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HD Voice- The Overdue Revolution

HD Voice- The Overdue Revolution. Who, what, where, how? ( Actually what, how, who, where). Doug Mohney - Background. Following the ICT sector for over two decades Writing for Boardwatch, The Inquirer, VON Magazine ( Pulvermedia ), TMC Started HD voice coverage in May 2009

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HD Voice- The Overdue Revolution

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  1. HD Voice- The Overdue Revolution Who, what, where, how? (Actually what, how, who, where)

  2. Doug Mohney - Background • Following the ICT sector for over two decades • Writing for Boardwatch, The Inquirer, VON Magazine (Pulvermedia), TMC • Started HD voice coverage in May 2009 • Launch of HD Voice News (HD Connect Now) in August 2009

  3. Useless trivia picture

  4. The 2009 HD voice wake-up call • France Telecom deployments • Broadband: Over 500,000 G.722 VoIP endpoints • Mobile: AMR-WB deployed in Moldova • Global Crossing • Built HD conference bridge for customer • Working on open HD conferencing bridge • Verizon Business • Close to 5,000 phones at HQ • Expects early adopters in 2010, general availability in 2011 • Cablevision (Optimum Lightwave) • Deployed hosted HD voice service in 2H09

  5. Yes… • Once again, the United States of America is being outclassed by the rest of the world in telecommunications technology….

  6. Or… • U.S. carriers will wait until the smoke clears and then get a deal because someone else has done the hard R&D…

  7. First: What is narrowband voice? • What you get on nearly every POTS (wired or wireless) call today around the world • Ignoring ISDN and the mobile HD deployments… • PSTN grade call = captures3.4 kHz range • 300 Hz to 3400 Hz • Top “range” of human hearing clipped by 2/3 • PSTN (POTS) acoustic standards set in 1937 • Since then: FM radio, TV, CD, DVD, HDTV, HD radio… • VoIP equivalent is G.711, 64 kbp/s bandwidth

  8. How the (landline) phone has otherwise changed since 1937 • User interface/hardware • Rotary dial to push buttons • Pulse to tone • Corded to cordless • Wired to 4 plug to RJ-11 • Plug boards to direct dialing • Network • Crossbar switch to SS7 to IP

  9. What is HD voice? • Also known as “wideband” voice • Range of at least 7 kHz ; i.e. 2x of 3.4 kHz • G.722 codec is the baseline for HD voice: • 30 Hz to 7000 Hz • Still only need 64 kbit/s due to compression • Other HD voice codecs include AMR-WB, SILK, GIPS iSAC. • HD voice only operates on a digital/IP network; POTS can’t handle it!

  10. Sidebar: Superwideband • Codec that samples at near full range of human speech • 8 kHz sampling for narrowband • 16 kHz for wideband • 24 kHz for superwideband • Marketing speak for “We’re better than G.722” in many cases • Comes close to delivering “true voice”

  11. HD - Looking at Hertz

  12. Time to try the audio demo…

  13. What you are hearing… • First third: Narrowband (G.711) • Middle: G.722 HD voice • Finish: “superwideband” in G.722.1C • Biggest clarity jump is from G.711 to G.722 • Improvement from G.722 to G.722.1C • Non-native English speaker provides clear example of the benefits of HD voice

  14. Another contrast example

  15. Benefits from HD voice • Better compensation and clarity • Similar-sounding words like "sail" and "fail" garble under narrowband • Acronyms are “notorious” for garbling • End up having to repeat and/or spell out • Narrowband big headache in multilingual setting • Reduction of fatigue - Why conference calls suck • Narrowband clipping means brain plays “fill in the blanks” as a background task • More audio data = less brain strain

  16. How: HD Voice morethan a codec! • Codec, software, hardware, network, IP/SIP interoperability • An all-IP (SIP) application • Requires capable speakers & microphones • Analog PSTN can’t be backfitted • Need good QoS, low latency on network • If you can’t do vanilla VoIP, you aren’t going to do HD • For scaling, need agreements to interconnect via SIP for seamless HD calling & transcoding

