VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) has emerged as a viable way to drastically cut costs of telephone calls, since telephone calls over the Internet do not incur a surcharge on what the user is paying for internet access. One may wonder why there exists a demand for wireless VoIP (W-VoIP). Again, money is the simple answer here. Businesses take great interest in decreased communication costs while making use of a reliable and good quality service. There is a tremendous market opportunity in W-VoIP. The W-VoIP subscribers figure is estimated to grow to 160 million by 2009.
Since VoIP is packet-based, W-VoIP will have the same challenges (and more) as running any data application over wireless networks. Running VoIP over broadband is quite different from running VoIP over wireless networks. Unlike broadband networks (which rarely break down and very predictable), the wireless network is an environment in constant change. If an application (such as VoIP) does not constantly adapt to these changes, delays and constant disconnections occur. The most common challenges with W-VoIP are: echo, jitters and disconnects.
At present the quality of the voice transmission is poor compared to the quality given from a regular telephone, and connecting is also slower. Other issues are roaming access and security. With regard to roaming access, a typical Wi-Fi Access Point offers a communication range of around 100 metres. This area is also known as a hotspot. The difficulty arises when the caller moves in and out of different hotspots. Most PDAs, laptops and WiFi phones perform full WLAN scans when users enter new hotspot areas. These scans tend to produce a latency of around 400 to 600 milliseconds. The latency has the effect of a reduction in voice quality, and the possibility of the call being dropped becomes more likely.
iPackets is working closely with a VoIP provider to develop a wireless interface for the SIP (session Initiation protocol) stack. Using its bi-directional RPM at its core, iPTalk will address the many inherent challenges of W-VoIP, including echo, jitters, and delay.
iPTalk, a small footprint downloadable software program, will allow W-VoIP providers to offer the wireless option with greater reliability and efficiency, thus increasing customer satisfaction and reduce customer churn.
. |
