VOIP Cellular Phone Service
From LoveToKnow Cellphones
If you find that you are constantly running out of minutes every month, it might not be a bad idea to look into a VoIP cellular phone service. This kind of service may not necessarily be free, but it can serve as a much more affordable alternative to traditional cell phones.
What is VoIP Cellular Phone Service?
When you use a regular mobile phone, the transmission is over a cellular network. The Verizon Voyager cell phone, for example, operates over a CDMA-based network. The other major cellular standard is GSM and this is the one that the current iPhone uses, for example.
When it comes to a VoIP cellular phone service, you are no longer making use of a traditional cellular connection. Instead, the call is being routed over an Internet connection instead. This is why VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. In many ways, this would be the same thing as using a service like Vonage for your home's landline telephone, except you are afforded much greater mobility with a cell phone.
True VoIP Phones and Skype
To get VoIP on a cell phone, you have two main options. The first is to use a dedicated VoIP handset like the one pictured above. A cordless phone like this does not need to be activated with a conventional cellular service, because it is not capable of making a conventional cellular call. Instead, it is completely dedicated to offering a VoIP cellular phone service.
If you have a Skype account, for example, you may be able to find wireless phones that can operate independent of a base station. This way, you can connect to the Wi-Fi network in your home for virtually free phone calls. If you find yourself away from home, it is also possible to use these phones for calls, but only when you are in the vicinity of an available Wi-Fi network for which you have complete access. In this way, you may sacrifice a fair bit in usability. The phone is effectively rendered useless while you are driving or away from a Wi-Fi network.
Early phones that were dedicated to VoIP service only came in a standard candybar form factor and most required connection to a base station that was, in turn, physically connected to a router or broadband modem. These days, you may be able to find VoIP slider phones and flip phones, though they usually don't have the same array of functions as regular mobile phones. Don't expect to find a camera on there, for example.
UMA Wi-Fi Calls with Mobile Phones
Providing perhaps the best of both words is something called UMA service, or Unlicensed Mobile Access. This VoIP cellular phone service is offered by T-Mobile in the United States (branded as T-Mobile HotSpot@Home) and by Fido in Canada (branded as UNO). Unlike the VoIP services described above, UMA lets you use both VoIP calling over a Wi-Fi network and regular calls over a cellular network.
The key to this VoIP cellular phone service is that calls are seamlessly transferred between the two protocols. You can initiate a call through a regular cellular connection, but when the phone detects the presence of an available Wi-Fi network, it swaps over mid-call. The reverse is also true. As you can imagine, this VoIP service is only available on select handsets.
The T-Mobile HotSpot@Home service is a $10 option that goes on top of your regular calling plan. It offers unlimited minutes for calls initiated through your home Wi-Fi network. The Fido UNO service has two levels: $15 for unlimited local calls at home; $20 for unlimited local and Canadian long distance calls at home. Like the T-Mobile VoIP cellular phone service, these are options that must be added on top of a regular voice plan.
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This page has been accessed 402 times. This page was last modified 06:19, 23 July 2008.
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