  17. HD voice codecs – 4 that matter • G.722 • Based on G.711, patents expired, now anyone can use it • AMR-WB / G.722.2 • Cellular industry wanted codec based on AMR • Designed to conserve RF usage, 24 kbit/s for HD • Need to pay VoiceAge (and Nokia, FT, Ericsson) for patent use • Currently exclusively in cellular domain, but being pushed for wireline • iSAC • Google BOUGHT GIPS in May for $68 million • Licensed for use by AOL, Yahoo, QQ, Nimbuzz, WebEx, IBM Lotus, Citrix Online • Will Google open source one or more GIPS HD voice & video codecs??? • SILK • Skype wanted “superwideband” codec with variable bit-rate adaptability based on CPU and network availability • Royalty-free license, samples between 8 to 24 kHz, use 6 to 40 kbit/s

  18. And still more HD voice codecs… • G.722.1 / Polycom “Siren” • Royalty-free usage, not open source. • Bit-rates from 16 to 32 kbit/s • Billions of minutes of usage on Vivex. • Fraunhofer Audio Communication Engine (ACE) • Include specifically designed MPEG codec “AAC Enhanced Low Delay” • “CD quality audio” at “very low coding delays and bitrates” • Pitched for 4G/LTE usage, other parts of toolkit include echo control software, IP streaming stack and error concealment tools. • Why yes, you do have to pay royalties • Speex • Open source patent-free • Sampling from narrowband (8 kHz) to wideband and ultrawideband • Can use bitrates from 2 to 44 kbit/s • Broadcom BroadVoice • Offered royalty-free and open source under GNU (C, floating & fixed, GNU LGPL 2.1) • Wideband at 16 kHz sampling, 32 kbit/s, narrowband 8 kHz sampling, 16 kbit/s

  19. Why people fight over codecs • Developers • Programmers all think they can write something better. • Hardware designers • Simpler is better, fewer codecs, less expense to test and support • On device side, less processing = longer battery life • Wireless crowd • Lean on the device CPU to compress (AMR-WB, SILK) • Old guard: Every little RF bandwidth is sacred • This goes out the door with 3G/4G!! 64 kbp/s is zippy! • Said with a straight face as carriers intro streaming video, two-way conferencing…yah, WTF • Network core • More codecs, more transcoding between formats • Service providers want to avoid transcoding as it costs $$ & has lose some HD voice goodness in translation between HD codecs • Cable companies, FT love CAT-iq for end-to-end G.722

  20. Software clients and hardware • Soft clients • Plenty floating around supporting G.722, iSAC. One big one supporting SILK • Hardware • Desktop handsets • Vast majority supporting G.722, some SILK, AMR-WB creeping in • Need good acoustics – speakers and microphones • Mobile handsets/devices • Need good acoustics • Dual mics in vogue for echo/noise cancellation

  21. How do you get HD voice to talk to other HD voice users? To the PSTN? • Simple case: Same codec type • On same LAN/network – No sweat • Beyond WAN/firewall - Interconnection via SIP • Different codec types – Transcoding • HD voice to PSTN/G.711/G.729 • PSTN not going away; carriers understand • But if you have to touch the PSTN, HD goodness goes away as you downshift to narrowband • G.722 to AMR-WB, SILK, iSAC • Service providers annoyed, but accept eventual need to transcode between codecs (G.722/AMR-WB big one)

  22. HD voice and the island problem • To scale, everyone has to interconnect via SIP for seamless end-to-end HD calls calls • Service providers don’t do SIP peering/interconnect/federations out of the box- • Security considerations (SPIT, DDoS, you name it) • ENUM is overhead • Quality of Service • Settlements & least-cost routing (i.e. who gets cash) • As a result, there are many HD voice islands: • In enterprises • At service providers

  23. Building HD voice bridges • Can peer (direct relationship) • Service provider to service provider • Interconnection (Federation) service • Spoke and hub network with hub service managing ENUM, technical, business, and legal issues • Interconnect automagically via Cisco IME

  24. SIP Federation prospects • Xconnect (www.xconnect.com) Global Alliance • HD voice trial 2Q10 (i.e. NOW)… still going on. • Needs to make a clear value proposition • Small universe, service providers don’t want to pay • Sprint PIN (Partner Interexchange Network) • Currently vanilla VoIP, but capable of bigger things • Handles price on per-minute cost for now • Architecture can handle full range of rich media (voice, HD, video), but managers still wrestling with concept beyond simple VoIP.

