A Look into VoIP and Its Services

A Look into VoIP and Its Services

by Kristen Kiya

Traditional public switch telephony network along with PBX has taken a back seat with the advent of VoIP telephony services. It is not a hidden fact that the popularity and dependency on VoIP services has been increasing over a period of time, and it does not seem like this is going to change anytime soon. In fact, several researchers of the telecommunication field have pointed out, and rightly so, that in the near future, the entire communication structure would come to rely upon Voice over IP services. It is thus essential to understand how this technology works, in what way can residentials and businesses benefit from it and what are its disadvantages, if any.

How VoIP Works?

Voice over Internet Protocol is a mode of transmitting voice over the Internet by converting it into small digital IP packets from analog signals, so that it could be understood by the computer. The voice is decompressed and reconverted into analog signals before it finally reaches the receiver.

Equipments That Are Needed For Utilizing VoIP Solution:

A residential client would only need a computer or a SIP phone, a sound card, headsets, and an Internet connection in order to make VoIP calls. From the back-end side, all the technical equipments that are required for utilizing VoIP services are owned and maintained by the VoIP service providers. Wholesalers of VoIP procure VoIP minutes from service providers in bulk and then further sell them to resellers. VoIP Wholesale carrier service providers have their own network consisting of equipments like gateways, routers etc. VoIP resellers do not have to make any substantial capital investment for venturing into the voice over IP telephony field. The entire technical part of VoIP services is handled by the providers or wholesalers.

Functionality of VoIP:

1. It is the most cost-effective way of making local, long distance and international calls even while getting the same voice quality as with the traditional mode of calling. 2. It helps in unifying the communication structure of an organization, thereby increasing the productivity along with it. 3. It is mobile. One can take it anywhere along with them and still be able to make calls at the same reduced rates. Not only this, but all the calls will automatically be routed directly to your VoIP number, irrespective of the network from where you are connected to the Internet. 4. VoIP service providers offer other service features free of cost which PSTN providers normally charge for. For instance, call forwarding and call waiting. They increase your businesses functionality. 5. It is easy to integrate your existing services with business VoIP.

The only negative aspect which had hampered the growth of VoIP services the time it was invented is its poor voice quality. However, with time, several improvements have been made as a result of which VoIP solution gives us the same voice quality as with any traditional PSTN service.