What Is Internet Telephony? Getting beyond the VoIP Jargon
Pondering whether to take the plunge into making phone calls over the internet? Do you have trouble getting your head around all the complicated technical terms? Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology is being tipped as the technology that will rock the telecoms industry. Internet telephony digitises the sound of a human voice so that calls can be made via the internet. You can now make VoIP calls that cost a tiny amount of calls made through a standard line. It is revolutionizing the way that people communicate.
However, as often arises with new technologies, it is sometimes hard to make sense of what all the new terms and jargon involved mean. Consequently this article will try and make sense of the technical terms. So let’s get started on deciphering some of the jargon
? Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL): This is a data communications technology that allows high speed Internet to be delivered over the telephone network
? Broadband: This is a generic term for high speed Internet over cable or ADSL
? IP: This stands for Internet Protocol It is the standard that underpins all services on the Internet.
? Router: This is networking hardware device that “steers” data across a network or across the Internet. A router is needed to share an Internet connection between multiple devices
? Softphone: A softphone is a computer application that is used to provide telephony functions. It is often used in conjunction with a headset
Hopefully by explaining and simplifying some of the terminology that surrounds the VoIP services this article should help clarify what VoIP is about and the elements that are involved. Find the service that is right for you. Join the VoIP revolution and start enjoying cheap calls and other cool services!
