|
|
Internet Grey Areas
The Internet has opened up whole new avenues of freedom for people: freedom of information, thoughts and the ability to achieve anonymity while still being active in a community. This freedom has been latched onto by a large proportion of the...
Power To The (Internet) People
Ok, so broadband is an accepted standard at the moment, we are all used to being able to view large web pages stuffed with Flash animations, download videos and have, fairly decent, online video conferences, so what if they look a bit like...
The Secret Benefit Of Accessibility: Part 1 - Increased Usability
Web accessibility has so many benefits that I really do wonder why such a large number of websites have such diabolically bad accessibility. One of the main benefits is increased usability, which according to usability guru, Jakob Nielson, can...
Top 3 UK broadband providers
Top 3 U.K. broadband providers offer variety of products
Every Internet provider today wants to make it sound like you are getting something for nothing. There are even some providers who will offer free access if you are willing to surf the...
What Is VoIP
VoIP stands for; Voice Over Internet Protocol.
What VoIP does is it converts the voice signal from your telephone into a digital signal that travels over the Internet.
This means NO phone charges! And this is why VoIP is such a buzz word...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Does Voice Over IP Telephony Spell The End For Traditional Telephones?
Does Voice Over IP Telephony Spell the End for Traditional Telephones?
Just What is Voice Over IP Telephony?
Voice over Internet Telephony is technology that means you can hold telephone calls over the Internet or an IP network. It eliminates the need for having separate lines for your Internet connection and dedicated voice transfer lines. There are many advantages to VoIP but because it is still an advancing technology you need to shop around to find the best deal. No cumbersome circuit switching is required and there is no depletion in the bandwidth associated with normal dual line systems. VoIP protocol means that voice data is only sent over the network when it needs to be, freeing up that bandwidth when you aren’t making ‘calls’.
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.
© 2005 Nick Carter
About the Author
Nick Carter is editor for www.voice-over-ip-insider.com , a key web resource for VOIP information.
|
|
|
|
|
Broadband Internet access - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Broadband Internet access became a rapidly developing market in many areas in the early 2000s; one study found that broadband Internet usage in the United ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
  |
UK Broadband Internet Access |
Listings of UK broadband internet access providers and their prices, links to provider guides and reviews. |
paler.com |
  |
PC World - Buying Guides - Broadband Internet |
Buyers' Guide to Broadband Internet Contents ... For the majority of those looking to upgrade to broadband Internet for the business or home, it's all about ... |
www.pcworld.idg.com.au |
  |
Broadband Internet Access Service Providers - High Speed Cable and ... |
Discount offers for broadband high speed, cable and DSL Internet access service providers from Broadbandinfo.com. Additionally we provide free online high ... |
www.broadbandinfo.com |
  |
Telewest - Broadband Internet - Digital TV - Phone - Cable ISP ... |
. ... Jump to the Homepage [Accesskey '1']; Jump to Navigation menu [Accesskey 'n']; Jump to Main Content [Accesskey 'c']; Jump to Contact Us [Accesskey ... |
www.telewest.co.uk |
  |
FCC Broadband Internet Access Page |
List of resources from Federal Communications Commission regarding broadband Internet and access issues. |
www.fcc.gov |
  |
BT.com: Broadband Internet, mobile and fixed telecommunications ... |
National telecommunications provider. Details on products and services, plus user area. |
www.bt.com |
  |
Primus > Home - Australia's leading Broadband Internet, Telephone ... |
Primus / iPrimus - Australia's leading Broadband Internet, Telephone, Mobile, VoIP and Dial Up provider. |
www.iprimus.com.au |
  |
Virgin.net ISP - Broadband Internet access, news and entertainment |
Virgin.net, the UK's innovative Internet service provider. All you need for broadband and dial-up access, entertainment, information and news. |
www.virgin.net |
  |
1 24% of rural Americans have high-speed internet connections at ... |
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML |
Your browser may not have a PDF reader available. Google recommends visiting our text version of this document. |
  |
ADSL Plans - ADSL Modems - ADSL Broadband Internet - Telstra BigPond |
Choose from BigPond broadband ADSL plans by speed and usage to suit your needs. View BigPond broadband ADSL modem options for your broadband ADSL internet ... |
www.bigpond.com |
  |
ntl.com | broadband internet, telephone packages, cable tv |
Broadband cable internet access from ntl, get high speed cable internet access at affordable prices. |
www.home.ntl.com |
  |
Westnet - Broadband Internet, ADSL, Dialup, Web Hosting, Domain ... |
Westnet provides a range of Broadband Internet, ADSL, Dialup, Web Hosting and Phone services Australia wide. Connect with Australia’s Number 1 ISP for ... |
www.westnet.com.au |
  |
Broadband Internet : Find Broadband Internet Access Providers with ... |
Find Broadband Internet Service Provider. TheBroadbandGuide.com is a comprehensive directory of Broadband Internet Provider. |
www.thebroadbandguide.com |
  |
Internode - Broadband ADSL Internet Access |
Internode - Broadband Internet Access and other Internet services. ... Internode Broadband ADSL is the broadband Internet solution you have been looking for ... |
www.internode.on.net |
  |
CHOICE - Setting up broadband internet |
Setting up broadband internet. How to get ADSL broadband, step by step Online 02/04. Contents. Setting up broadband internet · Availability and choice ... |
www.choice.com.au |
  |
Wireless Broadband Internet Service Provider: High Speed Wireless ISP |
Clearwire is a wireless broadband internet service provider (high speed wireless ISP) providing high speed wireless broadband internet access in Abilene TX, ... |
www.clearwire.com |
  |
SurfCity Networks Broadband Internet |
SurfCity Networks Broadband Verizon DSL High Speed Internet and Web Hosting. |
www.surfcity.com |
  |
ISP - Wireless Broadband Internet Provider, iBurst, ADSL Broadband ... |
Australian ISP providing business dialup, high-speed broadband, network access and datacentre services. |
www.chilli.net.au |
  |
NTL - Broadband Internet - Digital TV - Phone - Cable ISP ... |
Digital Television Network. |
www.ntl.com |
  |
|