The market for traditional telephone network operators is getting more and more competitive. With new technologies offering much cheaper IP-telephony services via the Web and mobile phoning packages costing less than fixed-line calls, it is getting harder to make profit with just old-fashioned land-line phoning services.

However the telecom giants were quick to find a way out of this disaster: the magic word is “triple play” and opens up a whole new business for struggling operators. The three ways of communication combined in the “triple” formula are telephoning, television and internet. New packages offering access to all three channels via broadband connections take over the market that used be limited to landline phones. Either DSL or cable ports qualify for this high-speed multipurpose access to information, communication and entertainment. All from just one source.

One major advantage of this new connection formula is the possibility for interactivity with the programming. What is known as video on demand (VOD) could bring people exactly the show or movie they want to watch – whenever they want to watch it. The same could work for audio-entertainment, where listeners could simply create their own playlists and receive the matching songs through their digital radio feed. Another obvious advantage is the level of quality provided by such digital media in oppose to watching regular TV channels.

The next step in this evolution of communication and data exchange is labeled “quad play” or “quadruple play”. In addition to offering television, phoning and internet services; this new formula adds the mobile dimension to the picture. Very soon we can all surf the web from our laptop while ordering the latest movies to our PDA and transferring money from our account through our mobile phone.

But don’t worry: if all this appears too fast and scary, you can always just grab a book, listen to a nice Jazz record on your gramophone and enjoy a few moments of digital-free entertainment.

Picture: Kabel Deutschland