Dual action mobile and WiFi handsets and VoIP

The hardware is here – but is there enough consumer confidence in the technology to support the VOIP handsets?

2006 launched a large number of dual action mobile and WiFi handsets. These new handsets allow callers to make use of both cell phone and WiFi technologies.

The boom in the handsets has set off analysts as well. Many of the experts are predicting that as early as the year 2011, dual action handsets could number 330 million. The convenience of the handsets is only enhanced by potential savings offered by the Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology.

Industry leaders are warning providers not to feel over confident because of the analysts’ predictions. The trouble that they see is there is not enough reliability in VOIP. In order for subscribers to come fully into the VOIP technology, it must become at least as reliable as the traditional land line services.

The majority of wireless hotspots in the UK – coffee shops, pubs, and libraries – along with 70% of the region, are not currently able to support simultaneous VOIP calls. Subscribers face patchy, failed, and even dropped calls. Not exactly the kind of service needed to draw in the consumers.

With all the income potential that VOIP technology could hold for providers, it is important that they find a way to rectify the problems the services now face.