Industry News

BBC News predicts Mobile VoIP to be big in 2008.

Extract from a BBC News Website item published 1 January 2008.

VoIP is a technology that allows users to make cheap phone calls over the internet. Although some firms such as Jajah and Truphone have offered VoIP on mobiles the technology is still relatively nascent.  However, 2008 could be the year the technology takes off. 

Towards the end of 2007, network operator 3 launched a Skype phone that allows users to make calls using the service, already popular for making calls from PCs.

Handset-maker Nokia also offers four phones with the ability to use the technology. “We plan to add VoIP enabled devices to the existing range,” said Mark Squires of the firm.

But even with the backing of a heavyweight such as Nokia, not everyone is convinced that 2008 will be the year of mobile VoIP.  Said Mike Roberts of analysts Informa Media and Telecoms. “It’s very disruptitive, but could be a slow burn”

On-Communications CEO, Ian Roberts comments:

It will be a slow burn, but the prize is enormous, and we have firmly set our sights on being an enabling network for Enterprise Mobile VoIP.  WiMAX is the foundation for that capability, then the world gets really very interesting. 

BBC News tips WiMAX  as key a technology to make it big in 2008.

Extract from a BBC News Website item originally published 1 January 2008.

Wimax is a wireless technology that can deliver high speed broadband over long distances. It is already big in the US with companies such as Sprint and Intel backing the technology. Some areas of the developed world, such as Abuja in Nigeria, are also trialling the technology.

However, according to analyst Mike Roberts of research firm Informa Media and Telecoms, it has never taken off in Europe. But, he said, that could all change in 2008. “Next year could be the first year that we see some of the major deployments of Wimax in Europe,” he said.

On-Communications CEO, Ian Roberts comments:

2008 is definitely the year for WiMAX deployments, but let’s be clear why there have been no UK WiMAX deployments so far (even when it has been claimed). It is simply that despite all the manufacturers hype, the technology just hasn’t been ready to deploy until now. However, watch this space for our own announcements on WiMAX early this year.

The number 1 technology prediction for 2008 from BBC News.

Extract from a BBC News Wedsite item originally published 1 January 2008.

One of the biggest drawbacks of web applications is that they can only be used when there is an internet connection.

Although mobile working is becoming increasingly common, ubiquitous connectivity is still a long way off. But there are tools that are beginning to blur the online and offline worlds. Over the last 12 months a number of technologies have emerged that could have a significant impact on the way people use the web.

Search giant Google announced its Gears application whilst Adobe launched Air and Microsoft released Silverlight. All the technologies have the ability to take rich web content and make some of it available offline.

For example Adobe has shown off an Ebay desktop application built using Air that would allow users to do much of the legwork required in setting up auctions offline. The next time the user connects to the internet the listing would be posted to the website.

Silverlight offers the reverse - the ability to build desktop applications and allow them to run in a web browser.

Google Gears does not allow the creation of new applications but does allow web applications to be taken offline. For example, the developers of the free online office package Zoho use Gears to allow users to use their applications in a similar way to a normal desktop office program.

2008 should see more examples of applications built with or using one of the three tools to make a truly seamless computing experience.

On-Communications CEO, Ian Roberts comments:

Web2.0 is going to change everything. Momentum has been building for some time. It has been years since Silicon Valley has invested in traditional software companies, and all the high growth software businesses are delivering their technology in the ‘Software as a Service’ format, not the traditional Client Server Model.

Google, Salesforce and the UK’s Youmanage are leading the world in Web2.0 services. Our own business model supports Web2.0 services as companies need symmetrical broadband and Internet connections to make full use of Web2.0 services. We are almost exclusively a Web2.0 company in terms of our own IT. No desktops, no servers, just high speed wireless Internet access into and within the office via laptops.