Minutes after I published my last post stating that there is a lack of Mobile WiMax (WiBro) handsets in the market, Samsung introduces ite M8000.

Using its M8000, a smart phone equipped with a QWERTY keypad, Samsung showcases WiBro services available in the Korean market through a series of applications including broadcasting, home networking, video conferencing, video on demand, mobile navigations, and push-to-all (push-to-talk/data/video).

Congratulations to Samsung for beating Sony/Ericsson, Nokia and others in delivering the world’s first fully functional WiBro handset during the first-half of this year (2006).

The ramifications of this handset’s existence is quite significant. The Mobile operator will, of course, utilize this phone to continue its hold on its subscribers by offering some very wonderful streaming services that will be chargeable according to the mobile operator billing model, but there is another possible outcome as well…

If Samsung allows subscribers to self configure their SIP user/pswd, proxy address, and other VoIP credentials, then users can extend their home VoIP accounts (Vonage (US), OneCall (Norway), etc.) to their WiBro handset. Better yet, the VoIP provider should use the OTA (Over-the-Air) functionality of the mobile phone/network and “push” the necessary VoIP configuration to their subscribers.

For example, VoIP subscriber goes to their “MyPage” within the VoIP provider’s homepage, enters their WiBro handset mobile phone number into the “WiBro VoIP Configuration” field and clicks “send”… Moments later, the WiBro handset is self configured for that individual subscriber and everyone is happy…(well, almost everyone)