Internet Telephony (VoIP): History, Facts, and Resources

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What is Internet Telephony VoIP

In essence, Internet telephony is an Internet telephone service. Using what looks like a regular phone, Internet telephony connects to the Internet instead of to traditional phone lines. Internet telephony, commonly called VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol, converts voice into a digital signal that can be sent across the Internet. Traditional phone service, aka POTS or Plain Old Telephone Service uses telephone lines and circuit switches to communicate. Internet telephony uses computer networks to transmit the voice signals. Information transferred through the Internet is done in “data packets.” Just as an e-mail is broken up into data packets that travel along their own route to the destination server, VoIP messages transmit in the same manner. When the data packets arrive at the destination, they reassemble into the full e-mail or voice message.

In cases where the call is to a regular phone number, the digital signal converts to a regular telephone signal in order to reach its destination. This technology allows users to make calls from a computer, a VoIP phone or a regular phone equipped with an adapter.

To use Internet telephony, a high-speed Internet connection is necessary. The connection can be through a cable modem, a DSL connection or through a local area network. In addition, a computer, adapter or a special internet phone is needed. Some VoIP companies require the use of a special phone while others allow you to use a traditional phone with a VoIP adapter. Once connected in this way, you can dial just like you dial a traditional phone. When using a computer to make calls, software and a microphone are required.

Some internet telephony companies, such as Skype, offer their services for free when calls are made to other service subscribers. Some VoIP companies charge for long distance calls outside the calling area. Depending on the plan and the VoIP company, there may be limitations on who you can call. For instance, some companies may limit users to calls to other subscribers to the service or to calls local to the area code you have been assigned. Others allow unlimited calling within the country. Still, others allow international calls.

Internet telephony offers a number of features not available with a traditional phone or, at least, not without a fee. Free voice mail, conference calling, call forwarding and other phone services, along with the ease of installation make VoIP very attractive. Generally, the low cost of the service is the main advantage. With a fast internet connection, you can call anywhere in the world for free. For a low monthly fee, some VoIP companies provide unlimited calls within a geographic area. Portability is another advantage. Wherever you have a broadband connection, you are able to sign into your VoIP account and make a call.

Normally, to transfer information across the Internet–such as sending and receiving electronic mail–data travels in ‘data packets.’ This means that information is divided into small packages that travel separately across various Internet routes until they reach their common destination. In the case of electronic mail, data packets arrive at a mail server. Having arrived at the intended location, data packets are reassembled into a whole, such as a full email message.

Hows Does Internet Telephony VoIP Work?

Internet telephony applications are operated throughout the Internet through switched network packets. These packets include important information such as the technology that fits into the conversation and the address of the destination where the phone call is being made to. The network packets also contain voice transmissions that carry the telephony signals in the form of digital audio. This can reduce the amount of data because it is compressed. It encapsulates the signals from the digital audio into a data packet stream which is sent over the Internet. When an individual makes a phone call using internet telephony, the conversation is divided into smaller packets for clearer and faster transmission. Once the packets reach their destination on the receiving end, they are then reassembled back into sound.

There are two forms of public switched telephone networks (PSTN) that internet telephony services come in. They are access numbers and direct inward calling. Access numbers service requires that the caller obtain an extension number of the individual that is called via internet telephony. The service needs to put in the extension number of the contacted person. Direct inward calling, on the other hand, is seen by most internet telephony users as a more direct and convenient solution for calls because it does not require the use of extension numbers or codes to get in contact with another internet telephony user.

However, sometimes there are errors that cause problems with the voice that is sent via the data packets. There can be times in which the data packets that are sent via internet telephony arrive at the destination delayed, out of order, or sometimes, the data packets do not arrive at all. If this occurs, the receiving end is not able to fully reassemble the retrieved data packets, causing conversations that are patchy. If the data packets are delayed, it can cause a delay when trying to listen to the caller, which is known as latency. Data packets that come in that are not in order will not be reassembled properly and cause a jitter – a condition whereby the voice of the speaker sound’s akin to a robot. Though jitters are a common occurrence for anyone who uses internet telephony, it can dissipate when the network congestion is cleared.

