Simply put, Internet telephony lets you make real-time voice, fax and even video calls over the Internet. Many small businesses are experimenting with Internet telephony, mainly because it can significantly reduce telecommunications costs.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) represents the latest in phone system technology. With it, regular voice calls are sent over a computer network instead of traditional phone lines.
The concept is straightforward: VoIP systems transform analog voice calls into packets of data, then send the data over broadband computer networks instead of traditional phone lines, to be translated back into voice at the receiving end of the call.
Voice over IP (Internet Protocol) represents the latest in phone system technology. With it, regular voice calls are sent over a computer network instead of traditional phone lines.
The premise behind VoIP solutions is fairly straightforward: instead of using "circuit-switched" technology, where a dedicated path from caller to receiver is reserved for their entire conversation, VoIP phone systems treat voices as data, turning your words into tiny packets of information that are sent over data networks.
According to a new survey from In-Stat, worldwide IP phone shipments will grow from 10 million units in 2006 to 164 million units in 2010, largely on the backs of business users.
Over the last 30 years, the telecommunications industry has grown at an almost alarming rate. Innovations such as cellular phones, email, and the Web have forever changed the way that businesses and clients communicate with each other.