Is this the Global Village?: VoIP and Wire/Wireless Convergence

Abstract

A long-held desire on the part of many concerned technologists and social scientists has been the creation of a system that would allow individuals in the remotest regions of the globe to have access to communications technologies. Today, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows individuals in regions formerly restricted by economic, geographic or cultural reasons to communicate on a broader scale at a reasonable financial cost, through convergent systems and wireless means, for purposes defined by themselves. This analysis explains the core components of VoIP and how it facilitates communication, considers the social and cultural impact of VoIP on a global scale and examines whether we are entering a truly “global village” through greater use of VoIP technologies.