IP telephone points to any phone system which uses an internet connection for sending and receiving voice data. IP phones link to the network using a router and a modem, as opposed to traditional telephones, which send analogue signals through landlines. The first publicly available IP telephony solutions arrived on the market as early as 1995. But when you compare it to a standard phone system it has low audio quality and was prohibitive expensive.
Since that point in time, internet-based technology has evolved by leaps and bounds. IP telephonic solutions, cheap running costs and advanced business phone features. Even the need for upfront investment is on the lesser side.
How does IP Telephony work?
IP telephone systems use the internet protocol or digital protocols to transfer voice communication over the internet. If you are using an IP PBX system the data is transferred digitally on a local area network( LAN). It is then transferred to analogue voice signals and send to the PSTN. Due to the higher hardware and installation costs, IP PBAX no longer happens to be the existing solution.
Due to all of these factors, VoIP has emerged as the most widely used IP phone service.. It allows the business to cash in on the benefits of PBX features without hardware installation on-site.
The breakdown of how VOIP works
When hosted VOIP the IP sends digital data over the internet to your provider. The provider is known to handle the routing of the calls, call queries and everything on the cloud. With the aid of SIP trunking, you connect a legacy IP PBX to a modern VOIP provider to take advantage of the missing features.
The difference between VOIP and IP telephony
Though the terms are used interchangeably there is a subtle difference between both of them. IP telephony solutions describe any technology, including fax machines and other devices, that is integrated into the internet-based telecommunications network.
Earlier the term VOIP was more specific. It refers to the technology that is used to make and receive phone calls over the Internet.
In recent times VOIP providers and telecommunication companies have started to use these systems interchangeably. IT telephony and VOIP both cover phone systems that use a LAN to connect to the internet via a modem and router.
VOIP protocols and audio codecs
IP telephony relies on a variety of open-source protocols to transfer data from the phone to the service provider. Below are the three common
- SIP Protocol
- H.323 Protocol
- RTP/ RTCP Protocols
Which protocols IP telephony uses is dependent upon the phone system is set up and your VOIP provider. In effectively sending voice data over the internet, you have to find a way to compress and decompress it. Since phones streamline data in real time and the focus is on real voices, they would not be able to use general codes like MP3.
Most IP telephony service providers use the specialised G.711u codec that is the same as the new digitalized PSTN. More in depth information can be obtained on VOIP codecs if you are interested to find more information about the call quality.
IP telephone benefits for your business
VOIP technology is taking over the business communications market. More than 79% of businesses have at least one location that uses VoIP phones. The question that arises is why businesses are looking to make a switch. Below are a few primary benefits
Up to 60 % cheaper than landlines
To begin with, VOIP is far less expensive than standard commercial plans. When compared to an equivalent company IP phone system, making the transition to an unlimited VoIP service results in a 60% cost savings.
More features without extra hardware
IP telephone enables a business to access advanced features where there is no need to invest in extra hardware. A few of the examples are
- Auto attendant
- Call queues
- Call Pop
- Call recording
- IVR
- Advanced call routing
- Video conferencing
- Instant messaging
It is better to choose advanced enterprise plans that include all the VOIP features or upgrade your plan with the necessities you need.
Easy integration with CRM and other business tools
VOIP also makes it easy to integrate voice communications with your CRM and other business tools. The ability to centralize data and provide consistent customer service across multiple channels. This makes IP telephony solutions and VOIP a no brainer for various business.
The reasons why you need to use IP telephony
In the primitive days of VOIP you may require expensive on – site hardware like PBX server and on-site hardware like VOIP gateways., Though times have changed with the use of quality VOIP service the requirements are minimal. Just you require is a reliable internet connection and robust network set up. To find out if you need a require internet connection you can read more about how much data VOIP uses.
To conclude it is better that you choose a professional IP telephony company. There are known to be using multi line phone system with business in phone system. For the companies that require unified communications there are enterprise plans on offer. Their amazing team would be at each and every step of the way and ensure that the switch to VOIP is seamless.