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Does Voice Over IP Telephony
Spell the End for Traditional Telephones?
What are the Advantages of VoIP.
Voice over Internet Telephony isn't widely used in office networks, let
alone in the home, however if you make international phone calls then
you are probably being routed through IP infrastructure because of the
lower costs of calls. What this does mean, though, is that the
infrastructure is quite obviously already in place and anyone who
chooses can do so easily. This means that you can 'call' friends, family
or associates using your own VoIP without the need for them to have the
same technology installed.
The costs are phone calls that are reduced dramatically by using VoIP
and once the infrastructure is in place there are usually little or no
additional infrastructure charges required making it a cost effective
and affordable telephony solution.
Because VoIP is a new technology you get the usual advantages of
employing a new technology; increased technological advances and new
technologies are employed meaning you get a state of the art system.
Telecommunications providers have been regularly using IP networks to
transfer voice data and so most of the teething problems have been
thoroughly investigated and ironed out and all the advancements made
have been integrated into a system you can have installed in your home,
office or business.
You don't necessarily have to transmit your calls over the Internet, and
for more secure calls you can use private IP networks. For this reason
many large businesses already have IP systems in place making
inter-business calls much cheaper.
Electronic numbering makes it possible to dial traditional E 164 phone
numbers connected entirely by your Internet connection. This means that
you won't face any call charges whatsoever, and all you will have to pay
will be the cost of your Internet connection.
Is VoIP available for me to use now?
Companies like Vonage, VoicePulse and Packet8 are already offering flat
monthly fees for their VoIP services meaning you can call anywhere in
the country (sometimes even to other selected countries around the
world) and only ever pay one flat monthly fee.
Vonage offer a service for $24.99 a month that allows you to call
anywhere in the US or Canada. They also offer similar plans for small
businesses.
Are there any disadvantages to VoIP?
VoIP, as a technology, is still in it's infancy and new developments are
being found every day. However, there are limitations to the service and
the technology which need to be addresses before it can become a
complete replacement for your standard phone line.
Because the Internet knows no geographic boundaries it means that, for
example, calling the emergency services would not necessarily put you
through to your local emergency dispatch centre.
In addition, you can't send or receive faxes and you can't route
traditional modems, alarm systems or satellite systems through your VoIP
connection, because they require access to a voice grade phone line. For
the moment VoIP is a compliment to your traditional phone line, rather
than a replacement, until these problems can be ironed out.
Summary
The advent of the Internet and improved telephone technology has seen
the introduction of VoIP. It means you can make phone calls through your
broadband connection; this in turn means that for a set monthly fee you
can call anywhere in your country and selected international countries
for as long as required and only pay one flat monthly fee.
The advantages of VoIP are still significant for homes and business
users alike. Big businesses are already saving substantial money by
installing IP networks and using VoIP protocol to transfer voice data.
This essentially makes the calls themselves free, only having to pay for
the Internet connection and the monthly VoIP fee.
VoIP looks like it's here to stay. As the technology rolls out, it's
impact can only become greater.
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