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In this article:
- What is VoIP
- Basic advantages & Drawbakcs of VoIP
- Issues with VoIP Implementation
What is VoIP?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It may also be referred to as IP Telephony, Internet telephony or Broadband Phone. It involves the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other Internet Protocol-based network.
VoIP uses certain special protocols to tranfer voice signals from one place to another on a network and these protocols are called ‘Voice over IP’ or ‘VoIP protocols’. A major inspiration for VoIP was the Network Voice Protocol developed in 1973 for use on the ARPANET.
Voice conversations using this technology are possilbe over any kind of IP network which may or may not be connected to the Internet.
Basic Advantages and Disadvantages of VoIP
VoIP has some advantages over other forms of communication as given below:
- Cost
The most important advantage of VoIP is that its use is free than a traditional telephony or other such voice communication service (eg. Public Switched Telephone Netoworks, PTSNs). This advantage is made possible due to the use of the same and often single network where some capacity is unutilized to carry a large amount of such voice data. This means that the free space on existing networks is put to use and there is no expenditure on new networks. It is notable that calls from a person using VoIP to another person using it are usually free but a call from such a person to usual telephone lines is charged for.
- Functionality
By the use of VoIP, it is possible to perform tasks otherwise difficult on the usual phone networks. This includes the following:
- VoIP allows receiving any incoming calls from any place in the world. This means that if one can connect to the Internet with his VoIP phone, he can be reached irrespective of where he is.
- VoIP can allow call centers to be opened at any location that have a fast Internet connection possible there.
- Many services that usually the traditional telephone network providers charge for, are available for free on VoIP such as Conferencing etc.
Some disadvantages of VoIP are as follows:
- A major limitation with VoIP at present is that faxes cannot be sent by using VoIP technology as of now.
- Another limitation of VoIP technology is that it has certain critical shortcomings that hinder its widespread usage. These have been discussed in the next section.
Issues with VoIP Implementation
Though VoIP maybe the technology of tomorrow, it still has certain issues that have be dealt with still. These issues are not only in the technology itself but are also due to the way VoIP is implemented, that is, network problems etc. These have been discussed below:
- Data Loss
There is no way to ensure that data has been delivered at the receiving end. This is an inherent problem with Internet Protocols which does not enable guaranteeing the delivery of data packets over a network and if it was done sequentially.
- Delays
When data packets travel over a network, it is very much possible that they do not reach the destination in a specified amount of time which is important for smooth communication. This is more so in VoIP as the data here is voice and pauses or delays in received voice signals is easily detectable as ‘glithes’.
- Reliability
Reliability is another major concern when using VoIP hardware. One factor that lets traditional telephone networks have an edge over VoIP is that they are reliable. This reliability is in the sense that connection over them is almost instant and they are not affected by power cuts or outages as some backup power is always available with the provider. This is contrary to VoIP equipment where usually, the power is provided by the user who, in the case of a power outage, cannot use such equipment.
- Emergency Calls
This is another major issue in implementing VoIP. Since VoIP allows calling from anywhere in the world, it is not possible for emergency services such as 911 to pin-point the location of a person and direct their call to the correct local station. Thus, emergency calls cannot be made over VoIP.
- Usability
VoIP depends on the network that it is used with. The reason why mobile phones have been successful is that the network coverage and reach is very wide. This is a problem in VoIP implementation as IP networks are still not as popular as mobile phone networks are. This limits the usage potential of VoIP.
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