The conclusion we reached was that broadband VoIP has the potential as "an infrastructure that revitalized consumption on IP networks."

The reason is that because "networks can go beyond what's real." Although the general recognition is to substitute the real world with networks, we came to the belief that use of networks spread since they are much more convenient than the real world.

I hate to sound like a Buddhist riddle so I will explain my reasons for the above in order.

The voice quality of broadband VoIP will go beyond anything that conventional telephones can offer. This is obvious since communication is made at close distances — like talking into someone's ear — that people rarely experience in their real lives. However, the value would be limited when using such high-quality telephone voice to only transmit messages. Needless to say, there is the advantage of being able to hear message much more clearly. Rich and entertaining communication will probably increase the opportunity for people to communicate. However, we will be mocked by many if we assert that broadband VoIP would drastically convert the value of transmitting messages.

The true value of broadband VoIP we discovered was not in the voice quality but somewhere else. It is to take on the role as a foundation of society that promotes rich consumption and economic activities through communication that exceeds real voice. This is the conclusion we reached and the concept that lies underneath "eSound," which is becoming materialized.

What is the motivation that determines consumption?

Before going on to the crucial concept of "eSound," I will introduce our observations on how people are motivated to buy goods.

What motivates people to buy goods in our matured consumption society? In Japan, an extremely rich society was built through drastic restoration following World War II. During the early days of restoration, the world was short of goods and it was the age when anything that meets a need or a function would sell. There is no mistake that new things such as home electronic appliances including refrigerators, washing machines and televisions, and automobiles made the lives of Japanese after the War much richer.

What about the present? We are no longer in an age where anything will simply sell. At convenience stores and super markets, wide array of products are newly introduced and taken off the shelf every day. We are now in an age where anything is made and sold. But that does not necessarily mean that it effectively ties in with consumption.

Let's looks at things from the perspective of those manufacturing the goods. Those manufacturing goods have the capability to provide various consumer goods, or the capability to create basically anything. From my experience as a developer of a vendor involved in a number of products, I feel that the options for creating products have increased drastically as we entered the 21st century. I believe that we are in an age where anything can be created when determining a specification given that the product is within the range of normal prediction.