by Glow Networks
Voice over Internet protocol or VOIP is a revolutionary new technology that has changed the way people communicate with each other. VOIP has made a significant impact in changing the nature of communication in formal and informal situations. It is a concept that has gained popularity very quickly. Although VOIP is a cheap method of communication, it has not been developed to its fullest potential because it uses low bandwidth, and inadequate tools.
How it works. VOIP works by transmitting voices over the Internet. In this process of transmission, the data is converted into packets, which are then transmitted over the web. When the Internet speed is low, reception is not clear and data may even be lost. VOIP was brought into the market as an economical alternative to the Public Switched Telephone Network or PSTN service which was much more expensive. The fact that it was economical tended to compensate for the low quality.
Economical choice. So let’s take a look at VOIP and what makes it such an attractive choice. Basically, VOIP offers you the simplest way to make better use of your telephone and is ideal for homes or small offices. You will surely agree that making use of low cost VOIP services on your existing telephone connection makes much better sense.
Why go through the headache of putting in an additional telephone line of the conventional kind, all the attendant irritations of being at the mercy of the technician, not to mention the expense all of this will involve? Wouldn’t it make more sense to utilize the VOIP service over your existing telephone connection?
VOIP services are proliferating rapidly in different parts of the world these days. There are two broad categories of VOIP service. One of these enables you to make calls from your computer to a mobile phone or fixed line. The other facilitates calls from one computer to another. Because VOIP technology is continuing to evolve, it is still going through a process of change. Here are some of the ways in which it can be used.
Calls from one computer to another: In this kind of connection, both callers are able to communicate with each other, sitting at their respective computers. This is a tried and tested connection and has been in use almost since the Internet was first developed. What generally happens in this case is that both parties are equipped with headphones and a microphone.
You can also make use of the built in microphone on the computer along with separate speakers, but you may be troubled by an echo, as the sound that comes from the speakers is channeled back to the mike. When this happens, the conversation is interrupted.
Calls from computer to phone: This kind of connection is often used by people who frequently make international calls. There are various services available through which you can get to make overseas calls relatively cheap. Once again, using headphones and a mike along with a VOIP phone or IP adapter, you can log onto a server. The server connects to a landline exchange in the country you’re calling and from there to the number you want.
Session Initiation Protocol: This method, also known as SIP to SIP, is used for calls between two parties outside the normal landline connection. Both parties can use special SIP phones, standard handsets connected to an Internet telephony adapter or a computer with the appropriate software.
Calls from one phone to another: You can use this kind of VOIP service to call any telephone number you want – even a regular landline number.
VOIP services are useful because you can substitute your landline phone with one that gives you a connection over the Internet through a modem or cable. VOIP is a full-fledged service, network based and offering all the features of a regular telephone service. The difference is that there is no need for dependence on any other party to operate it.
How it works. One way to explain how VOIP works would be to use a popular, existing service as an example and describe how it works. Skype, for example, is a basic service that people can use to communicate from one computer to another, verbally or through messages or files that can be sent over the Internet free of cost. As many as 100 users can be accommodated in conference calls. Skype out is a facility of the Skype Internet telephony service through which Skype users can call almost any other landline or mobile phone anywhere else in the world.
While international calls made from conventional telephones are normally charged on the basis of the distance between the countries, the SkypeOut system charges calls on the basis of the degree of telecom liberalisation of the destination country, as well as the number of calls to and from the country in question. This system also takes into account access charges such as those that apply to cell phones. Skype Out charges all calls at the same rate, irrespective of where they came from.
You can use Skype to reach numbers in Britain, France, Poland and freephone numbers in the United States without purchasing credit. The SkypeIn feature permits users to receive calls on their computers dialed by landline subscribers to landline numbers. Users of SkypeIn can have any number of SkypeIn phone numbers linked to the same account, each with a separate subscription. For instance, if you have business dealings in both San Francisco and Helsinki you could have a local telephone number in both cities, so that callers from those cities would be entitled to free calls or cheap local rates
VOIP Technical Issues: There are various security issues connected with VOIP networks as well. It is expected that these problems will be resolved in due course as VOIP continues to grow and mature. Many technology companies continue to improve the technology by focusing on fixing some of the inherent issues.
Improving the technology is one aspect of the problem – deploying the network efficiently so that as minimum a number of calls are dropped is another part of the bigger problem. In VOIP networks, the efficient design and deployment of the network determine the voice quality as much as the technology itself.
One company that has had a considerable impact on developments in telecom system integration and network engineering is Glow Networks (www.glownetworks.com).. The company was founded by Dr. Jay Srinivasan and has specialized in this field. Glow Networks, which is headquartered in Richardson, Texas, has a presence in India as well as other countries in the Far East. Glow Networks also has a presence in Canada.
Glow Networks continues to see growth in the deployment of softswitch-based VOIP networks. As these deployments grow, demand for system integration and network engineering services will also grow.
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