Legislation came into force in the UK this week giving any parent with a child aged under 16 the legal right to request flexible working opportunities from their employer.

This could affect four and half million people in Britain and may also have a major impact on the challenges faced by IT teams.

Mike Ballentine, Aastra business development manager, told Vnunet that the growing coverage of broadband networks should help to enable greater VoIP home working opportunities.

“Most modern systems provide IP capabilities when and how you want them, but if you have a very old system you may need to look for an upgrade,” he said.

“It is an education exercise: we have to tell people it is easy to implement and manage.”

According to a report by IBISWorld, projected revenues for the VoIP industry could grow by 20.1 per cent during 2009.

Mickael Remond is the chief executive officer for ProcessOne, a company that deals in the creation of a range of instant messaging and communication solutions. According to the spokesman, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) could have a great future ahead.

Mr Remond said the recent announcement that Skype was to be made available on the Apple iPhone 3G, would have an inevitable effect on the industry.

He explained by enabling VoIP options on smartphones, networks would soon feel the impact, but added that in the long-term the platform had a long way to go and that at this time it was more of a working concept.

“It will enable users to make cheap calls abroad,” he said. “However, usage is currently restricted to Wi-Fi networks – meaning users need to be connected to them in order to make and receive calls, which does limit mobility,” Mr Remond added.

He continued that providers like Nimbuzz have offered VoIP for some time and developed an application that does not restrict the user in some of the ways Skype does.

The Voice On the Net Coalition (VON), which includes Microsoft, Skype, BT and Intel, has called on the Europe Union (EU) to take action against operators like Vodafone, who prevent their services from being used on their cellular/3G networks.

This stems from the fear that it could take revenue away from standard voice calls.

“Blocking of voice applications on mobile devices, such as the announcement of T-Mobile to block Skype on iPhones in Germany, is highly detrimental for consumer welfare in Europe,” VON said in a statement to ZDNet.
VON hopes its appeal will encourage the EU to draft new policies that would force mobile operators into allowing the use of VoIP services on smartphones and Mobile Broadband connections. The group has been attempting to do this for some time, without much success.

Mobile Broadband services can block other essential online tools too, such as Instant Messaging (IM) clients like MSN.

It is hoped that Lord Carter is taking issues like this into account when drafting his final Digital Britain report and the new universal broadband obligation (USO), of which mobile operators could play a big part.

Stephan Beckert, an analyst with Telegeography, said in comparison, the largest international phone carriers, such as Verizon, iBasis (an affiliate of KPN), and Tata, each provide about 20 to 30 billion minutes of international traffic each year.

Skype, founded in 2003 and owned by eBay Inc. since 2005, offers software that people can download and use for free in order to call other Skype users over the internet. The company also offers a paid service, Skype Out, that allows users to call regular phones from their computer using their Skype account.

Overall, Telegeography reported that computer-to-computer Skype traffic grew 72 per cent in the last year, while Skype Out traffic grew 63 per cent, boosting revenues 26 per cent.

“They’re both growing very fast,” said Beckert. “I expect it will continue growing.”

He said new Skype applications are expected for mobile devices that will make it readily available to a large number of people.

In addition, Skype announced this week that it is launching the beta version of a new service targeted at business users.

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Is VOIP right for your business?

According to the report from US research firm In-Stat, just over one in three American businesses with a VoIP network use it as their exclusive method of voice communications.

The study found that many more companies choose to integrate VoIP as part of a wider business telecoms solution, suggesting that similar trends could apply to VoIP users in the UK.

In-Stat analyst David Lemelin commented: “IP continues to be a partial voice solution for most businesses with VoIP, particularly among larger businesses.”

“Therefore, there is significant room for growth even among businesses that have already adopted it”

The report reveals that 32 per cent of US enterprises have slowed their VoIP deployment plans due to the economic downturn.

However, tmcnet.com recently claimed that interest in VoIP will be boosted by the technology’s appearance in the movie Slumdog Millionaire, which won the best picture Oscar at last month’s Academy Awards.

Advantages of VOIP

Cost

Arguably the biggest advantage of using VOIP is the potential for cost savings. Essentially, the technology allows you to make calls from one computer to another, anywhere in the world, for free.

