What is VoIP Protocol?

What is VoIP Protocol?

Voice over Internet Protocol has been quite the buzzword lately, but the technology is not as new as you may think; VoIP protocol has been around for many years, but mainly as an option for businesses which could afford the high-speed connections that make it reliable and clear. VoIP protocol is a method of transforming analog sound waves into digital data so that the average consumer can make telephone calls from their computer.

How does the VoIP protocol save you money?

One reason everyone is talking about the VoIP protocol is that VoIP is almost certain to replace traditional phone lines in the near future. The technology is invisible, working just like current phones, and makes long-distance and overseas calling free or almost free.

The market is currently dominated by a few major VoIP providers which specialize in a software-based VoIP protocol, which is a simple way of providing VoIP, requiring no additional specialized hardware.

Your teenager has probably already been using some form of software-based VoIP, as it's built in to many instant messaging services, allowing those with an existing instant messaging provider to make free calls from computer to computer. The free software itself takes only a few moments to download and install, and required nothing more than the speakers and microphone that come standard with most computers.

On the other hand, a hardware-based VoIP protocol utilizes a specialized device called an Analog Telephone Adaptor (ATA) that plugs in between a regular telephone and a computer system, allowing any phone to send digital data. Many major phone companies are beginning to offer VOIP services with a free ATA, making it easy to set up a VoIP protocol which doesn't require the recipient of the call to have a computer with the same software, or any computer at all! The rates for such a call are significantly cheaper than making the same call from a land-line.

Regulations and VoIP protocol

The FCC has begun regulating VoIP protocols, starting with a requirement that all VoIP providers must make an effort to provide emergency 911 services in all areas. In the technology's infancy, not all VoIP providers were able to connect directly to emergency services. It's now compulsory for VoIP providers to not only provide E-911 services, but equip that service to determine a person's exact location when placing a 911 call. This drawback is almost overcome now, and a VoIP protocol that can't handle E-911 will quickly lose to a competitor that can.

This VoIP technology is well on its way to changing the telecommunication industry for good, with affordable rates for anyone who has a broadband Internet connection.