"Killer app" voice drives wireless

Wireless is still mainly used for voice services, despite the emergence of data-focused devices like Apple's new iPad, TMCnet has said.

"Voice still is, and will be, the killer app, all Twitter to the contrary aside," said David Sims, contributing editor at the communications and technology community.

This is a concern for traditional mobile operators, as their new data-centric networks are not made for high quality voice calls, even though they supply the majority of their revenue.

However, an antidote to this issue has now become available in the form of mobile IP telephony solutions that specialise in delivering VoIP traffic to wireless users.

These solutions bypass circuit-switched 2G networks and allow advanced voice and data transmissions via IP networks, cutting operators' costs and potentially offering consumers savings by using free, public airwaves.

By using unlicensed spectrums, these services can circumnavigate limited spectrum availability, enabling mobile operators to make VoIP solutions widely accessible, thus increasing mobile internet demand.

Technology market intelligence company ABI Research recently predicted that mobile internet revenues will grow as take-up of mobile VoIP and other web-based smartphone apps accelerates.