Traditional Research Paper on Implications (Suggestions) and Risks of WIFI Calling on mobile devices.

Literature Review On Risk associated with WI-FI Calling

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WIFI calling is one of the revolutionary moves that is identified in the smartphone industry over the last one decade. It is also a tech communications technology that has revolutionized the smartphone communication by providing different optional use in solving the communication technicalities that relates to communications issues (Kwok, Shan, Rahat, Nimbavikar, & Hamade., 2015). According to an online survey by Erickson consumer Lab, WIFI callers are identified to involve some adult users who are aged between the age of 25-36 in the United States who live in urban centers (Erickson , 2015). Most of the callers were recognized to travel internationally and involved in multitasking call operations based on the international platform. These research indicated the growing adoption of the WIFI calls across the US and international wise.

Despite the adoption rate of WIFI calls in the smartphone world, most empirical studies have indicated the calling method to be incurred with multiple risks which are still unidentifiable with the most users of the network (Norell, Lundström, Österlund, Johansson, & NILSSON, 2015). In the report provided by Cisco systems on August 2016, the commonly identified problem of this calling system is the security risk that is most associated with hackers and cybersecurity issues (Erickson , 2015). WIFI calling uses a Wi-Fi network platform which is internet based. Such platforms are borne to issues of cybersecurity, and they can be hacked hence providing a low level of security and information manipulation.

The Cisco report indicated predictions of worldwide spending on cybersecurity products and services to eclipse more than 1 billion dollars in the next period of five years, that is between 2017 and 2021.This was an indication that cybersecurity issues are widening and spreading in the world at a higher rate hence illustrating on how vulnerable WI-FI calling is attributed to such a risk for the next five years (Camps-Mur, Garcia-Saavedra, & Serrano, 2013). Moreover, most researchers have identified the issue of cybersecurity to majorly originate from private Wi-Fi connections. Such associations of Wi-Fi to insecurity issues lower the confidence in using WIFI networks and equally impacts on the use of WIFI calling.

Moreover, the risk attributed to the use of this system of calling is identified to depend on the platform provider used by an individual to carry out a WI-FI call. Considering of the productivity of in this network, it is identified that this method has grown to be the most efficient and reliable as relates to the traditional methods. As per Erickson ConsumerLab research, this calling system has found its voice in some places of the continent (Erickson , 2015). The safety of using this platform as a calling technique guaranteed to a greater extent and user is not fully authorized to be confident over the network (Eskandari, 2017).

The other risk mentioned to identify with this calling platform include issues identified when the phone moves from a mobile network to a Wi-Fi hotspot. Most of the calls are said to drop since the Voice-Over-WIFI app is identified to bypass the mobile carrier and may in some instance have no encryptions to guarantee safety if in any way the information requires confidentiality. These issues are identified when a phone is connected to a public hotspot since such hotspot are vulnerable to the risk of hacking. The user is to play safe when using a VPN like private networks. The private WIFI is identified to encrypt all the data that comes into and out of the phone of the user including the voice if a person is using the voice-over-WIFI apps.

The current design system of mobile phones and WLAN networks has encrypted the system as a service. The voice is identified to be a sensitive issue on the WLAN, and it is intolerant of latency and slow handoff from AP to AP. Moreover, most smartphones used by people have not been optimized to for the demand of voice calls. Those businesses that have encrypted such WLAN system and the even mobile user who are using the old smartphones will have to suffer headaches if the traditional systems of calling become less considerable (McNamee, 2016). It will also need the user devices to connect to the different well-encrypted internet services that will be able to strong signals enough to cover the home and support any WI-FI calls.

PCWorld conducted research to identify the risk attributed to the use of wireless networks. In its research report, it identified that most people are lured easily into exposing their data by using convenient hotspots. It identified that during Republican national conventions, IT security company Avast had set up fake Wi-Fi hotspots to see those who would fall for their trick. There was identified more than 1200 people logged into the fake hotspots and more than 60% of them exposed their identity (Ziegler, 2016). It company identified that WI-FI hotspots have a high level of exposing the user to hackers who will be able to later your message of communication even during the time of WI-FI calling.

