1.     Introduction                                                                                                                    11

2.     Technological aspects                                                                                                13

2.1. Presentation                                                                                                   13

2.2. Network technologies that enable mobility                                              14

2.2.1.      2.5G cellular technologies                                                  14

2.2.2.      3G cellular technologies                                                      15

2.2.3.      WLAN technologies                                                              20

2.2.4.      Other technologies                                                               27

2.2.5.      Industry standardisation initiatives                                    28

2.3. Evolving mobile devices                                                                              31

2.3.1.      Handsets                                                                                31

2.3.2.      Wireless VoIP operating systems & software                 31

2.4. Operating VoIP                                                                                               33

2.4.1.      The latency issue                                                                  33

2.4.2.      Possible configurations                                                       35

3.     Commercial deployments and experiments                                                           41

3.1. Wi-Fi/WiMAX/Cellular integration                                                                41

3.1.1.      Korea Telecom (South Korea)                                            42

3.1.2.      NTT DoCoMo (Japan)                                                          44

3.1.3.      Vodafone Germany                                                               45

3.1.4.      AT&T                                                                                        46

3.1.5.      Verizon                                                                                     47

3.1.6.      Bell Canada                                                                           47

3.1.7.      IDT Corporation                                                                     47

3.1.8.      Kyocera Wireless/Boingo                                                    48

3.1.9.      Other solutions                                                                      48

3.2. MBWA (Mobile Broadband Wireless Access) technologies                 49

3.2.1.      UMTS TDD                                                                              49

3.2.2.      Flash-OFDM                                                                           50

3.2.3.      iBurst                                                                                       51

3.3. Wi-Fi/Bluetooth integration: the BT example                                            52

3.4. wVoIP as an evolution of VoIP and Wi-Fi                                          53

3.4.1.      Skype                                                                                       53

3.4.2.      Net2Phone                                                                             54

3.4.3.      Vonage                                                                                    55

3.4.4.      Towerstream                                                                          56

3.4.5.      Broadvoice                                                                              56

3.4.6.      Concourse Communications                                             57

3.4.7.      US Wireless Online                                                              58

3.4.8.      Gateway solutions                                                                58

4.     Players’ wVoIP strategies                                                                                           59

4.1. Mobiles operators                                                                                         59

4.1.1.      Mobile operators with a 3G licence                                   59

4.1.2.      Mobile operators without a 3G licence                              61

4.2. Wireline telcos and WISPs                                                                          62

4.2.1.      UMTS TDD, an opportunity for WISPs                               62

4.2.2.      Fixed-mobile convergence                                                  62

4.3. Other types of player                                                                                     63

5.     Regulatory aspects                                                                                                      64

5.1. Americas                                                                                                         65

5.2. Europe                                                                                                             68

5.3. Asia                                                                                                                  70

5.4. Africa and The Middle East                                                                          71

6.     Economic comparison                                                                                                72

6.1. Combined Wi-Fi/cellular billing                                                                  72

6.2. Billing voice traffic on mobile networks                                                     73

6.3. Off-net data traffic billing on mobile networks                                         75

7.     Growth scenarios: 2005-2010                                                                                   81

7.1. General framework                                                                                       81

7.1.1.      Wireless VoIP: drivers and obstacles                               81

7.1.2.      Context by geographical zone                                             84

7.2. Scenario 1: swift emergence of VoIP on cellular and Wi-Fi/WiMAX

         networks                                                                                                        85

7.3. Scenario 2: limited growth of VoIP                                                             86

7.4. Scenario 3: Moderate growth of IP telephony via alternative

wireless technologies and wireline players                                            88

8.     Appendices                                                                                                                    91

9.     Glossary and acronyms                                                                                               94

 

Table of graphs & illustrations

Table 1: Voice’s share of mobile operators’ revenues                                                  11

Table 2: Voice and data ARPU in Western Europe (2001-2008), in EUR/month     11

Table 3: Wireless VoIP network technologies and availability                                     13

Table 4: OSI layers for IP                                                                                                     13

Table 5: Main features of 3G technologies                                                                      16

