VoIP. Is Phone by Wire Nearly Dead?

Well, I'm just taking my first steps into the world of VOIP having just taken delivery of the unit programmed with my access phone numbers. With this I can plug in my olde worlde dial phone and call up several mates who are also online, listen to the original speaking clock (!!!) and even turn the lights on and make PA announcements at a site 200 miles away. This should be interesting (and a steep learning curve!).

One thing I have noticed in recent years (and this may not be directly connected to VOIP, but possibly the method by which people make the calls) is the quality of a lot of the phone calls/interviews one hears on the radio which can range from almost natural to distinctly dalek. I'm not too well up on the mechanics of VOIP but I assume when the network or parts of it are at capacity the various systems start screwing down on bandwidth/data rates and reducing the audio sampling rate and hence the quality is one result?

Well, I'm just taking my first steps into the world of VOIP having just taken delivery of the unit programmed with my access phone numbers. With this I can plug in my olde worlde dial phone and call up several mates who are also online, listen to the original speaking clock (!!!) and even turn the lights on and make PA announcements at a site 200 miles away. This should be interesting (and a steep learning curve!).

One thing I have noticed in recent years (and this may not be directly connected to VOIP, but possibly the method by which people make the calls) is the quality of a lot of the phone calls/interviews one hears on the radio which can range from almost natural to distinctly dalek. I'm not too well up on the mechanics of VOIP but I assume when the network or parts of it are at capacity the various systems start screwing down on bandwidth/data rates and reducing the audio sampling rate and hence the quality is one result?