With VoIP technology entering the mainstream, it brings the possibilities or huge profits for the companies that provide the service. The current promise of cost savings is driving more and more residential and business users to investigate this technology. But the local telephone companies are not going to give up customers without a fight.
There is a current mandate by the US federal government that all VoIP providers offer E911 service. The initial blocking of this information was with the public switched telephone network maintained by the major telephone companies.
The next stumbling block is ‘naked DSL’ or DSL access without local phone service. This service is rare, but without it a residence would not be able to use VoIP as their primary phone service mechanism. You see, DSL is running over your existing phone line provided by your local telephone company. Drop your local phone service and you’ll probably drop your broadband DSL access as well. (Cable broadband access is a viable solution here and the increased cost in cable access should be offset by the reduction on your monthly phone bill)
These are just two fronts in the battle over VoIP. Should companies be compensated for the infrastructures they build? Should E911 service be ‘free’ and offered as a public service? What about the existing phone service run into our homes? Who pays for those lines to be laid and hooked into the public switched telephone network?
There really are no easy answers to the questions above. The phone companies are not about to give up customers without a fight. They have years and billions of dollars spent in building one of the most reliable communications networks ‘currently’ known to us.
Is VoIP the next step in the evolving communications industry? How will this play out with phone companies offering internet and TV services and cable providers offering phone and internet service? The line is being blurred and yet the technology pushes forward.
I don’t have the answers, only questions. I know how I’d like to see it all play out, but alas, there is no Nirvana and no, it would seem we all cannot get along. Not when there’s literally billions of dollars at stake. There will be winners and losers as this war rages on, but it is my hope that we, the end users, will, in the end, be better for it. After all, we’ve been down this path many times before and it’s turned out ok.
Remember the advent of the PC and where we’ve gone since then? Remember the first bulky cellular phones vs. what’s available today? Yes, TV’s, radios, computers, phones the list goes on. Technology advances will continue to push us into new directions. I’m sure that in the end, VoIP will be as commonplace as the home computer.
We can leverage this technology today in a cost effective manner. Like any technology how you implement VoIP will make the difference. Whether you’re a residential or business user, there can be an immediate benefit. Check with your communications broker to find out if your existing phone needs can be met cost effectively with VoIP.
By: Michael Weaver
Posts Tagged ‘Business Users’
VoIP and Local Telephone Companies
February 17th, 2010VoIP PBX – Next Big Thing to PBX System
February 9th, 2010
Few years back, many people thought that advanced VoIP technology is going to be the “next big thing” in the telecom domain. Yes, now VoIP has a major impact on providers in the market which has turned out to be more of a commodity than a paradigm-changer. The main reason for the popularity of voice over IP solution is mobility, flexibility and scalability. The inherent benefits such as cost effectiveness and organisational productivity cannot be ignored. As a matter of fact, these factors have motivated businesses to manage their work with utmost efficiency. For making the various things possible, one solution is VoIP PBX.
The VoIP PBX system is a hallmark for businesses to inculcate double profits in quick time. This system permits the users to save substantial amount on long distance as well as international calls. Most importantly, business that manage calls over the IP PBX VoIP solution provide comfortable integration with existing PSTN telecommunication system.
An VoIP PBX system is a Internet protocol private branch exchange. This exchange is a business telephone system which is designed to deliver voice over a data network and is interoperable with the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). With low upgradation cost, almost every business users can make the changes as it is done through a specific software. As a matter of fact, the VoIP gateways can be combined with traditional PBX functionality which enables the businesses to use their managed intranet to reduce long distance expenses as well as enjoy the benefits of a single network for voice and data. The advanced CTI features of this IP system give greater cost savings, greater mobility and increased redundancy.
To be more specific, an IP-PBX exists as a hardware object or virtually, as a software system. This is because a major part of IPBX functionality is provided in software. The best part is that this system is relatively inexpensive in nature. One can easily add other functionalities such as conferencing, XML-RPC control of live calls, Interactive voice response (IVR)and TTS/ASR (text to speech/automatic speech recognition). Moreover, these advanced system supports public switched telephone network (PSTN) interconnection ability which supports both analogue and digital circuits, Voice over IP protocols including SIP, Inter-Asterisk eXchange, H.323, Jabber and GoogleTalk.
Therefore, it can be said that this high-end technology simplifies communication infrastructure at ease. The VoIP PBX system permits the users to co-ordinate with their multiple offices all around the globe with the support of an unified platform. Interestingly, the single IP PBX VoIP server has the potential to serve more than 1,500 users at the same time. As such, it seems to be an attractive option which can support business enterprise to gain more without any concern.
In comparison with a conventional PBX system, the users require separate networks for sending and receiving the voice and data communication but, VoIP PBX employs the converged data and voice communication over a single IP network. This increases the value of systems to a significant extent.
Moreover, the IP PBX VoIP also provides flexibility to the growing or new enterprises, as it can reduce the long-term investments and maintenance costs. The biggest factor that contributes to the adoption of anything new by the enterprises is cost involved in it. In the case of the VoIP PBX solutions, the costs are within limits of the enterprises. Nowadays, the business users do not have to spend more from their pockets for this system, as cost is coming down. The users must opt for the provider that offers bundled services and features. These advanced solutions enable the business users to make the most of services such as voice extensions or updation.
To conclude, the hybrid solutions offer greater scalability advantage when compared to the traditional PBX systems.
By: Kristen Kiya
