日本のブロードバンド化はどこまで必要?

昨日の夕方は、ホテルニューオータニに
【NGN Summit】「携帯を含めてネットワークをすべて統合する」，ソフトバンクの牧園執行役員
というセッションを聴きに行きました。

本当は
【NGN Summit】「IPネットワークは万能ではない」，総務省の寺崎局長が基調講演
とか
【NGN Summit】「2010年には5000万加入の半分がNGN利用可能に」，NTTの橋本常務
とか
【NGN Summit】「ウルトラ3Gで固定・携帯・放送の融合を目指す」，KDDIの沖中執行役員
も聞きたかったのですが、その時間帯はちょうど会議の真っ最中・・・

てなことで、最後のセッションのみの聴講で、資料はもらってきたのですが、あまり目新しいところはなかったかな・・・
あそこの3つのネットワークが統合するのはいつ? MPLSってそんなに万能なの? なんてぼんやり考えていましたけどね。
でもソフトバンクの講演でちょっと共感したのは、「クローズドNGN」に対して、うちのネットワークは「オープン、グローバルを目指す」というスライド。

【CEATEC】NGNとインターネットは対立しない---NTT副社長
という別講演もあったようですが、どうしても最終発表がされていない現時点では、NTTのNGNはブラックボックスか、はたまた井の中の蛙的なイメージがありますから。

今朝の日経産業新聞にインタビューが掲載されていたBTは、コストを引き下げるためのNGN構築中だが、キーとなるのはネットワークではなく、その上で何が提供できるか、という話でしたね。

今朝のセッションでも同じような話が聞けたのかもしれませんが、ちょっと行く気が失せていて・・・
うーん、今日のセッション参加、どうしよう・・・

どっちかといえば、こんなコラムを読んでいた方がいいのかな・・・

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What a "Web scripting guy" thinks about telecom services
By Rich Karpinksi

I've had a chance to interact with Thomas Howe a few times now. A story here. A podcast there. Howe has very strong opinions -- backed up with technical chops -- about what's missing from current telco strategies for new service creation.

And holy smokes, did Howe cut to the heart of the matter with his latest blog post "Dear Carriers, They Didn't Need You."

In it, Howe talks about a series of telephony "mashup" contests he's either participated in or helped sponsor in the past few months, including a "Reinventing Voice" contest that vendor Sylantro is holding this week, with his help. Let's let Thomas take it from here:

"I wrote a mashup to prove to myself and the audience that someone could write a compelling business application using voice that didn't require large investment in equipment, a huge development staff, customer education or mass marketing. In short, I didn't really need to work with a particular carrier. I think I succeeded, and I wasn't alone. Our contestants proved it [too]. They didn't need to get close to a carrier to create a compelling voice application. In fact, not to rub it in your face... but not involving you was a good thing for all concerned.Let me emphasize the totality of my statement. They didn't use your new services standard IMS. They don't use the application layer API: Parlay. They don't use SS7. They don't speak AIN. They don't go to the same shows you do -- they don't read the same magazines. I bet they have never called you. They didn't call Verizon -- they didn't call AT&T. They certainly used some Internet connectivity in the colocation center, but I absolutely guarantee they don't know or care who provided the bits. I can guarantee that the services running on those bits are much more compelling, and have business cases that will knock your socks off. My dear carriers, this should get your attention, because I challenge you to list for me the last ten new voice services that were not only compelling, but made serious money. Did your entire list appear in the last twelve months? Didn't think so."

That's not hyperbole, that's feet-on-the-ground from a self-proclaimed former telco-geek and current "Web scripting guy." Thomas has taken the time to learn the Web world of application development -- AJAX, Web APIs, Ruby On Rails -- and he hasn't looked back. In fact, he's bet his career on it. And he's not building Facebook-extensions or VoIP-click-to-calls. His focus is on mission-critical Web/telephony apps upon which companies can run -- or reinvent -- their businesses.

So what's Howe's prescription for what ails telco new service creation?

Read on at the new Telephony 2.0 blog, which just launched this week on TelephonyOnline.com. We follow Howe's thinking in this post:

Thomas Howe To Carriers: We Don't Need You (Though Maybe Here's a Penny or Two For You)

E-mail me at rkarpinski@telephonyonline.com.
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1時からの会議が終わってまだ天気がよければお散歩がてらにいくのも手かな・・・