Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is sounding increasingly attractive to South Africans tired of expensive calls and outdated telecommunications infrastructure.
But, warns John van den Munckhof, Chief Operating Officer of Hymax Telecoms, South Africans shouldn`t expect a sudden change come 1 February 2005 when the ICT industry is deregulated.
"There are still a number of issues to be resolved - such as the question of numbering scheme allocations for service providers and the finalisation of interconnect agreements and fees between service providers - before we`ll be able to take advantage of VOIP," he says.
Van den Munckhof added that another issue that needs to be taken into account is that of quality of service.
"If you don`t have quality of service on your router or network, then data packets will get preference over speech. This means voice quality may be poor or unacceptable. Bandwidth allocation and utilisation will be key to experience the true value of VOIP," he says.
Forrester Research, an ICT think-tank based in the US, says SA is way ahead of the rest when it comes to embracing VOIP technology.
While 28% of businesses in the US, and 22% in Europe are investigating integrating VOIP into their communications infrastructure, almost 40% of South African businesses say they will invest in VOIP technology.
Forrester, which recently completed its first-ever survey of South African businesses and government agencies, says ICT spending is on the rise and businesses are planning to upgrade their communications infrastructure.
Plus, adds vice-president John McCarthy, they are not afraid to spend money on new developments.
This bodes well for companies like Hymax that have prepared for deregulation in February 2005 by introducing a range of products and services to underpin its tried and trusted telecommunications structure.
Hymax has launched a range of new products from leading global suppliers, including state of the art VOIP and IP telephony (enables voice, data and video to be routed via a single cable over a LAN, WAN or Internet). VOIP technology turns analogue audio signals, such as those you would hear on an ordinary telephone, into digital data that can be transferred over the Internet.
There are three ways in which to make a call using VOIP. The first is by using an ATA (analogue telephone adapter) that allows you to connect a standard phone to your computer, and simply plug the cable in to the wall socket. It converts analogue data into a digital format for transmission.
The second way is by using IP phones. They are specialised phones that look like normal phones but have an Ethernet connector that allows you to connect directly with your router. This is the most likely option for businesses in SA.
The third way is computer-to-computer, at this stage the easiest way to use VOIP. You need the software - like Skype, that can be downloaded for free off the Internet - a microphone, speakers, a sound card and an Internet connection. All you would pay for is your normal service fee. This third option is mostly likely to be used by the home user.
Already, private consumers are using this method but it is illegal in SA until deregulation laws take effect in February.
VOIP, besides being substantially cheaper than either fixed-line or cellular telephony, has the added advantage of absolute simplicity.
Currently, businesses can maintain up to four separate communications infrastructures: a data network, a private automatic branch exchange (PABX) for external calls, an automatic call distributor (ACD) to route calls internally and the fourth is a voicemail system.
VOIP means that all a company needs is its data network. A new technology, called session initiation protocol (SIP) integrates voice with other software programs such as e-mail, instant messaging and calendar/collaboration applications.
This would allow people to have one universal inbox that can be checked from any Internet browser. If you have broadband connectivity, you can make a call. Voicemails could be replied to using text, voice or video.
Even numbers could become obsolete as SIP recognises names. A user will simply log on to his phone wherever he has a connection: at home, on the road or in the office.
Of course, it will take at least another decade to completely iron out all the problems and issues associated with emerging technologies. VOIP, say experts, is probably now at the stage where e-mail was a decade ago.
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