I say no.
However, several internet service and bandwidth providers are considering charging more from users who consume a higher amount of bandwidth. This stems from the fact that while users may pay a fixed amount of money for internet service, the bandwidth use varies. And since ISPs pay their bandwidth providers according to consumption from the network of users, they are considering passing this on as a variable cost to the consumers.
This concept would pose a problem for VoIP users, since VoIP is a bandwidth-intensive application. Each call you make over the Internet may take several megabytes per minute in the course of your computer’s (or WiFi phone’s) simultaneously transmitting and receiving data.
ISPs are mulling the possibility of setting up a two-tier charge structure where they would charge users of basic Internet applications, such as email and web browsing, a flat fee, while charging users of VoIP, videoconferencing, video streaming, and those heavy on file downloads according to bandwidth utilization.
In this issue, I think the upper hand goes to the telecommunications companies that are likely to be both bandwidth providers and ISPs. They have the power to charge according to the service structure they deem necessary, and they don’t have to pay as much in bandwidth costs, like the independent ISPs. But in the end, I think it’s the consumer who will lose if VoIP were to become expensive to maintain, unlike the mostly free service it is today.
Tags: VOIP, Tech News