April 05, 2012

 

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) emerged on the scene a number of years ago, offering users the ability to drastically reduce their local and long distance calling charges by the convergence of the voice network onto the data network. With the advancements the technology has made in this space, time to move into the mobile realm with mobile VoIP.

According to this blog, failing to take a VoIP service and website to the mobile realm is as bad as telling people your only method of advertising in through the Yellow Pages.

Consumers and business professionals alike are increasingly mobile and the advantages in mobile VoIP have been shown in industry statistics to be abundantly clear. Perhaps even more compelling – most users don’t even know they’re leveraging mobile VoIP capabilities, they just know they like the results. 

SIP allows for instant communications between IP networks. SIP-capable servers and devices allow for the transfer of VoIP data between people and devices. Such a server can be set up within the organization, allowing the user’s mobile phone to be the extension. With the purchase of a VoIP app, individual users can leverage mobile VoIP instantly.

Mobile VoIP apps and mobile device capabilities will take your business and run with it. The creation of a unique app, or the partnership with a company that has already created one, can help to drive market share growth. The best approach is to test apps over a number of different devices and recommend the best fit to clients. Providers should be cautious, however, that mobile network operators do not charge the provider and the customer for using this service.

State governments are seeking ways to prevent the abuse of VoIP phone service, helping to promote the use of mobile VoIP for the masses. TMC (News - Alert) reported in March, however, that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pulled a bill from his budget that would likely prevent this type of regulation. Some believe this decision could create an opportunity for consumer groups to push for regulation down the road.

Telecom companies believe that regulating mobile VoIP and other VoIP services would eventually harm consumers and the economy overall. Anti-regulation legislation could potentially lead to greater capital investments in broadband networks, according to Verizon and Time Warner (News - Alert). The cost of such build-outs would most certainly be passed down to the consumer.

While VoIP has been available for several years, it is just now reaching substantial adoption rates, and its move into mobile will likely be a game-changer. Will the demand for mobile VoIP be enough to demand legislation and regulation to protect consumers, or will it instead limit capabilities? This is one debate we will likely see play out for years to come.

Edited by Stefania Viscusi