In the film “Field of Dreams” Ray Kinsella hears the voice say “if you build it, they will come.” Well that philosophy pretty much is what is happening with Voice over WiFi. If the carriers build the infrastructure to enable mobile phones to work both over cellular networks and Wi-Fi networks, the customers will come.
That’s in a nutshell is what In-Stat is saying in a just released report that claims by 2008 voice, not data will be the driving force which is a paradox to what is happening today.
Right now, with a phone from Pulver Innovations called WiSIP people can make calls from free hotspots or by using a Windows Mobile PocketPC that has SKYPE’s PocketPC version loaded onto it and have very good conversations for free or almost free (with Pulver’s WiSIP or one from Broadvoice users can actually terminate calls to PSTN lines and receive calls. SKYPE Out will let users make calls from SKYPE enabled devices.)
But crossing the barrier of phones that do both cellular and Wi-Fi are a few months off. Until then expect to find the “free” hotspots where the innovators will be found, not within the paid locations.