From looking at a Voice over IP (VoIP) telephone, it seems just the same as any other telephone you’ve used. Yet VoIP is causing such a stir in the world of telecoms that most analysts expect that VoIP phones will have replaced most traditional, analogue phones within seven years.
What is it that makes VoIP so special? It’s main difference is that it uses computer networks, and not the telephone network to make and receive telephone calls. With VoIP, calls are digitally routed across networks, such as the Internet, to their destination - be that another VoIP phone somewhere, or onto a normal telephone anywhere in the world.
By using the internet to carry telephone calls as opposed to the normal telephone network it’s possible to talk to anyone, anywhere for free. The concept of free calls is how most people become aware of VoIP, with services such as the hugely popular Skype software on PC’s encouraging people to talk using their computers. But while Skype is popular, it’s simply not suitable for business use – and it’s certainly never going to replace your business or mobile phone.
VoIP: Ultimate flexibility
VoIP is actually used by most big businesses already. And with companies such as ourselves, it’s now possible for small businesses and individuals to gain access to real, business class telephone services that deliver the flexibility VoIP provides at a cost lower than a traditional telephone socket from BT. In fact, the free calls aspect of VoIP overshadows the more interesting things we like to talk about when explaining how great VoIP can be – so here’s some examples;
Where companies are moving office, expanding, or just want a virtual presence in another location we provide telephone numbers that would not normally be possible to obtain. Put a Bristol telephone number in London for example, or put that Bristol telephone number in an apartment in Barcelona. Or how about a Spanish phone number in an office in New York? VoIP makes any of these scenarios (and much more) easily possible – completely removing the traditional notion that the area code in a telephone number tells you where a phone will be ringing when you call it. Now you can have any telephone number you want, ringing a telephone anywhere you want it too.
In fact, you don’t even need VoIP telephones to benefit from some amazing features. Through companies such as ourselves, we make it possible for you to buy a telephone number in any one of the UK’s 650 area codes, and have that number diverted to anywhere you wish. We can provide numbers in Spain, France, USA and many other countries for use as you please – in that country or elsewhere – it’s now your choice.
These capabilities are perfect for people moving, travelling or just wanting a single number they can take with them where-ever they need it. By retaining a UK number friends, family and colleagues can call a number that’s local to them, with no additional expense and have that number reach its owner no matter where that person moves to.
It’s even possible to use VoIP in conjunction with a mobile phone and avoid having to pay expensive roaming fee’s, regardless of which country you use it. This can often save you a good proportion of your mobile phone bill when abroad – and even though the EU is forcing mobile providers to reduce their roaming charges, they still account for a significant expense during overseas travel.
There’s so much more that VoIP can do, and I hope that this gives you a taste of just how powerful VoIP can be, and that you don’t need to understand how it works to be able to benefit from the unique flexibility, powerful features and significant cost savings it can provide.