A Brief History of Telephony and VoIP Cell Phones - Article Example

 The Future of VoIP Cell Phones in the Communications Industry Introduction: A Brief History of Telephony and VoIP Cell Phones The history of telephony was considered to have begun on March 10, 1876, with the remarkable invention of Alexander Graham Bell, the telephone (Casson 24). One must, however, take into consideration the fact that the idea of the telephone did not just come from this man. In fact, the invention of the said device has been under intense debate (Casson 24). Some authors have argued that this man has only built the said device based on older ideas and developments. Nonetheless, it was his idea regarding acoustics and his ability to secure a patent for his invention that eventually made him the father of the telephone. Telephony is usually defined as the general use of equipment that can provide voice communication over distances through the connection of telephones with one another. The telephones, originally, were connected in pairs (Huuderman 76). Every telephone user had his or her own communication device that is then connected to the different places that he may want to contact. This, however, became very inconvenient to those people who have the need to talk to the other people with telephones who are not paired with their devices. Because of this then, the telephone exchange was invented. The telephone exchange or what is more popularly referred to as the telephone switch is described as the system of electronic components that are responsible in connecting different telephones and calls (Huuderman 76). This invention then allowed people to reach more of their families, relatives and friends who have the device, thereby making the system of voice communication relatively easier. In the same manner, this has also paved the way for two other great inventions in the field of telephony: (1) local hoops and of course, (2) the telephone call (Casson 35; Huuderman 76). The term local hoops basically refers to the circuit that connects a telephone user to the telephone switch, thus allowing the former to be able to contact the latter in order to facilitate the transfer of his or her call to the desired party. On the other hand, the term telephone call then refers to the conversation of two different parties that make use of a certain device, in this case, the telephone. The telephone exchange, as expected has further evolved into the so-called trunk lines which then allowed telephone users to communicate with other people nearby and eventually, even in distant places. The trunk lines system or trunking is basically a concept in modern communications wherein a certain system can provide access to its clients by making the latter share a set of lines or frequencies instead of providing them with line individually. Hence, trunk lines have allowed people to communicate effectively with each other without having to pass through the telephone exchange (Huuderman 88). In modern times however, telephone calls have been easier through advancements in technology. With regard to the use of the telephone device, the twenty-first century man no longer makes use of neither the telephone exchange nor the trunk lines system. Instead, telephones are now plugged through the so-called telephone jacks (Casson 78). This system then entails the use of a connector that links a certain telephone to its wiring which is in turn, connected to the local telephone network. Because of this system, it is expected that the latter connects the calls of people to other clients within their country and even in distant ones. Without a doubt then, the use of the telephone jacks made telephone calls easier and more convenient to billions of people all over the world (Huuderman 89). This particular system was even enhanced through the use of other technological breakthroughs all over the world. One of which was the Public Switched Telephone Network which allowed the world to be connected together in a more efficient way. It was even enhanced with the development of the Stored Program Control exchanges during the end of the 20th century which further contributed to the efforts of making telephone calls amongst humans, no matter where they are in the world, relatively easier. The middle of the twentieth century, however, witnessed a change in telephony. During this time, fax and data became popular in the transmission of voice and other forms of communication (Casson 123). In the same manner, the onset of the twenty-first century has also experienced an upgrade with the introduction of the ISDN (integrated services digital network) and the DSL (digital service line). The Integrated Services Digital Network or ISDN basically refers to an improved system of telephone communications. Its’ design was basically constructed in such a way that it allowed for the digital transmission of voice and data which had a better voice quality. In the same manner, it also opened up the access to the internet at a speed higher than that of the telephone lines. The Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), on the other hand, refers to the digital manner by which local telephone networks transmit the calls. The DSL basically makes use of a higher frequency than the regular phones, thereby providing more convenient ways of telecommunication