The traditional telephone system has been around for nearly a century and a half.  Its basic operation is simple: a voice signal is transmitted from a sending telephone, carried over a twisted pair of insulated wires, and then received on the over end of the line by another telephone. Ever since its invention, the telephone has granted any person the power to communicate with anyone he pleases— provided that both parties had telephones properly installed to the telephone network. This is the basic form of the telephone system, which is a simple enough concept in theory. The application of it however becomes a huge and expensive undertaking, as greater and greater distances between two conversationalists would require more and more wires travelling over endless stretches of hostile and nearly-inaccessible environments. Traditional telephone companies recover their expenses setting up these networks of twisted wires  by charging huge fees for providing such services to the public.

But all this was before the advent of a new technology, which has revolutionized the entire telecommunications industry. Taking the same principles of the traditional phone system, voice over IP or VoIP does away with the huge, cumbersome infrastructure needed to support voice calls, and replaces all those  it with the Internet. Now, voice calls are carried from person to person via the information superhighway, and is thus available to anyone with access to the Internet. The end result is fast, reliable voice calls at low cost. There’s a fairly good chance you’ve already been making VoIP calls if you frequently make long-distance calls. Major phone companies have been using VoIP networks to reduce their operations costs and streamline their networks.

Thanks to VoIP technology, you can make a phone call anywhere you have a broadband connection and the right kind of hardware. The most common use of the technology is through a desktop or laptop computer with a direct internet connection and properly installed VoIP software. But a growing number of users are turning to VoIP telephones. These specialized phones look very much like normal phones with a cradle, keys, and handset. But instead of connecting to a normal telephone jack, a VoIP telephone connects directly to a router with internet access, and has software inside the device that has all the features people have come to expect in a telephone. Features like call waiting, caller transfer and caller ID that traditional phone services would charge an additional fee for are included in VoIP phones and services.

Though still a relatively young technology, VoIP already displays a lot of promise. Wi-Fi-enabled VoIP telephones, VoIP cellphones, and even VoIP radio have been making their debuts in the consumer markets. With the coverage of web-connected areas ever increasing, there will soon be no limit to who you will be able to call using the inexpensive and convenient VoIP networks. With the advance of technology marching ever forward, expect the cost, convenience and quality of telecommunications to go in favor of the most important person: the user.

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Telephone Systems