| Solutions : VOIP |
One of the outgrowths from the rapid deployment of broadband connectivity in the United States and abroad has been the accelerated adoption of VoIP. Independent industry analysts have noted that the historical adoption of VoIP to date indicates that it may follow a future growth trajectory equal to or greater than that of the expansion of broadband access to the Internet.
VoIP is a technology that enables voice communications over the Internet through the conversion of voice signals into data packets. The data packets are transmitted over the Internet and converted back into voice signals before reaching their recipient. The Internet has always used packet-switched technology to transmit information between two communicating terminals. For example, packet switching allows a personal computer to download a page from a web server or to send an e-mail message to another computer. VoIP allows for the transmission of voice signals over these same packet switched networks and, in doing so, provides an alternative to traditional telephone networks.
VoIP technology presents several advantages over the technology used in traditional wireline telephone networks that enable VoIP providers to operate with lower capital expenditures and operating costs while offering both traditional and innovative service features. Traditional networks, which require that each user's telephone be connected to a central office circuit switch, are expensive to build and maintain. In contrast, VoIP networks route calls over the Internet using either softswitches or software, both of which are less expensive than circuit switches. In addition, traditional wireline networks use dedicated circuits that allot fixed bandwidth to a call throughout its duration, whether or not the full bandwidth is being used throughout the call to transmit voice signals. VoIP networks use bandwidth more efficiently, allocating it instead based on usage at any given moment. VoIP technology also presents the opportunity to offer customers attractive features that traditional telephone networks cannot easily support, such as online call management and self-provisioning (the ability for customers to change or add service features online).
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