What Direction Will VoIP Take Going Forward?
It seems that nothing can stop the rise and rise of Internet telephony. Driven by ever cheaper and faster broadband Voice over IP has become one of the fastest-growing applications on the Internet. But apart from cheap calls in the UK, there are other factors which have contributed to this massively popular method of making calls. There is clearly a trend toward more innovative and more mobile services and this looks likely to ensure that demand for Internet telephony continues to develop. It is estimated that there are already around four million VoIP UK users in the UK, not including business subscriptions.
Key figures in the industry point to the proliferation of ADSL broadband connections that do not require line rental for a conventional phone line (naked ADSL), and number portability between conventional and IP phone services as the two key things that will bring inflate the profile of VoIP to new heights.
In fact the effect VoIP has had has been so profound that some have suggested that it may not be long before users can get rid of their traditional landline telephones completely in favour of a internet phone.
Taking a more straightforward view, there are certain things that will need to be addressed before that can happen. In the UK Internet telephony providers like Vonage or VoIPTalk will have to scrutinise both security and ease of use, as well as continue to deliver a convenient and financially viable service. They certainly offer cheap calls already but, what else do they need to do to ensure a bright future for VoIP?
As the Internet is a vast public network the VoIP traffic is no more immune from attack than any other data. Security is a worry for many users, particularly in the business community and the means to develop security for users would be a welcome step in securing the long-term future of VoIP.
The ease of use issue may not remain a hindrance to development now that handsets that work on mobile networks and, via WiFi or Bluetooth links, over VoIP are now making an appearance in the shops. This raises the prospect of using low-cost VoIP services at home, in the office or at a WiFi hotspot, but still retaining the flexibility of mobile coverage when out and about.
Some VoIP providers are now selling these handsets, and have set up joint arrangements with wireless hotspots so that their customers can make and receive calls on the go without the need for a PC.
It’s likely that some of the restrictions of such handsets i.e. difficulties in hotspots that use web pages for authentication to be addressed any time now.
The advance of newer networking technologies will further reduce the distance between fixed, mobile and VoIP services. Wireless broadband services, in particular WiMax, could create city-wide wireless hotspots, making it possible to make mobile VoIP calls in much wider areas.