VoIP Phone Service - What Is It?

By Jim Francisto

Voice over Internet Protocol Phone service is known among people these days. VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol phone service is a service, which transfers your voice to the listener through the Internet. Voice is carried between the senders and receivers through IP packets. Specialized hardware is necessary for such phone facility.

With VoIP, you can call and also receive phone calls. This happens through a broadband connection. Using a Digital Terminal Adapter, you can use the VoIP phone service. You can connect several phones to your DTA box and use the phones at different locations. So, you can answer your calls from various places of your house.

How does it work?

VoIP works by digitalizing the voice. It digitalizes the voice and sends it in packets to the destinations where the digitalized voice is again reconverted to the normal voice. The digital form of voice can be compressed if necessary, routed and converted to other formats. These digital signals are superior because they can tolerate noise. VoIP sends the packets of digital data through networks using TCP/IP protocol.

Advantages

Transportability - You can use your Voice over Internet Protocol at any place. The DTA gets a phone number, after which you can use it with any broadband Internet connection. Just plug it and make and receive calls. You can use your DTA to call and receive calls around your country. In some cases the DTA works in other countries too.

Features

With VoIP phone service, you get several other functionality along with. The functionality that you get are voice mail, 3-way calling, Caller ID, Call Forwarding, Call Waiting, and On-Line Account Management.

There is no cost to these additions. You can simply get these features by updating the software.

Reliability and Quality

VoIP is reliable and quality is generally better. But, sometimes you may face problems like need to reboot the DTA, delay, voice quality problems etc, which can be corrected simply by tuning the network.

In case of VoIP phone service, you do not have to pay for the time you use. But in case of PSTN and other call services, you need to pay for the time you use the service. Again, you can talk to many persons at a time, transfer images, videos, and texts.

Both individual and businesses can use VoIP phone services. This will save a lot of money and time. But it's important to select the right VoIP phone service which best fits your needs.

Jim Francisto
has a master degree in IT and is a technical writer and business consultant
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Explore VOIP Phone Systems

By Harry Rockwell

The way we make phone calls is changing. In fact in many circumstances things have already changed. Take long distance calls for instance, many service providers are already using a technology called Voice Over IP or VOIP for short. If you have never heard of VOIP before, then the following article will change the way you think about how long distance phone calls are being made now, and about how all phone calls will be made in the future. Voice Over IP (VOIP) is a method for turning analogue audio signals into digital data that can be transferred over the internet.

You may be asking yourself how this is useful. Well think about it for a few seconds. If it is possible to turn analogue signals into digital data, then VOIP can turn a standard internet connection into a method for placing phone calls anywhere in the world virtually free, except for your internet service fee, enabling you to bypass the phone companies entirely.

Voice Over IP (VOIP) has the potential to completely revolutionise the way the worlds phone systems operate. There are many VOIP service providers that have been around for a while, and are growing steadily. Now the worlds leading telecommunications operators are waking up to the endless possibilities of this new technology, setting up VOIP calling centres around the world and promoting the sales of Voice Over IP phone systems.

voip - Take advantage of information on voip, voip service, conference software, providers, and voip providers. You will enjoy the research of voip netorking and providers.

VoIP in India Phone Market

By Preeti Doval

The VoIP phone market is growing at a phenomenal rate globally and the India phone market could not be left far behind. VoIP is picking up in the India phone market and it is expected to be the second largest market in the APAC after China. Looking at the numerous advantages that this technology offers this trend was certainly expected. The huge cost savings and the feature rich communication solution that this technology offers cannot be matched by traditional telephony.

As per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), approximately 160 million minutes of VoIP communication took place from June 04 to July 05 as compared to approximately 84 million minutes over the same period in the previous year. This growth rate is expected to speed up further in the coming years.

Growth of VoIP in the India phone market can be attributed to a large number of factors. Cheap and easy availability of broadband connections is one of the major factors that is driving this growth.

Today all major telecom operators in India are offering broadband connections at affordable rates thus empowering the user with high-speed Internet connections and favoring VoIP usage. According to the Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI), there were 5.9 million Internet subscribers and 3.9 lakh broadband connections, as on June 2005. The revenues from the Internet and Internet Telephony services for the first quarter in financial year 2005-06 amounted to approximately Rs 550 crore.

