VOIP Meets WIFI - Is this the Perfect Marriage?

SANTA ROSA, CA -- Voice Over IP (VOIP), the technology that lets phone calls traverse the internet rather than the traditional phone company switched network, has revolutionized the way people communicate. And now this technology is being married to wifi, the wireless internet connections that are available in many hotels and coffee shops. The result is the ability to make (and take) inexpensive phone calls in your favorite internet hotspot location. VOIP phone calls are generally significantly lower in cost than cell phones. According to NovaSpots (www.novaspots.com) president William Neely, "We are now shipping all of our NovaSpot units with VOIP enabling technology, so that customers can make phone calls from any of our venues, using such handheld devices as the Engenius EnQue. We have contracted with Telopar, the internet telephony company (www.telopar.net) to provide phone connection service for our users at a cost of less than $.02 per minute to the caller and no cost to the NovaSpot operator."

There are currently nearly half a million wifi hotspots in the US alone, and almost none of them are VOIP enabled. Telopar's North American Marketing Director, William Johnson, said recently, "We are delighted to join forces with NovaSpots in providing premier phone service to traveling internet users. We see this as a huge opportunity to extend the existing technology."

This new blend of technologies provides a number of possibilities. Golf courses can use the VOIP service to track down employees, who might be anywhere on the course. They can also rent wireless phone units to golfers who absolutely must be contacted. Hotels can now put wireless phones in every room, without the expense of running phone wires, and can also contact housekeeping and room service personnel anywhere in the facility. Hospitals can stay connected with every doctor and nurse on the premises, while at the same time providing wireless internet access to recuperating patients and waiting room relatives.

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