“Bits are bits,” many used to remark during the early days of transition from single-purpose to multi-purpose networks.
“Communications” is “just an application programming interface," some now argue.
Both statements are true to an extent, and wrong to an extent. It is true that the advantage of multi-purpose networks is that they can carry any media type. In that sense, bits are bits. But various applications require different support.
Video requires consistent packet delivery and hence created a need for content delivery networks, which reduce latency and jitter artifacts that mar video experience.
Various forms of extended reality or process control will likely require intensive data processing very close to the end user, hence creating a need for edge computing.
Likewise, what tends to be meant by “communications is just an API” is that communications capabilities (voice, messaging, unified communications) can be added to any application using an API.
It is meant to mean the abstraction of a great amount of complexity and infrastructure that the actual end user need not worry about.
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