Table 6: Technical features of the 802.11 and 802.16 standards                               25

Table 7: Latency on GPRS networks                                                                                 33

Table 8: Theoretically feasible configurations for wireless VoIP (1/3)                        35

Table 9: Theoretically feasible configurations for wireless VoIP (2/3)                        36

Table 10: Theoretically feasible configurations for wireless VoIP (3/3)                     37

Table 11: Overview of NESPOT’s tariffs and services                                                   43

Table 12: Vodafone’s Zu Hause                                                                                        46

Table 13: Clearwire’s pricing policy for residential users in Jacksonville, FL          47

Table 14: UMTS TDD commercial deployments                                                            49

Table 15: Officially FLASH-OFDM trials                                                                             50

Table 16: Official iBurst commercial deployments and experiments                         52

Table 17: Broadvoice rate plans                                                                                        56

Table 18: The WiSIP Wi-Fi VoIP phone                                                                             57

Table 19: The Zyxel Prestige 2000W Wi-Fi VoIP phone                                                57

Table 20: Examples of combined Wi-Fi/cellular offerings (GPRS and/or 3G)          72

Table 21: Examples of 2G offerings                                                                                  73

Table 22: Vodafone’s voice initiatives                                                                               75

Table 23: Comparison of 3G residential tariffs, billed by the minute                          75

Table 24: Unlimited data packages  (with fair use policy defining the ceiling)         76

Table 25: A selection of mobile operators’ data transmission offers                         77

Table 26: Wireless IP telephony: growth drivers and obstacles                                  81

Table 27: Wireless VoIP’s potential and chief growth factors,
            by  geographical zone                                                                                              84

Table 29: MoU (minutes of use) on mobile networks - March 2004                           87

 

Figures

Figure 1: WCDMA’s evolution                                                                                             15

Figure 2: Evolution of UMTS specifications                                                                      16

Figure 3: Architecture of a 3G/UMTS network with IMS                                                  17

Figure 4: SIP’s role in the handset – cellular network link                                            17

Figure 5: IP Wireless’s vision of UMTS TDD VoIP                                                          19

Figure 6: Architecture of a CDMA2000 1xEV-DO network                                              20

Figure 7: DoCoMo’s dual mode solution                                                                         22

Figure 8: Example of a corporate wireless VoIP solution                                             22

Figure 9: VoIP over Wi-Fi at a hotspot                                                                               23

Figure 10: VoIP over Wi-Fi in a home environment                                                        23

Figure 11: WiMAX product availability timeline                                                                26

Figure 12: Wireless VoIP over Bluetooth                                                                          28

Figure 13: UMA architecture                                                                                                29

Figure 14: UMA’s operating principle                                                                                29

Figure 15: SCCAN enterprise solution                                                                             30

Figure 16: VoIP OS and software for mobile handsets                                                 31

Figure 17: Acceptable latency and packet loss rates, according to the ITU              33

Figure 18: Wireless VoIP configurations (1/2)                                                                 39

Figure 19: Wireless VoIP configurations (1/2)                                                                 40

Figure 20: NETSPOT Pop + PCS                                                                                       42

Figure 21: PDAs available for the NESPOT Swing service                                           43

Figure 22: The NEC 900iL 3G/Wi-Fi handset launched by NTT DoCoMo                 45

Figure 23: The Vodafone Personal Assistant IV                                                             46

Figure 24: The Nettgain server: optimising mobile traffic                                             48

Figure 25: Installation of the Vonage system                                                                  55

Figure 26: View of a VoIP handset                                                                                     56

Figure 27: Motorola’s CN620 Wi-Fi/GSM handset                                                          60

Figure 28: Responses to the ITU’s 2004 survey on the regulatory status of IP

 telephony (by region)                                                                                                           64

Figure 29: Difference between an ECS and a PATS                                                      69

Figure 30: Vodafone 3G’s new pricing model (09/2004)                                              77

Figure 31: wVoIP service offering: operators’ positioning                                             83

Figure 32: Example of a British mobile subscriber calling the UK from Spain         87