Section 9.2. Wi-Fi Internet Phones


9.2. Wi-Fi Internet Phones

One day, someone asked an interesting question: why do I have to leave my broadband phone calling advantages at home? Why can't I take them with me to the coffee shop?

Now you can. Several vendor phones let you dial to your broadband phone account through any public Wi-Fi network. When you reach a hotspot, the Wi-Fi phone connects to the wireless network and reaches your phone provider to initiate your calls.

Figure 9-3. Skype USB adapter with extra features


Look for broadband phone service providers to private-label these and "customize" the phone to their network. While that means easier setup, it also almost certainly means the phone will be locked so you can only use it with that one broadband service provider. Yes, that's what your cell phone service provider did to your cell phone, too.

First-generation Wi-Fi phones took quite a while to configure and get working through one of the few providers available. If these phones are going to attract a huge audience, they must be easier to configure and start using. This may be the impetus to lock Wi-Fi phones to providers, just to sweeten that "Out of the Box" experience and help people start using their phone quickly.

Dual-mode cell/broadband phones are on their way as well, letting you choose between a broadband phone service and your cell phone service. The idea of going over your cell phone minutes may disappear if the SmartPhones (as they are called by some) automatically grab a public Wi-Fi connection before grabbing the more expensive cell phone network.

Cell phone networks have the coverage advantage today, but keep an eye on a technology called WiMAX. This technology supports high-speed wireless data networking up to 31 miles in diameter from one tower. The prestandard WiMAX vendor TowerStream (www.towerstream.com) has done the best job of rolling out coverage. I've seen their installation in New York City, and they have networks in Providence, RI, Chicago, and Boston, and more plans than I can cover here. Very cool stuff.

9.2.1. ZyXEL Prestige 2000W Version 2

The first Wi-Fi phone I saw came from ZyXEL and was their Prestige 2000W. This unit has been relabeled by other providers, and they sometimes call it a WiSIP (Wireless SIP) phone instead of Wi-Fi phone. You will also hear the term VoFi for VoIP over Wi-Fi (and I didn't think the acronym lovers could make a term uglier than VoIP. Live and learn).

ZyXEL's first version looked like a small cordless phone, but their new version aims to emulate a cell phone. Figure 9-4 shows the ZyXEL 2000W Version 2 in a pre-release photo.

Figure 9-4. Ugly to see VoIP on the label, but could be interesting


ZyXEL hasn't made huge inroads, especially when speaking about phone brand name awareness (they make some nice home and small business networking products as well). But they have opened the market enough to gather some competition.

9.2.2. UTStarcom F-1000

Vonage signed a new deal with UTStarcom and their still unreleased F1000 Wi-Fi handset in January 2005. Another cell phone-modeled device, the F1000, will come, no doubt, locked to Vonage. I feel comfortable saying that because Vonage forces Linksys to lock their routers, I can't imagine Vonage being nicer to UTStarcom.

This phone and the ZyXEL look like the "candy bar"-style phones popularized by Nokia. With the market moving toward clamshell designs (one of the reasons Nokia has lost market share is because people like to put phones in their pockets and clamshells protect the buttons and screens better), I hope the Wi-Fi phone manufacturers can shrink their designs fast enough to ratchet up the cool factor and get some media attention.

9.2.3. Calling Considerations

Remember all the discussions about 911 calling? How in the world are providers supposed to handle this now if you have a Wi-Fi phone? Skype and the other computer-centric providers have zero experience with 911 service connections. Vonage and Packet8 lead the phone-centric pack, but neither has service rolled out everywhere.

Cell phone providers have only partially solved the 911 problem for mobile phones, and they own their complete network and have control over all the components (even when they combine service with other cell phone providers in some areas). How is a Wi-Fi phone service provider going to be anywhere nearly as good as the cell phone companies?

Do not confuse your Wi-Fi phone with a cell phone for 911 purposes. It will be years before the cell phone providers get the 911 coverage they're supposed to have, but years after that will pass before Wi-Fi phones have a shot of any decent 911 coverage.

On a more relaxed subject, calling and being called on a Wi-Fi phone should be just as convenient to you (and annoying to those around you in public) as using a cell phone. Since Skype hasn't introduced their SkypeIn service yet, the SIP phone service providers may be able to drive some sales into that hole in Skype's market dominance.

Skype has announced a deal with Motorola to preload Skype software on combination Wi-Fi cellular phones. This agreement also extends to Bluetooth headsets and speakerphones. No specific products, either new or updated, have been released. The initial press release from Motorola promised products in the first half of 2005. We'll see if this book or their products see daylight first.

When they get their Wi-Fi phones out, Skype will have a ready-made marketing advantage, at least in the U.K. They've made a deal with wireless broadband provider Broadreach to allow free Wi-Fi phone (and PDA and laptop) calls from the 350 U.K. hotspots. Normally Broadreach charges over $5 per hour at their hotspots, but not for Skype use. And you thought I was joking about taking your laptop to the coffee shop and calling your friends.



Talk is Cheap
Talk is Not Cheap!: Saving the High Costs of Misunderstandings at Work and Home
ISBN: 1885167334
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 102

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