voip technology

From a technical perspective it was the challenge of transmitting voice and video over networks, for businesses the key value of VoIP network s not just the ability to transmit voice over an IP network, but its capability of carrying video, and then being able to converge voice, video and data, this is a primary driver for corporate interest in the technology. The benefit of convergence should be fairly obvious: by using a single data network for all communications, it is possible to reduce the overall maintenance and deployment costs.

At present, most IP switching and routing equipment suppliers offer VoIP as either a standard or as an option on their mid-range and up equipment. Today there are two emerging standards for VoIP switching and gateways - SIP and H.323. The former primarily relates to end-user IP Telephony applications, whereas the latter is a new ITU standard for routing between the circuit-switched and packet-switched worlds used for termination of an IP originated call on the PSTN, but the converse is increasingly becoming common.

VoIPing with ATA (Analog Telephone Adaptor) provide one common way to use VoIP. ATA is an adaptor that converts the analog signal that is generated by your standard phone into a digital signal. It is this digital signal that is then sent over the Internet. The adaptor makes it possible for the user to connect a regular phone to the computer and then to the Internet. In some instances, it may be necessary to install some software to be able to make calls.

VoIPing with IP phones provides another option. IP phones have the feel and look of a normal telephone. IP phones are different in that all the bells and whistles are programmed into the phone. Also instead of plunging to a wall like a regular phone, IP phones plug into a router using an Ethernet connector. This feature saves you the trouble of software installation and also provides portability, since you can use your IP phone from other locations providing the same service.

You can also do VoIPing between computers. VoIP calls between two computers are called computer-to-computer calls. To do a computer-to-computer call, it is not necessary to have a service provider or a calling plan; what is needed is well executed VoIP software, a broadband or DSL internet connection, a speaker and a sound card to achieve near-toll quality reception . Except for the cost of purchasing your hardware and accessories and the cost of your Internet access, there are no other costs associated with making these calls, regardless of how many you make or how long they are. This makes these computer-to-computer calls virtually free.

Cost Reduction. Reducing long distance telephone costs is a good reason for implementing VoIP. The sharing of equipment and operations costs across both data and voice users can also improve network efficiency since excess bandwidth on one network can be used by the other, thereby creating economies of scale for voice (especially given the rapid growth in data traffic).

An integrated infrastructure that supports all forms of communication allows more standardization and reduces the total equipment complement. This combined infrastructure can support dynamic bandwidth optimization and a fault tolerant design. The differences between the traffic patterns of voice and data offer further opportunities for significant efficiency improvements.

Since people are the most significant cost elements in a network, any opportunity to combine operations, to eliminate points of failure, and to consolidate accounting systems would be beneficial. In the enterprise, SNMP-based management can be provided for both voice and data services using VoIP. Universal use of the IP protocols for all applications holds out the promise of both reduced complexity and more flexibility. Related facilities such as directory services and security services may be more easily shared.

The long-term benefit of VoIP is expected to be derived from multimedia and multiservice applications. For example, Internet commerce solutions can combine WWW access to information with a voice call button that allows immediate access to a call center agent from the PC. Needless to say, voice is an integral part of conferencing systems that may also include shared screens, whiteboarding, etc. Combining voice and data features into new applications will provide the greatest returns over the longer term. Videoconferencing also can be greatly enhanced.

Infynita has experience in the areas of VoIP and TAPI based telephony. We have created proprietary VoIP communication systems. Our current project is building a SIP based VoIP system to blend with a SIMPLE based messaging system to allow convergence of greater degree of communications. Our SIP based VoIP system will then bridge into PSTN systems for access to/from any telephone in the world. We are studying the possibility of using ENUM concepts to allow for call routing.