It will need a keen and well-concerned person to identify the exposure risk when making WI-FI network calls. In business formation, sensitive calla can be tapped and recorder resulting to the leaking of crucial business information even to the competitors who may fail in the business (Howe, 2015). At the same time, hackers may take advantage of the information on an individual to destroy different perianal agendas and expose a person to different situations that may alter the personal relationship at the same time the family relationship of an individual. The bottom line to stay safe from such experiences is by avoiding the use of convenient I-FI hotspots when making personal calls. This avoidance of WI-FI calling put the communications at the future risk of losing more users due to the attributed chaos that might result from it.

These risks associated with Wi-Fi calling have put a stance and questions over many users who have not yet subscribe to using the Wi-Fi calling apps (Howe, 2015). At the same time, the trend in the technological world has adopted this system inclusion in social media networks like Facebook and WhatsApp changing the perceptions with the intent of the net. At the same time, the WI-FI app inclusion in every smartphone producing company has not yet been done, and hence the number of users has only remained to be the business people who are mostly involved in the international dealings (Bertolucci, 2015). At the same time, the calling system is identified to increase the vulnerability of the business to cybersecurity issues resulting to most businesses declining use of WI-FI calling an equally forbidding each employee from using the platform to call important business calls.

The contradicting future use of this WI-FI is the greatest risk of that relates to the advancement and spread of the technology. At the same time, the associated risks of internet usage and provider networks are the greatest inhibitors of using the WIFI networks in the current time and also in the future times. Moreover, the traditional network communication systems are advancing an intensifying their network coverage which creates a tight, competitive line of these calling platform. The tightness, the privacy implications of these communications platforms are the most leading risk that even businesses have not identified with the use of the networks.

Likewise, the use of these system requires data subscription which is done by internet providers. When subscribing for data, the cost is attributed to be slightly cheap in some network providers (Camps-Mur, Garcia-Saavedra, & Serrano, 2013). Most researchers identify the idea of data to have come up with a solution to reducing the amount of credit usage in mobile phones. When using data for internet, the amount of credit spent will be cheaper as compared to calling. Therefore, WI-FI calling is cheaper as compared to traditional ways for calls. These identifications lead to the identifications of the new risks attributed to these WI-FI calling. If alternatively, most of the user will prefer using WI-FI calling, the network providers will opt otherwise since they are likely to lose more income from calling. As a result, WI-FI calling, they will opt to fight against WI-FI calling by increasing the cost of data purchase, and as a result, it will make most Wi-Fi callers change to change to the traditional ways of calling.

The use of WI-FI networks is accused of causing different health risks. The 2013 research by Moulder identified the radio waves health impacts that are associated with the use of WI-FI calling. This is also dated back to 1950s when the Navy servicemen were being exposed to powerful shipboard radar (Schofield, 2012). Most of these researchers indicate that at high frequencies, electromagnetic radiation can promote tumour growth and cancer. It is also identified that at lower rates, electromagnetic radiation can hurt a person by causing skin burns. The research of Kenneth Foster impacted on Moulder’s 2013 report whereby he identified the exposure of WI-FI to place users at risk if there are no precautionary measures and safety standards put in place for the devices and appliances that emit this waves. He stated that during a WI-FI call the mobile device is transmitting steadily at a strength 100 times more powerful than a WI-FI and some people are identified to hold the device close to their heads.

Other experts have given deep concerns of this low intensity of radiation exposure provided by wireless devices. Moreover, the world health organizational and international agency for research on cancer has classified mobile phones as a possible carcinogen identifying that no established research to say that they cause cancer ranking such health complications as a potential risk when using Wi-Fi calling with our cell phones. The use of calling platform might be an exposure of our bodies to such health risk more especially when combining Wi-Fi with phone calls (Bertolucci, 2015). Therefore- WIFI calling has a potential risk of usage which is likely to impact on most people confidence in using the calling platform making them opt for the traditional ways of calling rather than the use of WI-FI calling system.

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