WhatsApp a “game changer” for VoIP mobile
WhatsApp plans to launch mobile voice services in 2014 and this frightened many traditional voice operators, because it directly threatens their main income generator – voice. There are several reasons why Whatsapp, recently acquired by Facebook, should be consider as a game changer. Firstly, this application already has a huge user base and the increased availability of cheap Android smartphones that can run WhatsApp is a further concern for operators. Operators consider that VoIP on their mobile networks will have an important impact on Voice Service, leading them to implement higher rates for VoIP traffic traffic they detect on their data networks. Vodacom alsos plan to charge differently for VoIP aren’t too worried, they think that it will be a good opportunity for them to distinguish from competitors — those who invested a lot in data network and those who didn’t.