Stumble It!
The numbers are impressive and, to me, somewhat worrisome. I’m convinced that many consumers are making a decision to abandon their analogue residential service without being fully informed of the potential risks including:
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Security: Most VoIP services do not encrypt the signaling or the voice payload. I personally have been using such a service for several years and I’m not very concerned. But, at least I am aware of the potential risk and use my service accordingly.
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Power Interruptions: Cable operators will typically provide an analogue adapter with battery backup and have some level of backup power within their infrastructure. Assuming that all the backup systems have been properly maintained (a big assumption), and that all of the automated systems function as planned, residential VoIP subscribers can expect the service to remain active for a few hours at best. For most other VoIP service provider subscribers, a power interruption affecting the subscribers’ homes will result in an immediate service failure.
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911: When it comes to automatically identifying the location of a 911 caller, rules vary from country to country. In Canada, (assuming the provider complies with regulations), a 911 caller may first be directed to a national call centre where an agent will confirm the location of the caller then route the call to the appropriate local emergency service. It is an additional step in the process with a potential for failure and it may increase response time. Additionally, in traditional analogue voice services, the 911 operator can prevent the caller from disconnecting the call; not so with residential VoIP services. And as discussed in the next point, whether an intelligible conversation can take place with the 911 services personnel is dependent on the quality of the broadband connection.
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Voice Quality: The quality of a residential VoIP service is dependant on the network connection delivering the service. If the service provider owns the broadband connection then it is possible to prioritize voice packets to ensure voice quality. Most cable operators’ VoIP services do in fact protect voice traffic by giving it priority over data. Most other VoIP service providers do not have this capability and therefore voice quality can be severely affected by network congestion. Current trends suggest that bandwidth intensive applications such as video streaming and peer-to-peer file sharing will contribute to bandwidth shortages and likely VoIP quality issues.
I have been involved with VoIP technology since 1998 and I have consistently commented on its beneficial and disruptive impact on the communications industry. However, I believe more must be done to inform consumers of the potential risks. Once the risks are understood, consumers can make an intelligent decision about whether or not they should discontinue their primary line (traditional) voice service.
Note: As I have previously, I make the distinction between consumer VoIP services and enterprise-class IP Telephony. In the latter, all of the risks mentioned in this post can be adequately addressed and the implementers will typically understand the risks and how to mitigate them.
Rick McCharles
www.ric.ca
