From PSTN To VoIP

From PSTN To VoIP

Our world is going through constant changes from the technological point of view, some of them so extreme and fast, that it is not at all uncommon to hear people complaining that they can no longer keep up with these advances. Some changes are slow and easily predictable, others happen almost overnight. At the end of the 20th century, a new technology for telecommunications emerged, with seemingly reduced chances of challenging the consolidated position of standard telephony. Named VoIP, or voice over Internet Protocol, this technology has improved so much and so fast, that it took less than ten years before people started saying goodbye to their old telephones and migrating to Internet Telephony.

If we want explanations for the success of VoIP, we can find them in the attractiveness of the service, but also in people’s preference for modern devices: computers are becoming quite common objects in people’s homes and broadband Internet connections are not at all unusual anymore. The step from that to VoIP is very short.

For so many years, telephony meant the ability to speak to someone over a long distance, provided that both persons were near a phone (whose location could only be changed as far as the cord allowed it) and that at least the person calling knew exactly where the other one was. Then came cellular telephony, which finally allowed people to be mobile without becoming unreachable. There is just one problem with cellular phones: calling was rather expensive, and if you had to travel to another country, roaming charges were high enough to persuade anyone to make a careful selection of which calls to take and which to reject.

VoIP solved that problem. For the first time, calling was either very inexpensive or even free of charge. The technology made its appearance in the late 1990’s, first as a means of communication between computer users. There were many programs available for free on the Internet, which enabled people to make calls to other computers, and then to regular telephones as well, for no charge.

Almost all of those programs now charge a small fee for PC-to-phone calls. One of them, Ad Calls, does offer some free calling. As you dial the numbers, some ads will be displayed. Viewing those ads is the only thing that is expected of you. However, you can only make free calls in the U.S. and Canada and the duration of one call cannot exceed 10 minutes. Another limitation is that there is no 911 and toll-free number access. However, it will give you an idea of what VoIP means, so that you can decide if you want to get a subscription.

For another example of VoIP, you can try one of the popular instant messaging programs that you can download for free from the Internet: Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, or Google Talk. You’ll be able to talk for free with people running the same messaging program. If you have a webcam, you can let them see you too.

Skype is among the programs that contributed to writing the VoIP history. Pc-to-PC calls are free. In exchange for a small prepaid fee, Skype will let you call a landline telephone from your computer, or give you a VoIP number so that people will be able to call your computer from landline telephones.

Most people will prefer, however, to use a phone instead of the computer. Some major Internet telephony companies have already appeared on the market. Vonage is among the best known VoIP providers, though not by far the only one. If you decide to sign up, you should take some time to review the plans different providers have. These vary as far as the fees and the services is concerned. By comparing as many of them as you can find, you’ll be able to find the best one for you.

Even PSTN and cellular service providers are branching out into VoIP, which should serve as a recognition of this technology’s potential. It’s a sign that VoIP has good chances of becoming the new standard in telephony in a not very distant future. The new Voice Wing plan from Verizon and the VoWiFi phones launched by Cingular Wireless are good examples of that.

Due to its versatility, ease of operation, and low costs, it is likely that VoIP will continue to grow. PSTN telephones might one day be nothing more than an icon of 20th century telecommunications.

News

From PSTN To VoIP

Research and Markets ( www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5f25dd/voip_voice_and_fax ) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new report "VoIP Voice and Fax Signal Processing" to their offering. This book is a complete reference on ...

Research and Markets: This Essential VoIP Voice and Fax Signal ... - PR Inside

The high precision clock in SmartNode digital VOIP IADs preserves DECT, PBX, and fax functionality when converting ISDN telephony systems to voice over IP. [ Johannesburg, 25 November 2008 ] - Patton, the leader in business-class network access ...

Patton solves VOIP interoperability challenges for DECT, PBX, and FAX ... - ITWeb

Just in the world of voice, the proliferation of packet-based communications using the now nearly-ubiquitous Internet Protocol (Voice over IP or VoIP) has led to bypass of the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network. With origination and ...