Mobile VoIP and the Impact on Voice Carriers, part 1

The Skype application for the iPhone has quickly moved up the charts and become one of the most popular downloads in the Apple Store. This application gives users access to the Skype network and free calling to other Skype users as well as the paid outbound per-minute Skype service. The potential user pool is going to keep increasing as the application is ported to other devices such as Blackberry and Nokia phones.

-Michael Corso
Product Manager, VoIP Link Services

Wireless carriers are taking different stances about what VoIP applications they will support and the method that will allow them to be implemented. For example, one carrier is allowing use of the Skype application at Wi-Fi hotspots, but not on the 3G network. From a wireless carrier this makes sense as they do not want to lose minutes that would normally flow over their network, but other carriers are blocking both Wi-Fi and 3G and have policy to not allow VoIP calling.

As a wholesale voice carrier, Tata Communications is very interested in how all this is going to shake out. Tata is a natural transport for wireless carriers as well as VoIP companies such as Skype, whose users are placing off-net calls and have a per-minute charge. From our perspective, we can transport both the traditional wireless minutes as well as the VoIP minutes, so it is potentially a win-win situation for us.

About the author:

Michael Corso
Product Manager - VoIPLink TM -- Tata Communications
Michael Corso is the Product Manager Product Manager – VoIPLinkTM for Tata Communications. With over a decade of experience in the VoIP industry, Mr. Corso is responsible for overseeing the capabilities, features and strategy for VoIP based interconnects over the Tata Communications voice network. In this capacity he is driving the NGN network integration and facilitates the migration from TDM to VoIP. Mike is also active within industry forums and events and has been the chair of the operations workstream for the i3 Forum over the last two years.