SIP Trunking has come of Age with many carriers adopting it and other companies supplying a chain of functions for better communication. A SIP trunk is a logical connection between a carrier and a customer needing business services carried over a broadband IP facility. Because this facility uses Internet technology it benefits from economies and scale and adaptability for future offerings. This panel looks at the state of adoption and the benefits of this migration.
- What is the implication for IP/PBX interconnection as a result of SIP trunking?
- Are carriers using SIP trunking to expand advance services like disaster recovery?

Anne L Coulombe has 20+ years of experience working at the intersection points of high tech, telecom and IT. Her converging technologies work experience includes messaging, gaming, LANs, WANs, wireless, VoIP, video, security, and SIP-based systems. Anne's track record includes technology and business positions with F500 companies such as Microsoft, Electronic Arts and Avaya, bringing over 125 products to market. A frequent speaker on topics surrounding the influence of SIP, she holds an MBA in Tech Eng Management, certificate in Computer Science and the PMP designation.

Patrick Herron is Director – Product Management at McLeodUSA. McLeodUSA provides managed IP-based communications services to small and medium-sized enterprises, and traditional circuit-switched telephony services to commercial customers in the Midwest, Rocky Mountain, Southwest and Northwest regions of the nation. McLeodUSA delivers a wide variety of broadband IP-based voice and data solutions, targeting primarily small and medium-sized enterprises and multilocation commercial customers. Patrick has over 20 years of Engineering, Sales, and Marketing experience in the telecommunications industry. In his current role, he is responsible for management and marketing of all McLeodUSA retail products and services.

As a Director of Product Management, Curtis Hartmann has end-to-end responsibility for BroadSoft's SIP Trunking solution. Curtis has over 15 year experience in the telecommunications software industry having held leadership positions in software development, product management, and business development at ADC NewNet, Interswitch, and most recently at Cisco Systems where he was responsible for Cisco's cable telephony softswitch. Curtis holds a BA in Chemistry from Connecticut College, and Master's degree in Computer Science from Union College.

As President of Ingate Systems Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Ingate Systems A.B., Steven Johnson is responsible for building market recognition and developing multiple sales channels for Ingate products within the United States.

Johnson currently serves on the Board of Directors for the SIP Forum, an industry organization with members from the leading SIP technology companies. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a Master’s in Business Administration from Boston University.

As Director of Voice Service Provider Offer Management for Level 3 Communications, Tucker Maroney is responsible for leading Level 3’s wholesale voice service provider segment and managing the segment’s profitability.

Tucker has seven years of product management, marketing and sales experience in the telecommunications industry.

He holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance from the University of Montana.

William Stofega is a Research Manager with IDC’s Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) Services Program. This program analyzes the market demand for VoIP services communications services in both the consumer and enterprise markets. Will is an expert on the organizational structures, product offerings and strategic directions for all services providers including RBOCs, CLECs, RLECs, IXCs Cable MSOs and Virtual Carriers. Immediately prior to joining IDC, Will was a Research Analyst with the Telecom Research Group, a subsidiary of Washington DC-based Warren Communications News. At the Telecom Research Group, he did extensive research and co-authored the highly detailed "Inside the RBOCs" and authored "Inside the Bandwidth Providers" research report series. Prior to his tenure at the Telecom Research Group, Will was a research analyst covering regulatory and legislative developments the securities industry for nine years at Dewey Ballantine LLP, a New York-based corporate law firm. Mr. Stofega received both his B.A. and M.A. degree from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Adam Uzelac is a Director Converged Network Architecture. He is responsible for several network technology initiatives within Global Crossing, including, but not limited to VoIP, IMS, SIP, and Service/Feature creation.

Prior to joining Global Crossing, Adam worked for Frontier Communications as a Senior Network Engineer with exclusive focus on a VoIP network that now carriers more than 2.5 Billion MOUs per month.

Adam attended Hamilton College and has numerous industry certifications.

As one of Smoothstone’s founders in 2000, Jeff led the team that developed the company’s centralized, IP communications delivery platform, based on the then novel concept of the centralized delivery of PBX services. Prior to founding Smoothstone, Jeff founded several other technology companies, each of which introduced other innovations into the marketplace: TeleVoice - the first solid state residential voicemail system (1991); a product for the casino industry that tracks house banks using laser and reflective sensing devices (1993); VirtualPAY - the Internet's first billing and payment lockbox (1994, subsequently sold to the National Processing Company); ViperLink - the first commercial high-speed wireless Internet access in the United States (1997, sold to Paul Allen-backed Darwin Networks).