A couple of years ago not many people actually knew what Voice over Internet Protocol actually was or how did it function or what were its benefits, only experts in the fields of IT knew about its existence and its benefits. However the situation is slowly taking a turn. In the past people did not even know what certain abbreviations and terms meant, with the spread of VoIP services to the masses has resulted in some basic information to the public about Voice over IP or internet telephony.
The general public is under the impression that Voice over IP is a new technology, but it really is not a new technology. It was actually introduced more than a decade ago in the market, the fact of the matter is that the word regarding VoIP has recently started to spread.
Initially, VoIP was introduced by a company called Vocaltec. It allowed the users to make voice calls via your dial up internet connection using a PC. To make calls using your PC, the user had to be registered on a VoIP network/software. One of the first VoIP software that was introduced in the market was Net2Phone. The quality was nothing like what we have today but it was actually really captivating to know the fact that you can make voice calls to your friends using an internet connection. The version of VoIP that was introduced nearly a decade ago has been refined and re-tuned to match the current needs of the market.
Telecommunication giants have started to invest in the technology, maximizing the gains from VoIP systems. Besides VoIP systems being improved, one of the basic reasons why VoIP has been able to penetrate the market is because more than half of the market uses a high bandwidth internet connection. For VoIP to operate efficiently it needs a high bandwidth connection. Therefore the quality is much better than what we previously had and the service is far more reliable then it previously was. Due to the constant research and development in VoIP systems and its drastic improvements in quality and service, in the near future it is anticipated that it will become the preferred means of communication for residential and commercial use.
Most of the long distance calls today are made using a VoIP service. One of the reasons why VoIP has gained so much publicity is due to its ability to allow its users to make long distance calls and cheap rates. The number of internet phone users in U.S.A alone has touched the 18 million mark and it should be noted that still U.S.A is not the largest user of VoIP. Hundreds of users are switching to Voice over IP. This primarily due to the call rates and the features that users are getting for free.
Many new companies and telecommunication giants are trying to enter the VoIP market and trying to grab as much share as possible. Expansion of VoIP services has brought PSTN companies to their knees. PSTN companies are now offering unlimited long distance calls at competitive monthly rates. There is intense competition between VoIP and PSTN service providers. They are competing on the basis of monthly flat rates and features.
Due to this competition it has become very difficult to make the right choice because more or less the charges are almost the same besides the features that are offered with VoIP services. Therefore in order to determine which one is the right for you, it all comes down to factors such as installation costs, customer support and package deals.
If you are willing to switch to VoIP services than you should be sure of what you are actually looking for in a package, only then you will be able to make the right choice, however no matter what your requirement is, VoIP is the one for you.
