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Wireless VoIP: Something in the Air

With the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) market projected to surpass $55 billion by 2025, it’s clear that enterprises remain bullish on the technology.

That may provide a good headwind for wireless VoIP, which looks to attract more business users in the coming years.

What Is Wireless VoIP?

Wireless VoIP takes a cue from its wired cousin, broadband VoIP,  as far as powering voice calls over the internet instead of an analog phone line. The two deviate at a critical juncture, however. Where standard VoIP typically relies upon broadband cables for the required internet connection — its main point of differentiation over a regular (or analog) phone line — wireless VoIP jettisons the need for such wiring.

There’s likely been no better time for wireless VoIP given the 5G rollout. Still in its nascent stages, the speed and reliability of the fifth-generation wireless standard nevertheless promise game-changing features across a range of technologies. Wireless VoIP, of course, is among them.

Migrating from Wired to Wireless VoIP

There are several considerations to make when adapting or transitioning to wireless VoIP from wired VoIP. Whether deploying wireless VoIP on a large scale or a small scale, the following steps bear overarching similarities.

Step 0: A Reminder

If your enterprise has already transitioned to wired VoIP, there’s already a reasonable degree of institutional knowledge with respect to the technology, what it has to offer, etc.

For those businesses, a migration to wireless VoIP will include an additional step over businesses that have not yet made the switch to VoIP.

That step: remembering the reasons for the initial move to VoIP. Every step taken during the migration to wireless VoIP should either protect or elevate those reasons; no sacrifice is required.

So if flexibility, mobility, and cost savings topped the list of reasons for the move away from analog telephony in the first place, they merit careful consideration during the move to wireless, as well.

Step 1: The Consultation

You can anticipate probing questions from the representatives of your wireless VoIP vendor. They’ll like include variations of the following:

  • What is the current state of your system?
  • What should your system look like to help keep pace with competitors and contribute to top-level client service?
  • What opportunities will a reliable, secure, and stable wireless VoIP system provide?
  • And on the opposite side of that preceding question: what potential issues lurk in a transition to wireless VoIP?

Your VoIP vendor colleagues should also take this opportunity to learn as much about your business and its unique needs as possible.

Step 2: Site Survey

Few things that will help future-proof your wireless VoIP network setup more than a thorough site survey.

That holds true even with a mobile workforce (the members of which, it might be argued, would place less of a burden on the network) and a cloud-based VoIP provider (which some may see as obviating the need for a strong on-premises wireless configuration). It’s as critical a step for those use case scenarios as it is for wired or wireless VoIP systems.

Haven’t had a site survey conducted in the last few years? Get one scheduled today.

Step 3: System Design

Armed with any available information about an earlier VoIP move, an “as is”/”should be” company and industry breakdown, and a site survey, your wireless VoIP service provider will be able to craft a system that does everything you need today while providing a strong foundation for what may come in the future.

Future maneuverability is a key selling point of a hosted VoIP solution. Being able to adjust the system as needs dictate — whether that means expanding it or even contracting it — is a great capability for any enterprise.

Step 4: Bringing It Together

Some pundits point to the increased number of access points involved in a wireless VoIP system as the reason more business don’t use wireless VoIP: more access points = greater vulnerability.

That needn’t be the case, of course. As your trusted partners work with your IT team on wireless VoIP solutions, there are techniques available to mitigate threats such as going with a managed network and providing a dedicated network for wireless VoIP. Another benefit of a dedicated network: not sharing voice and data will improve the quality of the VoIP calls.

Step 5: Adjustments

You’ve likely heard of the “1% Rule” when it comes to home ownership. That’s the rule that states you should anticipate spending 1% of the purchase price of your home annual for maintenance.

There’s no hard and fast rule for maintaining and adjusting wireless VoIP, but the gist is the same: just because you’re done with the REALLY heavy lifting doesn’t mean all the work is done. Making post-implementation adjustments to your wireless VoIP system should be expected even in the best of circumstances.

READ MORE: The Top Enterprise VoIP and IP Telephony Vendors of 2018

Don’t Spell “Wireless VoIP” without “CTC”

CTC Technologies has remained close to unfolding VoIP technologies — including advancements in wireless VoIP — for years. We’ve helped many businesses tap VoIP’s power and are ready to help your enterprise. Contact us today to learn more.

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