Could VoIP be set to receive a huge boost this year? VoiceCon Spring 2007 is hinting at exactly that, with a lot of big players such as Cisco and Microsoft stepping in to offer hosts of new VoIP based products. Whether intra-office or over the Internet, for business use or personal use, VoIP has made leaps and bounds the past few years with increased broadband availability. Some of the bigger hurdles it has to overcome is mobility (since you can't always take Internet with you) and support. The rates and features VoIP offers are attractive to many, but the hardware to do it without a computer is often bulky and expensive.

That's going to change, and Cisco is one of the biggest pushers of that change. They are looking to add many new products, particularly a few that increase mobile communications, and will be looking to target small businesses - a ripe place to test and demonstrate new technologies:

"We're introducing server and client capabilities that literally change how cell phones integrate into the environment," said Richard McLeod, director of unified communications solutions for worldwide channels at Cisco, San Jose, Calif.
Imagine calling overseas with your phone at a third of the price it might take you normally.Other companies, such as Nortel and Avaya, are also bringing new products out. As many offices look to ditch aging PBX systems with something more robust, VoIP is quickly becoming the most attractive choice.