Bell will begin to transition some of it’s equipment to VoIP using Nortel’s boxes says CNet.

I think this should be a non issue. Whether Voice is done on IP or on circuit based connections will hopefully become irrelevant. It’s a service. Like mobile phones: using GSM or CDMA doesn’t matter as much as the end result, which is the provision of a mobile voice (ok, and a bit of data) services. The same argument could be made with cable or satellite TV services. Services are key, and some ways to deliver them will probably prove to be more efficient or flexible or lucrative.

Maybe the old way is more appropriate in some cases, maybe VoIP makes more sense in most cases. Hopefully telecom regulations will adapt to this new context and allow for a rich ecosystem of services.