This afternoon, I am contemplating the future one day before a formal announcement from Apple Inc.
iPhone 5 invitation from Apple.
Maybe we’re used to these events and many of us expect something shiny to be on the stage: faster, wider or thinner, maybe some more pixels or even a redesigned case manufactured from a fancy metal alloy. Apple has delivered all of these things and more, in the past. Many analysts are predicting massive sales of the new model. I’ll probably want one. Heck, so will the rest of my family. That’s the usual scenario we’ve all come to expect, right?
The High Quality Network
But I am hoping for something a little different. Almost every source agrees that a new iPhone model will support the new standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones, LTE. LTE is not as flashy of an addition as a new aspect ratio or updated Siri, but believe me, the inclusion of LTE will have wide-reaching positive repercussions.
Like EDGE and HSPA before it, LTE promises much faster throughput. The carriers are all talking about delivering rich media like live sports broadcasts to your phone which, I am sure, is exciting to many. But LTE is also really interesting for another reason: lower latency. Latency is the time it takes for a piece of data to traverse the network and is absolutely crucial to voice applications. High latency is why satellite links sound delayed and why poor quality broadband connections sometimes make it difficult to understand the other party when using a VoIP service, like Versature’s Hosted PBX. Until the advent of LTE, mobile data was generally high-latency and also suffered from packet loss, neither of which made the mobile VoIP experience a pleasant one. This is about to change when Apple sells a few million LTE-capable iPhone 5s.
Your Extension is Really in Your Pocket
With Versature’s upcoming mobile client, our customers will be able to use an LTE-capable iPhone 5 as a complete replacement for their current desktop phones. That means your Versature Hosted PBX extension can be your iPhone, and thus travel with you outside the office, assuming you are within your carrier’s LTE coverage area. For many, that means much better cost control. For many more, that will mean tighter integration of office communication systems and greater flexibility in choosing a carrier.
Another small detail regarding LTE: companies like Versature are on a level playing field with the carriers themselves when it comes to delivering voice services. This is because LTE is a pure-data network and doesn’t actually have special handling for voice. Sounds like a little technical detail, but it allows Versature’s upcoming mobile client to provide the same service as the carrier’s own. And, as I already stated, that means a few million more potential customers for our service, not to mention the Android users who already have access to LTE!
Interested in learning more? I’ll be writing more blog posts on this topic in the coming months. In the meantime, if you’re interested in a cloud-based phone system that future protects your business, the best way to get started with Versature is to request a No-Obligation Hosted PBX Quote.
Adam Sherman - Chief Technology Officer
Adam is a co-founder and CTO of Versature and is responsible for the company’s technological direction and product development. He has over 15 years of experience in the hosted service industry, which is way back before anyone cared to call it the cloud.
