VOIP Services - Phone a Friend with VOIP Telephony

With VOIP telephony, people all over the world are changing the way they think about long distance phone calls. VOIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is changing the world of long distance and normal calling with its remarkable technological advances that affect everything in terms of communications. A VOIP phone system is a method for taking audio signals and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over a network like the internet. VOIP telephony can then use the network to transmit essentially free telephone calls for consumers and business users.

As people around the world learn to bypass traditional phone companies with VOIP telephony, they learn to use their existing internet connection and hook their phone unit up to it. With a simple software package, usually free, people can hook up their existing phone system to a program such as Skype and can use Voice over IP phone software to make calls around the world from their computer.

There are essentially three different ways that people can use VOIP telephony services. The first is through the use of a device called an Analog Telephone Adapter or an ATA. An ATA enables VOIP phone system users to connect to a standard telephone through a computer or internet connection. The ATA is what is called an analog-to-digital converter in that it converts the traditional analog digital symbols of your conventional telephone into digital symbols or data through the internet, thus transmitting your telephone call across the information superhighway's network. Many service providers of VOIP systems include an ATA with their package, negating the use for an actual VOIP phone for the user.

The second way people can use VOIP service is through an IP phone. These phones actually look just like normal phones, complete with a handset and buttons. Instead of having standard telephone connections, however, the IP phone has an Ethernet connection and can connect directly to your router. They also have all of the hardware to go with it and include a software package to enable the user to go online immediately for their first calls. The IP phone is evolving to include Wi-Fi technology, enabling its user to get or send telephone calls from any Wi-Fi hotspots around the world.

The third way people can use VOIP service is through computer-to-computer service. This is often the preferred line of VOIP telephony service because, frankly, it is free to the user. Several companies are offering free software packages that enable connection to a network that, in turn, enables connection to other computers thus including computer-to-computer calling. The user simply needs a computer (obviously), software packages, a microphone, speakers, and a soundcard along with an internet connection. The faster the internet connection, the better it is for the user of computer-to-computer VOIP telephony. There is usually no charge for calls on these programs, amounting to great savings on your long distance bill.

All in all, VOIP telephony is quickly becoming a popular way to talk on the phone or send voice messages and have conversations over a network. It is changing the way people talk to one another and changing the abilities of people to make long distance calls without paying an arm and a leg for it. This VOIP telephony technology will certainly prove to be beneficial as we move forward in the communications era.