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The world of VoIP changes as fast as it grows. This list represents the people, companies, and entities we believe will exert significant influence on IP Telephony in 2007.

The world of VoIP changes as fast as it grows. This list represents the people, companies, and entities we believe will exert significant influence on IP Telephony in 2007.

The Top Influencer in VoIP

1. The Asterisk Community - A classic open source success story with tens of thousands of developers contributing to a killer app. When it comes down to it, these guys are the current heart of IP telephony and influence the PBX and greater VoIP markets more than any individual ever could. Visit the Digium-hosted Asterisk Community.

The Gov's - Government Influencers

2. The FCC - Former FCC Chairman, Michael Powell, was a lot of things, but anti-VoIP he was not. The current Chairman, Kevin Martin, on the other hand, definitely loves his Telcos.

3. The United States Congress - Specifically, one Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK). You may remember the good Senator from, well, The Daily Show probably. He's been a YouTube favorite since he weighed in on Net Neutrality . I don't know about you, but that never stops being funny. The Chairman of the Committee charged with deciding the legislative future of many important Internet technologies makes our list, but we can only hope he turns out to be the Least Influential Person in VoIP.

The Gorillas - Large Telecom/Service Companies and their key VoIP Executives

4. Cisco - The executive ranks of Cisco are full of very intelligent thought leaders in IP Telephony but Don Proctor, Senior Vice President of the Voice Technology Group is the star. Under Don''s leadership, Cisco''s voice business became the second of the company's six initial advanced technology areas to surpass the USB annual revenue milestone, moving Cisco from an early innovator in the VoIP market to one of the top three global suppliers of enterprise voice solutions. Other notable execs with strategic influence are Mike Volpi (Senior VP/GM Routing and Service Provider Technology Group), J.D. Rosenberg (Cisco Fellow in the Routing and Service Provider Technology Group), and John Chambers (CEO) who collects executive superlatives like Red Auerbach collected Championship rings.

5. Google - The new big kid on the Internet block takes VoIP pretty seriously. With an initial foray into IP telephony via Google Talk , you can expect this is only the beginning. With key executives and evangelists like the "Father of the Internet", Vint Cerf , and Georges Harik , we like their chances.

6. Skype/Ebay - It is Niklas Zennstrom's baby and Meg Whitman's vision, but it could be Michael Jackson's Paid Services division that settles the debate on this controversial acquisition.

7. Microsoft - Owns the most popular OS and web browser on the planet. The XBOX is creeping further and further into a household communications platform. MSN Messenger added VoIP for their millions of users. And now they are rolling out Vista and Live Office, each of which will receive substantial VoIP integration over the next year. Just last week, Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, told Partners, "We are going to enter the voice-over-IP market the beginning of next year." Anoop Gupta (VP of Unified Communications Group) is their man. With Microsoft's product portfolio, cash, and reach, they deserve Most Influential status wherever they aim to compete.

8. 3com - 3com spends more than most on VoIP research. A huge player in the growing SMB IP PBX market and always strong on phones.

9. Intel - Intel's VoIP strategy is that VoIP is really only the beginning of a much larger convergence of services. As one of the key supporters and developers of complimentary technologies like WiMax, Intel is positioned well to influence IP Telephony at the standards, software, and hardware levels. Key executives leading this charge are Michael Stanford, Director of Voice of IP Strategy and Jim Machi, Sr. Director of Product Management for the Communications Infrastructure Group.

10. Nortel - Nortel is probably the 800 lb. Gorilla of VoIP solutions. From enterprise and carriers to SMB's and even IMS, Nortel is prominently positioned and gaining influence in each of their markets. Not only is Phil Edholm (CTO and VP of Strategy and Architecture for Nortel's Enterprise Solutions group) leading the charge inside Nortel, he is one of the most influential persons among his peers on this list.

11. Verizon - How influential is Verizon to the VoIP Market? Ask Vonage investors. A brilliantly-timed price cut before Vonage's IPO took quite a bit of wind out of the sails for that offering. Mark Wegleitner (CTO) and Ivan Seidenberg (CEO) are the key influencers for Verizon.