A majority of individuals use internet telephony, especially when it comes to making long distance calls, because it is less expensive than a regular, land line telephone. Using a regular telephone necessitates a broad telephone network exchange, which maintains connections with fixed telephone lines, telecommunication satellites, and undersea fiber optic cables. The investment in these infrastructures by the telephone companies is large, and therefore expensive, which results in an increased cost in making long distance calls. Internet telephony works with existing networks of telephone lines that are already fixed. Internet telephony also utilizes current technology to compress voice signals into packets. These data packets have the ability to travel the same lines during the same span of time.

Benefits of Internet Telephony VoIP

The most obvious advantage of Internet telephony is that just like sending email, making phone calls online is free other than Internet connection fees. This means that all regular telephone company fees are bypassed and that lengthy local and long-distance phone calls may be made practically free of charge.

Internet telephony allows family members and friends to stay in touch easily and frequently in this long-distance age. The technology is simple to use as calling over the Internet looks like placing a call on a landline. A phone number is still dialed, only the underlying network is different. International companies whose employees make long-distance calls on a regular basis can save huge amounts of money using Internet telephony technology.

Installing VoIP software is easy to do even for persons not technologically proficient. VoIP companies eager for business will make house calls free of charge to install the system for new customers. New advantages of Internet telephony systems are the provision of familiar landline features, such as voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, volume control and muting, call blocking, speed dial, and directory assistance. Internet telephony includes non-traditional features as well, such as white boarding, group chats and text-based document sharing.

There are even VoIP speakerphones, which allow for wireless, hands-free conversations. Because VoIP speakerphones are connected to a computer via a USB cable, when they are plugged into a laptop computer they become state-of-the-art portable telephones.

Disadvantage of Internet Telephony VoIP

However, there are also a few drawbacks. VoIP phone companies tend not to work during power outages and may not offer backup power. If a backup power source is available, this problem can be alleviated. Emergency services through 911 may not be available to you if you use VoIP services because there is not a fixed address associated with the phone number. Additionally, these services may not offer directory assistance.

Another consideration, though VoIP calling is generally reliable, is that network problems can impact the quality of a VoIP call. As mentioned above, data packets are sent across the Internet and arrive separately. They are then reassembled once all data has arrived. While this is no problem for e-mail, it can impact the sound quality of phone calls when there is a delay. Distance and speed influence the amount of data lost and therefore the quality of the calls.

On the down side, all new technologies come with certain disadvantages. Internet telephony sound quality has greatly improved since its inception. It has improved so much so that VoIP service providers claim there is no difference in sound quality between landlines and Internet phones. But heavy traffic on the network can result in temporary poor connections and choppy or broken-up sound quality.

Another disadvantage of Internet telephony is that like the Internet, it is electrical. If the modem fails during a power outage, VoIP services will not work. This means that emergency phone calls cannot be made during power outages. Fortunately, for a small one-time fee, today it is possible to connect to a universal power supply (UPS), which eliminates this problem.

However, the ability to place emergency 911 phone calls on a regular day can also be affected by VoIP services. Some providers route 911 phone calls to landlines in a different manner, such that 911 call centers may not be able to identify the caller’s name address by display.

Security is another potential drawback. Depending on the brand of Internet telephony software used, levels of encryption vary from excellent to non-existent. Finally, for the system to work, users on both ends must use the same brand of Internet telephony software.

The Future of VoIP and Resources

The future of VoIP is wide open. In the first quarter of 2007, VoIP telephone services had fewer than 38 million subscribers worldwide, but they are projected to have 267 million subscribers in 2012.

Overview Voice-over-IP (VoIP) Services

More information about VoIP

Federal Communications Commission information about VoIP

Resource by B.Matthews

I am a fun outgoing girl who loves to go to concerts and sit on the grass and read. My favorite books are those that make me think about life, love and how the world spins around no matter the troubles that you're going through.

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