Comments on: Wi-Fi VoIP and iPhone: New Competitors? http://gigaom.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/ The Business of Technology Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:21:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: mlangner http://gigaom.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81972 mlangner Fri, 12 Jan 2007 19:55:56 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81972 <p>Andrew - What's that company's name?</p> Andrew - What’s that company’s name?

]]> By: Jesse Kopelman http://gigaom.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81971 Jesse Kopelman Fri, 12 Jan 2007 19:55:24 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81971 <p>Andy, the idea of using SIM for authentication over WiFi has been around for quite a while and big companies like Nokia have introduced products based on it. Despite big name interest, it hasn't ever really taken off with carriers. If anything, US carriers have soured on the SIM concept because they want to lock the user to the device to their network.</p> Andy, the idea of using SIM for authentication over WiFi has been around for quite a while and big companies like Nokia have introduced products based on it. Despite big name interest, it hasn’t ever really taken off with carriers. If anything, US carriers have soured on the SIM concept because they want to lock the user to the device to their network.

]]> By: Jacob Varghese http://gigaom.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81967 Jacob Varghese Fri, 12 Jan 2007 18:23:49 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81967 <p>With T-mobile's active UMA testing and international presence, I'm surprised that Apple didn't go with them.</p> With T-mobile’s active UMA testing and international presence, I’m surprised that Apple didn’t go with them.

]]> By: Andrew Holt http://gigaom.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81966 Andrew Holt Fri, 12 Jan 2007 17:29:52 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81966 <p>I believe the combination of VOIP over WiFi with cellular is the next big step in mobile phones. My friend's company builds a chip that enables transparent switching between wifi VOIP and cellular, on the same call, as the signals fade back and forth. It works extremely well, and his chip is being used now in several phones from big manufacturers and carriers.</p> <p>This kind of stuff excites me more than a nifty UI from the iPhone. I can use VOIP while I am at home, office, Starbucks, or anywhere else with an open wifi connection (well, Starbucks isn't really "open"), and get perfect quality phone calls. Then when I walk outside to my car, the phone switches to cellular. The hybrid wifi VOIP/cell is already a reality.</p> I believe the combination of VOIP over WiFi with cellular is the next big step in mobile phones. My friend’s company builds a chip that enables transparent switching between wifi VOIP and cellular, on the same call, as the signals fade back and forth. It works extremely well, and his chip is being used now in several phones from big manufacturers and carriers.

This kind of stuff excites me more than a nifty UI from the iPhone. I can use VOIP while I am at home, office, Starbucks, or anywhere else with an open wifi connection (well, Starbucks isn’t really “open”), and get perfect quality phone calls. Then when I walk outside to my car, the phone switches to cellular. The hybrid wifi VOIP/cell is already a reality.

]]> By: Jacob Varghese http://gigaom.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81968 Jacob Varghese Fri, 12 Jan 2007 16:18:47 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81968 <p>If Apple makes an iChat(voip) widget available for their phone and offers seamless call transfer (UMA ), it would truly be revolutionary. I'm not sure we'll see that this year. That would be the deathblow to all these voip-only carriers. I'm not sure Cingular will allow them to offer this functionality. It was a mistake for them to tie down this phone to a carrier.</p> If Apple makes an iChat(voip) widget available for their phone and offers seamless call transfer (UMA ), it would truly be revolutionary. I’m not sure we’ll see that this year. That would be the deathblow to all these voip-only carriers.
I’m not sure Cingular will allow them to offer this functionality. It was a mistake for them to tie down this phone to a carrier.

