The reasons for this are obvious: "As cable VOIP penetration increases, there is tremendous financial incentive for cable companies to directly connect their VOIP services so that they don't have to traverse the PSTN, which entails doling out termination charges to their rivals: phone companies," Culver writes.

    Enterprises have a different agenda in deploying VOIP peering solutions, as they are looking to extend advanced collaboration and presence features to their workers. Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - message board) Office Communications Server 2007, for instance, will offer softphone features; on-premises, server-based Web, audio, and video conferencing; mobile instant messaging (IM) and presence; PBX integration; and VOIP integration on mobile devices.

    With all of the advantages of VOIP peering, adoption is bound to increase as telcos, MSOs, and enterprises embrace lower costs and improved service creation that comes as a result.