The success of Skype and other VoIP providers has led to a race to integrate this technology with smartphones. At the moment, most consumers on a mobile phone contract pay approximately two-thirds of their plan towards their regular minutes and an additional third towards their data fee. As VoIP technology improves, however, this percentage could reverse as there will be a greater interest in using Internet-based apps to place phone calls. It’s become increasingly common for consumers to do away with the landline at home altogether, but many businesses still prefer this traditional model. For VoIP technology to become more integrated in a business setting, it will have to provide all the conveniences of a traditional handset and landline.
WiFi Phones
Most consumers already carry smartphones. There’s a lot of potential in WiFi phones and VoIP, which should increase as more and more cities gain widespread wireless access. At the moment, using VoIP technology to make all phone calls only makes sense if you are in an area with strong WiFi and have the majority of your contacts using the same service. The majority of smartphones already make use of WiFi to provide data services to consumers, so using VoIP technology is just one step beyond this. VoIP doesn’t require a great deal of bandwidth, making it ideal for corporate settings.
Greater International Capabilities
One of the primary uses of VoIP technology is to make cheap international calls. Although you can place cheap calls to Australia from Lebara mobile and other providers, calls are free from one Skype user to another. If this could be integrated with regular smartphone technology, it could allow consumers to reduce their international fees significantly. Yet at the moment, cheap calls to South Africa from Lebara mobile are in no danger of being replaced by VoIP due to spotty service and a lack of widespread infrastructure. This could change in the future.
Security Issues
As wireless access has become more widespread, another major issue holding back VoIP technology is security. Many businesses simply prefer to have physical handsets on their desks, for a professional look. Using a company-wide wireless network can seem to some like giving up privacy. However as new devices are released, this can easily be overcome. Workplace smartphones enabled with apps from Skype and Viber are becoming more ubiquitous, and new tools like the Shoretel Dock device help bridge the gap between traditional workplace phones and newer smartphones. This allows the user to plug in their iPhone to a dock yet still retain a traditional telephone handset at the same time.
You can expect to see more hybrid solutions of this nature until VoIP technology is used for the mainstream. It’s already become one of the simplest ways to make international phone calls, and streamlines communications in many business settings.
