Smart-Phone-Cards Blog

To make international calls at cheap rates, many people are using VOIP services at home where they login to their favorite messenger and start calling their international friends. This is called voice over broadband and the same technology can be extended to use your normal telephone to make international calls at low price. You no more need to have headsets and microphone to call your international friends using VOIP service. Your broadband internet connection connects your traditional telephone line to the service provider’s computer and allows you to make cheap international calls.

Benefits of voice over broadband

The greatest benefit is the savings you can make on your telephone bills. Voice over broadband allows you to make unlimited local and international calls for which the traditional telephone service provider will cost a huge sum of money. Extra services like voice mail, call wait and conference calling facilities are also provided at no extra charge. The voice over broadband is gaining popularity because you don’t have to buy additional equipments to use the service. You can use your existing broadband connection together with the traditional phone equipment to make cheap international calls.

How voice over broadband works?

To use voice over broadband without a computer, you need a phone with an adapter or a special VOIP phone. This device is connected to your broadband connection to send and receive data packets. The voice message is converted into digital packets, and it is sent to the receiving end. The receiving place converts these digital signals into voice signal and makes your message available at the other end. The same technology is used when you use computers to make international calls using special VOIP software like skype. Wherever you have internet connection, you can easily call other computers and phones using your computer.

Local and international calls with voice over broadband

There is no main difference between local and international calls when you use voice over broadband. The call rate depends on the distance between your location and the destination. Most VOIP providers allow you to make free calls between the subscribers. The VOIP software allows you to call another computer from your computer for free irrespective of the distance. This allows you to call your international friends for free as long as they have a computer connected to internet connection. Some VOIP providers offer a flat rate for all calls for a specific number of minutes.

Challenges faced by voice over broadband

As VOIP technology uses broadband connection, the voice quality depends on the available bandwidth. Network latency creates a delay in the reception of voice signals. Sometimes, the digital packets sent over the internet are lost somewhere resulting in loss of data. The reliability of VOIP service depends on the VOIP provider you choose. The provider must have a backup power source to connect your call incase of power failures. Security is the major concern while using VOIP technology. In the past, it was not possible to make emergency calls using voice over broadband because the geographical location of the caller could not be identified. Now VOIP enhanced 911 allows US citizens to make emergency calls from their VOIP phone.

The enterprises show interest in the new concept called unified communication which simplifies their telecommunication job. The invention of telecom devices has revolutionized the way the world communicates. People are now tired with the varied telecom devices used for different purposes. The connectivity and similarity of telecom devices encourage the enterprises to have a vision about unified communication integrating all the telecommunication tasks. The VOIP technology makes it possible to send voice and data at the same time, paving a way for the unified communications. This unified communications (UC) technology provides real time connectivity to every part of the world at low cost.

Unified communication means integration

Integration of voice and data on a single wired circuit infrastructure has eliminated the business cost for many companies. VOIP technology has led to the concept of UC that sends data and voice over the same wire. This convergence has made the experts think about a unified platform to use for all communications. This means video conferencing, mail service, call conferencing, call waiting, business telephone features, voice commands to control business processes can all be operated using the same single platform. This reduces the number of devices in the office, but it increases flexibility and convenience. When connectivity is improved, the productivity can also be improved. This is the reason behind the enterprises searching for such a unified system.

Unified communications is not a product

It is now time to discuss what UC does not include. The need for a unified platform does not mean that a new device has to be invented. It is the new architecture and platform that has to be designed to bring about integration of the existing devices. The telecommunication industry already has many devices that have to be integrated. UC will have no use if the enterprises have to use a set of new devices to integrate the communication system. For many, UC includes a set of products to integrate various telecom devices. A new platform and architecture to bring about the necessary integration is now under development.

Challenges faced by unified communications

The VOIP technology assures that it is possible to integrate voice and data, but the technology isn’t fully developed. This technology is not matured to handle integration of all possible telecommunication systems. Unifying the entire system is complex because the businesses already have the telecommunication infrastructure comprising of all the telecommunication devices. Convergence has been achieved to some extent where the devices share the same resources in the network. The technical world is now working on the fully converged network, which supports both voice and data. The mobile devices operate on different technology, which makes convergence a difficult task. However, the mobile companies started developing devices suitable for integration with the existing telecommunication network. Unified communications is sure to simplify the communication, but it is going to incur a lot of set up cost in the initial phase wherein the underlying telecommunication platform and architecture has to be replaced with the new system.

Running a business is a tough task and most business owners try to reduce the business cost to increase their profit. Telephone services are essential for any business and international calling has become an integral part of the business irrespective of its size. Traditional telephone services costs more to make international calls which in turn increases your business cost. Further, many value added services like videoconferencing, call waiting, voice mail messages, are important if you are serious about your business. The essential and value added telephone services will be available for your business at low cost when you use the VOIP service.

Advantages of VOIP over traditional telephone services

The VOIP providers will give you a one-stop platform for all telephonic needs. Once the essential hardware and software are installed, you can start enjoying the benefits of VOIP. It is possible to call international numbers at low rates, making VOIP the essential choice for any business. Some providers give other value added services like call waiting, three-way conferencing and caller id to make business communication easier.

With the VOIP platform, you can extend the business line and give a separate communication line to your employees. They can use the VOIP services in their existing phone equipment and stay connected even if they relocate. To use the VOIP service, they must connect their phone device to the internet and start talking. This facility will save a lot of money because you have to spend huge money when you want this feature using traditional telephonic services.

The best part with VOIP platform is that you can integrate your existing equipments to the new VOIP device. An additional adapter has to be bought for necessary conversion. This reduces the set up cost to use VOIP services. Many VOIP providers will give you a software client which can be loaded in your computer. With this software, you can call international and local numbers without having to use the phone device.

Every business needs voice mail and fax services. Rather than paying extra fees for these services with traditional system, you can use VOIP and save money. The Traditional telephonic system wants installing extra lines to use these services. The VOIP providers can give you fax services without the need for any extra lines and so, the cost is low. The VOIP platform can be set up to call several numbers before directing the call to a voice mail number. This will ensure that you don’t miss even a single call from your customer.

The savings you make with VOIP depend on the size and complexity of your business. A small business with no branches will save little money, but you can see huge savings with a big business. Many small businesses are switching to using VOIP platform because it allows easy expansion. The savings depend on the VOIP provider you choose. It is important to know your business needs and choose the calling plan accordingly. Never compromise with the quality of the service for the cost. Whatever may be your business, if you want to save on your telephone bills, it is now time to switchover to VOIP services.

See Also: International Calling Cards, China Calling Cards