Business people and consumers both need much more than e-mail, text-based instant messaging and data services to communicate among themselves. They also need truly real-time interactive communication services - voice calling, PBX/Centrex services, presence with instant voice or video calling/conferencing, multimedia collaboration, video conferencing, distance learning, interactive Customer/Supplier Relationship Management (C/SRM), multimedia customer care web sites and more.

The delivery of these real-time interactive communications across IP networks must work end-to-end -- to anyone, anywhere, any time. It must work just like a telephone call over the PSTN today that typically traverses multiple circuit-switched networks. Consequently, interactive communications must be supported across multiple IP networks - wireline, wireless, cable - while satisfying critical security, service assurance and law enforcement requirements. In fact, according to a recent Forrester Research study, "customers will demand that network services span multiple networks."

Unfortunately, today's IP networks are incapable of supporting these communications. Why? Because any single service provider's network alone doesn't reach far enough and the global, public Internet lacks the required fundamental Quality of Service (QoS) and accounting mechanisms to deliver high quality, money making interactive communications.

The delivery of high quality interactive voice, video and multimedia communications across IP network borders represents a huge new revenue and profit opportunity for service providers.