VoIP will allow users to user their broadband connection to make phone calls over the Internet. The widespread use of VoIP has caused a revolution in the phone industry. With the VoIP service giving users the chance to make phone calls over the internet it is easy to see why this has rocked the telecoms industry.
VoIP at present is becoming the most cost effective way to make long distance telephone calls. Before VoIP telephone service providers had a strong hold on lucrative and 99% of the time over priced long distance services.
Due to the introduction of Voip the long distance calling market has began to open to up to competition. The main reason for this is that most Internet users will begin implementing VoIP. The main reason being that VoIP is the most cost effective way to make long distance telephone calls.
VoIP Development Process
Over the last 10 year VoIP has been slowly developing. In the early days computer users were able to talk to one another through their computers. You were only able to do this if you had a voice enabled computer with good Internet connection and you would need to have a software program installed on your computer.
The main advantage to this was that it allowed user to be able to contact anyone from around the world for free aslong as they had the same setup as you.
The disadvantages to this system was that sound quality was never great, broadband was not being widely used and the user you were trying to contact would have to be online.
Today’s VoIP has made these problems a thing of the past.
The two things that were required to make VoIP technology appeal to the wide spread market have been accomplished.
Broadband is now a widly used internet service. This allows users to have a stable internet connection that can always be on.
Secondly the VoIP industry has been able to develop a simple and inexpenisve way of integrating the IP network (aka Internet) with a traditional telephone system.
What this means is that VoIP users are able to use their own telephone to call anyone else in the world who has the traditonal telephone connection.
Traditional telecom companies such as Qwest, AT&T and Bell have developed their own type of VoIP technology. This has given consumers a huge number of choices. Now anybody anywhere with a boradband internet connection is able to call anyone anywhere in the world who has a ordinary telephone connection.
Why VoIP Will Save You Money
The major advantage of VoIP is the low cost, with no significant decrease in voice quality.
1st, a VoIP subscriber doesn’t require a traditional phone line. Instead, you are assigned a phone number by your VoIP provider.
Prices for these calls can be as low as $9 per month. 2nd, virtually all VoIP subscribers will buy a “bundle” of services that includes unlimited incoming calls and unlimited long distance calls to anyone in a defined geographic area. As an example, VoIP unlimited calling plans to anyone in the US or even Canada will only cost around $20 per month.
Third, virtually all VoIP service providers offer free bundled features that virtually all traditional telephone corporations charge for. These include free voicemail, call forwarding, caller ID, call waiting, call waiting ID, three way calling, speed dialing.
VoIP provides better flexibility and portability
An additional important benefit is the flexibility and portability of VoIP phone service. With VoIP your individual telephone number is programmed into the converter that acts as a bridge between your internet connection and your regular telephone.
This has many important benefits. As already mentioned you don’t want an actual land line. Instead your telephone number is assigned to your converter (not to your geographic land line). So you are able to take your converter with you anywhere in the globe, plug it into any available broadband connection, and immediately you can employ your regular number to produce and receive calls.
This flexibility also lets you select a number in an area code where virtually all of your long distance calls originate. For instance, if many of your friends, family, business associates or even customers are calling from a specific city that traditionally involved an extended distance call for them, you may pick a number in that area code and immediately turn all their calls to you into local (free) calls for them.
The benefits of VoIP are many, and the savings can be incredibly important. So it’s no wonder that VoIP has turned into the hottest telecom technology of the decade. Informed consumers and businesses around the globe are adopting this technology at a phenomenal rate.
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Free VoIP Calls
I am sure you have heard the adage, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”. Well, obviously the person famous for that saying hadn’t yet heard of VoIP. Voice over Internet Protocol better know as VoIP - or in simple terms, the ability to transmit voice over the Internet. VoIP has been gaining in strength and popularity as a the preferred telecommunications method Small businesses are opting to go free VoIP because of the numerous benefits. It is a viable source for businesses to make long distance calls virtually free, or at a significantly lower cost when compared to other telephone service providers.
