Technology of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)

You may have heard about the VoIP project, or better yet, you may have received a new telephone with additional features and functionality.

Behind the trend of apps such as Line, Whatsapp and Skype on mobile phones, as well as voice-over-LTE (News - Alert) (VoLTE), is the trend toward voice-over-IP (VoIP). VoIP has gone from a glint in the eye of a handful of computer scientists to the future of calling.

Or, should we say VoIP has gone from one of several voice technologies to top of the list. VoIP has been around for awhile, but now it is king. Every day it rules a little more of our voice world since its benefits are so great.

VoIP as we now know it arguably arrived in 2003 with the emergence of Skype. By 2004, mass market VoIP plans began appearing and both consumers and businesses of all types began to discover the benefits of VoIP. However VoIP was invented back in 1973 when ARPANET created the experimental Network Voice Protocol. It took more than a decade before this protocol was turned into something useful, however; the first VoIP audio transceiver was invented and patented in1989.

Now, roughly 24 percent of American adult Internet users have used VoIP, and 14 percent have used it globally. Among smartphone and tablet users, 35 percent have a VoIP app installed.

VoIP is taking over the voice world because it wins on price, portability, a larger feature set and service mobility, among other reasons.

VoIP is digital, so it can deliver features that traditional phones just cannot manage cheaply or at all. These features include the ability to receive calls at any number of designated phones simultaneously, to selectively forward calls, to automatically transcribe voicemail in many cases, and a multitude of other benefits.

As the likes of Line and Whatsapp show, VoIP also leads to unified communications where voice integrates with chat, video, collaboration and presence services.

VoIP offers phone portability and mobility, too. The same number can be used virtually anywhere as long as there is IP connectivity. The phone service can follow a user wherever he or she travels.

The cost savings are also, of course, great with VoIP. Businesses can save up to 60 percent on calling, according to some estimates, with unlimited calling often running only $20 per month while traditional telephony costs between $35 and $45 per month.

Advantages of VoIP

• Peer to Peer Voice and Video
• Access for Remote Users
• Cost Reduction
• No Geographical Boundaries
• Efficient usage of Bandwidth

What started as a protocol in 1973 is now the future of calling. And it should be king for a long time to come because our lives are only getting more digital by the day.