iBurst will introduce a voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) offering from the middle of November. MD Alan Knott-Craig Jnr says this forms part of iBurst`s new drive to diversify into other business.
The wireless broadband provider will offer a free Webfone to all new subscribers, enabling them to plug the device into their computers to make and receive calls. Users will be allocated phone numbers, he says.
The handset will also be available to iBurst`s current 55 000 subscribers at a cost of R200.
Knott-Craig says iBurst has signed interconnection agreements with communications providers. This means Webfone users can make local, national and international calls to fixed-line or mobile numbers.
Users can use their data allocations to make calls, he says, adding that they will also make savings on the price of each call.
Increased competition
MyADSL founder Rudolph Muller and World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck believe iBurst`s move is a positive development for the South African telecommunications market.
"It`s a good thing that iBurst is making the phone available to the mass market. Until now, people have heard about these phones through the grapevine," says Goldstuck.
Muller says the VOIP service could enable more competition in the local voice market, if more communication providers were to offer it.
"They can interconnect with each other at a cheaper rate, making it preferable for customers to subscribe with them than use Telkom voice services. This would force Telkom to drop prices," he says.
However, Goldstuck does not expect a significant impact on the voice market. "The phones have been around for some time without making an impact on voice calls," he says. MWeb and Vox Telecom are among the providers that offer a similar service.
Some challenges
Goldstuck also expresses concern about the potential quality of the connection.
"The problem is that ADSL at this stage is the only reliable backend connection for using voice over IP.
"So unless iBurst is doing interesting things with its signal or capacity, the average consumer will not be able to access the service. Some will find it works if they have a particularly strong connection."
Muller adds that bandwidth consumption, when using a VOIP service, is also generally low, enabling consumers to easily use the service. However, broadband offerings, which provide about 40MB or even 200MB data allocations per month, are not suitable for such a service, he says.
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