The Jeff Pulver Blog: HD Communications Summit: Why only one telephone voice quality?

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April 28, 2009

HD Communications Summit: Why only one telephone voice quality?

Every technology on Earth from copy machines and computers to automobiles and expresso machines sells at a range of price points - except one - telephone service. The CEO of IBM can travel via Gulfstream GV and Mercedes limousine while listening to a high-end sound system from Bose, but Mr. Palmisano's deal making suffers the same mediocre telephone voice quality as two teens planning a party after school. It seems unlikely matching quality to the application and willingness to pay makes less sense in telecom than transportation and consumer electronics.

Needs and ability to pay vary as widely in the case of telephone calls as any other product. However, monopolies operated telephone networks for most of the 133 years since 1876. Profit maximization in the good ole days meant one level of service as the legacy circuit switched telephone network supported only one level of service. Bell Labs performed studies in the 1950's to figure out minimum requirements for intelligibility, but the research did not address whether or not there might exist demand for more than one level of voice quality. In other words, the strangely egalitarian state of telephone voice quality (more precisely, lack of voice quality) owes to conditions that no
longer exist.

The Bell Labs engineers deemed 300 to 3300hz sufficient frequency response, but voice energy exists in frequencies from 30 to 13000hz. Dropping over half the energy associated with voice means the loss of intimacy and emotional nuance in speech. Successful telephone usage demands carefully pronouncing words, speaking slowly, repeating as necessary, and the military phonic alphabet (e.g. "A" as in alpha). This does not even address applications of the telephone for conveying other types of audio. Mobility does not erase the need for voice quality. Callers have two options in suffering the frustration of misunderstanding or not using the telephone at all.

Inertia remains significant even if it seems self-evident nothing makes telecom an exception to the rule regarding consumer choice. Some telco execs insist they need to see market research before considering HD even as interest in their aged product declines. What doubt remains that improving the quality of a telephone call translates directly into improved productivity and expanding the range of addressable applications? Voice quality represents the entire reason for a telephone company to exist. Doing nothing presumes mediocre voice quality exhausts all possible demand. The conversation feels like explaining water to a fish, but enough people understand
the promise of HD to justify optimism.

The 25 companies participating in the May 21, 2009 HD Communication Summit in NYC are making the investments that will finally allow a break with the past. The event represents the most comprehensive assembly of HD experts anywhere in the world to date. Sponsors Polycom, Audiocodes, Snom, and Gigaset Communications already offer HD enabled IP phones. Global IP Solutions powers the HD offers available from GTalk and Nimbuzz. The DECT Forum is sponsoring lunch to draw attention to the CAT-iq standard that HD enables cordless phones. The VIP dinner is already sold out, so register soon or risk missing telecom's new beginning.

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