It has become clear to many within the communications industry that wireless technology is the next frontier for IP
telephony and VoIP.
Wireless VoIP refers to VoIP running over a wireless LAN. These are usually compliant with the 802.11 standard. Provided that callers are within range of a WLAN
access point and are using a VoIP compatible handset, they will be able to make and receive calls via the wireless network. This technology has been gaining acceptance of late in vertical industries such as retail and healthcare.
However, four different factors have slowed the adoption of wireless VoIP
. One is the fact that the 802.11 standard poses scalability challenges for enterprise-class VoIP deployments. Secondly, wireless networks have often lacked quality of service
. Third, it can be time-consuming and expensive to implement and maintain a wireless VoIP solution. And finally, in order to operate in a seamless manner, wireless VoIP requires fast roaming
.
As the wireless VoIP trend grows, security issues also need to be addressed. There are obvious risks, such as eavesdropping and spam. The primary concern here is the need to adequately secure the wireless portion of the network. Wireless VoIP communications that are insecure can be intercepted by unauthorized third parties.
Brian Solomon is a Web Editor for TMCnet, covering news in the IP communications, call center and customer relationship management industries. To see more of his articles, please visit Brian Solomon’s columnist page.
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