You too can experience the power of Free VoIP with a High Speed Internet connection. In fact, you may have already tried this technology without even realizing it. There are many services and programs that have been available for free, on the Internet, for the past ten years that have embraced VoIP.
Dial-pad was known for allowing people to connect a microphone and speakers to their computers and then make long distance calls virtually world wide for free. Well, Dial-pad isn’t free any more, but if you do purchase their monthly service, they do provide an option for unlimited long distance calling. This service is still comparable to other telephone providers.
Currently most of the free VoIP have begun to charge a monthly fee for their services. There is still one program left that is absolutely free. That is Ad Calls. This program displays various advertisements on their display while you can use the service to make free calls. There are limitations to this program however. You can only use the service for ten minutes at a time, and you are unable to call toll free numbers.
The major VoIP programs that embrace free VoIP calling left on the Internet are bundled with your Instant Messaging programs. Programs such as Yahoo Messenger have recently been redesigned with the ability to make free VoIP voice phone calls. You won’t be able to call a landline telephone however. You will need to use the program to call another member who is using the same program. For example, if you have the newly VoIP enabled Yahoo Messenger downloaded to your computer, yet your buddy (who lives across the world) is using the old Yahoo Messenger, you can send them a link to download and upgrade their current version. Once they have installed the new Yahoo Messenger, you will see a “call” button with a phone icon at the top of your Yahoo Messenger chat box. By clicking call, you will be using free VoIP technology to send a phone call to your buddy’s computer. The receiving computer will actually ring, like a standard telephone, and your buddy will have the option of accepting or declining the phone call. All that is needed is a high speed Internet connection, this provides the best audio quality and speed), a microphone, and speakers. You and your buddy are free to talk as long as you like. The other advantage to Instant Messengers that allow free VoIP calls is the ability to call more than one person. You can call people on your buddy list, and invite them for a conference call. This has unlimited potential and can be used by small businesses for free training calls, and by people everywhere who just want to stay in touch with friends and family.
Other Internet Messaging services that have embraced VoIP calling include MSN and AOL Instant Messenger, and Google has begun their new service, Google Talk.
VoIP is a preferred method of telecommunications due to the fact that you can integrate audio, video, and web based applications with one program. The Instant Messaging programs are perfect examples of how audio and web based communications are working together to increase communication. Also included with many Instant Messaging programs is the ability to hook up a digital camera or web cam and incorporate video with your audio and web based application.
VoIP telephones are also beginning to incorporate video with their free VoIP services. This will be a very popular trend in the future. As there are over 900 million Instant Messaging subscribers, people are already experiencing the power and freedom of converged communications.
Cellular phones are realizing that people want to combine video with their audio, and many videophones are being released. Some phones have gone the next level and have combined audio, video, and graphics by allowing you to store pictures in your telephone, and use it as a camera.
As the technology of VoIP continues to advance, we can rest assured that more “Beta” programs will be released and as that occurs, keep your eye out for more free VoIP programs. Talk no longer cheap, its free!
You too can experience the power of Free VoIP with a High Speed Internet connection. In fact, you may have already tried this technology without even realizing it. There are many services and programs that have been available for free, on the Internet, for the past ten years that have embraced VoIP.
Dial-pad was known for allowing people to connect a microphone and speakers to their computers and then make long distance calls virtually world wide for free. Well, Dial-pad isn’t free any more, but if you do purchase their monthly service, they do provide an option for unlimited long distance calling. This service is still comparable to other telephone providers.
Currently most of the free VoIP have begun to charge a monthly fee for their services. There is still one program left that is absolutely free. That is Ad Calls. This program displays various advertisements on their display while you can use the service to make free calls. There are limitations to this program however. You can only use the service for ten minutes at a time, and you are unable to call toll free numbers.
