Thursday, July 08, 2004

VoIP not a sure thing.
Several major obstacles may impede VoIP from becoming the next best thing since sliced bread:

-- People have to know it exists. A June 24 study by the Pew Internet and American Life project found only 27 percent of U.S. online users have heard of VoIP service; 4 million are considering getting it at home.

-- To get VoIP service, you need a broadband connection.

-- Service is only as good as your broadband connection. If your network hiccups while sending a document or receiving a big movie file, it means a delay that most people would ignore or not even notice. But delays on phone calls are harder to tolerate.

-- The prices, which start at $19.99 a month, are competitive, not breathtaking.

-- A lack of regulation -- and taxes -- are a factor in keeping prices down. That may not last forever.

-- Voice over Internet service depends on the regular power grid, so if that goes, you have no phone. The traditional phone network has its own power and generally works even in blackouts.

May I add another? Find a different acronym for the service, one that doesn't sound like someone's passing gas in a bath tub while trying to clench their butt-cheeks tightly together.
# Permalink   Posted at 1:21 PM        0 comments       Email this Link

---