Why is VoIP not a hot favourite ?

In the recent past, T Mobile banned the use of VoIP with its service. T-Mobile UK believes that VoIP is not sufficiently consistent or capable of providing calls of a high enough quality. Another less-publicized reason is that VoIP could grow into a serious threat to both cellular revenue and network capacity. The fact remains that both in the US and in the Europe, Mobile phone operators are vary about teaming up with the use of VoIP technology because it may spell doom to their mobile business. This is owing to the higher call charges in the case of mobile phones as opposed to fixed line calls.

The Reality:

VoIP is not a full-blown threat yet to the Mobile service providers since most of the calls are made through PCs and over the Internet connections. This is also the reason why Skype is so popular in today’s VoIP arena. However predictions are that by 2009 this gap between the mobile operators and VoIP users would have significantly reduced.
According to T Mobile, the bandwidth required to make a Internet call is far greater than a conventional cell phone call. This in the company's opinion is not cost effective and forms another strong ground to block VoIP services.

The Days Ahead:

There have been strong rumours that Orange of UK may follow T Mobile but Stuart Jackson, head of Orange’s media relations, denied that. Verizon’s customers also have VoIP services banned. Many in the mobile industry see the VoIP finally emerging as the winner in a inevitable way. Some players like Hutchison have realized the potential and have aligned themselves to using VoIP on their third generation phones that will be made available in six countries.

Verdict:

With cost and bandwidth implications, not to mention human reluctance to change VoIP will take a finite time to be accepted and for it to settle down. Did the mobile revolution not happen - albeit after a slump when the scientists predicted use would lead to brain cancer? The fate of VoIP can only be the same. After all good things come to those who wait.