Another important factor is PC penetration, which has grown tremendously over the last decade in the country. Moreover, user awareness and acceptance has led to increased usage of VoIP.

The individual market in India is still gearing up but many of the large enterprises have already migrated to VoIP to make long distance calls and for internal communications.

Though VoIP usage is growing in the India phone market but a major factor that has restricted its growth is that use of this technology is still not fully legalized in India. VoIP in India is allowed for PC in India to a phone abroad, PC to PC anywhere and a SIP/H.323 device to a similar device in India or abroad. This means that the call cannot terminate at a normal phone within the country.

These restrictions have been imposed to protect the interests of International and National Long Distance operators who have paid huge license fees and continue to pay for their services.
Currently organizations like ISPAI are seeking unrestricted telephony access that would allow users to make calls from both mobile and landline numbers. Industry experts also feel that in rural areas, where laying cable is not possible, technology like Wi-Max should be allowed and ISPs should be given the flexibility to offer these services.

Once the government removes these restrictions and legalizes VoIP fully in India, the India phone market will undergo a major change. The service providers will be able to capitalize on the tremendous potential available in the country. The users and the industry will rejoice and reap the benefits of this new technology.

Copyright 2005 Bart Bartolozzi
About The Author :
Bart Bartolozzi is a strategic VoIP consultant with Blueskyphone and an expert on VoIP technology with over 15 years experience coordinating the development and marketing of new telecom and IT services and solutions. Mr. Bartolozzi has been dedicated to the development of the Voice over IP industry since its inception and has been responsible for expanding the use of IP technology for international arbitrage, PBX replacement, call center applications, and voice enhanced services for carriers, retail consumers and enterprise customers.
bart@eztelusa.com Article Source: http://www.blueskyphone.com

Make Free Internet Phone Calls With VoIP And Save A Ton Of Money On Phone Bills

By Clair Sandra

Have you heard all the buzz about VoIP?

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is an emerging technology which allows you to make telephone calls over the Internet � many times for free. It is already starting to replace existing telephone networks, with many people and businesses choosing to cancel their traditional phone line and use VoIP instead. Why? Price. Consumer are finding that they can save a lot of money using VoIP technologies.

Originally developed to provide voice communication between computer users in different locations, in recent years, VoIP has been further developed into a telephone network in its own right. People using VoIP can call any telephone anywhere in the world and can receive calls on telephone sets connected to the Internet.

Currently, there are quite a few VoIP services available for consumers to choose from. Some of these still rely on PC-to-PC connections but many VoIP providers offer other services such as PC-to-phone and phone-to-phone connection.

In order to use VoIP, both parties need a broadband connection. This is a high-speed Internet connection usually provided by a cable or DSL modem- broadband modems are usually used to connect computers to the Internet.

The simplest form of VoIP is a computer-to-computer voice connection. This is also the type of connection which allows users to make free phone calls over the Internet.

All that is required to make your first free call over the Internet is a computer, a headset consisting of earphones and microphone, and VoIP software. The VoIP software can be downloaded from the service provider�s site. The best thing is that most software packages are free and allow you to connect to any computer running the same software.

There is no charge for this type of connection and calls can be made to anywhere in the world free of charge. If you choose you could also use an Internet telephone that plugs into the sound card or USB port on your computer. However, this is an additional expense which is really not necessary.

Until recently, the major disadvantage with computer-to-computer calls was that both parties had to have the same kind of software installed in order to make a connection; but things are changing now and emerging technology is beginning to allow users to make calls to users utilizing different VoIP software. Almost every software package, however, has the ability to connect with landline or cellular phones.

How It Works

Although each VoIP software package is different, most VoIP software function the same way. Usually, you can call another person on the network by typing in their user name or number. If that person is online they will see a popup box alerting them that you want to talk. The other party can see who is calling and can choose to either accept or reject the call.

Before the popup appears, however, there has already been some communication between the two computers. The VoIP software has information about the speed of your Internet connection and the type of code that can be used to compress and decompress audio data. When a call request is made, both computers negotiate which code is going to be used to make allowances for the connection speed.

