Wireless SIP Might Be The Next Big Thing
What is Wireless SIP? Actually, SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol, and it's defined as a signalling protocol used to initiate sessions in an IP (Internet Protocol) network. SIP has received much attention lately as the preferred protocol for VOIP. VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, and is a way of making phone calls using the Internet infrastructure, rather than traditional phone lines.
SIP seems to have become the signalling protocol of choice for the VOIP community. It seems logical that SIP has ascended to this position, as it bears a close relationship to a couple of other request-response protocols inherent to the basic structure of the Internet: HTTP and SMTP, and can therefore very easily be integrated into an Internet-oriented service such as VOIP.
The reason that SIP seems to have emerged as a favorite technology for implementing VOIP calls is not because SIP itself is such a panacea, but because it gets along well with many other standards. In an emerging field like Voice Over IP, flexibility is paramount. A protocol that does not conflict with most other standards and protocols is likely to find wide acceptance, as SIP has done up to this point, and will probably continue to do so well into the foreseeable future.
Following on the interest in VOIP, the next logical step would be to enable wireless VOIP. That brings us back to wireless SIP. It's funny, but many people who are completely up to speed on SIP's role in wired VOIP communication will frequently be seen to be totally clueless regarding it's very real potential in the wireless arena. They would do well to reconsider, because SIP is increasingly included in new wireless applications coming to market. One example is Nextel's Push-To-Talk application. Basically marketed as an advanced walkie-talkie, it lets users push a button to be connected (usually in less than a second) to any other Nextel customer - not just locally, but nationwide. And while walkie-talkies are usually thought of as 'squawkboxes', customers can utilize a private, normal-phone type mode. Since the service is literally 'push and talk' (the receiver does not have to accept the call), it includes a provision to turn yourself off if you're in a place where you don't want people to all of a sudden start talking out of your pocket or purse. One hope that the proponents of wireless SIP have is that it can bring the cost of a wireless IP phone down into the range of standard landline services. While this may not be good for traditional phone companies, it would be fantastic for heavy cell-phone business users and the companies investing in technologies similar to wireless SIP.
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