Sept/Oct 2004

Could Wi-Fi wireless networking offer a viable alternative to conventional mobile phone networks for voice as well as data transmission?

That's become a very real prospect, and one of the latest initiatives in the field comes from Teleconnection, a UK-based company specialising in low-cost conventional phone calls (reselling of bulk capacity). It has announced a service called Roam-Money, and says this will offer high-quality voice mobile communication with mobile and fixed phones via wireless Internet connections on PDAs, wireless laptops, notebooks, tablets and desktops.

The company claims the system will offer a better alternative to GSM mobiles, with the added benefit of incorporating PC functionality as well. It says calls to conventional PSTN phones will be possible, and will be charged at rates of around 1p a minute for domestic calls, while international mobile calls will also be very cheap (it quotes 10p a minute for calls from the US to Europe).

Teleconnection is working with Telstra, the international fixed-line and mobile phone operator based in Australia, and Telesym, a specialist in voice over Internet technology. Its initial user package is built round Hewlett Packard's H 4150 and H 5550 IPAQ PDAs.

 

Without mentioning names, the company maintains that forthcoming long-range wireless networking technologies such as Wi-Max will provide ranges of up to 31 miles, which it says means it could cover the whole of London with just four transmission masts.

There were no further details of the service on its relatively low-key Web site when we closed for press, but more information may be available by the time you read this.