Posted: 05th Mar, 2004 By: MarkJ
Research from Brunel University has found that the UK is lagging behind in voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technology. VoIP could offer "huge" cuts to the cost of telephone calls, yet Telco's and ISPs aren't keen to promote it:
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) could save users over 50 per cent on calls to mobiles and up to 25 per cent on UK daytime calls, by routing calls over the internet.
Dr Jyoti Choudrie, operations director at the Brunel Broadband Research Centre, told vnunet.com that, apart from a few exceptions and peer-to-peer software such as Skype which offers free VoIP, there is currently little choice for consumers.
"We see that VoIP in Japan is the 'killer broadband application', but in the UK ISPs have difficulty explaining the technology. Plus there isn't the choice of devices available, and what there is often too expensive," she said.BT currently offers a limited VoIP service, with Tiscali expected to follow soon. We can't help but feel that VoIP would need to become more independent of computers before it can really succeed. More @
VNUNet.