VoIP Phone Service Vs. Traditional telephone service: Understanding How It Works

Over the past 6 years have been watching online phone industry growth. With the explosive popularity of broadband or high speed internet access such as DSL, cable modem, or satellite, telephone service was a natural addition to applications to run over the Internet.

Many people are unaware that most of the major telephone companies to route their Internet long-distance calls and have had years ago. They use a protocol called SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) to offer Voice over IP (VoIP). The same protocol, there are many leading messaging applications such as Skype, MSN, AOL and so on ... For many years people have been using this protocol to speak on their computers using a program called "Softphones" over long distances. Softphones are basically computer programs that run on computers and computer sound card to use analog audio digital packets that can be made through the Internet, as well as voice. Then when a program or device, the other end can decode the packets and play them back. Of course, it goes both ways. So you can use it as a phone.

The same technology is embedded softphone small devices, known as analog telephone adapter or ATAS. These devices have become really popular over the past few years, and the quality of the devices has increased dramatically. ATAS basically connect a regular phone at home, on the one hand, and the other Internet. ATA acts as a gateway, to translate the sound from the phone to the SIP that goes through the Internet and, finally, the phone system, where it is to decode and transmit regular phones.

Many companies over the past 5 years trying to make a business plan, using ATA devices. Vonage's most popular. Vonage literally has spent $ 10 million in advertising and created a good market. In his latest adds to say that they are a million customers strong. I remember when they were only a few local markets. Many companies are following their own initiative, for example, USP Connect, Packet8 Sun Rocket, etc ... All these companies had agreements with ATT, MCI, WorldCom, and so on ... national and international carriers, for example, to transfer them to the SIP traffic, and vice versa. This allows them to offer a full residential telephone service over the Internet. Dirty little secret that telecommunications companies can not say that this is a whole lot cheaper than traditional analog phone systems to route SIP. Therefore, from these new companies do not have to pay for the copper telephone wire for ground, for example, most telephone companies, or large based on the analog switches, their prices are much cheaper. In addition, the Internet telephone system is not taxed, such as local telephone companies. It is not unusual to get phone service from $ 9.99 for 500 minutes per month, unlimited long distance and local calls $ 24.99. You may have to pay $ 2.00 or the federal excise tax, but not all the crazy fees and charges, such as the company begins to Qwest. It is impossible to understand the bill the most time with Qwest. Qwest, Verizon, SBC, Sprint and other local traditional telephone companies can charge more than $ 20 a month in taxes and fees. They advertise $ 20.00 per month special, but then add $ 20.00 taxes and fees that are never explained to you. They are also nasty habit of selling their phone numbers to telemarketers that inundate you until you get the National Non-Call list. On top of that they will charge you an additional coach. I am always amazed how people are brainwashed, I think they are getting a good deal $ 20.00 a month, when in fact it is more than $ 55 - $ 75 per month, taxes and additional packages.

Next thing you get with the new SIP phones all the bells and whistles, such as call waiting, call forwarding, voicemail and 3-way calling at no additional cost. It is only in their basic packages. International calls are also much cheaper as well. It is not unusual to be able to call Asia, 2 or 3 cents per minute or 1.5 cents per minute.

In addition, you can now take the ATA anywhere in the world and make another ATA over the world, on the same network is not far cost. All you need is a high-speed Internet access, and simply plug it in and connect it to your phone. You can get your local calls, anywhere.