An Internet Phone uses the technology of VOIP: Voice Over Internet
Protocol for transmitting voice signals. VOIP can be used PC-to-Phone (or vice
versa) or Phone- to- Phone. Internet Phones digitise your voice and send it
over the internet to another phone or a computer through an adapter.
So what is the buzz about Internet Phones? First it was Bell's
harmonic telegraphy which eventually led to land line phones, then car phones,
then the stormy advent of mobile phones, and now the world is moving towards
calling facilities based on the internet. They are not all that complicated to
understand and use. In fact, once you get the hang of what they're all about,
they might just become your preferred means of communication.
An Internet Phone uses the technology of VOIP: Voice Over
Internet Protocol for transmitting voice signals. VOIP can be used PC-to-Phone
(or vice versa) or Phone- to- Phone. Internet Phones digitise your voice and
send it over the internet to another phone or a computer through an adapter.
Many companies have quickly realized the advantages of this system and have
started offering various plans for residential usage as well as business
communications.
One among its many advantages is that it offers highly
advanced features compared to regular phones, proving useful for both home and
corporate use. Caller ID and 3-way Conferencing facilities have become a thing
of the past; now you can look forward to Call Recording (for saving sweet
memories, reference or proof), Do Not Disturb facility (which forwards your
calls directly to Voicemail if you so wish) and Voicemail access over the web-
anywhere, anytime. For corporate plans, some services offer the IVR system- or
Interactive Voice Response system- which puts large volume of calls in auto
queue mode by giving pre-recorded options like “Press 1 for Features, Press 2
for Rates”. In fact, such corporate plans can even replace that very expensive
PBX system.
Along with these smart features, the internet-facilitated
phones come with much cheaper plan options. VOIP technology has been primarily
responsible for the drastic and recent drop in international calling rates.
Residential local plans may come as cheap as 5 pounds a month and international
calling plans as low as 10 pounds a month! Considering the amount of phone
bills you can save, especially if you have family living in other countries or
many of your clients are based overseas, the new rage of Internet Phones is a rather
tempting.
