For some of the most storied names in telecommunications, yesterday was both an end and a beginning. The spin-off of Siemens Enterprise Networks (SEN) and a leadership shake-up at Alcatel-Lucent, both a long-time coming, are finally under way, and the ripple effects will be felt by many within our industry, and for some period of time.

The UC blogosphere has been abuzz with discussion about UC adoption. But what’s missing from this debate is the distinction between today’s mostly narrow use of individual UC tools and the fundamental changes in communications coming in the rapidly-approaching future.

Although the Unified Communications market is still relatively new, the future looks bright, as the market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 65% from 2007 to 2012. This growth rate is typical of a new, but broad-based market segment. But while growth appears likely, the market is so new that it’s difficult to predict exactly when enterprises will move from a “wait-and-see” attitude to more aggressive deployment.