Other types of VoIP Services are available which allow you to make PC-to-Phone connections, and also calls that do not involve the use of your computer at all. Although these premium services vary in price, in most cases by using VoIP technology you will be saving a significant amount of money on your phone bills each month.

We show you how You CAN make cheap international calls and lower your phone bills through the use of cheap prepaid phone cards, call back services, cheap international phone cards, dial-arounds, VoIP, internet calling and more at http://www.make-cheap-international-phone-calls.com

How To Get More From Your VOIP Phone With Non-VOIP Friends

By Jon Arnold

Having a VOIP phone is absolutely good news. No more worrying about how long you�ve been talking to grandma or Aunt Louise at the other end of the country, knowing that your long distance bill at the end of the month may require a second mortgage. As a bit of background, a VOIP phone allows you to make and receive calls via your high-speed Internet connection, where a majority of households already have a high-speed Internet connection anyway, and this is just making additional use of it. VOIP phone service works exactly like a traditional phone, except that with most VOIP services, the price includes �unlimited� long distance minutes within the continental US. And all this for a price that is frequently lower than just the cost of getting a plain old dial tone from the phone company.

Oh, that �unlimited� thing? It�s not really unlimited. Most VOIP services will start to question you when you exceed about 3000 to 4000 long distance minutes in a month, thinking that maybe you are using it for business or perhaps even using an auto-dialer with it. But even so, unless you are a convicted talkaholic, that is more than enough minutes per month for most residential users. I mean, that is almost 2 hours of talk time every day for the entire month.

The biggest problem with VOIP, about 99% of the time, is not the VOIP service, but a crummy high-speed connection. Cable Internet is generally pretty good because it does not have a distance limitation, but DSL can get incredibly poor if your home is too far away from the DSL provider, like more than about 2.5 to 3 miles.

Ok, let�s say that you have good VOIP service and a good reliable high-speed Internet connection, how can you make better use of your VOIP service? One way that very few customers are aware of is via the use of Virtual Numbers. Some VOIP vendors provide as many virtual numbers as you want for a couple dollars a month. Others like SunRocket provide a virtual number for free with the service. Let�s look at how these work to your benefit.

Say you live in Chicago, so your VOIP phone has a local Chicago number. Now say your sister lives in Seattle and your grandma lives in Houston. You can call them for free with your unlimited VOIP service, but if they call you, since they do not have VOIP phone service, they are paying long distance charges.

So you get two virtual numbers from your VOIP vendor, which gives you a Seattle number and a Houston number. Yes, you get phone numbers that are LOCAL to Seattle and Houston, but when someone calls that number, the call rings at your VOIP phone at your house in Chicago. So now your sister in Seattle can call a local Seattle phone number (your virtual number) and your grandma in Houston can call a local Houston number, and in both cases the call will ring up your VOIP phone in Chicago. Is that cool or what?

Check with your VOIP vendor to see what the cost of a virtual number is from them, and then determine if it is worth the cost based on the long distance charges that your long distance non-VOIP friends would incur. You�re already making use of the latest technology with your VOIP phone service, so now just make use of all the functionality that it can offer you to your benefit.

Jon is a computer engineer who maintains many websites to pass along his knowledge and findings. You can read more about VOIP Service and VOIP Phones at his web site at http://www.voipinsideinfo.com

VoIP Phone Basics - Using VoIP With Your Existing Phone

By Kevin Nelson

If you're like most people considering switching over to VoIP phone service, you already understand the great value VoIP can provide as well as the cost savings. Let's face it, that's one of the main reasons people make the switch to VoIP.

But one of the things that often times holds people back is that they're worried about not being able to use their regular phone, perhaps being tied to a computer in order to make calls or having to buy expensive hardware that's compatible with their new phone service. Neither of those is a good option but you can breath a sigh of relief in knowing that your existing phone will work just fine with most of the major players in the VoIP market.

Connecting Your Existing Phone

When you sign up with you VoIP phone service provider, they will give you an adapter that allows you to use your existing phone with the new VoIP system. This means you don't have to worry about being tied to your computer or shelling out more money for additional hardware. The adapter will have several plugs for you to connect items to, including your phone, your computer and your Internet connection. The adapter does all the hard work of converting the phone signal so it's VoIP-compatible.

