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Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a protocol optimized for the communication of voice through the Internet or other packet switched networks. VoIP is often used theoretically to refer to the actual transmission of voice (rather than the protocol implementing it). VoIP is also known as IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Voice over Broadband and Broadband Phone. Voice over IP protocols carry telephonic signals as digital audio, typically reduced in data rate using speech data compression techniques, encapsulated in a data packet stream over IP.
Companies providing VoIP service are commonly referred to as providers, and protocol which are used to carry voice signals over the IP network are commonly referred to as Voice over IP or VoIP protocols. They may be viewed as commercial realizations of the experimental Network Voice Protocol (1973) invented for the ARPANET providers. Some cost savings are due to utilizing a single network to cart voice and data, especially where users have existing underutilized network capacity that can carry VoIP at no additional cost. VoIP to VoIP phone calls are sometimes free, while VoIP to public switched telephone networks, PSTN, may have a cost that is borne by the VoIP user.
Basically there are two types of PSTN to VoIP services: Direct Inward Dialing (DID) and access numbers. DID will connect the caller directly to the VoIP user while access numbers require the caller to input the extension number of the VoIP user.
As UDP (user datagram protocol) does not provide a mechanism to ensure that data packets are delivered in sequential order, or provide Quality of Service (known as QoS) guarantees, VoIP implementations face problems dealing with latency and jitter. This is true when satellite circuits are involved, due to long round trip broadcast delay (400 milliseconds to 600 milliseconds for geostationary satellite). The receiving node must restructure IP packets that may be out of order, delayed or missing, while ensuring that the audio stream maintains a proper time consistency. This functionality is usually accomplished by means of a jitter buffer in the voice engine.
Landline phones are connected directly to telephone company phone lines, which in the event of a power failure are kept functioning by back-up generators or batteries located at the telephone exchange. However, household VoIP hardware uses broadband modems and other equipment powered by household electricity, which may be subject to outages in the absence of an uninterruptible power supply or generator. Early adopters of VoIP may also be users of other phone equipment, such as PBX and cordless phone bases, which rely on power not provided by the telephone company. Even with local power still available, the broadband carrier itself may experience outages as well. While the PSTN has been matured over decades and is typically reliable, most broadband networks are less than 10 years old, and even the best are still subject to intermittent outages. Furthermore, consumer network technologies such as cable and DSL often are not subject to the same restoration service levels as the PSTN or business technologies such as T-1 connection.
More information on VOIP technologies can be found at http://voipable.com.
Mike Smits
VOIP Info for all your needs!
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