Gallery

Voice over IP

Posted on 28 Jun 2005 at 12:38

The winning formula will be a careful balance of features and price, and to this end fledgling VoIP providers will become more prominent. We can expect that they will soon be offering packages that combine both a service and a hardware connection, and that fewer of these will require a PC connection, as router-connected Ethernet phones come to the fore.

'The implications for telecom companies are enormous,' said sipgate's Mancour. 'Their customers represent the vast majority of potential VoIP users, who previously had little choice over provider or price. Often they try to bundle their services to prevent people from leaving, [but] VoIP will gain acceptance at a geometric rate.'

The roll-out of Enum will make a mockery of pricing based on geography. Even Ofcom states: 'there is little relevance in using the geographic-based "local" and "national" call charging structure for calls as the cost of call conveyance is independent of distance. There is likely to be a greater benefit in initiating a call tariff structure based on whether the call originated and terminated on the same network or on different networks.'

This sounds like good news, and non-geographic Enum could allow us to keep personal numbers for life, but they could also lead to greater use of international call centres and spam-style cold-calling. When call centres can easily set up beyond the jurisdiction of British law and still get in touch at local rates, they need no longer consider niceties such as the Telephone Preference Service.

Whatever the future holds, we are at least fortunate that VoIP is not a wait-and-see technology. While you might want to hold off buying a camcorder or DVD burner until the market has settled on a single format, VoIP contracts are short, can often be terminated without giving notice, and make use of hardware that, through updates, will benefit from a long working life.

The cost of calling

'Worldwide calls at local rates.' That's what VoIP has always promised, so we cannot help but wonder what is going on with BT's prices. At between 3p and 4p a minute, its service is uncompetitive, particularly when you have to sign up to a 12-month contract. Just compare it to sipgate, Vonage and Skype.

As the UK's most recognisable telecom brand, BT should have more success than most in pushing its VoIP service. Rightly or wrongly, newcomers would be more likely to trust it over the lesser known brands, but that does not excuse extortionate rates. We were particularly disappointed to see that BT, of all companies, is unable to connect its VoIP calls to the emergency services, while Vonage, a newcomer to the UK market, has no such trouble. You also cannot talk to the operator, and if you want to use directory enquiries, you are forced to use BT's own service - an overall thumbs-down.

Vonage beats BT in many ways. Its subscription is just £2.99 a month, throwing in a free fax line and undercutting BT's top-end charges by almost £100 a year. UK calls are free right around the clock, and calls to our comparison countries of America, Australia and France are three-quarters to half the price. With a clearer set of pricing on the mobile front, it should also be easier for Vonage business subscribers to plan how much they are going to spend (or save) over the course of a month. Call quality is excellent, and beyond some slight clipping sounded like a regular landline.

Perhaps the best-known service, and certainly one of the easiest to set up, is Skype. With SIP-based services, you may find yourself filling in long configuration forms, unless you are using a pre-configured router. But by using its own proprietary format, Skype is able to provide a fuss-free installation. The settings are built into the software itself, so all you need do is pick a username and hook up your speakers and mic. It is as simple to complete as signing up for MSN Messenger.