Voip Overview - Net2Phone Max Series Sales Manual

VoIP Overview

Overview
Traditionally, phone calls have been made over a dedicated voice network. These calls are circuit switched in that
when a call is placed, a dedicated circuit is opened to transmit voice. On the other hand, a data network is one that
is packet switched. For example, when a call is placed, a source address sends data packets to a destination
address.
Very simply, VoIP enables the integration of voice and data on one existing network, transmitting voice utilizing
Internet Protocol. Voice is broken into pieces, encoded into individual data packets and then sent over a data
network. These data packets are then converted back from digital data to analog sound waves at the terminating
end.
VoIP primarily utilizes a private, managed network for its transmission, but can secondarily rely on the public
Internet for some transmission. Services that primarily use the public Internet are usually referred to as Internet
Telephony or Voice-over-the-Net (VON).
Advantages
As the transport costs are less expensive, VoIP can offer lower-cost calling than traditional voice networks. Lower
infrastructure costs for VoIP calling versus circuit switched calling can add to the savings.
VoIP can be seamlessly integrated into a current infrastructure and is access independent. Computers, standard
telephones, cellular phones, broadband connections, PDAs and home networking devices can all be used to access
VoIP calling.
In addition to voice, value-added telephony services can also be accessed to increase productivity. Services such as
voice activated dialing, unified messaging and voice email retrieval can all be accessed through VoIP technology.
Finally, VoIP has the advantage of sharing resources across an entire network. Thus, resources on a network are
not dedicated to a particular customer or product.
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