You have a telephone, right? You have a computer, right? You
want to save money, right? BAM, you are a VOIP (Voice Over
Internet Protocol) candidate.
It is inevitable that VOIP will replace traditional telephone
service at some point. The only question is when should you jump
in?
VOIP is quickly becoming more reliable and receiving wider
acceptance. In fact, phone companies are already taking
advantage of the technology to provide cheaper long distance
rates. Like any emerging technology, however, there are kinks in
the system that are still being worked out.
Advantages
VOIP has many advantages over regular phone service. One primary
advantage is its low cost. If you have a fast Internet
connection (DSL or cable), you can make PC-to-PC phone calls
anywhere in the world FREE. PC-to-phone connections usually have
a charge, but probably still cheaper than regular phone service.
You can sign up with a VOIP service provider for a monthly fee
and get unlimited calls within a specified geographic area. For
example, some VOIP services in the United States allow
connections anywhere in North America for no extra charge.
International calls are charged at a modest rate.
Another advantage is its portability. You can make and receive
phone calls wherever there is a broadband connection by simply
signing in to your VOIP account. This makes VOIP as convenient
as e-mail. When you're traveling, you simply pack a headset or
Internet phone; then you can talk to family or colleagues for
next to nothing.
Phone-to-phone VOIP is also portable. Internet phones are small
and light enough to take anywhere. When you sign up with a VOIP
service provider, the Internet phone or adaptor used by that
service is assigned a unique number. This 'phone number' remains
valid, even if your VOIP service is in Los Angeles and you're
connected to the Internet in London. When plugged into a
broadband connection, anywhere in the world, you can make and
receive calls as though you were at home .
Features like call forwarding, call waiting, voicemail, caller
ID and 3way-calling, are included with Internet telephone at no
extra charge. While you're talking on the phone, you can send
pictures and documents at the same time.
Disadvantages
There are a few glitches that still interfere with the
technology's broad acceptance by the public. Lack of continuous
service during power outages and emergency calling are the 2
biggest hurdles.
Conventional phone service continues by the current supplied
through the phone lineduring a blackout. This isn't possible
with Internet phones. When the power goes, there goes VOIP
service. Battery backups and power generators that provide
electricity are the current solutions to this problem.
A major concern involves emergency 911 calls. For the most part,
VOIP services aren't useful in emergencies. Traditional phone
equipment can trace the locations of calls. Emergency calls are
diverted to the nearest call center where the operator can
identify your location, in the event you can't talk. With VOIP,
there is no way currently to determine where Internet calls are
originating. There is an emerging standard called e911 however,
which is attempting to solve this limitation.
VOIP also has sound quality and reliability problems. Data sent
across the Internet usually arrives at its destination
scrambled. E-mail and documents can be reassembled in the
correct order when it arrives. Voice data also arrives
scrambled, but it's more complicated because of the real-time
nature of VOIP. Some data packets may have to be dropped when
they don't arrive in time, in order to make voice connections
with the least delay. This can cause brief silences in the audio
stream.
Distance and speed of the connection determine the amount of
data lost. Some networks receive more traffic and thus are more
likely to cause audio dropouts. One way to provide high quality
audio connections is to create dedicated data paths.
With the incredible amount of work dedicated to VOIP, these
disadvantages will no doubt be resolved withinin the next 2
years. It is expected that by then VOIP will have widespread
consumer acceptance.
|
Categories 
