Goodbye cell phones? Telecoms brace for impact as joint VoIP and WiMax ventures get serious.

Imagine wireless smartphone services costing a few bucks a month. It's coming. VoIP is going WiMax, and telecoms are bracing for possible revenue reductions as a result. The reason is simple: packet-switched VoIP networks offer much more than circuit-switched cell phone networks, and the cost savings are dramatic -- just look what VoIP has done to circuit-switched landlines.

Wireless VoIP or WVoIP can be used over WiFi, EVDO Revision-A, HSDPA, and WiMAX, plus callers aren't limited to a single phone; they can also utilize a headset, laptop, PDA, or a mobile-WiFi phone to make their calls. Although the technology for wireless VoIP has been around for some time, the problem with widespread use of the services has always been distance or coverage.  It also doesn't work well with WiFi networks because they were originally engineered for data and not voice packets. WiMax.com recently reported that “the world’s first mobile WiMAX IEEE 802.16e Wave 2-compliant chip solution” is at hand, and “D2 Technologies announced that it has joined with GCT Semiconductor…to deliver VoIP over WiMAX for mobile devices based on the Android™ and Linux operating systems.” And that’s just the beginning.

Best-in-Class Voice Over IP (VoIP) Solution Provider features:

Top Considerations before Buying from a Voice Over IP (VoIP) Solution Provider:
 
If you are going to use both VoIP and PSTN (Public-switched Telephone Network) service your phone system vendor needs to know this so that they can offer you the proper solution, most important of which are to take measures such as encrypting voice services, building redundancy into their VOIP networks, locking down their VOIP servers and performing regular security audits.

Key Providers:

1. Vocalocity, Inc. specializes in VoIP services to small businesses by providing hosted PBX voice over Internet protocol services and infrastructure applications as well as VocalocityPBX plans, add-on services, and phones, including VoIP features such as  a unified inbox for fax, email, and voicemail, call flip, voicemail transcription, and a dashboard interface. Founded in 2003, Vocalocity was acquired by ZivVa Holdings, LLC, in 2006. The combined companies, operating under the name Vocalocity, service both enterprise customers and OEM partners. By specializing in small businesses, Vocalocity claims, “it helps small businesses compete more effectively, by giving them the communication services traditionally reserved for larger organizations, at small business prices.”

2. Ingate Systems, Inc., located in Hollis, New Hampshire, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ingate Systems AB of Stockholm, Sweden. The company develops firewall technology and products that enable Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) communications for the enterprise with control and security at the network edge. Ingate develops firewall technology that solves the NAT/firewall traversal issue with SIP. In addition to an extensive line of Ingate Firewall products, the company also produces the award-winning Ingate SIParator, a device that connects to an existing network firewall to enable SIP communications. The Ingate VoIP Survival software module, available for all Ingate Firewalls and SIParators Ingate, secures full redundancy in a SIP-based hosted environment

3. Incorporated in 1984, Patton Electronics designs, develops, and manufactures electronic communications equipment for business and carrier-class VoIP, network access, connectivity, and video surveillance equipment. Access to VoIP Providers, VoIP Services and integrated Triple-Play solutions are available from Patton and its VoIP Service Provider Partners. Patton's Voice-Over-IP Gateways, Routers and Triple-Play CPE devices are used by large and small Carriers around the world.   These world class Voice-Over-IP and Integrated Triple-Play services are available to Patton consumers and channels via Patton's Service Provider Partners. Patton offers product solutions for low-cost, high quality, pure-play or integrated internet, telephony and video solutions via partnerships with Service Providers and Carriers around the world.

4. Black Box Network Services from Black Box Corporation, founded in 1973, provides network infrastructure services for communication systems. The company offers design, installation, integration, monitoring, and maintenance of voice, data, and integrated communication systems, selling its products and services through catalog, Internet Web site, and voice and data services offices. Black Box Network Services has experience designing, installing, and maintaining complex voice and data networks, using wide range of portfolio platforms and applications from manufacturers to deliver VoIP solutions for organizations of all sizes and in all kinds of industries.

Voice over IP, or VoIP Solution Provider
Definition: Voice over IP, or VoIP, is the technology that is used to transmit voice traffic, such as telephone calls and faxes, over the internet. The voice is first converted into digital data which is then organized into small packets. These packets are stamped with the destination IP addresses and routed over the internet.