Making cheap calls over the Internet with a cellular phone is becoming a reality in France and set to spread quickly across the rest of Europe.
France’s top three broadband providers, France Telecom, now known as Orange, IPO candidate Neuf Cegetel and Iliad have started rolling out services that allow cellular phone customers to use mobile and Wi-Fi networks with the same handset.
Such efforts have turned France into one of the world’s most advanced markets for dual-mode Wi-Fi mobile services, which, some analysts predict, could profoundly change operators’ business model in the months to come.
When close to an emitting set-top box, the cellular handset latches on to a Wi-Fi network and switches to Voice over Internet Protocol. Once outside a Wi-Fi hotspot, the caller falls back on the mobile network.
In parallel, some companies in France believe Wi-Fi is an attractive stand-alone market. Ozone, a start-up, gives free Wi-Fi access in Paris to people who let the company install an antenna on their home’s roof. It aims to have 80 percent of the city covered by the end of the year.
In the United States, dual-mode service is not yet available but should arrive soon, possibly led by T-Mobile. A limited version of the service is available in Japan, but mainly for business customers.
You were expecting maybe AT&T?
Actually, folks at T-Mobile really are hinting they’ll offer something like this before year-end.
I can’t see greedy wireless companies like Verizon allowing this on their network. Hell they won’t even allow the full blue tooth capabilities on their phones. If they did, I’m sure they would include some limitation or extra cost that would all but eliminate any benefit of the service.
Ozone, a start-up, gives free Wi-Fi access in Paris to people who let the company install an antenna on their home’s roof.
I don’t get it…
How do all of those access points connect to the net?
Are they running wires to each house that allows an antenna, or are the access points all acting as “extenders” [wireless bridge?] of a few main nodes?
I probably just answered ny own question – since “wireless bridge” [or equivalent] is the only thing that makes sense – but I’m curious if anyone who really knows can confirm it.
gquaglia,
They will embrace it because they have to. With free open wfi everywhere becoming an emerging reality, it is already possible to make totally free voip phone calls. Currently the only thing you have to pay for is POTS termination, internet phone calls are totally free. As people begin dumping the the old telephone system en mass, and they realize they dont even need Vonage to make their phone calls (warning vonage doesn’t let you use voip as designed, that is why their stock is suckage btw) people will simply stop using the older services. We are talking basic principals of LIBERAL economics here.
The NeoConservativeLawEnforcementComplex will feel the the lionshare of the pain though, as they will no longer be able to spy on their political opponents, their vote day phone jamming schemes, propaganda phone calls, and push polls.
“The NeoConservativeLawEnforcementComplex will feel the lionshare of the pain though, as they will no longer be able to spy on their political opponents, their vote day phone jamming schemes, propaganda phone calls, and push polls.”
Dude, what are talking about?
5:
“Dude, what are talking about?”
I’d say, “Read the news”, but you rarely see such things in the papers. He’s mentioning the fact that the Rove types will inevitably use the superbase of internet usage to spy on Democrats and reporters. Gonzales has already admited they are spying on reporters and the leakers they talk to. The voting day jamming scheme was in court years ago. Look it up. Just recently the man who served time for hiring a marketing service to flood a demcratic calling organization with hangup calls on election day was released, and is now working for the Republicans, training election operatives. As for push polls, those are fake “polls” used to plant memes. For instance, in 2000, Rove had operatives run a push poll in, I think, South Carolina, asking the citizens there what they thought of McCain’s black baby. Since the Carolinians hadn’t previously heard of his “black baby (adopted)” before, Rove swung the election against McCain by influencing the hugely racist citizens to react. That is called a “push poll”. If you’ve ever heard McCain was angry with Bush, that’s the reason. Bush tried to make up, and McCain furiously blew him off. He recently bit his tongue in half to act nice for the 2008 nomination, but that’s just anticipating your reaction to the point.
Catbeller, And I’m sure Dems never do such things…Do you really think things would be any different under Hillary or any other Dem, I doubt it. And guess what the government will be able to monitor these services or they simply wont allow them to exist, plain and simple.
BT in Britain have had a service called BT Fusion for a while now, which allows you to use mobile neworks when you’re out and your home WiFi network when you’re at home. Unfortunately, to use the service you also have to get broadband from BT, and it won’t let you use other wireless hotspots.
McCain doesn’t have a black baby.
How is this different form as Treo 700 which has wi-fi and mobile phone calls?
gquaglia: If both your parties do such things then your nation is doomed. I think however that you are engaging in yet another scripted defense.
Milo – in answer to your question, yes it is and no I’m not.
The difference between me and my Bush hating lefties on this board is that I know Rupublicans are just as dirty and just as shady as Democrats. The lefties on the other hand, think the Dems are angels, who do know wrong, are champions of the people and will some how make the world paradise. Bullshit I say, the Dems in congress have no more in common with the common man then man does with an ant. Most of these elitists have never worked a real job in their life, have wanted for nothing (except maybe a higher office) and care only about staying in office. Republicans are the same, but don’t going around bullshiting us into thinking they are like the rest of us. BOCTAE.
What, I wonder, do black babies have to do with VOIP/WiFi?
gquaglia: I wasn’t asking a question. That’s the problem with scripting, sometimes the other person doesn’t follow the script.
My monthly DSL charge here in Spain includes unlimited 24*7 POTS phone calls to any other POTS phone in the country (but not to mobile phones). Suddenly, I don’t need VoIP…
your right AB CD….McCain dosen’t have ANY babies anymore, but the girl the push polls were talking about was his adopted Asian child.
Europe is way ahead of the U.S. in this stuff. But Europe isn’t completely built on capitalism as we are.
France has been the most competitive market thanks to iliad with its 30€ monthly cost, which includes unlimited phone calls to europe and the united states plus a number of televisions channels over the adsl, too. Iliad has now announced it will lay fibre throughout paris and to most other urban areas beginning next year.
Iliad also allows one to use a uma (aka gan) phone anywhere in the world that one has an available wireless connection. You can use one of nokia or samsung phones now available, or buy a wifi only phone from iliad (55€) or gsm/wifi phone (159€). Talk about ease of setup, all one needs do is to connect the phone to the usb port on the freebox and configuration of the phone is automatic.
France telecom will have lost 1 million landlines this year what with people either switching to cellular only or switching to a competitor, especially iliad or neuf telecom-cegetel.
-er