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In this article we will discuss Internet telephony,
what it is, the reasons behind its mushrooming popularity and how it can
benefit you. There was a time when we would look upon international calls or
ISD calls with reverence. It was a big thing to receive a long distance call
from a friend or relative in New York, London or some equally far away
place. For me it was virtually an event when I had to call someone in
another country. But the Internet and the revolution it led to changed all
of this. Today, I don’t even think twice before using the medium of the
Internet to dial friends in the U.S or for that matter anywhere else in the
world.
What It Is
Let us begin by defining what Internet Telephony actually is:
Internet telephony refers to communications
services—voice, facsimile, and/or voice-messaging applications—that are
transported via the Internet, rather than the public switched telephone
network (PSTN). The basic steps involved in originating an Internet
telephone call are conversion of the analog voice signal to digital format
and compression/translation of the signal into Internet protocol (IP)
packets for transmission over the Internet; the process is reversed at the
receiving end.
How It Works
There are two types of calls that are popularly made.
The first type are PC –to- Phone calls, which are made when one person
uses his PC and an Internet connection to reach and connect to the regular
phone or landline of another person. The other type are PC- to- PC calls
that are made using a particular type of software to another person who will
have the same type of software installed on his machine. Here's how it
works.
PC-to-Phone:
You initiate the phone call on your computer. The signal travels over the
Internet to a telephone switch close to the number you have called where it
is converted into a local phone call. You speak into your computer's
microphone and listen to your computer's speakers. The call recipient uses
their telephone handset as usual.
PC-to-PC:
There is another method. You can make a phone call computer to computer. To
receive the call, the person you are calling must be connected to the
Internet and be running the same software you use to make the call. In this
case both parties will use their computer microphones and speakers to
communicate with each other. I've found that the quality is usually a little
better on this type of connection for some reason.
The
Downside
Considering
the potential cost savings, why isn't everyone using the Net to phone home?
The main problem is voice quality. You will often hear VoIP (Voice over
Internet Protocol) calls described as being "cellular-quality."
And that's pretty accurate -- if you have a lot of cellular problems in your
area.
Voices on VoIP are, at best, clipped, with the
occasional bit of static and noise mixed in, making a conversation over your
PC sound like it's happening over a cheap speakerphone. At worst, words get
chopped off, and volume levels waver, rendering speech unintelligible.
There
are several reasons for this poor quality. First, the Internet was not
designed to handle a consistent flow of data traffic, so getting all the
packets of voice data from one end to the other in a smooth and timely
fashion can be tricky. Some sections of the Net may be fast, while others
are plagued by bottlenecks, which plays havoc with the sound of your voice.
Calls made late at night often work well, but you'll notice a distinct
deterioration in quality if you place a call in the afternoon in the middle
of the workweek.
Another
issue with PC-to-PC calls is the computer’s themselves. Using a
speaker-and-microphone combination can cause considerable feedback, unless
you're careful with the volume controls or use the Push to Talk option often
available with these services. Naturally, the more applications you run
during a phone call, the more you'll affect the overall performance and the
ability of your PC to manage a smooth data flow.
Making
a phone call with VoIP can also be a hassle. PC-to-PC calls may be free, but
the other person has to be online at the same time and using the same
software, which makes finding another VoIP user awkward. With Microsoft’s
NetMeeting software for example, you have to sift through Microsoft's
directory to see who's online or scan a variety of third-party online
directories.
What's the catch?
The catch, and there is always a catch, is that the quality leaves a lot
to be desired, you usually have to fill out a long application form, and you
are subjected to advertising - a lot of advertising. In some cases you must
also listen to a voice advertisement before your call goes through. That's
not bad though, to save a few bucks.
The Upside
Its
freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Pick A Product
I would recommend that you try several different products to come
across one that will work well with your operating system and Internet
connection. PC-to-PC software is normally free but PC-to-Phone software is
normally free only for calls to the U.S. A nominal fee, which is a fraction
of existing ISD rates, is charged for calls to other countries. I have been
a regular user of Microsoft’s MSN Messenger and I would rate it as one of
the best and easiest to use products out there in the market today. It’s
free and Net2Phone powers its telephony part. All calls made to the U.S,
CANADA and China are free. I use this software to talk to my friends in the
U.S everyday and so far I have had no complaints.
Please
visit the following web-sites for more telephony products
and more information on latest developments in the field of Internet
Telephony.
HTTP://WWW.SPEAKFREELY.ORG
HTTP://WWW.PHONEFREE.COM
HTTP://WWW.DIALPAD.COM
HTTP://WWW.VOCALTEC.COM
HTTP://WWW.NETSPEAK.COM
HTTP://WWW.NET2PHONE.COM
HTTP://WWW.ICQ.COM
(As you can imagine, traditional phone companies -- and technology
industry heavyweights -- are not amused by upstarts trying to break into
their markets. But they're not exactly trying to quash VoIP, either. Rather
than trying to beat the VoIP companies, some traditional phone and
telecommunications players are hopping on the bandwagon. Our government
seems to be in a haze of confusion. Its knee jerk reaction was to block the
use of the wildly popular Dialpad.com initially though now the web-site
seems to be functional again)
Sending voice as data over the Internet has been growing as a
technology over the years. (Already Net2Phone, which began operations in
1996, handles an average of 200,000 calls a day. And Dialpad.com, which
launched in 1999, signed up more than 500,000 users in its first month and,
at press time, claimed more than 8 million registered users.)
It looks like it's finally here. In the future we will find not only
voice conferencing but video as well. We already see video being
successfully (well almost) transmitted over the Internet. Combining these
two won't take long. Hopefully the quality will improve with the development
of better software and introduction of broadband Internet.
Well, that's all for this week but do send in your suggestions and comments, and log in at the same time, same place, next week.
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