WiFi Phones (Skype, Vonage ... etc.)

[Hands0n]

It has been a little while, and a lot can happen in the few months since all the headlines about the VoIP providers such as Skype and Vonage. A quick Google of such will deliver a large number of these "network providers".

The choice is increasing as VoIP gains more popularity and awareness. The likes of BT are integrating VoIP in WiFi form with their recent mobile offerings. The future is indeed changing, and pressure on the conventional mobile network operators is increasing as once this particular genie is in the public awareness (it is already out of the bottle) they may find a mass defection on their hands. Particularly for SME and SOHO users who's mobility may be limited to within their working premises. These can "fall back" to conventional mobile in the form of a cheapo PAYG from the likes of T-Mobile (12ppm) or easyMobile (15ppm).

Up to now we've been tied to our computers to make practical use of the likes of Skype (I'll stick with that service just for editorial convenience, no recommendation is being made or implied). But of late, the advent of the WiFi Phone changes all of that. The paradigm becomes something that we are all very well used to - the wireless handset (2G, 3G, DECT etc.). And the neat thing is that it is likely to work with whichever VoIP provider you are signed up with (if not now, then in due course no doubt).

A typical state of the art device is evident in the SMC model SMCWSKP100 which is described as "The SMC Wi-Fi Phone for Skype", so thats clear enough then.

Among the attributes of the device it is claimed that it has;

* Free calling from anywhere in the world within the Skype network, and cost effective calling to fixed lines or mobile phones using Skype's SkypeIn and SkypeOut services.
* Integrated IEEE 802.11b/g wireless connectivity and an easy to configure, pre-installed, Skype User Interface making for easy configuration and use.
* Quality of Service (QoS) function that prioritizes voice traffic, ensuring good consistent voice quality.

We can reasonably anticipate WiFi handsets to accomodate other VoIP providers such as the Vonage WiFi UTStarcom F1000.

The biggest objection to Skype and others has been the tie-down to the PC. Even the use of PDA applets to facilitate more mobile working have not been taken up, mostly [I suspect] due to the inherent cost of acquiring a suitably WiFi equipped PDA in the first place. But now that the entire shebang is encapsulated in a handset with a familiar (traditional?) style, look and feel, I do believe that a corner is being turned and general public acceptance of these devices may well grow into a groundswell and then explosion in the WiFi enabledhousehold.

Would you buy into this technology as an adjunct or even replacement of your wired telephony?