| your company network as the backbone for | | | | it is to the cubicle next door in head office. |
| making telephone calls is not a new concept, in | | | | Issues arose with internet telephony because of |
| fact it has been around for several years but | | | | the poor call quality which was frequently |
| recent developments in technology has increased | | | | experienced by users. Call quality has dramatically |
| the rate of adoption of internet telephony. | | | | improved with better technology and data |
| Internet telephony goes by numerous names and | | | | transmission techniques such that call quality is in |
| acronyms – VOIP, Voice Over IP (IP | | | | many instances just as good as a land line call. A |
| stands for Internet Protocol), IP telephony, | | | | further drawback was the inability to make |
| broadband telephony and VoBB (Voice Over | | | | telephone calls if the internet connection was |
| BroadBand). Skype is the first widely adopted | | | | down – as internet telephony relies on the |
| application which uses the internet backbone as | | | | internet backbone to transmit the call, if you |
| the basis for transmitting voice and video call data. | | | | cannot access the internet for whatever reason, |
| The advantages of internet telephony are | | | | you cannot use the internet telephony service. |
| numerous, not least the cost savings associated | | | | This has led to criticisms of VOIP for its lack of |
| with running telephone calls over the same | | | | redundancy but installations frequently run hand in |
| network as the company network and internet. | | | | hand with a fixed line system and still deliver |
| By combining the two applications – use of | | | | significant cost savings. |
| the web and making telephone calls – only | | | | Modern internet telephony systems use bandwidth |
| one network is required instead of two separate | | | | with a high degree of efficiency and as this limiting |
| telephony and IT networks. In a wider context, | | | | factor has now been removed, more and more |
| telephone and internet service providers (ISP's) | | | | businesses are performing the migration of their |
| can use their existing network, and network | | | | business telephone service to IP based services. It |
| security , infrastructure to deliver services to | | | | is not just the cost savings which can be |
| customers. This is why it is so common to find | | | | achieved which is the business driver but the |
| cable/telephone/internet access all bundled | | | | functionality which can be delivered. Internet |
| together from companies in the business and | | | | telephony encompasses much more than voice |
| domestic customer markets. | | | | calling and includes video and web conferencing, |
| The cost of making calls also drops significantly as | | | | interaction with email systems, multiple and |
| the internet (which is free) is simply being used to | | | | anywhere/any device utility for making and taking |
| transmit your call in the form of data which is | | | | calls, faxes and emails and much more. This is |
| reassembled at the other end of the connection. | | | | referred to as “unified |
| A user simply needs to pay for internet access | | | | communications” - treating any |
| and this bypasses the need to pay a telephone | | | | communication which can be made or taken using |
| company for the service. The cost savings | | | | any device and internet telephony provides the |
| become even more apparent when you consider | | | | basis for this merging of communications |
| that the internet backbone is just as capable of | | | | technology and application. |
| delivering your voice or video data to Australia as | | | | |