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So now we are in the midst of a historical move – From the kilobit stage of individualized communications to–the megabit stage–and within the reasonable future, to the gigabit stage.

Convergence may be defined as the ability of different network platforms to carry essentially similar kinds of services, including the coming together of consumer devices such as the telephone, television and personal computing. Triple Play refers to the combined offering of Internet broadband access, voice telephony and television.

We’re also witnessing the beginnings of a titanic clash between the internet and the telecommunications industry.  

The Internet, as a creature of the computer and networking industry, grows as a function of applications enabled by the connectivity.

What makes the Internet most attractive is that all future innovations are simply plugged in at the edge of the network. Some applications require more capacity and performance than others, but the beauty of the situation is that no one pays as a function of time and or geographical location.

The landscape for digital TV services is rapidly changing. While digital cable, digital terrestrial and satellite services continue to develop, there are clear signs that broadband networks will emerge as a significant fourth platform for digital, Internet Protocol based TV (IP-TV) services. However, some challenges remain before broadband operators will be established as credible new generation TV "broadcasters".

A key driver of IP-TV has been the mounting pressure on fixed line telecom service providers to launch new revenue generating services in response to the increasing erosion in core fixed line voice business. The launch of triple-play services (integrated broadband, voice and video) has become a holy grail for the industry. But as with any technology that  threatens to disrupt the existing paradigm there is confusion , protection of vested interests, and resistance to allow the full potential to be realized.

If you think in terms of history and how we, as a society, communicate; for the most part it has been tethered (at the end of a pair of copper wires). One of the main appeals of wireless communications is mobility. Mobility makes it easier for people to communicate, for business or pleasure, without being tethered to a wall, a terminal, or even a specific geographic location. Hunters of the killer application in telecommunications perhaps fail to see that mobility itself is the killer app.

So the battle isn't for the triple play of services over a single fat pipe into the home - but to offer the triple play to anyone, anywhere on the go. What was once the holy grail of a single fat pipe into the home is now going to be personal fat pipe that follows the user around. The triple play is still important, but it may now need to be an anywhere, anytime to any device.