David Braue16 October 2007, 3:58 AM
If you're relatively new to VoIP, you probably have a bunch of questions about it. Here are a few of the most common answered.
If you're relatively new to VoIP, you probably have a bunch of questions about it. Here are a few of the most common:
How does VoIP work?
Whereas existing phone networks carry each call over the public switched telephone network (PSTN), VoIP calls are converted into data packets that can be carried anywhere the Internet, or a big company network, reaches. Once the packets reach the other end, they're put back together and converted back into the sound that you hear.
What do I need to use it?
The easiest way to use VoIP is to run a program like Skype, which offers free calling between computers and calls to most normal phones at low rates. If you want to use a normal phone, subscribe to a VoIP service that will give you an ATA (analogue telephone adapter) that you plug between your phone and your broadband router.
In larger company settings, VoIP gets a little more complex. Your setup may include existing analogue or digital phones, as well as IP phones that usually have a display screen and are capable of displaying loads of information and letting users surf the Web. All of these will connect to your company IP PABX, which handles the transferring of calls within and out of the company. You may also have servers running specialised software that provides extra features like voicemail, interactive voice response, and connections to other business applications.
How much does it cost?
Entry-level VoIP plans are typically around 10 cents per untimed call, anywhere in the country, with international rates around one-third what you'd pay with a normal phone company. Of course, many businesses get discounted calling plans from their normal providers, so savings will vary considerably. If you're calling from one business extension to another, however, the calls are free – even if the extensions are in branch offices on the other side of the world.
I've heard the quality isn't very good. Is this true?
It depends on which VoIP solution you use. Call quality depends on the quality of your broadband connection, and bursts of activity by other programs – particularly email applications, which sporadically download large amounts of information – can cripple VoIP on a home broadband connection. Within businesses, this isn't such an issue since 100Mbps company networks offer more than enough bandwidth to provide high-quality calling. Relatively new network equipment offers quality of service (QoS) features that ensure a minimum amount of bandwidth is available for your VoIP calls.
If I buy into VoIP, am I locked in to one provider?
Not necessarily. VoIP ATAs can be reconfigured to access another provider's service (ask your new provider how). Getting devices from one vendor to talk to another used to be a problem, but almost all current VoIP equipment now supports SIP (session initiation protocol) – which lets VoIP and videoconferencing applications connect to nearly any phone, camera or other networked communications device.
My carrier offers great rates on phone calls; what else can VoIP offer me?
Anybody using VoIP will tell you that call savings are just the beginning. While VoIP business cases are almost always built on call savings, getting creative with VoIP tools will make a major difference in the way your employees operate. Move calls with them, use call information to pull out relevant information from company databases, let customers start a voice call with support technicians with the click of a button – with the right VoIP setup, if you can dream it, you can implement it.
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