What is VoIP?

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP is simply the technology that converts voice signals into a digitally transmitted signal, then transmitting the same information over an IP network. When VoIP was first introduced in the year 2021, it was a revolution in telecommunications as it offered significant cost savings over traditional telephone communication systems. Because of this, many businesses chose to implement VoIP systems. There are a number of VoIP providers, however, and not all VoIP plans are created equal.

There are two types of VoIP providers;

ones that use the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and ones which use a proprietary private telephone network (PSTN). A majority of VoIP providers use the former, however there are a select few who use the latter. Hosted PBX services which use a PSTN are known as Softswitch, while softswitch-based VoIP phones are called SoftSIP. Hosted PBX solutions use a software program to integrate all functions from the PBX including call detail, voicemail, fax, call waiting, caller ID, call return, and so on.

The primary benefits of Softswitch over Softswitch based VoIP options are: flexibility and security. Softswitch based phone services allow the user to run multiple lines from the same IP-based system. In other words, users can have Softswitch phone services integrated with their existing PSTN. Unlike Softswitch solutions, hosted Pbx softphone solutions utilize IP telephones via a single network card and the same hardware and software applications. The primary difference between Softswitch and hosted Pbx solutions is that Softswitch uses a software program to hosted Pbx systems use hardware and software to connect to the networks.

A lot of small-office phone systems use open source softswitch gateways which can be found in various repository sites over the internet. Such gateways allow the use of third-party components such as RTP and UPnP. Gateways can be used to implement security features as well, for instance enabling VoIP calls to be forwarded from private networks such as the workplace.

There are various benefits of using VoIP for small businesses. One major benefit of using this type of phone service is that it allows for an expansion of business which would not have been possible if businesses had been using analog phones. Small businesses have access to international markets, which would not have been possible using an analog phone. VoIP also offers businesses additional features such as automated attendant, call forwarding, and call waiting, which are otherwise unavailable. For example, most large corporations are still using telephones to communicate internally instead of using email and IP based conferencing. However, by using a hosted VoIP service any such communication costs which would have been incurred with the use of conventional phone systems would be eliminated.

The costs involved with setting up a VoIP Phone Service and then using it for a small business may seem to be rather high. In fact, there are many providers who offer a free trial period. This allows for the user to evaluate the service and determine if it meets their specific requirements before committing to a long term agreement with a VoIP Phone Service provider. This trial offer varies between providers but usually lasts for a few months. This is normally well worth the initial investment made as there are no up front costs to evaluate. Many businesses have found that they were able to save significant amounts of money during this period.

There are several different ways in which a small business can get started with a VoIP Phone Service.

There are two types of VoIP Phone Service providers. These are the on premise dedicated VoIP providers and the cloud-based VoIP service providers. Both offer their users a great value and allow them to make international calls without having to pay much for the calls. There is a choice between using a handset or a mobile device. With a handset, many businesses are able to make calls from anywhere in the world at an affordable cost.

  • With a cloud-based VoIP Phone Service, a business will only need a broadband internet connection to make calls.
  • Therefore, this type of VoIP Phone Service is perfect for many businesses which do not have a traditional phone line.
  • However, this type of VoIP Phone Service does not provide the same functionality that can be gained by having a traditional phone line.
  • Also, the majority of cloud services only provide the ability to make calls via the internet which means that all customer data will need to be stored on a secure, private server and will not be visible to other users.