FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Mobile VOIP: Telco Trojan Horse or Savior?

SAN DIEGO, Calif., Feb. 8, 2005/PRNewswire/ -- Voice over Internet protocol for mobile devices (mobile VOIP) is dramatically altering the telecommunications industry, according to research firm ON World.

“As network operators continue to embrace VOIP and enterprises continue to deploy WiFi networks, mobile devices that combine the advantages of both have emerged,” says Mareca Hatler, ON World’s Director of Research. “Low powered single chip radios with integrated protocol stacks, the adoption of standards such as SIP, and the promise of affordable flat rate roaming are setting the stage for a telecom transformation.”

Mobile VOIP Service Providers
With more than 400 VOIP service providers in North America alone, pioneer service providers such as Vonage, BroadVoice and Net2Phone are offering Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) handsets as a way to differentiate their offerings and encourage more subscriber loyalty.

VoWiFi handsets are like IP based cordless phones that can be used in the home, office and any Wi-Fi network such as hotspots. Business users benefit by having a mobile inter-office phone that is low cost, can go wherever they go, make calls to anywhere in the world, and pay no roaming charges.

Roaming: A Key Enabler
For most users, the ideal mobile device is capable of dual mode voice operation (cellular + VoWiFi). As mobile operators continue to offer Wi-Fi enabled smart phones, ON World predicts that a large percentage of these will also support VOIP. Eventually, this device will roam seamlessly from cell to cell, WLAN to WLAN and cell to WLAN.

“Widespread adoption of mobile VOIP has reached an inflection point which is the lack of roaming solutions,” says Mareca Hatler, ON World’s Director of Research. “Competitors in this landscape are battling the roaming standards problem on several fronts: development of roaming standards, creation of roaming networks and establishment of roaming alliances.”

ON World’s recently published report, “Mobile VOIP Competitive Landscape 2005,” features Competitor Assessment Grids on 19 companies, actionable competitive intelligence on six market segments and 28 in-depth profiles. For more information, go to: http://www.onworld.com/

About ON World:
ON World is the leader in emerging wireless research. Customers include Fortune 1000 companies, service providers, venture capitalists, startups and consultancies worldwide. Please visit our website for more information: http://www.onworld.com.

Media Contact: Mareca Hatler, eMail
Phone: 858.259.2397