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.

There is no question that VoIP is the next great revolution in voice communications. After reviewing the advantages, its clear that the expense of switching to VoIP is low compared to the savings it can bring.

Getting started with VoIP is often simple. Yes, it can provide cheaper calling, but the real value of VoIP is that it opens up the ability to add new and useful applications to voice communications. The major advantage is the cheaper price.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is simply the transmission of voice traffic over IP-based networks. VoIP has become popular largely because of the cost advantages to consumers over traditional telephone networks.

Telephone calls now can be placed either to other VoIP devices, or to normal telephones on the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network).

VoIP technology, by its very nature, is more flexible and extensible than traditional voice transmission technologies due to its distribution and architecture. VoIP may seem complicated at first glance, but the concept is simple: Any form of communication that travels through a conventional phone line—voice calls, faxes, voice messages and conference calls—can also travel in digital form through an IP (Internet Protocol) network. VoIP, on the other hand, transmits the voice as digital packets, just as e-mail and Web browsing is transmitted.

VoIP has many advantages, including: Lower cost. Providers offer more competitive pricing for a couple of reasons. VoIP is not regulated by the FCC and is not subject to the same taxes as standard phone companies. Providers offer software-based telephone features unimaginable on traditional wireline or even most wireless telephone networks. In addition, plans do not charge a per-minute fee for long distance. For International calling, the monetary savings to the consumer from switching to this technology can be enormous.

There are three methods of connecting to a VoIP network:

-Using a VoIP telephone

-Using a “normal” telephone with a VoIP adapter

-Using a computer with speakers and a microphone

Calls from a VoIP device to a PSTN device are commonly called “PC-to-Phone” calls, even though the VoIP device may not be a PC.

Calls from a VoIP device to another VoIP device are commonly called “PC-to-PC” calls, even though neither device may be a PC.

Like many new technologies, it has started its economic life by reproducing familiar services and features from the established products it is trying to replace; in this regard, VoIP providers promote PBXs, call routing, automated voice response, and other things businesses are used to looking for.

More and more businesses today receive their telephone service through the Internet instead of from the local telephone company lines. The primary reason for switching to VoIP is cost, as it equalizes the costs of long distance calls, local calls, and e-mails to fractions of a penny per use. But the real enterprise turn-on is how it empowers businesses to mold and customize telecom and datacom solutions using a single, cohesive networking platform.

VoIP’s potential cost savings are obvious when a business considers running all of its calls over the same IP network it set up internally for data, as well as over a phone line to its internet provider (which could be its phone company).

With today’s ever-growing awareness of the benefits of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), more and more enterprises are implementing or converting to VoIP. While challenges still exist in the adoption of VoIP, the benefits of this technology over traditional voice networks are many from increased productivity and operational flexibility, to greater cost reductions and investment protection.