The major VoIP programs that embrace free VoIP calling left on the Internet are bundled with your Instant Messaging programs. Programs such as Yahoo Messenger have recently been redesigned with the ability to make free VoIP voice phone calls. You won’t be able to call a landline telephone however. You will need to use the program to call another member who is using the same program. For example, if you have the newly VoIP enabled Yahoo Messenger downloaded to your computer, yet your buddy (who lives across the world) is using the old Yahoo Messenger, you can send them a link to download and upgrade their current version. Once they have installed the new Yahoo Messenger, you will see a “call” button with a phone icon at the top of your Yahoo Messenger chat box. By clicking call, you will be using free VoIP technology to send a phone call to your buddy’s computer. The receiving computer will actually ring, like a standard telephone, and your buddy will have the option of accepting or declining the phone call. All that is needed is a high speed Internet connection, this provides the best audio quality and speed), a microphone, and speakers. You and your buddy are free to talk as long as you like. The other advantage to Instant Messengers that allow free VoIP calls is the ability to call more than one person. You can call people on your buddy list, and invite them for a conference call. This has unlimited potential and can be used by small businesses for free training calls, and by people everywhere who just want to stay in touch with friends and family.
Other Internet Messaging services that have embraced VoIP calling include MSN and AOL Instant Messenger, and Google has begun their new service, Google Talk.
VoIP is a preferred method of telecommunications due to the fact that you can integrate audio, video, and web based applications with one program. The Instant Messaging programs are perfect examples of how audio and web based communications are working together to increase communication. Also included with many Instant Messaging programs is the ability to hook up a digital camera or web cam and incorporate video with your audio and web based application.
VoIP telephones are also beginning to incorporate video with their free VoIP services. This will be a very popular trend in the future. As there are over 900 million Instant Messaging subscribers, people are already experiencing the power and freedom of converged communications.
Cellular phones are realizing that people want to combine video with their audio, and many videophones are being released. Some phones have gone the next level and have combined audio, video, and graphics by allowing you to store pictures in your telephone, and use it as a camera.
As the technology of VoIP continues to advance, we can rest assured that more “Beta” programs will be released and as that occurs, keep your eye out for more free VoIP programs. Talk no longer cheap, its free!
New VoIP Quality Monitoring Diagnostic Platform Cuts ISP Call Centre Queues
Internet service providers (ISPs) can now empower their voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) users to diagnose and accurately process VoIP faults for the first time.
Vocalite, the new diagnostic platform from Epitiro, the Internet performance experts, enables Internet telephony users to diagnose problems with their VoIP service even before contacting their provider. The results of the diagnostic test are automatically forwarded to the service provider which can begin to resolve any problems.
Vocalite is initiated via a web browser on either instruction from a service provider’s contact centre or by the end-user. A thorough analysis of the connection is completed and the summary of the test is displayed for the user. The test results are automatically sent through to the Internet provider.
Vocalite gives Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) at the ISP’s contact centre access to an extensive list of test results including Call Setup time, Dial Tone Delay and importantly Voice Quality. Visual pass and fail indicators allow non-technical CSRs to either assure the customer of adequate service quality or acknowledge the presence of a fault. This reduces the need for expensive second line support staff.
“Long contact centre queues frustrate customers and increase the likelihood of them looking for an alternative ISP. Vocalite gives the service provider a head start in fixing the fault and empowers their customers to diagnose the problem for themselves,” said Gavin Johns, Managing Director of Epitiro.
“Our products offer service providers the intelligence they need to gain and retain customers by monitoring and benchmarking their network performance. Vocalite measures the call quality across a provider’s network from an end-user’s perspective. This enables providers to keep a close eye on their networks and fix any potential service affecting problems before they reach the end-user.”
Vocalite, the new diagnostic platform from Epitiro, the Internet performance experts, enables Internet telephony users to diagnose problems with their VoIP service even before contacting their provider. The results of the diagnostic test are automatically forwarded to the service provider which can begin to resolve any problems.
Vocalite is initiated via a web browser on either instruction from a service provider’s contact centre or by the end-user. A thorough analysis of the connection is completed and the summary of the test is displayed for the user. The test results are automatically sent through to the Internet provider.
Vocalite gives Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) at the ISP’s contact centre access to an extensive list of test results including Call Setup time, Dial Tone Delay and importantly Voice Quality. Visual pass and fail indicators allow non-technical CSRs to either assure the customer of adequate service quality or acknowledge the presence of a fault. This reduces the need for expensive second line support staff.
