Why Won't Everybody Switch To VoIP!?

STBR

It's gotten to the stage where it's just ridiculous now.

You can have dirt cheap calls with VoIP and if everybody was the switch to VoIP everyone would have FREE calls to anybody!

You can even get it on your mobile free! - Assuming you have some bill pay units, if not [like me], then you can just get an unlimited data plan for €5-€10 a month on Pre-Pay.

I might only think this because I'm a teenager - But imagine if everyone was on a VoIP service such as Skype. Unlimited free calls, texts, video calls, conference calls, conference chats, conference video calls.

Take THAT Eircom.

Magzr

SirDarren wrote: »

It's gotten to the stage where it's just ridiculous now.

You can have dirt cheap calls with VoIP and if everybody was the switch to VoIP everyone would have FREE calls to anybody!

You can even get it on your mobile free! - Assuming you have some bill pay units, if not [like me], then you can just get an unlimited data plan for €5-€10 a month on Pre-Pay.

I might only think this because I'm a teenager - But imagine if everyone was on a VoIP service such as Skype. Unlimited free calls, texts, video calls, conference calls, conference chats, conference video calls.

Take THAT Eircom.

idealist and young.

javaboy

You're using somebody's infrastructure to connect to the internet. In many cases that's Eircom. If they stop making money from phones, they will simply up the cost of using their infrastructure to compensate.

How long do you think the mobile service providers will allow unlimited data plans if nobody is paying for calls anymore?

It's a nice idea but it's idealistic in the extreme. You're actually better off individually with there being a low take up of VOIP. As long as the people you regularly call have it (but in general not many people), then the traditional providers won't take notice and you'll get to keep your free calls. But once it starts to have a significant market share, you can bet on those companies looking to charge for it somehow.

Cabaal

you got to ask yourself, so why would companys provide all these services if everything was free?

and if there's a flat rate fee why would companys provide all this for 20e when they could provide all the same stuff and make 500e+ based on the current business model...why would they switch to a new model?

gerryo

SirDarren wrote: »

It's gotten to the stage where it's just ridiculous now.

You can have dirt cheap calls with VoIP and if everybody was the switch to VoIP everyone would have FREE calls to anybody!
.

Many reasons..

1. It's still fairly new technology, it's not as easy to use as the old POTS.

2. You need a good 'net connection to get good quality calls.

3. Many folks don't like the "sound", probably because of the voice codecs used, rather than 64K PCM - i.e, it sounds like a mobile call.

4. Many people get cheap or free phone rental in Ireland - but only POTS.

5. If your electricity supply is unreliable, you have difficulties.

6. Connection reliability is worse than POTS.

However, it really is very good technology & maybe will take off more in the future.

matrim

VoIP is beginning to take off slowly, but it's a slow process partly because of the slow broadband uptake here and lack of reliability in it.

The future of VoIP is in something like FMC ( Fixed Mobile Comvergence) and IMS (Integrated Multimedia systems) where you have the cheapness of VoIP but it's backed up by the reliability of GSM.

BostonB

My BB isn't good enough for it, and neithers my mobile connection. Too much lag.

Solair

The major problems are :

1) Lack of knowledge, many people are totally unaware of VoIP. I think it needs to become more "mainstream" before it will really take off. Even the term VoIP puts people off as it sounds complicated and techie.
2) It needs fast DSL or Cable broadband to be effective.

VoIP sound quality's as good if not better than a normal phone line (64kbit/s PCM) once the conditions on the broadband connection are good enough to carry it. It's certainly nicer sounding than a mobile connection.

eircom, and many other carriers are moving towards using carrier-grade VoIP in their own voice networks, so there's nothing particularly low quality about proper VoIP connections and most new office phone systems are SIP (VoIP) based and sound as good as their ISDN predecessors.

I've found the quality of Blueface connections indistinguishable from a normal landline when used over a decent DSL line.

BostonB

getting decent bb is a lottery