A Word on Telephony

This book does not dwell on telephony because it is not viewed as a broadband service. The entire voice traffic in the peak hour in the United States can be accommodated on a single fiber bundle.

But the importance of voice lies in the degree to which RBB service providers will want to address the voice market to justify the cost of RBB rollout.

Voice in the United States is a $190 billion service business and nearly a $660 billion service business worldwide. These numbers dwarf all broadband communications revenues. So cable operators and wireless operators may want apiece of that revenue, and telephony companies will certainly want to protect that revenue.

Some network operators will want to offer full-service networking, which would include Internet service, broadcast video, and telephony. The justification for doing so may lie just in the voice.