“Long contact centre queues frustrate customers and increase the likelihood of them looking for an alternative ISP. Vocalite gives the service provider a head start in fixing the fault and empowers their customers to diagnose the problem for themselves,” said Gavin Johns, Managing Director of Epitiro.
“Our products offer service providers the intelligence they need to gain and retain customers by monitoring and benchmarking their network performance. Vocalite measures the call quality across a provider’s network from an end-user’s perspective. This enables providers to keep a close eye on their networks and fix any potential service affecting problems before they reach the end-user.”
List of commercial voice over IP network providers
This is a list of commercial voice over IP network providers, arranged alphabetically with no restriction to region. Only operating providers with customers should be included. See also Category:Free VoIP software.
Adams Cable
AIM Phoneline
AIM Call Out
AT&T CallVantage
Bellshare (Germany and USA)
Broadvoice
BT Group (UK trading as BT Broadband Talk)
Cable & Wireless (Global product)
Cbeyond
Clearwire (only for Clearwire Wireless customers)
Charter Communications
Comcast Digital Voice
Covad (ClearEdge Office, Pro and Integrated access)
Cox Communications (Northern Virginia)(Parts of Rhode Island)
Deltathree (Global)
Engin (Australia)
FaktorTel (Australia)
Gizmo Project (SIPphone)
iTalkBB
Jajah (connects two regular telephones)
Lingo
Mediacom
Modern Telegraph
Net2Phone
ntl:Telewest Business (part of Virgin Media)
Packet8 (8x8)
Parlino
Primus Canada
Qwest Communications
Sipgate (Germany, Austria, UK)
Shaw Communications
Skype
Speakeasy
Suddenlink Communications
Teamspeak
Tesco (UK)
Truphone
Time Warner
Vbuzzer
Verizon VoiceWing
VoicePulse
Voipfone (mainly UK)
VoipStunt
Vonage
Voxbone
Vyke
Wengo
Windows Live Call
WOW - Internet Cable Phone
Yahoo - Voice
Adams Cable
AIM Phoneline
AIM Call Out
AT&T CallVantage
Bellshare (Germany and USA)
Broadvoice
BT Group (UK trading as BT Broadband Talk)
Cable & Wireless (Global product)
Cbeyond
Clearwire (only for Clearwire Wireless customers)
Charter Communications
Comcast Digital Voice
Covad (ClearEdge Office, Pro and Integrated access)
Cox Communications (Northern Virginia)(Parts of Rhode Island)
Deltathree (Global)
Engin (Australia)
FaktorTel (Australia)
Gizmo Project (SIPphone)
iTalkBB
Jajah (connects two regular telephones)
Lingo
Mediacom
Modern Telegraph
Net2Phone
ntl:Telewest Business (part of Virgin Media)
Packet8 (8x8)
Parlino
Primus Canada
Qwest Communications
Sipgate (Germany, Austria, UK)
Shaw Communications
Skype
Speakeasy
Suddenlink Communications
Teamspeak
Tesco (UK)
Truphone
Time Warner
Vbuzzer
Verizon VoiceWing
VoicePulse
Voipfone (mainly UK)
VoipStunt
Vonage
Voxbone
Vyke
Wengo
Windows Live Call
WOW - Internet Cable Phone
Yahoo - Voice
IP Phone
An IP phone uses Voice over IP technologies allowing telephone calls to be made over the internet instead of the ordinary PSTN system. The phones use protocols such as Session Initiation Protocol, Skinny Client Control Protocol or one of various proprietary protocols such as that used by Skype. IP phones can be simple software-based Softphones or purpose-built hardware devices that appear much like an ordinary telephone or cordless phone or an ATA (analog telephony adapter) which allows to reuse ordinary PSTN phones. One of the primary motivations for implementing such a system is the lower calling cost. When calling other IP phones over the internet one only pays for the usually fixed cost internet bandwidth.
It may have many features an analog doesn't support, such as e-mail-like IDs for contacts that may be easier to remember than names or phone numbers.
