Wireless VoIP
Wireless VoIP has at last penetrated
the business market. Wireless VoIP over LAN or WLAN
is becoming increasing popular in the corporate setting
and is in use by many companies today. The attraction
for wireless VoIP is in the mobility it provides.
According to a study by Cisco
systems, the average employee spends 40% of his time
away from his desk. As a result, seven of every 10 calls
end up in voicemail, and employees then spend one and
a half hours per day leaving and returning voicemail
messages. In this scenario it makes sense for employees
to use mobile phones in their offices and while on the
move. The same wireless VoIP phones (and same extension
number) can travel with the employee not only throughout
the workplace but also when traveling for business.
The only requirement is a WiFi hotspot nearby.
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Many
hospitals have turned to wireless VoIP since the
medical staff is often dispersed between floors
or in different sections of the same building.
Pagers have proven to be less-than-adequate and
the staff may interrupt their activities in order
to find the person they need. In this scenario,
wireless VoIP makes perfect sense. Staff can communicate
with one another quickly, efficiently and while
on the run. Employees spend far less time tracking
each other down and more time doing the real work.
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Some of the major long distance
phone companies are starting to realize that wireless
VoIP is for real and they need to stay relevant or perish.
Sprint, for instance, has signed up with Intel to provide
solutions for IEEE 802.16e WiMAX mobile technology,
which can provide high-capacity wireless broadband coverage
and services throughout metro areas.
The immediate future of wireless
VoIP, though, will lay in the current development of
hybrid GSM-wVoIP mobile phones that can roam freely
between the two different technologies providing the
greatest cost savings and mobility to the consumer.
These dual-purpose phones are already in use and select
a WiFi hotspot when one is available for wireless VoIP
and when none is available at GSM network connection
is chosen. This need provides a natural partnership
between cell phone and VoIP hardware, software and service
companies to provide the best possible services to the
consumer.
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research firm ABI Research has forecasted that dual mode
cellular / wVoIP-enabled handsets will surpass 50 million
by 2009. For the average worker this may mean that they
can use the same handset phone for cheap calls while inside
the home or inside the workplace through the home or office
wireless VoIP networks and while outside the home use
the cellular feature of the same phone without worrying
about coverage. No matter what, though, wireless VoIP
is part of the bright future when it comes to user mobility.
For more information, see the wVoIP
page. |
