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Cheap Phone Calls and the Manoeuvring Shape of the Telecom Industry |
With the recent announcement by the British Government of its intention to provide broadband to every single home in the UK by the year 2014, the telecom Industry appears to have manoeuvred into a position which allows the full use of the cheaper phoning alternative, VoIP.
In the early days of the Internet, connection was provided by relatively small dial up internet providers. The use of VoIP was limited in use in its early days. With the advent of high speed broadband services, both the Cable Companies and the Phone Companies entered into the market via their existing cable and phone line infrastructure. Technology provided faster download speeds, and the VoIP products rapidly advanced in popularity with Companies such as Vonage and Skype providing a real cheaper alternative to the expensive landlines causing the Telecom Industry to re think its telecommunications policy.
Digital voice technology also allows for easier support and management of telephone customers. The larger Telecom Companies are embracing VoIP in line for the eventual overhaul of the traditional landline service. As opposed to this, the general public at large, although understanding that talking via the Internet is cheaper or free, havent really grasped that this technology can be used as an alternative and can replace landline altogether. Many still assume that the computer needs to be switched on in order to talk, but Companies such as Vonage allow the customer to continue using their existing phone by the simple connection of an additional router.
In these troubled economic times, finding cheaper ways to communicate must be a priority for most. There are a variety of choices within the VoIP industry and its many sub niches and these can be broadly outlined as follows:
- Software based VoIP
- Subscription and Hardware based VoIP
- Mobile VoIP
- Device based VoIP
- Business VoIP services
The differences between each, is something outside the scope of this article, but it can be seen that the services cover the whole range of communication alternatives. The industrys giants are manoeuvring to completely overhaul the telecom industry with a view of incorporating VoIP technology as its forefront and broadband as its backbone.
