Web Phone Woes

VoIP Technology: Still Young

Some of the VoIP industry's problems stem from the way that it markets the technology, says Amanda Sabia, analyst with Gartner Research. Too often, she says, Internet phone service is touted as a simple alternative to traditional phones, and many consumers don't fully understand the technical issues and trade-offs involved in replacing their landlines with Net phones.

At least one VoIP provider concedes that the technology remains a work in progress. "We like to remind people they are dealing with a technology that is still under ten years old and not as mature as the 100-plus-year-old traditional telephone network," says Gene Cornfield, BroadVoice spokesperson. Cornfield says his company doesn't always advise potential customers to replace their phone lines with VoIP.

One of the biggest technical challenges is the task of providing all customers with reliable access to 911 emergency services. Broadband technology, which VoIP depends on, isn't completely reliable, so access to emergency services via VoIP isn't either--even assuming that you have access in the first place. FCC regulations require VoIP firms to inform customers of the important differences between calling 911 using a Net phone and doing so with a traditional landline phone. For example, power outages, among other occurrences, can render your broadband modem and (as a Result) your phone inoperable.