to its subscribers like just the ISDN (Casson 125; Huuderman 99). The popularity of the internet, however, has introduced further changes and has thus, contributed much to the history of telephony. Apparently, the internet has paved the way for the so-called IP telephony which makes use of the TCP/IP protocol in order to transmit digitized voice data. IP telephony has then been more popularly referred to as Voice Over Internet Protocol or more popularly, VoIP (Wallingford and Wallingford 65). Taking into consideration the fact that technology is constantly moving forward, one must not be surprised that at this point in time, significant efforts have resulted to the invention of the VoIP cell phones. Phones that are enabled to achieve this function basically perform on dual mode. This means that when the mobile phone is within the reach of wireless internet networks, it would enable its capacity to make a call using Internet Protocols (Casson 156; Wallingford and Wallingford 66). Conversely, it shifts back to its regular mode whenever a wireless internet network is undetected. Without a doubt, the history of telephony has gone a long way. It started with the mere use of electricity and acoustics which eventually evolved to the use of digital lines and are now making use of internet protocols in order to provide convenience to its users (Valdes and Roos 1). Summary The first part of this paper has given a brief historical background of telephony, covering its stages that began with the use of analog phones which then evolved into those that make use of digital lines and eventually, developing as the entire world entered the age of the internet. Without a doubt, the field of telephony has never stopped evolving in order to provide the people with cost-effective and convenient ways of reaching their loved ones, friends, business partners, etc. in all parts of the world. Nonetheless, VoIP cell phones are still considered to be in its infancy due to the fact that only a certain number of telecommunications provider had the ability to cater to this new technology. Still, it is expected that this phenomenon would eventually evolve given the fact that the evolution of technology has always been directed towards bringing more convenience to humans in order to make their lives easier. The aim of this paper then is to determine the future of VoIP cell phones in the communications industry given the fact that its early stages of development has already been positively welcomed by most humans. In order to do so, the researcher would highlight its capacity to provide humans with better avenues for communication, not to much cost-effective means. In the same manner, this paper also aims to provide an extensive discussion of the different steps undertaken by some telecommunications provider in order to pave the way for the introduction of VoIP cell phones. The Future of VoIP Cell Phones in the Communications Industry Introduction As earlier mentioned, it is the goal of this paper to look into the future of VoIP cell phones in the communication industry. Discussed in the first parts of this paper was the constant evolution of the field of telephony in order to provide humans with better services in the field of communication. Years ago, people can only communicate with their loved ones in a distant place through long distance phone calls which then required them to commit to a phone company that charges by the minute fees thereby making it relatively expensive (Kershaw 2; Hanson 34). Noticing this unfortunate fact, the inventors of the mobile phone, together with mobile phone services providers offered plans that would allow its clients to call anywhere without charging as much as the long distance phone companies. However, mobile phones had their own disadvantages. More often than not, its users tend to experience problems with regard to their reception as well as the number of dropped calls recorded (Hanson 56). The use of internet protocol in order to enhance telecommunications has well been acknowledged all over the world. It has generally transformed voice communication by providing people with cheaper ways by which they could call their friends or other people no matter where they are situated in the world (Hanson 23). The VoIP service is usually made available through three different modes: (1) the Analog telephone adapter which allows the regular phone to be connected to the computer; (2) the phones that are exclusively designed in order to cater the said service; and finally, (3) the computer-to-computer VoIP which requires users to download a certain software from a program, and from this, make calls using the computer with a microphone attached to it. The Entry of VoIP cell phones in the Market It is then because of the cheaper rates offered by the VoIP service that many have considered it to be more advantageous to people when the same technology has been adopted by cellular phones. As a result, VoIP-enabled cell phones have already been reported to enter the consumer market. In the United States of America, T-Mobile was reported to have come up with a service that allows its customers to make phone calls over a VoIP network which was popularly referred to as the HotSpot@Home. This service, however, would only work with the so-called dual mode cell phones. According to Valdes and