12. Alcatel - Alcatel is largely influential in enterpise communication systems and gateways. Exceptional executives include Serge Tchuruk (CEO), Mike Quigley (COO and Most Influential Aussie in VoIP) and Basil Alwan (President of IP). Alwan was a strong catalyst in Alcatel's reformation after they acquired his previous business, TiMetra.

The VoIP Guys - Notably Influential Executives of VoIP Companies

13. Mark Spencer, CEO, Digium - We view Asterisk, created by Spencer, as the most important platform in the entire VoIP market, so it was difficult to not name Mark Spencer the Most Influential Person in VoIP. That said, it is really the community that will take Asterisk to the corners of the Earth and improve it the most. Mark Spencer = Man.

14. Chris Lyman, CEO, Fonality - Lyman is the charismatic leader of one of the IP PBX market's hottest companies, Fonality. He is also known to publicly call out or respond to his critics and gets bonus points at VoIP News for doing so.

15. Jeff Citron, Chairman, Vonage - Love him or hate him, Jeff Citron is certainly influential. While some argue it is impossible to take a VoIP company public in the aftermath of the Vonage IPO, those kinds of IPO notions probably wouldn't be a reality if it were not for the rise of Vonage.

16. Lou D'Ambrosio, CEO, Avaya - A VoIP Marketing legend.

17. Bryan Martin, Packet8 - Went public before Vonage. May be around after them.

18. Charles Hoffman, Covad - Leading a major push into small business VoIP.

19. William Rich, Pingtel - Pingtel is succeeding in offering the only SIP-based open source IP PBX.

20. Howard Freidman, CEO, Aptela - Freidman has guided Aptela to its current position as a leading provider of Hosted PBX solutions for business of all sizes.

Asterisk

21. Iotum - Has the best Management Team page on the Internet: Alec Saunders

SIP

22. Henning G. Schulzrinne - Schulzrinne is best known as the principal inventor of SIP and is a continuous influencer of Internet and multimedia standards.

Wireless VoIP

23. Meru Networks - Meru Networks is the global leader in wireless infrastructure solutions that enable the All-Wireless Enterprise

24. Jing Liu, CEO, MINO Wireless - Mino connects mobile phones to VoIP internet applications. The product has shown early viral success among students and frequent travelers.

IP Multimeda Subsysem (IMS)

25. Harald Braun, President of Communications Networks Division, Siemens - Is Harald Braun the "Godfather of IMS"?

The Daily Show - VoIP Bloggers, Pundits, & Thought Leaders

26. Jeff Pulver, Pulver Media, Jeff Pulver Blog - Co-founder of Vonage. He is the face of VoIP and its most prominent thought leader.

27. Andy Abramson, VoIPWatch

28. Om Malik, GigaOm

29. Rich Tehrani, Rich Tehrani's VoIP Blog

30. Alec Saunders, Saunders Log

31. Jon Arnold, Jon Arnold's Blog

32. Skype Journal

33. Mark Evans, A Canadian Take on Telecom and Technology

34. Garrett Smith, Smith on VoIP

35. Greg Gatlizine, Greg Gatlitzine's VoIP Authority Blog

36. Russell Shaw, Converging Worlds of IP Telephony, VoIP, & Broadband

37. Tom Keating's, VoIP & Gadgets

38. VoIPNow

VoIP Security

39. Voice of IP Security Alliance (VOIPSA) - VOIPSA''s mission is to drive adoption of VoIP by promoting the current state of VoIP security research, VoIP security education and awareness, and free VoIP testing methodologies and tools. VOIPSA VoIP Security Blog.

40. Mark Collier - CTO of Securelogix and the top VoIP Security Blogger.

41. Phil Zimmerman - The creator of most widely used email encryption software, PGP, is now looking to secure IP phone calls using a new protocol called ZRTP.

The Anchormen - VoIP News Teams

42. VoIP News

43. TMC

44. Networkworld

Sooooo 2.0

45. Philip Rosedale, Founder & CEO of Linden Lab - Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Millions of people have created Second Life profiles. Look for a VoIP based communication platform.

46. O'Reilly Media - In a technology culture where just about everyone fancies themselves a legend, Tim O'Reilly