In the modern day and age, it's tempting to run a mile when you hear about the latest technological craze. What do the letters stand for? Am I ever really going to understand it? And is this really going to help me with my life, which seems to work pretty well as it is?
This last question is especially important as when you hear about new technology, it is all too often from someone trying to sell you something that relies on it. Technology is supposed to make life cheaper as well as easier - so should I really be spending money on another wonder-cure that promises to save me money in the long run?
Mobile VoIP
Mobile VoIP - standing for Voice over Internet Protocol - fits into all those categories, as well as being made doubly complicated by having come about from the cross-over of two technological 'revolutions' - high-speed Internet on the one hand and mobile phones on the other.
The technology combines the relative cheapness of using Internet bandwidth to carry data - principally voice calls - with the portability of mobile phones. The phone accesses the Internet, as many phones are increasingly able to do, and transmits your call via that medium instead of via the normal network.
To good to be true? Quite possibly, unless services overcome a few challenges - listed as follows by Mobile-VoIP provider Yeigo.
The first is making it as easy to use as normal phoning. It is unlikely to catch on unless you can dial a number on your mobile phone as normal, unlike some providers that demand users to dial into a central number before being connected. That just represents a cost saving that the user pays for with their time and effort.
The next is building software that complements a large number of phones that are already on the market. It is no good offering a service that demands a dedicated phone, as it is expected that most users will initially use mobile VoIP to replace their more expensive mobile outgoings - such as international calls and multimedia calls - while using their mobile provider for landline and same-network calls. Handsets can access the internet in a number of ways and the handsets that have the greatest range will provide the opportunity for the cheapest Mobile VoIP calls. This is because the cost of accessing the Internet itself cannot be removed from the equation. The principle means are either using a data network like 3G or using a locally broadcast WI-FI network - either in the form of a 'hotspot', which you have to buy credit for; or an office or home network that is already being paid for. The best mobile VoIP services should address this 'intelligently' by automatically choosing the most cost-effective available connection.
The third is for the mobile VoIP software to be easily downloadable onto these handsets. The best way is by friends transmitting SMS invitations to each other, which contain a link that allows receive to make the download. Another option is for new users to enter their mobile number on the provider's website and then be sent an SMS - while a third is for them to SMS in and receive the message in reply.
Cheaper Communication
So, with the challenges overcome and the software installed, where are the biggest cost savings for the consumer to be found? The answer is the longer the call is travelling - and the more data the call carries - the more money can be saved. It is also relevant how the call is being routed at the other end. The cheapest calls are therefore to people who are using the same service, which can be entirely free once the call is travelling over the Internet. This is even the case for international calls, which is particularly fitting for people living in different countries who need to be in close regular touch from their mobiles. For international calls which do not end with a co-user, savings are still substantial - between 50% and 90% of the cost of a normal mobile call.
Given that local calls are cheaper anyway, the relative cost saving is less - though can still represent up to 30%. Texts represent larger cost savings nationally and internationally, while also being free within the same provider network.
So there are plenty of reasons for Mobile VoIP to catch on, providing that services take the pain out of integrating a new technology into your phone - and your life.
