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What's the Opposite of a Pin-Drop Network?

For Mark Burris, Internet-based calling is a mixed blessing. Burris, who runs a branding and marketing business in Greensboro, N.C., is delighted because his Vonage service comes with cool features such as voicemail over the Web. Plus, it slashes about $260 a month off phone bills. The downside: glitches galore. So many calls are dropped -- as many as half -- that company employees all use their mobile phones to make outgoing calls. Burris' operations manager lately is spending upwards of a half-hour a day trying to get to the bottom of the problem. For now, "we are bearing it and going on," says Burris. But other companies and consumers taking the plunge into Internet-based calling may not be so patient.

VoIP Providers: Heeding the Call? Ouch! This article lays bare the dirty underbelly of the exciting new VOIP technology. A little harsh? Maybe, but is good to read something besides all the rah rah rah all the time about these new applications. I have heard that buzz before- residential yes, but not yet ready for business...

Still, I remember my first cell phone about 10 years ago, and I had dropped calls. And I've used the "Drop Network" to describe my cell phone service at my house even today. (names kept hidden to protect the guilty) So, if we accept such lousy service for cell phones because the price is right and they are an essential service, and we don't have any alternatives, my guess is that a sizeable chunk of the market will accept the poor service/cheap price trade off for VOIP as well. We can only hope that its service level improves faster than the "Drop Network" that I'm currently stuck with.

Posted on December 01, 2005 at 04:39 PM

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