WIMAX will accelerate Vonage's growth

Posts: 94 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jun 17, 2006 Posts: 94

Nobody expected WIMAX to get to this point so quickly. Everybody has been thinking that you'll get your broadband through your cable provider or perhaps through your telecom company. WIMAX changes all of that.

With WIMAX. you'll be able to take your Vonage phone on the road. Perhaps the phone looks more like your "cell phone". Perhaps you don't need your cell phone again.

With WIMAX you'll be able to browse the web, make a phone call, and watch TV at home and on the road. Vonage will be an important part of that. 2 millions subscribers and growing!!!

Sprint is expected to spend almost $10 billion dollars on WIMAX. They are not guessing on the technology. They know it works.
Let's see how the next 5 years looks.

Posts: 1424 · Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 11:43 am Post subject:

I suspect that Sprint will prohibit VoIP applications on WiMAX with an AUP.

Another option Sprint would have would be to sell WiMAX as a metered service that would make VoIP prohibitively expensive versus using a Sprint/Nextel phone. They could allow unmetered content from registered subscription based content providers.

Sprint Announces 4G Wireless wrote:

The WiMAX technology to be deployed in the network is expected to offer a cost-per-megabit and performance advantage that reflects a substantial improvement in the comparable costs for the current 3G mobile broadband offerings.

Until I see details from Sprint on exactly how they intend to use WiMAX and how they intend to profit from it I am not going to get my hopes up that they are going to be the panacea for VoIP service.

In general though I am in favor of competition in broadband delivery. I look forward to competitors in the market who aren't currently encumbered by an existing service offering.

In related news Sprint's rollout of WiMAX may take longer than you expect. It is being reported that Sprint is waiting for the mobile version of WiMAX to be available before deployment. The current timeline has initial deployment in late 2007 with access for 100 million consumers (in metropolitan areas) by the end of 2008. Sprint may in fact deploy some hardware early to use as backhauls for their existing telephony infrastructure but be forced to wait for certification and testing of consumer hardware before offering the service to the public.

I have yet to see a mobile Internet access plan from a wireless carrier that makes sense. That is primarily because of how twisted the current flat rate services from cable and telco providers really is.

Posts: 94 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jun 17, 2006 Posts: 94

Sprint will be competing against other providers of broadband. I don't think it would be prudent to have prohibitions on their service when Comcast, Verizon, and other players don't have them.

For Sprint, the big picture is to expand the WIMAX subscriber list enough to pay for WIMAX infrastructure. Ther service will have to be like the service that consumers get from their current broadband providers.

Therefore:
No prohibtions
No tolls

Posts: 111 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jun 15, 2006 Posts: 111

Edge you really are a true believer: Everyone will want Vonage because it is just SO GREAT, and every other company will bend over backwards to accomodate Vonage BECAUSE CUSTOMERS WILL DEMAND IT.

Sprint is not going to provide the network for a competing service.

Posts: 1424 · Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 2:38 pm Post subject:

Actually Sprint's plan does account for "Stationary VoIP" for home broadband users. It is likely that they will provide a competive service that would permit Vonage on non-mobile devices. But since Sprint's coverage areas are likely to exist only in places that already have multiple broadband providers I don't see how it really helps Vonage all that much.

The argument here is whether Sprint will allow mobile users via technology or policy to access Vonage. I say it's unlikely unless Sprint chooses a metered data rate that would make Vonage on mobile devices cost about the same as using a cell phone (before Vonage's fee).

Posts: 94 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jun 17, 2006 Posts: 94

I currently pay about $50 a month for my Time Warner cable internet service. If I'm going to switch to WIMAX, I would have to have total access to the internet. I would however pay $75 a month for that type of service. Service would also have to be in all of the major metropolitan areas.

If they can't give me VOIP, then i wouldn't pay for WIMAX.

Posts: 94 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jun 17, 2006 Posts: 94

I currently pay about $50 a month for my Time Warner cable internet service. If I'm going to switch to WIMAX, I would have to have total access to the internet. I would however pay $75 a month for that type of service. Service would also have to be in all of the major metropolitan areas.

If they can't give me VOIP, then i wouldn't pay for WIMAX.

Posts: 111 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jun 15, 2006 Posts: 111

Edge, would you switch to Time Warner VOIP if you could get Cable Internet and unlimited US/Canada VOIP for $59.99/month?

Why or why not?

Posts: 94 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Jun 17, 2006 Posts: 94

Perhaps

But such an offer has not been made yet. Not even close. Time Warner charges $39.99 for their phone service. Therefore the total charge is $89.99.

Also Time Warner doesn't offer the extras that I currently get with Vonage. I have a fax number. I have an extra phone from my parents home in Florida (which uses Comcast high speed internet). I also have a Soft Phone from my laptop.

I have 4 phone numbers in two states and my total charges are under $69 per month.

If Time Warner can replicate that (????), then I would consider switching.

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Jan 30, 2005 Posts: 7

Edge wrote:

I have 4 phone numbers in two states and my total charges are under $69 per month.

If Time Warner can replicate that (????), then I would consider switching.

That *is* a good deal. For my benefit (I'm a bit slow sometimes), please break down how you pay for 2 high speed internet connections in two states, plus 4 vonage phone numbers, for $69/mo.