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Not So New
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone services are not as new as you
might first think. Internet Protocol based telephony has existed for many
years on the Internet, but the quality and reliability were often poor and
typically required the user to make and receive calls using special software
on their personal computer.
Significant strides in technology and the rapid infiltration of broadband
Internet connections into many homes, has made VoIP a viable competitor to
traditional "Bell" company voice services.
VoIP By Any Other Name...
is still Voice over Internet Protocol. However, you may also hear it referred
to as "Broadband Phone", "VON" (Voice on (the) Net), "Cable Phone," "Digital
Telephone", "Internet Phone", or "Net Phone", among others.
What's Required?
First and most importantly, to take advantage of VoIP services, you must have
a broadband Internet connection and a special piece of equipment that connects
your phone to your broadband connection.
This equipment is often a separate device provided by the VoIP service
provider, into which your existing telephone connects. However, many providers
are starting to offer phones with this equipment integrated into the
telephone.
How's it Different?
VoIP, in many ways, looks and works just like a regular phone. The primary
difference between the two is how your voice is transported from "here to
there."
With traditional telephone service your conversation, for the most part, is
analog and is connected over a single static pathway over the Public Switched
Telephone Network (PSTN).
In contrast, VoIP telephone conversations are almost entirely digital and may
take one or more different paths over the Internet, or private network, to
reach the called party. At the other end of the line, the packets are
reassembled and converted back into analog voice signals, and sent over the
PSTN to the telephone device. If everything works as it should, the call
participants will never be aware of the dynamic call routing and audio
conversion that is taking place.
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