5 Limitation of Communication Service Convergence You Must Know

Convergence is a buzz word in communication field, especially in wider adoption towards unified communication. Simply put, convergence is uniting multiple services across single infrastructure. You place many communication services and technologies, like voice, data, video, web, email and IMs into single devices and put them in single network – the communications convergence.

You as consumers, the idea of converging communication really has appeal only where portability is concerned. It’s much easier to carry only one device. With one devices you can use to communicate with person, any where in any format. People will take pragmatic approach to adapt converging communication as cost is still a big concern

For your companies, convergence network may remove the requirement for separate voice and data networks. Your company’s communications infrastructure can be converged, reducing spending on everything from voicemail to long distance and creating new features like unified messaging and remote calling. A converged network cut off the need for duplicate hardware and vendors who manage separate service or provider. Thereby, the amount of resources you need is reduced significantly. Cost wise, is will cut significant reduction to adapt this new technologies, this is different with consumers approaches as mentioned above.

While this new approach to how we communicate is making big changes and save cost definitely, there are several drawbacks which can not be overlooked. The problem with communication convergence is that the technology and device isn’t exactly there yet. Major researches and trials have been taken in upgrading the technology to be adapted widely. It will take sometimes for technology to be matured. Until then, it is anticipated that the early adopters will facing several issues as well. Bellow are five limitation of communication convergence that you must know.

1. Bandwidth limitation
Bandwidth limitation is the big No to deploy convergence networks. Each of those different services needs optimal bandwidth for their own transport. Sometimes it needs to make prioritizing due to limited bandwidth, but this also will bear the consequences. If all those services are engaged at the same time, as a result, burst traffic which may not be handled by prioritizing. At the end the service quality will be suffered.

2. Decrease in Quality of Service
As mentioned above, this limitation is as result of bandwidth restriction or any other factors. Drop of quality is occurred when at the same time multiple services were being transported over the same network. Let say you are engaging in VoIP conversation, and then you need to download files from internet. You then experience voice quality drop instantly. To overcome this problem, service prioritizing where VoIP conversation is favored over the less important downloading. But even though now you have decent bandwidth, it’s a little bit challenging to maintain the quality of service when other types of communication are combined.

3. Devices limitation
Convergence device, tools and support are still few in number in the market. The few that exist already are expensive, and most of the time unaffordable to many. This is changing, though as many bigger player in networking area are adopting to this technology. Clearly we will see more devices for communications convergence in the future, and come at more affordable prices.

4. Applications limitation
The early applications for convergence communication are telemedicine, distance learning, and contact center applications. But most of these are in the area of researches. There’s lack of usable applications from a consumer point of view. Until recently, we saw a driving need from a business perspective. If a business or organization can combine all of the avenues it has for convergence communications into one, wouldn’t it make sense that the organization could save tremendous amounts of money and conduct business more efficiently?

5. Security treat
Having multiple services carried on the same network are appealing. But perhaps the consequence is your network now become more vulnerable than before. Imagine that someone who is making conversation at the same time can tap network to gain. VoIP itself comes with its load of voice-specific security threats and handling both on the same network can be quite challenging. [link url=http://voip.about.com/od/security/a/SecuThreats.htm]

Despite limitations above, still communications technology convergence is happening and will be widely adapted in the future. More benefits to consumers who are using convergence communication in daily basis. Even today, existing traditional telephone service providers are forced to examine the structure and future of their businesses to adapt VoIP and others service area towards unified communication.