The Fireside Chat, moderated by Isabelle Paradis, founder and president of Hot Telecom, brought together three senior industry leaders to confront the evolving role of voice in communications. Far from echoing the tired narrative of voice’s decline, this spirited discussion reimagined voice not as a legacy relic, but as a dynamic, multifaceted asset adapting to the digital age.

Joining Paradis were Andres Proano, chief revenue officer of BTS; Julian Jacquez, president of BCN; and Patrick George, president and group CEO of iBASIS. Each brought a distinct perspective, from wholesale to enterprise to retail, on voice’s trajectory, profitability, and future potential.

Speakers

Paradis opened the session by challenging attendees to shift their mindset: “Let’s forget about the tired narrative of declining voice. The real story is that voice is no longer about minutes, it’s about moments.”

This set the stage for Patrick George’s overview of the current landscape. “Voice is still important,” George declared, noting that while traditional voice traffic is shrinking, its utility is diversifying. “A voice minute is not just a voice minute. It can come from CPaaS, call centres, human beings, IoT devices; and even text-to-speech. Voice is more complex every day.”

Proano echoed this sentiment, framing the shift in technological terms: “We are treating voice much more as data now. It’s scalable, programmable, and intelligent.” He described a transition where machine-to-machine voice is rising, and human-to-human calls are no longer the exclusive norm.

One of the most compelling discussions focused on the paradox of voice: declining traffic, yet thriving business models for some. As Paradis put it, “There are still a lot of people running profitable businesses around voice. So what makes the difference between winners and losers?”

Jacquez offered a concrete example from BCN’s evolution: “In 2018, 75% of our business came from legacy TDM voice. Today, it’s 35%, but it remains our most profitable segment.” The key was transformation: migrating to IP platforms and embedding voice within managed network solutions. “The profitability just really took off.”

For George, strategic segmentation was vital. “You don’t treat every customer the same. Some want premium quality, while others prioritise cost. Understanding the usage and offering the best quality for the price: that’s how we increased our wholesale voice margin year on year.”

He was quick to highlight the importance of human factors: “This is a people business. The knowledge, the mindset, the regional experience: it all matters. You don’t do business in Africa the same way as in France, or Japan the same way as China.”

Proano credited internal agility as a decisive factor: “We still do weekly updates to our platform to stay ahead. Our programmable voice features like real-time transcription and translation for ride-share companies, add value and embed us deeper into customer workflows.”

When asked about the future of voice, George struck a pragmatic tone. “Yes, the cake is smaller, but we aim to take a bigger slice. For us, voice will never disappear. People said it was dead when Skype launched in 2000 and now Skype is gone, and we’re still here.”

This long-term view was reinforced by Proano’s example of AI-led voice interactions. “I was talking to a large language model to make a reservation. Then my own LLM called another to confirm the booking. Those machine-to-machine conversations are still voice, and they’ll be monetised.”

Jacquez outlined BCN’s roadmap from hosted PBX and SIP trunking to full UCaaS and now contact centre as a service. “Ultimately, we’ll have an omni-channel offering. All of these are iterations on the same core platform. It’s about meeting the customer where they are.”

For all three, the innovation lies not in abandoning voice, but in rethinking its applications—be it in AI-powered interactions, emergency services, or as a secure verification tool.

Throughout the discussion, platforms emerged as a critical enabler of growth. George stressed the role of operational support systems (OSS) and business support systems (BSS): “Your platform has to be smarter than your customer. That’s how you stay ahead.”

Proano reiterated the value of in-house technology: “Owning our platform allows us to adapt rapidly. That’s why we’re embedding AI and APIs into our voice services.”

Equally important were partnerships and regional strategies. “Strong partnerships are essential,” George emphasised. “And your approach must vary by region. There’s no one-size-fits-all.”

An audience question from Mary Clark of Numeracle asked the panellists to reflect on voice’s future given sustained declines in outbound calling, especially in the UCaaS and CCaaS sectors.

George responded with a dose of realism: “We know the addressable voice market is shrinking. But we’re efficient, focused, and will win a larger share of a smaller market. And we’re using that voice cash flow to fund new business lines.”

Proano agreed but added optimism. “Voice won’t die, it’ll just evolve. Human-to-machine, machine-to-machine, AI-powered conversations, they’re all voice in new forms.”

Jacquez, too, struck an upbeat note. “We’ve doubled our IP voice session capacity. And we’ll double it again next year. That’s not an investment you make if you don’t see a future.”

Even as energy costs and sustainability issues were raised, the panellists believed that voice, though changing in nature, would remain essential. “When my Facebook account was hacked, it took me a year to resolve without a human voice,” George recounted. “Sometimes, only a voice can solve it.”

This panel made one thing clear: voice is not fading; it is being redefined. From programmable voice to AI call orchestration, to strategic platform evolution, the leaders at BTS, BCN, and iBASIS see a vibrant if transformed future.

Paradis summarised it best in her opening remarks: “Voice isn’t just about minutes anymore. It’s about value, trust, and connection. And those things aren’t going away.”

Indeed, if voice is no longer a channel, but a layer, woven through emerging technologies and customer experiences, then its future is not just secure, but indispensable.