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Klingeling! - Internet Telefonie before the break-through
[Of ftd.de, 21:38, 11.07.04]

The Internet Telefonie stands before the break-through. With favourable prices and comfortable devices on-line offerers of the German Telekom hunt ever more customer off.

Martin Siller lives its friend in Bangkok in Hamburg. And if it calls it, the discussions last gladly once somewhat longer. In former times the student for the overseas telephone calls accepted thick calculations to each month. For six weeks he telephones over Internet - and pays for one minute to Thailand only 12.5 cent. Its old telephone it gestpselt simply with an adapter to the Internet connection of its group house. “The quality of the connection is even better than when conventional telephoning”, says Siller. That uses also the remote relationship: That Hamburg ones speaks with its dearest one meanwhile also in its native language, and depending upon clay/tone situation the same word in Thai “grandfather” or “crab” can mean.
Like Siller decide ever more Internet user to lead also their telephone calls over the World Wide Web. For a long time Internet Telefonie was considered as speciality to Technikfreaks, which did not shrink from themselves, to raise for each discussion the computer headphones and microphone to put on and the volume on maximum to turn, because the clay/tone had rushed in such a way. Now preschen on-line offerer with offers forwards, which are attractive for ordinary consumers also - with conventional telephones and good language quality. The German Telekom worries itself that its most important turnover and profit carrier, which continue to turn out to fixed net, under pressure.
The new technology, which is called in the industry Voice of over Internet Protocol (VoIP), stands at the threshold to the mass-market. Of Germany of second largest on-line offerers freenet marketed Internet Telefonie for one month as well as his fast DSL connections, rival United Internet puts on Monday with a similar offer after. And to year end wants Arcor, which largest Telekom rival, its DSL users Internet Telefonie to offer. “VoIP starts Arcor boss Harald Stber as niche product and gradually at meaning to win”, prophesied.

Attack on the Telekom fixed net

The offer encounters active interest: Six per cent of the Germans Jupiter would be ready to telephone over Internet according to a study of the market research firm. Sipgate, the Provider Hamburg students of the Siller, reports already “user numbers of five figures”. In Japan, where expensive fixed net discussions of the former state State of NTT and a radical Deregulierung prepared new techniques the way, it telephones already more than four million humans over their Internet connection.
Still is the German Telekom with approximately 50 million customer in the telephone business here to country of unquestioned front runners. The trend nevertheless prepares headaches for the managers in the Bonn company center to the new technology. Festnetztelefonie - mockery name “POTS” (Plain old of telephones system) - brings at present with distance most money in. The former monopolist takes the money either with the owner of the telephone connection or with the competitors, who must rent net capacities over “Preselection” or “call by call” at the Telekom. In each case applies: The more discussions across the net to be led, the louder the cash of the Telekom rings.
The new on-line competition hurts the Telekom still more than the fixed net rivals. It does not only withdraw telephone customers at the Telekom, it pays also clearly less for the use of the Telekom infrastructure than the competitors in the fixed net. The offerer, who sold an Internet connection with telephoning possibility to the final customer, pays to Bonn company only the overall use fee. Whether the VoIP users telephone 100 minutes or, does not play 100,000 for the height of the payment a role. An account construction, which originates still from times, in which one imagine could not that telephone calls will transfer once on the same way could as enamels.

VoIP as bonuses

“VoIP became suddenly a topic for the large Telekom offerers”, states novel Friedrich, telecommunications expert during the management consultation Booz, everything, Hamilton. “You look under high pressure for solutions to react over to the new offers.”
The prices turn out in chutes. Most offers offer VoIP as bonuses for their Internet packages, in order to win additional customers. “With it we can differentiate our DSL offer revaluations and us”, say about freenet boss hitting a corner hard Spoerr.
Because the companies have additional expenditures by the Internet Telefonie hardly, the service is offered mostly for the cost price. “If I the range in the net have, am no matter it whether over it a Website is called or language is transported”, says Spoerr. With freenet a VoIP discussion with a fixed net customer of the Telekom costs within of Germany uniformly 1 cent per minute. The Telekom requires during the day for a long-distance call of a standard connection from 12 cent.

Less customer, fewer fees

In the Bonn company center one tries to against-lift themselves the trend of sinking incomes and defend its market share. For years the basic charges are increased steadily - finally also customers, who in-select themselves over a service of the competition in the net, need a telephone connection of the Telekom for the majority. The minute prices sink at the same time, in order to hold Telekom customers from the change to more favorable competitors.
Whether the strategy comes up, is questionable. Thus the Telekom in the first quarter of this yearly did not succeed in adjusting the decrease with the incomes from connecting minutes with the increase with the charges for being connected. Which began with the arising of the competition in the fixed net, continues with the Internet Telefonie. “The pressure on the fixed net business will strengthen by VoIP central until long-term clearly”, believes Marcus Sander, analyst with Sal. Oppenheim.
Danger or chance? The new technology leads within the company to interest conflicts between the fixed net section T-Com and the Internet daughter T-Online. “During T-Com turnover losses with conventional telephone calls to fear, T-Online must penetrate to link its DSL offers with Internet Telefonie”, assumes Sander.

Danger or chance?

With both daughters working groups over VoIP offers breed. At the latest up to the year end the Telekom wants to bring own products on the market. Rhetorically the fixed net managers step however on the brake: “Pure VoIP makes sense only if one can offer more”, says a T-Com-manager. So the Bonn ones with the discussion want to transfer also the video picture of the telephone partner. Dwellings are to be able to be supervised by Web camera by telephone.
Meanwhile urge of more and more competitors on the German market, under it potent foreign offerers, who could kindle a new price fight. The American telephone company AT&T about wants to go here to country with VoIP on customer catch - without even an expensive net for Sprachtelefonie to develop or to rent have.
The fact that the Internet Telefonie will spread is constituted among experts. How quickly this happens, depends particularly on the spreading of fast Internet entrances. HVB analyst Sander expects that the number of the DSL connections in Germany doubles itself until 2007 on approximately ten million. Each fifth Telekom customer could telephone thus - theoretically - by Internet.
Technology which can be served simply accelerates the spreading. “You get a black box”, recruit franc bridging man, boss Hamburg offerer of the Broadnet Mediascape. “There you can your similar telephone attach and loose-put.”

New application type

Potenzial offers that to Internet also for places, which were unattainable for conventional telephones so far. Thus that equips Hamburg enterprises WLan internationally yachting ports approximately around the Mediterranean with a radio net, in which Internet data will transfer can. Apart from the weather forecast and information for navigation the company offers Skippern a wireless telephone, which functions in all attached ports. Zurzeit costs the equipment proud 400 euro. “The prices must still down”, say WLan chief executive Ludolf of lion star. “However I am sure me that in three or four years for many a beautiful thing will be.”
For the student Siller is its Internet telephone long a faithful travel companion. If it breaks open in few days to a longer stay to Thailand, the equipment is including adapter also in the luggage. Even the number travels also. For his parents in Swabian resound is attainable it also in Bangkok at the price of a German long-distance call.

Source: stock exchange online.de