QUESTION:

Is it true that you lose VoIP phone service if there’s a power failure? What can you do if it happens and you don’t have a mobile phone to fall back on?

ANSWER:

Since voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) telephones use the Internet to send and receive calls, a power failure does indeed derail your service, including the ability to call 911. The VoIP modem and other network equipment involved all need electricity.

Plain old copper-wire telephone service carries its own power and is therefore more reliable during blackouts. For this reason, some people keep minimal phone service and a cheap noncordless phone for use in emergencies.

If you don’t want to maintain a separate phone line, adding an uninterruptible power-supply unit to your VoIP equipment or home network can give you a few hours of power. These power units provide a battery backup for your system and can be found for $200 or less at stores such as Best Buy.

Despite gloomy predictions for the future of the business, Skype currently remains one of the leading names in VoIP technology. The company is working to remain on top by focusing its development on a current favorite VoIP trend: going mobile. They’ve made several steps towards this goal, including launching a Skype phone overseas at the end of last year. However, there will be several problems to overcome if the move into mobile is going to be a success.

Some say that 3G networks aren’t capable of handling both data and voice in a way that will allow the call quality to transmit successfully. The relative lack of Wi-Fi availability in many areas, the economics of the technology and the difficulty of working with carriers are other hurdles that Skype faces in going mobile. The company says that they can overcome these obstacles but that it will take 3-4 years to see widespread use of Skype-enabled mobile phones.