests of the burgeoning Voice over Internet industry by defining and promoting the potential added value that IP Telephony provides to end users.

A.) The VON Coalition will maintain and expand its relationships with legislators, governmental agencies, regulators, and other policymakers. By doing so, the VON Coalition will help decision-makers gain a broader view and understanding of the potential of IP Telephony and how it works. In turn, this should lead to better legislative and regulatory decisions.

Q.) Why is this important?

A.) Primarily to avoid legislative and regulatory decisions made without a clear understanding of the value of IP Telephony.

Q.) Will the VON Coalition create standards for Internet-based voice communication?

A.) No, other organizations do this already. The VON Coalition will not create standards, rather, it will concentrate on working with key industry participants in defining the broad impact of IP Telephony and its value added impact on the global communications industry and on end-users.

A.) The VON Coalition will address a number of issues such as worldwide coverage of regulation and de-regulation activities, educating decision-makers, and developing initiatives to promote IP Telephony.

A.) Most probably it will decrease the pace with which IP Telephony is adopted. It will also create major barriers for companies and service providers wanting to provide added value and enhanced services to end-users and businesses by forcing them to engineer their offerings to address regulatory versus market pull dynamics.

Q.) How will these changes affect consumers?

A.) IP Telephony enables communication between people by using a packetized (IP) Network for cost-effective transport of voice, video, data and fax signals. IP Telephony will enable people to use existing data networks to communicate better from different locations, creating a truer "global village".

A.) Some forecasts project the Internet telephony market to total more than $60 Billion by the year 2001. Whether that number is high or low, all are agreed that IP telephony will be a very significant aspect of future communications.

Q.) Are there other organizations besides the VON Coalition with a similar mission?

A.)We are unaware of any other organizations similar to the VON Coalition.

Q.) Who belongs to the VON Coalition?

A.) The VON Coalition is currently comprised of eleven member organizations involved in the development of Internet Telephony products and services globally. Current VON Coalition members include elemedia/Lucent Technologies; Cisco Systems; Delta Three; Dialogic; IDT; Intel; ITXC; Microsoft; Netspeak; VocalTec; and pulver.com.

Membership is open to any and all dues-paying parties interested in keeping IP Telephony as de-regulated as possible.

A.) The VON Coalition was formed in March 1996 by Jeff Pulver, a well-known pioneer in the field of Internet Telephony. The Coalition was created out of the need to establish a unified voice to decision-makers and key industry players. The VON Coalition formally incorporated in May 1998.

A.) By joining the VON Coalition, members receive a myriad of benefits, including:

• The opportunity to influence public policy;
• The opportunity to vote on key decisions of the VON Coalition;
• Access to the latest worldwide information regarding the status of IP Telephony;
• Exposure to key industry stakeholders, task forces and policymakers;
• Access to the VON Coalition database and other members-only information;
• Participation in "Common Ground" meetings, which are used to facilitate discussion and consensus concerning the future of IP Telephony technologies and practices, and;
• Affiliation with other companies and individuals who support your views concerning Internet Telephony regulation.

A.) To find out more information, fill out the online contact form or contact Beverly Orr, Executive Administrator at 202-387-5282 or email beverly@essential.org. To join, fill out the online membership registration form