; the doctor could pull all the records of that patient and prescribe the medi- cine; or the session could instantly be connected to an available specialist for expert opinion, and then the patient could be get admitted into the hospital (if needed) without disconnecting the session. And after the patient is hospitalized, he could collaborate with family members in distant locations by simply lying in the hospital bed. Usually, visitors are restricted in the patient's rooms in the hospital. But next generation hospitals will allow patient's family members and friends to collaborate with the patient from anywhere 304 SIP Trunking of the world. It is not far away when the grandchildren living at home will be playing with their grandparents in the hospital room. Journey Ahead The proliferation of communications options has become a burden that often makes it more difficult to reach people, rather than easier. Rapid advances in hardware, networks, and the software that powers them are laying the foundation for groundbreaking innova- tions in communications technology that will revolutionize the way we share information and experiences with the people who are important to us at work and at home. Microsoft founder Bill Gates said, "A fundamental reason that communicating is still SO complex is the fact that the way we communicate is still bound by devices. In the office, we use a work phone with one number. Then, we ask people to call us back on a mobile device using another number when we are on the go or reach us on our home phone with yet another number." People also have different identities and passwords for their work and home email accounts and for IM, he said, noting that this would all change in the very near future as more communications and entertainment is transmitted over the Internet by email, IM, videoconferencing, and the emergence of Voice over IP (VoIP), IPTV (IP television), and other protocols. A new wave of innovations will eliminate the boundaries between the various modes of communications we use