For most cable TV operators, their telephony business is on hold while traditional circuit-switched technology migrates to VoIP-based telephony. Many of those same operators are also addressing a myriad of unfamiliar operational, marketing, and business questions posed by the provisioning of voice services. For a select few operators, however, laying down a telephony footprint now remains a key component to their long-term telephony business model.

This report examines telephony services over hybrid fiber coaxial networks. It covers the issues surrounding the introduction of cable telephony service, including the development of standards, the different voice architectures/technologies available, and cable telephony service challenges. In addition, it profiles cable telephony equipment vendors and cable MSOs in order to highlight their service strategies.

The report provides forecasts for worldwide cable telephony subscribers, IP cable telephony subscribers, and worldwide installed cable telephony lines through the year 2005. It also forecasts cable telephony service revenues for the next five years.

In addition, it also presents the results of a survey of cable operators in the U.S., inquiring about their plans to provision cable telephony over the next two years.