“No late messages: It is proper netiquette to send messages within appropriate time frame. NetworkEtiquette.net” – David Chiles, The Principles of Netiquette
On the humor side of things, it is said, “FAITH is like Wi-Fi, it’s invisible but it has the power to connect you to what you need”. From the introduction of the first Motorola mobile unit my Dad bought in the early 1990’s, when we still had to pull the little aerial before making a call. Never mind the aerial, what about the size of the unit itself, – the perfect “Door Stopper”.
Wi-Fi Calling is the next big step in South Africa, if Ruckus Wireless Inc. has anything to do about it.
How times have changed. As the saying goes, “Change is the only constant”. Well mobile communications is the only constant and its evolution is just as constant. First mobile communications was the key to our existence. Then came the down-scaling of unit sizes, the increase in storage capacity, the capacity and speed of ‘RAM’ (Random Access Memory). Moving forward at the speed of light, mobile telecommunications have consumed the consumers mind.
Post, size, weight and the monotonous colour of the hardened black casings, we have evolved to pixel loving, camera friendly, “selfie consumers” who look to upgrade our phones at every turn. The mobile communication consumers have demanded innovation as the prime growth strategy for companies, making phones slim, putting design teams into a design diet mode.
More and more the mobile communications sector has evolved into the telecommunications sphere displaying a unique convergence of technology, consumerism and taking a ‘leaf’ from social network platforms.
This year Verizon Wireless will introduce Wi-Fi calling, even though it is not a dire transition. Already, users can send voice notes or messages via WhatsApp, already using wireless communications.
Wi-Fi in many regards can ease the pressure on Networks of service providers in Africa, who charge the same even when during peak hours your service is deteriorated by the number of users on the network. Wi-Fi Calling establishes a secure connection to a mobile network over a wireless network for the delivery of voice and messaging services.
It is expected that 3GPP IR-92, the technology used for Wi-Fi Calling, will drive greater numbers of smartphone traffic to Wi-Fi networks. “This could fundamentally change the mobile network operator business model…..” says Michael Fletcher, sales director at Ruckus Wireless Sub-Saharan Africa.
In the US Republic Wireless has introduced a market product for unlimited text and talk for $5 (R58) per month. Fletcher adds that irrespective of the mobile device the technology will work across platforms and on virtually any handset.
Fletcher iterates, “Sceptics might argue that wireless was never designed for voice and could result in technical issues. However advances in antenna technology mean that delay-sensitive content such as video and voice will be able to utilise a highly optimised signal. Moreover, connections to Wi-Fi are becoming easier thanks to handset manufacturers who understand the importance that this could have on the market.”
With momentum gathering speed, it is critical to also expect that if current technology can carry videos via up to 17MB (Megabytes), or have a voice note embedded in a WhatsApp message, the advances needed for wireless calling are fickle.
