Posted on 06/16/2006 7:29:01 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Voice over IP wielding the knife, says analyst
VoIP technology spells the end of traditional home telephone numbers, according to an industry analyst.
A study by JupiterResearch claims that the rise in fixed/mobile telephone services appeals strongly to Europeans, and that location will cease to be important for either making or receiving calls.
The report said that 27 per cent of consumers are already interested in regularly using their mobile phone in place of their home telephone.
"VoIP will convert the home telephone from analogue to digital and, once digital, the home telephone number will become unfixed," said Ian Fogg, lead author of the reports and senior analyst at JupiterResearch.
"It will no longer be available just at home, but in the office, in internet cafes and even on mobile phones."
Fogg explained that VoIP telephony is attractive to consumers because services are cheap and flexible.
The study found that PC-based VoIP telephony already appeals to 17 per cent of consumers in Europe, with 21 per cent interested in diverting their home telephone to a mobile phone showing their desire to use their home telephone number wherever they are.
However, Fogg warned that services must be allowed to operate across other providers' systems if uptake is to be successful.
"Mobile operators and internet VoIP competitors must lobby to ensure that their VoIP services operate unimpeded across other ISPs' connections, or they must be prepared to invest in fixed broadband to ensure the security of network supply for their VoIP services," he said.
who are you with ? I was with packet8 for 19.95 a month.
The break-ups I could take, the changing our phone number from a 7 to a ten digit number every other week was not a problem them could solve, and not a problem we could deal with.
My niece lives in our area, has Vonage, and is now having the same problem, despite what they told her about always having a 7 digit number.
I try her on the 7 digit number, get a tone and notice call cannot go through, so then I dial her on the 10 digit and it goes through. That creates a real problem when everybody in your area code is used to using just a 7 digit.
I need to consolodate. I'm too connected. I have two ISP's (one is highspeed cable), 2 cell phones (1 work, 1 personal), 2 hardline phones (1 used for fax), cable tv and XM radio. There are lots of bundles out there, but I haven't found the right one just yet. Soon there will be a better set of options.
I am trying to do the same thing, that is, ditch land line for cell phones. What has been your experience? I am looking for the whole package since my internet service is still dialup. I need broadband internet plus 2 cellphones. Is all this possible for less than $100.00 per month?
Other than that I have the XM and the family has seven cells. I like the fact that my kids can call all hours of the day or night ("Dad, I'm joining the Air Force!" "Great! Make sure you send your cell phone back after basic training!")
My wife does have a Blackberry and a Treo. Thank God her company finally dropped the pager.
I have Vonage but I don't have any call blocking options (that I know of).
Gosh, I'm so important! I have a phone stuck in my ear 24/7. Why, the President might call me at any minute! Bill Gates might call me! I know, I'll get two phones -- one for each ear! Look at me! I'm extra super-duper important with two phones sticking out of my head and I'll cut in front of you while yacking to someone about the weather (my weather is more important than your weather).
I think these ear-implant telephones are an abomination. What's wrong with going somewhere private to have a phone conversation?
We live in a Capitalist society. Profit rules. Always has. Always will.
With Packet8 I use the numbers exactly like I did with my local service--7 digits within the area code, eleven digits for long distance.
Still waiting for my Dick Tracy watch.
Sorry, but welcome to the 21st century. I remember when my grandparents had a problem going from two-alpha through the local operator. Think BR-549. With the explosion of connected devices and mobility it makes absolutely no sense for me to travel international and be chained to a US area code. That is why country codes exist. The old way of assigning "telephone numbers" is gone. But hey, the good news is you can still get a party line in most states. Why would you?
As for VOIP quality, it is crystal clear and essentially flawless if you have a decent internet connection and ISP that's worth a damn. Most long distance has been going over VOIP for many years now, they just run the converter in the CO instead of at your house.
What happens when the Telcos charge for VOIP internet use and the price doubles or triples?
I know I can get broadband cable for around $50 from one company and a family plan two cell setup for around another $50 from another company, but then, obviously, it won't be on one bill or one company.
I know if you have anything other than basic phone service you are probably paying at least $50 a month just on that. Remember that you can delete the money you are paying to the phone company for your landline and factor that into the equation. Ah, the trade-offs we make :)
I too have switched to VoIP - EarthLink's True Voice. My main reason was several of my family members were ill and they all live out of state.
We had a bumpy start .. but when it was all ironed out .. I'm now very happy with the change.
I am paying $24.99 per month. I too have cable service - Time Warner's Road Runner and I have internet and basic cable through them also.
What VoIP service do you have that's 19.95?
That makes sense, but it has been a number of years since I studied Internet protocols. As I remember, a router does not set up an end-to-end connection before sending packets. It just queues the packets when they come in, services them first-come-first-serve, looks at a paquet, sends it to the next best "hop", and then forgets about the previous packet when it services the next in line. So the routers have no idea what service a particular packet is delivering: web page, ftp file transfer, VOIP, etc. But the acronym is for Voice Over Internet Protocal, so I would think that Quality of Service could at times be a problem. On the other hand, maybe the router hardware is getting so efficient, that when you use VOIP, it seems like a dedicated connection.
What gets me is unless someone is some kind of tele-marketer, is WHY anyone would want to talk on the phone that much! Here in New York city, it`s totally out of control especially with the Pakistan cab drivers. You literally will not find one Pakistan cab driver without those things in their ears, and if you don`t believe me ask any Freeper who lives in New York city and they will tell you the same.. I mean who the hell are they talking to? Their wife? Their kids? I`m sorry, I love my wife and kids, but spending every waking hour talking to my wife or kids would drive me absolutely nuts. These psychos though do it 24 hours a day. And even if you got some tremendous interest, like some gorgeous girl you want, how much phone sex does it take? Freggin` rent a motel or something. Talking on the phone is basically a pain in the ass no matter how easy they make it, it`s like having some backseat driver in your ear after 5 or 10 minutes. It just goes to show how many neurotics are out there.... They can`t live life without constant approval and support.
How do I configure the QoS to make this happen? Do I just disable the bandwidth limit on Voice, or do I need to make everything else Low Priority?
Ha, with all the fraud going on with VOIP? You have to be kidding me.
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