5 trends that boost VoIP on mobile phones
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Voice over IP undersells or, reformulated, voice over IP does sell well but not enough for companies whose business models are based on this technology. The bad symptoms are here: Too much players for the league, and a crazy race to free calls anywhere in the world to get the most traction.
But while startups are adapting their business models, the battle of converged telecoms is spreading to the bigger, the ‘real’ industry of mobile phones. So let’s review the top 5 products and trends that will disrupt the mobile telecoms oligarchy.
5. Skype videocasting on mobile
Although Skype remains shy on its mobile version, the VoIP client is definitively moving onto Smartphone, whether they’re running on Windows Mobile or Symbian. Expanding user base? Yes, for sure. Every one wants to make phone calls for free.
But the real traction will free video calls. Since its version 2.0, Skype does it ― but only for PC version. Once video calling features would land on mobile phone, the viral idea of taking oneself and broadcast live video would spread drastically, and sky-boosts 3G mobile phone adoption in the same time.
4. UMA! UMA!
It was announced last March at the 3GSM conference in Barcelona, Spain. Since then, the unlicensed mobile access (UMA) technology has started to infuse the mobile world. Nokia is testing the technology in its realm, Finland; Motorola is deploying it in Denmark; Samsung introduces the first model in Italy. And most recently, T-Mobile USA conducts some testing projects in the West Coast America.
UMA is supposed to bridge the gap between VoIP telephony and cellular connectivity. UMA-capable cellphones will switch back and forth between those two modes whenever possible and allow flat-rate phone calls. Currently, broadband access is used to bring VoIP. But quite soon, citywide WiFi networks, grassroots hotspots and WiMax will take the relay and expand the range of free calls.
3. Linux for mobile
What the Nokia Internet Table has to do with the Sony Mylo? And how could the Trolltech newly showcased Greenphone be their cousin? Because they’re all Linux phone. Some reports indicate that it does look like a tsunami in growth.
But it would be still small if Vodafone, NTT DoCoMo, Motorola, Samsung, NEC and Panasonic haven’t rally this idea of promoting mobile open standards. Like IBM or Novell did it for Linux desktop, it’s going to be different quite soon.
2. Microsoft Zune
Coming in mid November this year, Microsoft Zune will provide WiFi connectivity for multimedia applications, for communications and for social interactions. In short, it targets everyone (younger than 35) and fills every need (for people used to the blogosphere). So it might be very premature to bet on whether or not Zune will outrun iPod, but the race for who’s gonna be the coolest of the coolest personal communicator has started.
1. Apple iPhone
If Steve Jobs’ charm is still working by the time Apple rolls out the iPhone, swarms of Apple fanatics will get to learn how to use and what to do with a VoIP WiFi phone. The iPhone will be the next iPod, a device that dominate the consumer hi-tech US market by 70%. And where you’re the king of the hill, you can decide what to do. And as Microsoft for its Zune, Apple is suspected to enter the mobile phone market as a mobile virtual network operator.
Aug 16, 2006 | By Nuno
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