The entry of mainstream players into the VoIP market could either crush the pioneers or add to the technology's level of credibility. That could actually end up helping them.

Broadband over power line (BPL) has long been considered a potentially beneficial technology, but it's use has been limited to a few prototype projects in the United States and Europe. The Federal Communications Commission has also backed the technology, but it's largely been considered a broadband delivery mechanism for rural areas that aren't served adequately by cable or DSL technologies.

Some service providers opt for fiber regardless of the cost because of the competitive differentiation it provides.

Operators report that Ethernet traffic is growing faster than any other service at around 25% annually

Midsized enterprises and smaller businesses are beginning to invest more heavily in VoIP technology, according to a recent report from research firm Yankee Group. The study found that 70% of SMB customers say they would prefer a hosted VoIP solution to a premises-based one.

Behind the scenes many major platform vendors already have implemented IPv6 in new product releases

Despite the surge in the IP PBX market in 2005, some analysts say that IP PBX risks becoming obsolete as telephony shifts to a software-based environment

Cisco Systems charted an aggressive expansion of its broadening telecom strategy last month by using its worldwide analyst conference as a forum to launch new initiatives into the enterprise, demonstrate IMS-enabled fixed-mobile convergence and launch additional networking services.

Suppliers are now developing IP-based systems that address the current technology inhibitors