What Are the Predictions for VoIP?
Tech execs are betting that consumers will soon change how they make phone calls reducing the need for a phone line from a traditional provider. VoIP basically turns telephone calls into just another piece of software running over an IP network, and due to this simplicity the future for VoIP seems promising.
Ever since Skype introduced software for voice calls on computers the industry has been vibrant. Google has entered the Voice over IP market with an instant chat and voice app and is testing a wireless consumer service that could help it deliver phone and information services to wireless devices.
The tech companies are already beginning to launch dual purpose products such as digital cameras that appear to be a normal digital camera but when a person slides the back of the camera down, there’s a keypad for making calls. Memory sticks preloaded with a softphone are also now available. They come with a microphone and earphones.
Companies such as Google, Yahoo, and EarthLink have already played around with such technology. Last spring Yahoo added improved Voice over IP calling to its its instant messenger program. Google has also released Google Talk. AOL announced it would be providing a VoIP service called TotalTalk. AOL’s TotalTalk will essentially let people replace their traditional landlines. It has advanced communication features, such as unified voice, e-mail and instant messaging, and call-management.
Its probably accurate to say the phone companies will face a huge challenge with these drastic changes emerging with VoIP technology.
