VoIP is the recent revolution in voice based processes. With Voice over IP, you can make calls at ease over broadband Internet connections. The VoIP services also vary in their nature. Some of these services allow you to make calls to other people using broadband connections. While others offer you the scope for making calls to anyone with a telephone number, which could be local, mobile or international. This new and innovative technology can be used for making calls to a computers as well as traditional phones.
Like with all other services, the services pertaining to VoIP also faces competition from certain quarters. However, the fact that it is able to hold its own despite the intense competition goes to show the strength of the underlying technology. And there are several merits that can be attributed to this service.
Unlike the cable network connection, the VoIP services can be availed without any extra wires. A broadband internet connection is all that is required in many instances. And the best part is often the optimized “voice quality” that can be attributed to the broad bandwidth of the network connections. Such connections are also reliable as users know what bills they have to pay at the end of the month. So, that adds to the reliability of this latest technology. There are also other options that Voice over IP offers. These are facilities such as call waiting, visual voicemail, caller ID and even weather alerts. Then there may be free call to European countries.
Many a times, the VoIP service also comes with free software. Potential users can make the most of these software options to make no-cost voice calls to any person in the world. The VoIP phone service can be accessed in a variety of ways. There are packages meant exclusively for residential and business lines. You can also remain hassle free by pre-paying for the entire year. It is a one-stop solution for everything as it offers access points, local phone numbers and feature rich services and so things become very simple. With the VoIP service providers having units almost everywhere, accessing these services become quite easy. Moreover, these services are easy to set up and save a lot of your money. As a matter of fact, a VoIP phone service provides more features as compared to most other phone services.
VoIP started off as a computer to computer communication system and later developed to the telephone to telephone service. The free structure also differs. There may be plans such as 500 calling minutes which means that beyond 500 minutes, the user is charged in per minute rates. This per minute rate differs for local and international calls. Calling with VoIP also becomes very fast. Features like Voicemail, Caller ID, speed dial, 3-way calling make all that possible. Then there are also other interesting services. The service providers transfer their existing telephone numbers to their service choosing an area code that is different from the one that you live in. This enables you to access internet connection using a portable telephone adapter anywhere you go.
The VoIP phone service is also easy to install and setup. For any such service, the pre-requisite is that there is a high speed internet connection. For services that involve computer to computer connection, special software is required. For telephone to telephone service, only a telephone adapter is required. So, VoIP services are an inexpensive and functional technology that is an alternative to the traditional analog telephone services.
So, now with VoIP, the dream of wireless telephony is realised. Voice over IP can be accessed either from a personal PC or a standard telephone connected to a special adapter. Nowadays there are many VoIP service providers in UK. The difference lays in the rates that each of these service providers charge for in case of long-distance or overseas calls. Most of the service providers offer call forwarding, call waiting and call display in their monthly bills. So, it is left upon you to choose a plan that would be the most economical for you.
By: Kristen Kiya
Posts Tagged ‘Access Points’
Mobile VoIP Phones – Introducing VoWiFi
December 10th, 2009
The blending of telecommunications technologies is making for some very interesting new acronyms – and some pretty cool technology too.
First we had wireless phones, then we had WiFi and VoIP. Put them together and you get a relatively new technology known as VoWiFi – or for those who hate telecom acronyms “Voice over Wireless Fidelity”.
In short, VoWiFi is the combination of using wireless VoIP networks to communicate on VoWiFi enabled telephones.
VoWiFi phones connect to an Internet connection through various access points or hotspots. The phones operate on radio signals and when they are in the vicinity of the network’s access points, they will pick up the signal, access the Internet, and log on.
Because of a lack of overall security with many wireless networks, VoWiFi has a few hurdles to get over before it is accepted by the masses of wireless users.
But security issues are not the only thing holding back wide acceptance for VoWiFi. WiFi hotspots generally have a limited range, roughly 90 yards or so before losing the connection. Losing a connection so easily is not practical for the typical wireless user.
One solution to this problem is the use of a “hybrid” wireless phone – a device that can function on both cellular and WiFi networks. These phones function as both VoWiFi and cellular.
The Hybrid phone would allow users to use traditional wireless service when WiFi is not available. When it is, they simply connect to the WiFi network and begin using the VoIP functions of the phone. Accessing WiFi hotspots could help eliminate roaming fees as well as allow for data transmission at much higher speeds.
Currently, a VoWiFi phone is still more expensive than a standard cellular phone, but as with any developing technology, prices will most certainly be likely to go down.
There is a huge potential for the integration of video, data, audio, and web browsing capabilities on wireless phones. VoWiFi brings wireless VoIP to the package.
As with the future of all VoIP products and services, the FCC and US government are chomping at the bit to legislate and tax these new technologies. Considering the snail’s pace that government gets things done, it could be years before that happens.
Expect to see many new hybrid and VoWiFi phones appearing on the local consumer market in the coming years.
By: Karen Thatcher
