While telecom as an industry peaked in the late 90s, new software is ensuring that voice communication is still necessary, according to an industry expert.

“There’s a new look to voice. Voice will be big, and it’ll be bigger,” said Jim Kenefick, CEO of Better World Telecom.

“Applications, and all these software programs have voice embedded in them,” said Kenefick. Apps such as FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Skype and Discord have effectively replaced traditional phone conversation.

Voice recognition has increased productivity in many workplaces, Kenefick said. “Imagine I can suddenly share with my voice. ‘Send these files to Jonathan’, [and] boom— here’s your Excel spreadsheet… it’s going to allow us to work much more frictionless.”

Thanks to strides in this field, Kenefick also predicts keypads will be obsolete within the next decade. “Typing, we’ll look back and think that’s funny. Like the fax machine, or the voicemail machine,” said Kenefick.

“With the authenticity that’s coming with our voice we’re going to have voice DNA prints. So, we’re going to say, ‘open the door,’ and it’s going to open up the door to my house,” he said.

Kenefick said he hopes these new technologies can make both the public and private sectors more efficient. “Anytime there’s a new technology, there’s always an opportunity to bring those new ideas… to the federal government, as they have to keep up.”

“This voice is an opportunity for a Wild Wild West. Whether it’s privacy, whether it’s security, whether it’s functionality, whether it’s efficiency… it’s a great time to be alive in this world, because technology is changing faster than it’s ever changed before,” said Kenefick.

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