Activating Your VoIP Phone Service

Once you have your phone all set up, all you have to do is activate your service. Of course each provide has different ways of doing this so it's best to check their user guide to get the full details on this part, but usually this can be done via the Internet or over the phone. In addition, they can provide any troubleshooting tips if you hit a snag, but that's doubtful because regardless of which company you choose, the setup process is quite easy.

Enjoying VoIP Phone Service

Congratulations, you've just entered the exciting world of VoIP! After your service is activated, you can begin using your phone like normal. The only difference is now you'll probably have way more features and better service than you got from your local phone company.

Once you experience what it's like to have access to unlimited long distance calling anytime of the day, discount rates on international calls, voicemail, caller ID and other features all built-in to most VoIP calling plans, you'll quickly understand why millions of other consumers have switched to VoIP and why this new phone technology is increasing in popularity every day.

How long can you afford to pay higher phone bills each month? Find out more about how to choose a VoIP phone service that can help you keep more money in your pocket while you enjoy enhanced calling features your local phone company would nickel and dime you for. Find money-saving links to top-rated VoIP providers by visiting http://www.BuyersGuideToVoIP.com

VoIP - Getting Started With Voice Over IP

By Frank Owen

Finding Free VoIP On The Web

If you are interested in trying out Voice Over Internet Protocol the good news is you can upload some free software to try before you by. Many Internet sites offer free software that takes a matter of minutes to upload and start using. Even better, have a family member do the same and start calling one another using VoIP. This way you and your friend will start understanding how to use VoIP and the many advantages VoIP has to offer.

Just Google VoIP for a list of qualified providers. Most people are already making calls using VoIP without even realizing it. Phone companies have used VoIP technology for some time to route phone calls from one place to another. Many phone company's route calls through an IP Gateway. This reduces the amount of bandwidth they have to use when transferring calls to local switches.

VoIP Advantages

While IP phone use is just now making headlines, phone companies have known for some time that using VoIP is the most practical way to conduct business. Commercially VoIP has been doing well, now consumers just need to jump on the bandwagon and start learning how VoIP can benefit them when placing calls. Roughly 10 percent of the population is currently using VoIP technology. This is likely to change rapidly as consumers start realizing how beneficial digital data packets of information are when communicating. You can not only communicate over the net but store information, search, copy and combine converted data to use in any way you see fit. Corporations are slowly realizing that VoIP may offer competitive advantages. Consumers are starting to take advantage of the cost savings.

Article by Frank Owen, visit his web site on voip for more information on voice over ip http://www.voipresourcehub.com

VoIP Phone Service Saves you Money

By Jim Lotter

If you're wondering how to save big money on your phone bills, VoIP can help. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP has gone from little known a few years ago to widespread use today. Why are millions of business and residential customers using VoIP everyday?

VoIP does not need landlines to operate. If you have a broadband connection to the internet, you can call any phone, internet or landline in the country or around the world. Making phone calls using VoIP can save you quite a bit. Most residential users are charged $25 per month or less for unlimited calls made throughout America and only a few pennies per minute for international calls. If you want high quality calls without the high price look into VoIP.

VoIP provides some advantages not found on land-based lines, or traditional type cell phones. By taking your VoIP phone along with you on a trip, you can receive calls anywhere you can connect to the internet. This is great for business travelers who spend a lot of their time on the phone in hotel rooms, etc. VoIP phones can be easily used with other services available over the Internet, including video conferencing , text messaging and data transferal.

You can use VoIP very easily. Most service provider give you a phone adapter that is plugged into your broadband internet connect at home or special software for downloading onto your computer. By using either your computer or a regular landline phone attached to the adapter, you'll soon be making phone calls throughout the country or worldwide.

There a a few drawbacks associated with VoIP service. Emergency 911 calls are currently unavailable with some VoIP providers. Be sure you have a back-up plan for emergency situations. Also unlike those using a traditional land line phone, you will be dependant on electrical power and your computer to make your calls.

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