Roos (p.1), dual mode phones are those that make use of the regular cellular radio and the Wi-Fi. The latter basically allows the mobile phone to access a wireless internet network thereby allowing it to make use of the VoIP calls. The T-Mobile user then has to access the HotSpot@Home service and then begins to enjoy unlimited, free VoIP calls. When a wireless network, however, becomes unavailable, the mobile phone reverts back to its regular mode, thereby disabling the VoIP service (Valdes and Ross 1). A telecommunications company in England, Hutchinson 3G, on the other hand, had developed a collaboration with Skype, the popular provider of VoIP in order to come up with the 3 Skypephone (Valdes and Roos 1). This mobile phone basically allows the users to make free calls from their mobile phones to other users of Skype. Moreover, King (1) also notes of the fact that many cellular phone manufacturers are now coming up with their own versions of the dual mode phone in order to ensure that they will be able to cater to the needs of their customers who would want to patronize the cheaper and better way to make phone calls through VoIP. Aside from this however, Hanson (116) notes that non-subscribers of the abovementioned mobile phone service providers can choose from a wide range of services and/or applications that can be installed on their phones so as to allow them to make calls using the Voice over Internet Protocol service or VoIP. The Future of VoIP cell phones in the Communications Industry: The Opportunities for its Success The future of VoIP cell phones is starting to build up. This is because of the fact that introduction of such promises vast amounts of benefits to many people who are in dire need of cheaper ways of communication (Kershaw 2). In the same manner, it also has the capacity to provide its users with more convenience for they can now make calls through their cell phones which are more portable than the analog and IP phones and even their desktop and laptop computers. VoIP cell phone services, as earlier mentioned, however, is still in its infancy and its developers still have to find ways by which its services can be improved. Telecommunications must greatly consider the need to develop these services in order to provide more convenience to people who spends a great deal of amount on phone calls to different parts of the globe. Without a doubt then, Kershaw (1) believes that the future of the VoIP cell phone in the communications industry is very bright. This is because of the many advantages posed by the use of Internet Protocol Telephony that is combined with wireless technology (Horst and Miller 199). Aside from this, Kershaw (1) further state that the reduced cost for calls made in VoIP-enabled mobile phones will be the main reason for its success due to the fact that Wi-Fi networks are relatively cheaper than the cell tower technology. Aside from this, VoIP cell phones would also provide higher-bandwidth which can generally help a person communicate more efficiently, thereby reducing the so-called silence spaces. The increase in the bandwidth would then lead to higher benefits (Hanson 115). Generally, these improvements are not only expected to reduce the silence spaces but could also allow the users to do more than the traditional services being offered by the mobile phone. Apparently, the incorporation of the VoIP cell phones could enable person to person sharing of files, whether these are in the audio or video formats (Hanson 115). In the same manner, it could also support video calling. It is in this line then that the use of the VoIP service by mobile phones can dramatically improve the quality of voice calls (Kershaw 1). Moreover, VoIP-enabled cell phones also provide its users with greater convenience and flexibility for it would allow them to use the said service when an internet network is available and revert back to the original mobile phone service when needed (Tracey 66; Ahson and Ilyas 230). As a result, consumers only use a single device for all their needs. The benefits previously mentioned are only those that can be experienced by the individual user. Kershaw (2) notes that the use of wireless VoIP or VoIP cell phones can also be beneficial to business firms and organizations. According to him, this would allow a certain business to manage their phone systems more efficiently (Tracey 66; Meggelen, Smith and Madsen 217). Aside from this, companies could also subscribe to just one operator for basic services such as the internet, voicemail, e-mail and telephone calls. It would also allow their employees to turn their mobile phones into hand held computers that would enable them to have access to their work using their devices. There is so much potential for VoIP cell phones to perform incredibly in the consumer market and in the communications industry because of its capacity to provide services that offer big savings and convenience to its users (Meggelen, Smoith and Madsen 217; Ahson and Ilyas 342). King (1) even predicts that within the next five years or so, that the dual mode phones discussed earlier that has the capacity to switch to VoIP calls when a Wi-Fi network is detected would surely become widespread. Hence, the popularity of these would force mobile phone service providers to offer plans that would combine the services of both