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Allen
Posts: 2211 |
 
Mon Jun 14, 2004 9:35 am |
For those of you unfamiliar with Wi-Fi phones, now that Wi-Fi "hot spots" have grown into "neighborhoods", new Wi-Fi phones will be appearing on the market. Manufacturers will be introducing devices that would seamlessly switch calls from cellular networks to cheaper Wi-Fi networks.
Conversations over wireless Internet networks would be free, or at a fraction of the cost of traditional calls.
Until recently Wi-Fi phones were limited to people setting up a Wi-Fi network in a building or campus, but with new "hot zones" popping up a new change in phones could be on the horizon.
Wi-Fi phones transfer voice through Internet protocol, which translates conversations into packets of data that are sent over the net, instead of the old, circuit-switched phone system.
Basically long distance, roaming, or even international calls will be gone, just as how there's no extra charge to send email around the world. Plans would also be cheaper by cutting access fees providers charge.
I can see the potential of Wi-Fi phones wiping out landline and wireless carriers already struggling with competition.
So my questions are, how will this affect the future of cell phones? Do you think Wi-Fi catch on? How will the competition react? Would you get one? And how will that change the way we do things now?
Allen
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abhishta
Posts: 995
Phone Model:
Moto Mpx220, Nokia 6800(backup)
Service Provider:
T-mobile |
Mon Jun 14, 2004 2:16 pm |
Still quite a few years b4 we see wi-fi being implemented on that large a scale.
Too many developing countries in the world where wi-fi will take time to be implemented on that large a scale.
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Alarcron
Posts: 175
Phone Model:
N-Gage QD SilverEd.
Service Provider:
Telia/halebop |
Mon Jun 14, 2004 5:40 pm |
It seem to be kinda cool. But as far as TeliaSonera here in sweden belong to the government itll never come here. 
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Allen
Posts: 2211 |
Mon Jun 14, 2004 6:45 pm |
Voice over IP (VoIP) provider, Vonage, had announced last month that they were going to roll out Wi-Fi phones on their networks in response to AT&T's announcement of its CallVantage VoIP service.
Article
If anything it looks like VoIP providers are pushing hard for Wi-Fi to catch on, while traditional cellular service providers are avoiding it like the plague. Understandably the damange would be potentially lethal.
Motorola has announce that it plans to release two cellular / Wi-Fi combo phones by the end of the year. Wi-Fi might be closer than you think.
Article
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Allen
Posts: 2211 |
Tue Jun 29, 2004 11:49 pm |
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Looks like it'll be around the corner in no time. T-Mobile announced that it plans on releasing a cellular / wi-fi phone in September...
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