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March 07, 2008
The VoIP Movement Is Here, Whether Mobile Companies Like It or Not
By Brian Solomon, TMCnet Web Editor
It wasn’t long ago that most users associated mobile Internet only with writing e-mail, or sending the occasional picture message. But these days, the technology for cheap VoIP  calls or IM chats is becoming readily available.
For example, Microsoft ( News - Alert) Office Communicator Mobile software, introduced two years ago, can be used to make a VoIP call over a mobile handset. The original reaction to this type of technology from mobile phone companies was reserved. It was, after all, technology that could eat into their cash-cow voice business and could, potentially, wipe billions of dollars off their market value.
Communicator Mobile was followed by an equally noteworthy VoIP development when European 3G operator Hutchison 3 Group (Hutchison 3G), a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa, formed a partnership to provide a commercial VoIP service for mobile phones.
At the time, mobile phone executives preferred to dodge the VoIP debate. Many pointed to technical challenges that hinder a quick rollout of the Internet telephony service over mobile networks. Yet today, it has become clear that VoIP is indeed the future of mobile communications. And so those same execs have been forced to deal with it head-on.
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.
Don't forget to check out TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users.
Internet Protocol (IP) | X | | IP stands for Internet Protocol, a data-networking protocol developed throughout the 1980s. It is the established standard protocol for transmitting and receiving data
in packets over the Internet. I...more |
Voice over IP (VoIP) | X | | A real-time communications system that converts voice into digital packets containing media and signaling data that travel over networks using Internet Protocol....more |
Third Generation (3G) | X | | A variety of cellular phone specifications collectively known as Third Generation mobile technology. 3G networks do not operate in the same frequency spectrum as 2G. Examples of 3G wireless specs incl...more |
(source: http://voipservices.tmcnet.com/feature/articles/22471-voip-movement-here-whether-mobile-companies-like-it.htm)
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