]]> By: mlangner http://gigaom.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81970 mlangner Fri, 12 Jan 2007 15:04:11 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81970 <p>Paul - The real advantage the wireless has over POTS-replacement VOIP is that wireless carriers can control the customers better through the lock-up associated with equipment subsidies (which gets them through the "churn danger zone") wheras VOIP has very low barriers to customer change - so customer acquisition costs and churn rates will work against them in the battle for customer talk minutes. In a hybrid VOIP-WIFI/wireless world (if that ever comes to pass) the wireless players should have a distinct advantage…</p> Paul - The real advantage the wireless has over POTS-replacement VOIP is that wireless carriers can control the customers better through the lock-up associated with equipment subsidies (which gets them through the “churn danger zone”) wheras VOIP has very low barriers to customer change - so customer acquisition costs and churn rates will work against them in the battle for customer talk minutes. In a hybrid VOIP-WIFI/wireless world (if that ever comes to pass) the wireless players should have a distinct advantage…

]]> By: Ludite http://gigaom.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81969 Ludite Fri, 12 Jan 2007 15:00:43 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81969 <p>Maybe I'm in a minority, but I'd rather have a landline than a cell phone. Cell phones are crappy and frustrating. 99 of 100 times, I can call with the good, clean, high quality fun of a regular old phone.</p> Maybe I’m in a minority, but I’d rather have a landline than a cell phone. Cell phones are crappy and frustrating. 99 of 100 times, I can call with the good, clean, high quality fun of a regular old phone.

]]> By: Andy Abramson http://gigaom.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81965 Andy Abramson Fri, 12 Jan 2007 12:45:00 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/01/12/wi-fi-voip-and-iphone-new-competitors/#comment-81965 <p>Om,</p> <p>VoIP and Cellular are a very strong combination, especially if it's with a GSM carrier in the mix. I've long looked at the SIM card as the ideal way to handle authentication onto the "WiFi network" when roaming.</p> <p>At MuniWireless and GadgetFest we had client BridgePort Networks show off their MobileStick, a USB device the size of a memory stick, that has a SIM inside. The SIM is a clone of your cellphone's GSM SIM. It turns your PC into a Cellphone, but unlike the GSM/GPRS cards, this works over IP, and makes the Internet one giant roaming location. Then with a soft client from CounterPath calls to and from your cell number can be made over IP ala Gizmo or Skype.</p> <p>The difference, it's your cell carrier who is routing the call to what appears to be your cell phone. This is great for people inside buildings where cell reception is poor (like above the tenth floor), of who roam internationally.</p> <p>MobileStick was announced conceptually almost a year ago and it means carriers who deploy it, or a client on the handset that does what Gizmo, TruPhone and yes, Abbeynet too, are doing on the Nokia N80 Internet Edition. To move traffic over the less costly Internet vs. the circuit swithched networks.</p> <p>Why the carriers are not innovating or buying up innovation is anyone's guess, but they should. The idea of MobileVoIP is to obvious to you, and to me.</p> Om,

VoIP and Cellular are a very strong combination, especially if it’s with a GSM carrier in the mix. I’ve long looked at the SIM card as the ideal way to handle authentication onto the “WiFi network” when roaming.

At MuniWireless and GadgetFest we had client BridgePort Networks show off their MobileStick, a USB device the size of a memory stick, that has a SIM inside. The SIM is a clone of your cellphone’s GSM SIM. It turns your PC into a Cellphone, but unlike the GSM/GPRS cards, this works over IP, and makes the Internet one giant roaming location. Then with a soft client from CounterPath calls to and from your cell number can be made over IP ala Gizmo or Skype.

The difference, it’s your cell carrier who is routing the call to what appears to be your cell phone. This is great for people inside buildings where cell reception is poor (like above the tenth floor), of who roam internationally.

MobileStick was announced conceptually almost a year ago and it means carriers who deploy it, or a client on the handset that does what Gizmo, TruPhone and yes, Abbeynet too, are doing on the Nokia N80 Internet Edition. To move traffic over the less costly Internet vs. the circuit swithched networks.

Why the carriers are not innovating or buying up innovation is anyone’s guess, but they should. The idea of MobileVoIP is to obvious to you, and to me.

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