Wireless Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) operates in the same way that VoIP does - by carrying digital voice signals that are in IP packets and moved through the network of a high-speed Internet connection. Wireless VoIP combines VoIP with the Internet wireless networks.

The attraction of WiMax in the use of wireless VoIP is that they will not need to put down new lines or to add existing infrastructure in order to get high-bandwidth Internet access to everyone. The idea is that you will eventually be able to connect directly to the WiMax network with your wireless laptop, VoIP phone, or PDA.

Our school systems can benefit from wireless VoIP. Communicating within the education system from elementary to the higher education institutions is critical. It is imperative that the teachers and staff be able to communicate with each other and with the parents of their students. As important as this is, communication devices often times fall short due to budget constraints and limited resources. This is where wireless VoIP can be of considerable influence over the communication networks of the educational system. For a substantially lower cost than having a PBX system, wireless VoIP can be added throughout the school so that teachers and staff have voice access when they need it. The majority of schools have a computer room with a high-speed Internet connection and all that would be required is to place wireless access points throughout the school so that the teachers and staff can communicate when needed as well as be able to communicate with parents.

Wireless VoIP is attractive to those in businesses who want to increase productivity. Employees spend at least 40 percent of their time away from the desk. When they are not at their desk, important calls then get forwarded to voicemail. The employees will then spend, on average, more than an hour returning those calls or leaving voice messages as well. Many employees have mobile phones but this can be costly to the employer. Often times the calls that come into the company go directly to voice mail and not routed to the employee's mobile phone. Therefore, if employees were to use wireless VoIP systems they would have one number for all their calls. They would not miss important calls because they could take their phones with them throughout the office and even in the field. The employer is seeing a higher productivity and saving money on their telecommunications bill.