Hardware of a stand alone IP phone
The overall hardware may look like telephone or mobile phone. An IP phone has the following hardware components.
- Speaker/ear phone and microphone
Key pad / touch pad to enter phone number and text (not used for ATAs).
- Display hardware to feedback user input and show caller-id/messages (not used for ATAs). - General purpose processor (GPP) to process application messages.
- DSP processor to process RTP messages, Generally IC manufacturers provides GPP and DSP in single chip.
- ADC and DAC converters: To convert voice to digital data and vice versa.
- Ethernet or wireless network hardware to send and receive messages on data network.
- Power source might be a battery or DC source. Some IP phones however run on Power over ethernet".
Other devices
There are several WiFi enabled mobile phones and PDAs that come pre-loaded with SIP clients or are at least capable of running IP telephony clients. Some IP phones may also support PSTN phone lines directly.
Analog telephony adapters
These are usually rectangular boxes that are connected to the internet or Local area network using an Ethernet port and have sockets to connect one or more PSTN phones. Such devices are sent out to customers who sign up with various commercial VoIP providers allowing them to continue using their existing PSTN based telephones.
Another type of gateway device acts as a simple GSM base station and regular mobile phones can connect to this and make VoIP calls. While a license is required to run one of these in most countries these can be useful on ships or remote areas where a low-powered gateway transmitting on unused frequencies is likely to go unnoticed.
It may have many features an analog doesn't support, such as e-mail-like IDs for contacts that may be easier to remember than names or phone numbers.
Hardware of a stand alone IP phone
The overall hardware may look like telephone or mobile phone. An IP phone has the following hardware components.
- Speaker/ear phone and microphone
Key pad / touch pad to enter phone number and text (not used for ATAs).
- Display hardware to feedback user input and show caller-id/messages (not used for ATAs). - General purpose processor (GPP) to process application messages.
- DSP processor to process RTP messages, Generally IC manufacturers provides GPP and DSP in single chip.
- ADC and DAC converters: To convert voice to digital data and vice versa.
- Ethernet or wireless network hardware to send and receive messages on data network.
- Power source might be a battery or DC source. Some IP phones however run on Power over ethernet".
Other devices
There are several WiFi enabled mobile phones and PDAs that come pre-loaded with SIP clients or are at least capable of running IP telephony clients. Some IP phones may also support PSTN phone lines directly.
Analog telephony adapters
These are usually rectangular boxes that are connected to the internet or Local area network using an Ethernet port and have sockets to connect one or more PSTN phones. Such devices are sent out to customers who sign up with various commercial VoIP providers allowing them to continue using their existing PSTN based telephones.
Another type of gateway device acts as a simple GSM base station and regular mobile phones can connect to this and make VoIP calls. While a license is required to run one of these in most countries these can be useful on ships or remote areas where a low-powered gateway transmitting on unused frequencies is likely to go unnoticed.
Voip History
Voice over Internet Protocol has been a subject of interest almost since the first computer network. By 1973, voice was being transmitted over the early Internet.
The technology for transmitting voice conversations over the internet has been available to end-users since at least the 1990's. In 1996, a shrink-wrapped software product called Vocaltec Internet Phone Release 4 provided VoIP, along with extra features such as voice mail and caller id. However, it did not offer a gateway to the analog POTS, so it was only possible to speak to other Vocaltec Internet Phone users.
In 1997, Level 3 began development of its first softswitch (a term they invented in 1998); softswitches were designed to replace a traditional hardware switchboards by serving as the gateway between two telephone networks.
The technology for transmitting voice conversations over the internet has been available to end-users since at least the 1990's. In 1996, a shrink-wrapped software product called Vocaltec Internet Phone Release 4 provided VoIP, along with extra features such as voice mail and caller id. However, it did not offer a gateway to the analog POTS, so it was only possible to speak to other Vocaltec Internet Phone users.
In 1997, Level 3 began development of its first softswitch (a term they invented in 1998); softswitches were designed to replace a traditional hardware switchboards by serving as the gateway between two telephone networks.
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