Wi-Fi Phone Calling To Increase

With the growth of Wi-Fi phones, it’s obviously expected that Wi-Fi calling will grow. Bill Pechey of IT Week takes at a look at how Wi-Fi calling is making its way into 3G phones. In fact, this is by design. The 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) is an industry organization focusing on GSM and 3G standards for mobile phones. Specifications for something called UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) was created by a group of mobile tech companies and submitted to the 3GPP.

Some dual mode phones, can be used to make either cellular or VoIP calls but are not true UMA phones. UMA phones perform automatic handover between cellular and Wi-Fi networks. An example of a UMA phone is the Nokia 6136, which is one of the handsets that can be used for the Orange Unique mobile calling service. Other UMA phones are the Motorola A910 and the Samsung P200, with more expected in 2007. Several other dual-mode cell phones can hand over a call from Wi-Fi to cellular but not in the other direction.

As such VoWiFi (VoIP over Wi-Fi) phones become more readily available, drop in price, and are supported by mobile service providers, they are very likely tostart replacing single mode cell phones.