If you haven’t heard much about VoIP before now, you certainly will in the future due to its rapid emergence as a major communications technology. VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, and it basically is the ability to make telephone calls over the internet to either a receiving computer or telephone.
For years standard telephone lines have used a circuit switching network to transfer telephone calls, but VoIP technology uses something called packet switching instead where audio is converted into packets of data that are sent over the internet and reassembled on the other end by the person’s computer or telephone. If a high-speed internet connection is used, a conversation can take place that easily compares to a regular telephone call in sound quality.
All of this may sound like a very new technology, but in reality it’s not. Programs that make use of VoIP technology were springing up on the internet more than ten years ago, although they were much less capable than those that are available today. Also every year continues to bring higher standards of quality for VoIP applications, and it will no doubt be a viable technology for many years to come.
A good example of the use of VoIP technology is instant messaging programs. If you have used an instant messaging program that is voice enabled, where you can communicate by audio, video and chat, it is in large part due to VoIP. This is because VoIP is able to integrate audio, video, data, e-mail, and more simultaneously. Although most consumers will use VoIP for telephone calls initially, many businesses are already finding expanded uses for VoIP technology.
Several telephone companies are realizing the potential for VoIP services and so companies like Sprint, Verizon, AOL and others are now offering VoIP plans to consumers. One of the distinct advantages of buying a VoIP solution is that it costs significantly less than most standard telephone services. In fact, most service plans will allow you to make unlimited long-distance telephone calls on your VoIP plan for very inexpensive rates. And the subscription rates are usually free of many of the taxes and regulatory fees that often accompany your local telephone bill.
Another major advantage of many of the current VoIP subscription plans that are available is that they often include extra features such as call waiting, call forwarding, three-way calling, voice mail and much more. Quite often, these extra services cost more when included by your local telephone service, but VoIP plans usually include them at no extra charge. Another interesting side benefit is that many providers will allow you to select a new area code and phone number for your VoIP calls, so if you have family or friends in a distant town, they can call you for free on a number that is local to them.
Hopefully this information on VoIP technology will help you understand more about how it works and how it can be beneficial for you.
Posts Tagged ‘Major Communications’
What You Need To Know About VoIP Broadband Telephone Service
December 19th, 2009Advantages And Disadvantages of VOIP Technology
October 1st, 2009What are the uses of good communication and what do they give to us? Communication is a means by which a message and information can be passed from one to another, it is a way to inherit knowledge and the experience of previous generations, by passing this information to future generations, thus progress and the ability to produce and perform. In other words it is a necessary part of our life to communicate with each other, to learn and develop new things and have the ability to discover how wonderful a world we live in!
Thus the need to create good communication began very early on, runners, pigeon post; pony express to name but a few. As man progressed and the technological age dawned the invention of the wireless and the telephone system ushered in a new age with ever increasing speeds to that which we have today brought to us by fast data streams of the internet.
All this need brought prosperity and times were wonderful and the major’s thrived BT was the king and built an empire on the back of the British telecom network. However, with government policy changes it was deemed too much of a monopoly, thus its days were numbered, then as if overnight there came the change. The major communications providers were very surprised to understand that competitors in the marketing arena were giving them a run for their money and the monopoly that had for years was gone and a level playing field born!
The birth of VOIP opened a new page in sphere of communication technologies. This very practical service works via Internet Protocol. Nowadays nobody can imagine themselves without having some calls over mobile phones or conversations over Skype per day. It is an advantage of our civilization- to get information fast and reach needed people in a rapid time. Time is money. This is a byword, but it is our reality and it is very true. Imagine, for example, a stock exchange market or diamond bourse without communication…You may lose everything or become a billionaire in a second. Here you see that every second of your time plays the leading role.
Using VOIP is really an easy thing to do: just dial and talk to all over the globe to your sister, brother or friends. If the bandwidth allows you may also turn on the video features, allowing for full media conferences. This is becoming a necessary thing for headquarters’ of companies allowing for easy and fast communications between country braches. Many close relatives can easily get in touch and feel so much more empowered having a video conversation with their beloved ones.
On the other hand the main disadvantage of VoIP is that system does not allow total security of your calls and can provoke a security flaw. Nowadays this issue is receiving a lot of development work and soon one hope a full security protocol will be available.In spite of the fact that VOIP has a disadvantage, it is very popular and required.
By: TravisOl
