User talk:Bentleybarker

VoIP stands for Voice Over IP. VoIP is the communication of people between IP addresses over the Internet. It was first used in 1995 as an alternative to the telephone. It works by converting a voice signal into a digital signal, and then travelling over the Internet as data. It then converts back into a voice signal through to the person on the other end. There are three main method of using VoIP. The first, and the original way, is to use a microphone plugged into the computer. There others are using a phone adapter or VoIP phone. The phone adapter is a device that converts your telephone signal so that you can use it for VoIP calls, while VoIP phones are similar to telephones, but are purpose built for VoIP calls. As well as calling between two computers, it is possible to phone a regular telephone using VoIP

VoIP can be significantly cheaper than using a regular telephone. As it uses computers and the IP addresses, there is no need to have a telephone line installed. This saves time, but also money. It is much cheaper to run from the provider's point of view because of this, and this saving is passed onto the customer. The cost savings is the main plus point for VoIP over regular telephones. There are particular savings on long distance calls. Due to the technology used, a long distance call costs the same as a local call. Businesses can save vast amounts by using VoIP.

Due to the fact that VoIP calls have to be converted into a digital signal and then back into a voice signal, there is sometimes a time delay between something being said and it being heard on the other end. Another disadvantage is that the voice quality is not as clear as with a regular telephone. The technology is improving though, and both these downsides are becoming less significant.

The future looks bright for VoIP providers. More and more people are using it (both individuals and businesses) and this trend looks set to continue in the future. The quality is not the same as a regular telephone, but it is improving all the time, and eventually it is likely to be as good as the telephone. Business is the area where the increase on VoIP usage has been the most dramatic in recent years. Businesses that make a large number of calls are benefitting the most. VoIP has become the preferred choice of phone technology for call centres. At present VoIP is some way off dominating the telecommunication market, but it is increasing fairly dramatically. It is possible that as the technology improves VoIP could take over and cause regular telephone's to become obsolete.