the VoIP and the regular cell network. Otherwise, they may experience losses in their businesses. Unlike the other scholars previously discussed, King (1) goes on further with the discussion of the future of VoIP cellular phones. For him, there is a next step beyond the mere integration of the mobile phones and the VoIP services. Apparently, he expects the wireless VoIP to completely take over the place the cellular networks have these days (King 1). He reminds his readers of the fact that the new wireless technology called WiMax are currently operating in some cities nowadays. These networks basically operate at faster speeds, thereby allowing anyone in range to use his or her VoIP wireless phone at ease (King 1). Aside from calls, such technology would also allow people to exchange videos and audio files which may eventually replace the need to rent videos or use another device to listen to radio stations (King 1). King (1) also believes that the continuous technological advancements could eventually lead to the provision of not just cheap calls but free ones. This is generally because of the fact that the use of internet protocols do not necessarily charge for every data transmission made. Hence, there is a possibility that VoIP providers would be able to develop the internet connection, thereby ensuring that calls made through the VoIP are made free of charge (King 1). Conclusion As earlier mentioned, it is the goal of this paper to look into the future of VoIP cell phones in the communications industry. In order to do so, it first provided a brief historical background of telephony which showed how telecommunications improved as technology advanced. It has been noted that at first, voice communications were only allowed between two parties for this was the manner by which the system was designed. It gradually developed into other systems that provided more convenience to the users. As technology progressed, more and more telecommunication companies provided their subscribers with digital lines in order to ensure that the quality of voice calls is improved. In the same manner, much improvement has been taken into consideration in order to lessen the expenses of calling someone. It was earlier stated that years ago, people resort to expensive subscriptions with telephone companies in order to make long distance calls. Having recognized its cost, inventors of the cell phones and other members of the industry also developed ways by which they could lessen its costs. The mobile phones, however, suffered from major setbacks which threatened the quality of voice calls. Reception was the most common problem and more often than not, users complain of dropped calls. The popularity of the internet gave birth to Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP. These types of calls were considered to be cheaper than phone services for Wi-Fi networks are easier to build rather than the cell towers. It also promises other advantages such as higher-bandwidth usage which can then allow the users to improve the quality of their voice call and at the same time, have the ability to do other stuff with their devices. Taking the abovementioned into consideration, together with the promise of convenience and portability, the VoIP services are being modified in order to fit in mobile phones. Through this, it is expected that the people will be given more benefits for they would no longer need their computers in order to make cheap phone calls for they can do so with the use of their portable, easy to use mobile phones, with of course, the low rates of calls that it has promised. The VoIP cell phones are relatively new to the consumer market. While there are many applications that can be downloaded or installed on the mobile phones in order to cater to this service, only a few number of telecommunications company provide this service. Nonetheless, one can say that the future of the VoIP cell phones in the communications industry is bright. Its introduction into the main stream would definitely be welcomed by many customers who are in search for cheaper, more convenient and better call services. It is through though that the world has to wait for only a shorter period of time before regular cellular services and VoIP has become fully integrated. With the constant evolution of technology, however, one can expect more than this. Earlier noted was the fact that the world would experience more than just mere integration for VoIP services may in time, replace the cellular networks, thereby bringing better services to the humans by giving them not just cheaper calls but maybe, free calls as well. WORKS CITED Ahson, Syed and Mohammad Ilyas. VoIP Handbook: Applications, Technologies, Reliability and Security. New York: CRC Press, 2008. Casson, Herbert N. The History of the Telephone. California: 1st World Publishing, 2004. Hanson, Jarice. 24/7: How Cell Phones and the Internet Change the Way we Live, Work and Play. United Kingdom: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007. Horst, Heather A. and Daniel Miller. The Cell Phone: An Anthropology of Communication. Germany: Berg Publishers, 2006. Huuderman, Anton A. The Worldwide History of Telecommunications. United Kingdom: Wiley-IEEE., 2003. Kershaw, Tom. The Future of VoIP Goes Wireless. 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