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December 31, 2003
2004: The Year for IP Communications
I'm still amazed how the momentum towards IP Communications in general and VoIP specifically happened in the second half of 2003.
A year ago, back in December, 2002, Simon Romero of the New York Times wrote a pivital VoIP story which when followed by another story he filed in early January, 2003 helped set the pace for the business and consumer press's coverage of VoIP technologies in 2003.
A year ago this week I spend my time babysitting Free World Dialup as it grew from inception thru it's first 5,000 subscribers and it was a learning experience on the challenges of delivering real-time communications into the living rooms of our customer's homes.
Nothing was simple or easy.
I had decided to launch FWD in November, 2002 because at the time while I still produced the VoIP Industry's trade show, VON (Voice on the Net) I did not own the VON Conferences, and I was looking for something to do with some of my available time.
While I ended up re-purchasing VON back from Key3Media in late January, 2003, I did so at the time because of my love of IP Communications and my belief that over time, the communications industry would be forever changed by the advent of VoIP.
From my foggy crystal ball on the eve of 2004, things look line they are lining up for it to feel like 1999 all over again inside of the IP Communications Industry and in fact that 2004 will once again be our year.
We shall see.
2003 turned out to be quite a good year to be involved in the VoIP space and for some in 2004, the rewards of just being a survivor and making thru some of the worst capital market and venture capital sand storms will benefit all those who stayed in business and believed.
I'm looking at 2004 as the year that IP Communications just happened.
Posted by jeff on December 31, 2003 10:41 AM | Permalink
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