Free calling and texting applications face a triple threat to long-term viability

The list of apps that offer free texting and voice services on iOSdevices grows longer every day. Viber is one, as is Vumber, which now provides cross-platform Androidand iOS calling. These apps have a noble goal: provide users with an alternative to managing costly voice and text plans from carriers just in case to the data plans they must have in order to take advantage of everything smartphones have to offer. However they as well come with a big downside; these apps are only as strong as their network of users,, and as the data network that allows them to exist.

While I applaud any efforts to provide competitive alternatives to overpriced carrier talk and text plans, I think that the network flaw for this kind of startup will in the long run turn out to be a fatal one. For instance, Google already offers a much more flexible option via its Google Voice service, and one in other words compatible with landlines and traditional cell phones out of the box. If Google Voice ever does expand worldwide, it’ll take a big dent out of potential demand for smaller VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) offerings.

And during Google Voice is a looming threat because it doesn’t just work with itself, there’s another potential industry-breaker that already has the network part down, and just needs to expand its communications platform. I’m talking about Facebook, which, if it gained cross-platform voice support, would quite quickly rise to the top of the VoIP field.

Finally, carriers aren’t likely to take the circumvention of their services lying down. Already, we’ve seen capped bandwidth plans pretty much take over mobile broadband, and some carriers have even prohibited the use of VoIP services over their data networks.With Google and Facebook stalking the seas of free mobile communications, and carriers doing what they can to either discourage the practice or  I’m not sure I’d be too eager to swim with anyone else.

The threat free calling

I don’t think the threat free calling and texting apps face is imminent, nor potentially fatal.People are starting to wise up to the fact that VoIP enables them to communicate for less than their network providers charge, and if the response from providers is to cap your bandwidth, they can’t do anything if the apps allow you to use wi-fi by all means, plus consumers have the option to switch to Pay As You Go, so I think the future is a win-win for the consumer.