Internet Telephony is used to describe a service that enables people connected to the public Internet with a suitably equipped PC to have voice conversation; examples of Internet Telephony providers include Skype. VoIP is the generic term for the technology that enables phone calls to be made over networks running the Internet Protocol, be that the public Internet or private IP networks. It is also the term that is used to describe the technology in a business to business context. One could say that the consumer will use Internet Telephony while businesses use VoIP.
Voice over IP (VoIP) converts the analog signals of sound when using a telephone to a digital format for transmission across a data network and then back into analog when it reaches the receiver. In a VoIP network, digitized voice data is highly compressed and carried in packets over an IP network. The phones can be purpose-built devices for the IP network (e.g. SIP phones) or standard everyday analog telephones. VegaStream core product range allows users of existing phones to take advantage of VoIP networks.
What’s all the hype about?
The reason for VoIP’s popularity is a simple matter of physics. You can put more traffic over the same physical network using IP than you can with traditional telephone technology, Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) as used by the public switched telephone network (PSTN). This simple law is driving many PSTN network providers to migrate their existing TDM networks; that have served them well since the invention of the telephone, to the new IP technology. BTs 21st Century Network is a classic example of this migration.
With VoIP, IP allows us to use a single high-speed Internet connection for all voice, video, and data communications. This is known as convergence and is one of the primary drivers for corporate interest in the technology. The benefits of convergence are obvious. By using a single data network for all communications, it is possible to reduce overall costs.
Furthermore, the business model for data networks, including the Internet allows the customer to remain permanently connected at a fixed price. Meanwhile, when using traditional PSTN, the meter starts running every time you pick up the phone.
The idea of VoIP communication dates back over 20 years however, a greater interest in the applications of VoIP emerged in the 1990’s, with the growth of the Internet. The Internet made it possible to interconnect every home and every business with a packet-switched data network, this saw a rapid growth in VoIP technology. Today, with broadband connectivity the norm not just in business but also at home and even over the mobile, the platform is set for an explosive growth in VoIP.
VoIP Changing the Way We Communicate
VoIP offers a great deal more than cost savings in telephone calls. VoIP technology allows devices to recognize and communicate with each other as if they were connected over a dedicated wire (like the TDM model). It therefore enables video, instant messaging and data conferencing as well as voice. Furthermore all these communications techniques can be used simultaneously allowing people to share images and information as well as hear each other speak – all on the same call.
VoIP communication therefore allows us to actually change the way we communicate with each other. Communicating over the phone with VoIP will be more immediate, collaborative, visual and cost lest. No wonder the market for VoIP equipment and services is the fastest growing sector in the IT industry.
By: Helen Upsher
Posts Tagged ‘High Speed Internet Connection’
VegaStream’s Introduction to VoIP
January 13th, 2010VoIP Tutorial – Understanding How VoIP Can Work For You
January 10th, 2010
VoIP, Voice over Internet Protocol is the future for phone service. While virtual an unknown technology a few years ago, VoIP is becoming common place. With new technology appearing here is a VoIP tutorial on the different types of VoIP.
There are several different setups for VoIP. The basic setup is a free service, normally. It is computer to computer. This is where you use your computer to call another computer and you talk with a headset and microphone connected. Think Skype, MSN and Yahoo.
These services have been around for years, but have improved greatly in their technology of computer to computer VoIP. As long as the person you wish to speak to has the same software and a high speed internet connection, you can speak with them. Next door or around the globe the call can go from your computer to someone else’s.
IP Phones are the next step. These phones have the ability to plug into the router that you use. They look like a traditional phone. They have software built in and are able to use the technology of VoIP to send and receive phone calls. Another up and comer in this category are WiFi phones. They use the technology of wireless to provide phone service. There is usually an installation fee and a monthly service charge.
ATA is the standard. ATA stands for analog telephone adaptor. When you sign up for this service you are sent a special router. This router enables you to plug in a traditional phone. The router is able to route your phone calls using the internet service you have.
There is usually a setup fee and a monthly service fee. You get many of the same service you get on traditional phones, such as caller ID and call waiting. Plans often include unlimited calls and cheaper international rates.
Whichever method you choose, ensure you read the fine print. Many of the subscription service have a contract of one or two years. If you find that it is not the service for you, you will have to pay a disconnection fee.
VoIP is the technology for the home phones of the future. Many traditional companies are starting to use high speed internet to route their calls, as it is more efficient and less costly than phone lines. Finding a provider and plan will become more competitive and technology improves.
By: Benjamin Wise
VOIP Services Offer Numerous Advantages
January 1st, 2010
You may have heard of a new technology called Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VOIP for short, but you may not be aware of the potential that it has to change the way you use your telephone. That’s because until relatively recently, VOIP has been relatively obscure and not particularly easy to use. That’s not the case now though, thanks to the efforts of a number of companies that have refined VOIP technology and adapted it for everyday use.
In its simplest form VOIP is a technology that takes advantage of the fact that data can be transmitted long distances over the Internet without the fees that conventional telephone companies charge for long distance voice communication. This technology essentially converts speech into data that can be streamed over the Internet and then converted back into speech on the other end. The process goes both ways and is compatible with existing telephone networks.
The newer VOIP services have refined the technology to the point where it’s easy for everyone to use and offers plenty of bonus features that make it convenient for local calls as well as long distance calls. For example, when VOIP technology first became available, a computer with a microphone and speakers was necessary to use it. You could generally call someone using another computer for free, but if you wanted use it to place a long distance call to a normal phone line there was a small per minute fee. Now, all you need is a high speed Internet connection and a special router that your normal phone can be plugged into. While you can still use a computer to place calls using VOIP technology, calls can still be made without your computer being on, and you really don’t need a computer at all!
One great way that most VOIP services provide more value is by including all of the convenient features that are offered by conventional phone companies in there service plans at no extra charge. This alone saves you money above and beyond what conventional phone companies would charge for the same services. These services include voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, and a lot more. Best of all, you can control how you uses these services just by making changes to your account on the service’s website. You can use your computer to access voice mails, determine how you want to be informed of new voice mails, block the phone numbers of telemarketers, deny your caller ID information to people who you’re calling, block calls from numbers that don’t provide caller ID information, and much more.
There are also extra features that VOIP service can provide that are worth paying a little extra for. For example, you can get extra lines added to your account. These extra lines can be business and personal lines just for you, or one line for each member of your household. Each line can also be assigned a different ring tone, so that when they all ring though to the same handset, it’s easy to tell which line is being called just by the way it sounds. Your phone lines can also break the rules of how phones work by each having different area codes. That way if you have friends, family, or business clients concentrated in area codes other than your own, you can make it cheaper for them to call you. If you have a business, it might also be worth considering adding a toll free number.
There are so many options when it comes to VOIP technology and services, the only way to learn about them all is to go ahead and sign up.
By: Julia Hall