  25. Cisco IME –Intercompany Media Engine • BYPASSES hub/spoke & service provider mediation • Appliance handles virtualized peer-to-peer connections • Currently only works with Cisco products; hopes proposed IETF standards proliferate to others • Gen 1 box “manages” up to 10,000 or up to 40,000 phone numbers/devices – designed for large enterprises • Each IME publishes phone numbers to dynamic hash table capable of handling up to 10 billion entries. • After first “shared secret” PSTN call, IMEs conduct authentication process and exchange security particulars • Subsequent calls routed on “virtual SIP trunk” and can be vanilla VoIP, HD voice, video or anything else SIP. • One creator of ViPR & IME former Skype employee, so you can see where the peer-to-peer comes through.

  26. Biggest headaches for HD bridges are Layers 8 & 9 • Layer 8 – Money • Voice providers used to termination, per-minute LD • Flat rate makes old telcos tilt a little • Service providers reluctant to pay $$$ for currently small universe of HD calls • Verizon Business providing free SIP calls in VIPER VoIP service to its customers • Layer 9 – Politics • Lot of jockeying by smaller players for peering • Larger players moving slowly to IP interconnect • Cable companies will likely do this next year

  27. Apps that love HD voice • Conferencing the “Killer App” • Clarity, less stress, identify voices, accents less of a barrier • Multi-national conversations for bonus dollars • Non-native speakers of language can • Be understood better • Better understanding of what is being said • Transcription (i.e. voice to email) • Computer-based fewer errors • Human, same thing, easier, less replaying

  28. Apps that should love HD voice • Better IVR/anything processing voice • Young and old • Young (under 3) have squeaky voice, don’t understand on a phone call • Old, don’t hear so well; HD adds back some clue • Public safety/national defense • Better 911 calling • Better translation/understanding of intercept • Yes, we want the enemy to have the latest tech…

  29. Who is doing HD voice? • Major Telecom Carriers • Mobile Carriers • Cable/MSO • Hosted VoIP/Business VoIP • Consumer bypass play • By region: • Europe now • Asia beginning • North America “under the radar.”

  30. Major Telecom Carriers – Broadband HD solutions • France Telecom • At least 500,000 users/end-points on broadband • Verizon • Internally - nearly 5,000 endpoints installed at NJ HQ • Verizon Business- “Early adopters 2010, general availability 2011” • VIPER (VoIP enterprise service) will support G.722 by end of 2010 • BT • BT Hub, around 2 million G.722 capable end points deployed • Telstra • Hosted HD service for businesses; up to 11,000 end-points internally • Global Crossing • Running HD conferencing bridge for top-tier customer • Public HD conferencing bridge coming • Others rumored: Telecom Italia, Nordic telcos, AT&T • Often repeated, but never verified

  31. Mobile/Cellular HD voice • France Telecom / Orange • Moldova, Armenia (!) running today • France “by end of July” NOW • UK trials done, rollout “later this summer”/3Q • Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain in 2010; bet on Tunisia • SFR • Testing in France now, service up by fall • 3 UK • Demo, teased media in 2010 • Deutsche Telekom (DT) • Has trialed HD on LTE • “3G+”, VoLGA and 4G expected to be drivers

  32. Cable/MSO HD voice plans • CableLabs has issued multiple standards relating to HD Voice • DECT CAT-iqin 2009, 2.0 standard in June • End-to-end G.722 call, with DECT 6.0 wireless at end-user • CPE with embedded CAT-iq starting to come in pipeline • IP Interconnection standard released in June has ENUM defined • Cablevision/Optimum Lightpathhosted HD service now • Cox -“2011” is latest word. • Comcast • The Cable Show 2010, CTO said “As we move to HD voice…” • Time-Warner Cable -Has tested HD voice, coy on deployment plans • Expects CPE to be capable “within 5 years…” • For all cable, enterprise drive HD • SIP trunking, Hosted

  33. Business VoIP providers • Many independent hosted providers • Differentiator against bigger players • 8x8 biggest in North America • Aastra Hi-Q upgrade • 70,000+ end-points (Jan 2010) • Numerous players w/2,500 to 7,500 end-points. • Lot of talk among smaller guys for direct peering • IP Peering Alliance • Independent hosting business VoIP service providers • Cloud Communications Alliance • Smaller group 8 in IP Peering Alliance talk more formal

  34. Independent consumer plays • Ooma -Hardware/service bundle • Second-generation Telo hardware can support G.722 & CAT-iq • 4Q 2009 shipped 25,000 units • Do the math, conservatively ship around 100K+ units in 2010 • BUT, ooma took a left turn; now about narrowband VoIP quality • WorldGate • Guys who did the OjO phone • Two year, 300,000 unit deal to ship videophones to ACN; the phone supports G.722 as well as video. • Vivox • Provides voice via Siren 14 (G.722.1C) to MMORPGs & Second Life • 16 million users, Over 2 billion minutes per month • Customers include CCP Games, Electronic Arts, Gaia Online, Icarus Studios, Linden Lab, NCsoft, Realtime Worlds, Sony Online Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast.