Calls may also be made to landlines and mobiles using VOIP. These calls will usually incur a charge, but even this will generally be much cheaper than calls made via your regular phone service. Long distance calls from VOIP systems to phones are usually charged at flat rates, and some VOIP providers will allow you to select your own area code. This does not have to be the area you are actually calling from, but could instead be the location that you are making a lot of international calls to.

VOIP systems can be used pay as you go, or you can sign up with a VOIP service provider and pay a monthly fee. A monthly package will usually include unlimited calls from to and from your VOIP system, no matter what country you are making the call to or from. For people who make a lot of calls, particularly abroad, this can mean huge savings every month.

Portability

Another great attraction of VOIP is that it is portable. So long as you have an internet connection you will be able to use your VOIP service wherever you are, making it as convenient as email.

A VOIP phone can be plugged into an internet connection, and can then be used to make calls as though you were at home or in the office. VOIP phones have a built in address which is unique to that phone, and not a particular location, and so international calling rates will not apply.

If you don’t have a VOIP phone, another option is to use an analogue terminal adaptor (ATA) to connect a regular phone to the internet. These are now inexpensive, small, and portable.

A third option for using VOIP abroad is your laptop. Many computer based VOIP services offer a Web interface, which allows customers to log in to their account and place calls from anywhere in the world. All that is required is a computer, headset, and internet connection.

All of these options would be particularly useful for those who travel often for business, as it would allow them to call their colleagues and family cheaply and easily. While portable VOIP may not quite be as convenient as a cell-phone, the difference in price is significant enough to make up for this.

Features

There are a number of features which usually come standard with a VOIP package, including, 3 way calling, automatic call forwarding, auto redial and caller ID. Whereas ordinary phone providers will charge for these, there usually will be no monthly cost for these services with VOIP.

Computer based VOIP systems can usually be used to transmit video content, allowing you to see as well as hear the person that you are talking to. Data such as pictures, video, and documents can be shared between the two parties, as well as applications which makes it easier for two parties to collaborate on a project.

Another advantage of VOIP is that it can be synchronized with your email inbox. You can receive email notifications when you receive new voice mail messages, and recordings of your voice mail can be sent to your email and then forwarded to others. This feature would be especially useful to anyone using a VOIP phone away from their desk.

Disadvantages of VOIP

Reliability

Because VOIP systems rely on internet connectivity, if this slows or disconnects, so will your VOIP call. A bad connection could occur because of congestion, limitations of your PC, or because you are using you computer for other bandwidth draining activities. These situations could render your VOIP system more or less useless, which could be highly problematic if this were your only way of making calls.

During a blackout a VOIP system will not function. Unlike regular phones which rely on the current supplied through the phone lines, IP lines rely on electricity to power the device it is running from. A possible solution to this problem is to back up batteries or generators, or to use a regular phone as a back-up, but the monthly cost of this would reduce your overall VOIP savings.

Quality

When using VOIP over a fast, reliable broadband connection, sound quality is often comparable to that of a regular phone call, though will never be quite as smooth or natural. The quality of a VOIP call will always be as vulnerable as your internet connection however, so is prone to difficulties.

If you or the party you are speaking to is using a slow or temperamental internet connection, then you are likely to experience distorted voice quality, clipping, voice delay, or even a dropped call.

Even if you are using a very fast Internet connection, factors such as physical distance, the number of router hops, encryption, and voice/data conversion rate could effect the quality of the conversation. This could be extremely frustrating, especially if it were to occur during an important business call.

Emergency 911 calls

One of the major concerns with VOIP relates to emergency calls, though this is less of an issue since recent government intervention in the UK. Until September this year, many VOIP systems could not connect to emergency numbers; however an Ofcom ruling has stated that all VOIP systems must now connect to UK emergency number 999, and112; the predominant emergency number in the EU. 
 

Edd Dawson, managing director of broadband.co.uk, explained that people living in rural areas would miss out on top speeds if deployment only occurred at cabinet level.

He explained that it was important that the entire country receive good speeds, as the network would only be “as fast as its slowest part.” He warned against creating a "piece meal network where some people get great service and other areas get nothing".

He also outlined a number of benefits that could arise from cross-country deployment.
For example, the enabling of services like VoIP (which requires a fast connection) would make working from home easier. This would be particularly beneficial in rural areas where unemployment levels are higher. 

A recent report by the broadband stakeholder group found that costs of deployment in high density areas should be ‘relatively constant’; however for the third of the population living in sparsely populated areas, costs would be much higher.

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