« FCC Approves SBC/AT&T and Verizon/MCI Mergers: | Main | Whitacre, Once Again (and a little more vehemently), Calls Unaffiliated VoIP Application Providers "Freeriders": »
November 01, 2005
Voice 2.0 is PURPLE:
Uh, hey, wait a second. “Voice 2.0” is not an original concept. “Voice 2.0” is in fact all about being “Purple.” As in “Purple Minutes.”
With the growing Blogosphere hype surrounding "Voice 2.0" within the greater discussions of "Web 2.0", I feel a bit compelled to stand up and set the record straight regarding the origins of “Voice 2.0.” "Voice 2.0" is really all about the concept behind "purple minutes", a term that I first explored towards the end of 2001 and which I shared the concept of during my Industry Perspective at Spring 2002 VON in Seattle.
A Google on the term “Purple Minutes” yields a few good definitions.
Just for the record, PC Magazine defines "purple minutes" as: "Refers to minutes of IP traffic that are part of an enhanced application. Coined by Jeff Pulver of Pulver.com, purple minutes include voice, data and video content in contrast to "black and white" minutes, which measure standard telephony traffic. I always looked at “Purple Applications” as things that one could do with an IP based platform that never before practical or possible with a TDM network.
Following Spring 2002 VON, Paula Bernier wrote an article for Xchange Magazine, THE COLOR PURPLE, "VoIP Industry Struggles to Deliver More than Transport" which captured the concept and explored the realities of what it meant.
For those new to the IP Communications industry and those who think "Voice 2.0" is a totally new and forward looking concept, I suggest they take a refresher course on the recent history of the IP Communications industry and spent a few minutes reading Paula's story.
It starts off: "...It's more than three years later, but the story remains the same. IP telephony needs to go beyond basic long-distance arbitrage and move into the local arena to deliver not just TDM copycat enhanced voice services, but to bring added value to justify carrier investment in voice over IP and rally customer spending on new, high-margin enhanced services. "Please take a chance," VoIP evangelist Jeff Pulver, who runs the VON trade show, pleaded to the audience at his recent event in Seattle. "I do think it's the purple minutes that will help make things happen." In Pulver parlance, "purple minutes" refers to IP traffic that is more than just plain old telephone traffic (or "black and white" traffic); it's traffic with a value-added component."
Aswath knows about purple minutes, as he referenced the term back in January 2004.
"Purple Minutes" is a concept that I still refer to today.
“Voice 2.0” may be an easier phrase to say and may be more well know in SoHo, but I’ll stick with Purple.
Tags: voip, voice 2.0, web 2.0
Share this post:
Digg |
del.icio.us |
Reddit |
Newsvine |
Google Bookmark |
Yahoo MyWeb |
StumbleUpon
Posted by jeff on November 1, 2005 07:13 AM | Permalink
Additional resources: Watch PrimeTime TV Shows | Watch the Jeff Pulver Show | Jeff's Qik Videos
Comments
On personal opinion, I find this very helpful.
Guys, I have also posted some more relevant info further on this, not sure if you find it useful: http://www.bidmaxhost.com/forum/
Posted by: ocnsss at March 31, 2007 06:58 PM
Info on Purpleminutes is wonderful.
thanks
Abhi
Posted by: abhichandrappa at May 7, 2006 12:31 PM
I love it! - See http://www.ikew.co.uk/2005/11/purple_minutes_.html for my blog comment, if you have a moment.
Also note, I've instigated a "Purple Minutes" tag at Technorati. Others follow, but we lead...
Cheers,
Guy
Posted by: Guy Kewney at November 1, 2005 01:53 PM
Video calls are an example of "purple minutes"
Posted by: Randell Jesup at November 1, 2005 11:59 AM