  35. HD Voice by region • Europe • FT leading, others joining. • Asia • Australia/Telstra offering hosted service • Korea, Japan offering services; hard to tell what • North America • “Under the radar” with earlier adopters in enterprise, consumer, cable, and hosted VoIP. • Africa, South America • Good potential in greenfield 3G/3G+ projects

  36. Drivers for HD voice today • Service provider attraction/retention • Conferencing • Multi-national • As a part of a UC play • Higher education

  37. Service providers • Attraction • Better quality voice than narrowband, other carriers • Retention • Better quality product keeps people from switching (i.e. keep churn down) • France Telecom not charging extra for bband HD • Differentiation • Set apart from everyone else… until everyone else gets it • Monetization • Pay for better quality (?) Nobody knows • Pre-pay vs post-pay interesting to watch

  38. Conferencing – HD voice’s killer app • Clearer communication • Don’t have to repeat acronyms • Less stressful • People focus on content, not figuring out what is being said • Can identify individual voices easier

  39. Multi-national/multi-lingual • BIG winner for Fortune 500/international businesses • Non-native speakers can understand what is being said better/easier • Clearer speech, no clipping of similar sounds, don’t have to guess/interpret • Can understand non-native speakers better • Accents much less of a factor because there’s no clipping.

  40. Unified Communications • Rolled in as “yet another feature” in a UC play • Better voice quality provides • Clearer voice mail messaging • More effective transcriptions • Voice to email • Less human work/intervention in voice-based work products (Health care, legal, financial) • Cablevision/Optimum Lightpath’s play in NY

  41. Higher Education • Desire to work with “leading edge” • Large campus deployments • Deployments of 5,000 (and more) end-points • Penn State • Texas Tech

  42. Who: Companies in HD voice “ecosystem” • Service Providers • BT, Cablevision, France Telecom, Verizon Business, 8x8 • IP desktop handset manufacturers – ALL of them • Aastra, AudioCodes, Avaya, Cisco, Polycom • Mobile handset manufacturers • Nokia, Sony Ericsson declared, others in pipeline • Network core Aculab, Cisco, Dialogic,Ericsson • Applications • BroadSoft, CommuniGate, Unisys, WYDEVoice

  43. How does HD progress? • Macro picture of HD voice • Mobile HD voice progression • Broadband

  44. A Macro picture of HD voice • Today • Technology available in abundance • Lots of HD islands • Near-term • IP interconnection is coming • Hurdle is getting past Layers 8 & 9 (money * politics) • Longer-term • Superwideband become a codec/CPE upgrade • If people want it…

  45. Mobile HD voice progression • Mobile HD voice to happen faster • Typical handset lifecycle of 3 years • Arms race (more features) and Moore’s Law (faster/cheaper silicon) aid process • France Telecom taking lead role in Europe • Bringing handset manufacturers in • Expects full portfolio to be AMR-WB capable by end of 2011 • Competitors (SFR) starting to match in Europe • Asia – likely Japan, Korea • Info hard to come by; anyone have a source? • North America – Roll some dice… • Qualcomm pushing CDMA-based solution with its non-standard codec

  46. Broadband • Europe • Orange and BT biggest deployments • Virgin likely, Norway and Holland also cited as working on it • Look for “superwideband” to happen first in Europe • U.S. – Verizon/AT&T vs. Cable Companies • Cable appears to be on a path for GA in 2011-2012 • Approved DECT CAT-iq 2.0, ENUM in June 2010 • CPE gear starting to come out in 2010 • Once one side comes in, others expected in “avalanche.” • Asia • Korea, Japan

  47. For more HD Voice information • www.hdvoicenews.com • TMC (www.tmcnet.com) has a HD voice “Channel” with info • www.mjgraves.org – Graves on SOHO • The guy who provided the YouTube demo clips • Phone.com also has some HD voice info, demos

  48. To contact me… • Twitter: DougonIPComm • Email: dmohney@hdvoicenews.com • Web: www.hdvoicenews.com

  49. Questions?

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