VoIP. Is Phone by Wire Nearly Dead?

As I had mentioned, almost all calls are now VoIP, the difference is where does it start! Is it your local exchange where conversion takes place or at your premise. Basically, very simplification, before there was a dedicate one-to-one circuit between caller and called party (circuit switched). Now the voice (info) is converted into digital packets and sent over internet as packets. These packets may take different routes and may arrive at destination in different order! So at destination they are converted back into correct order and into voice. If one packet did not arrive, you get "clipped". The quality of sound may depend on the (internal) "codecs/ modem)" used to change voice-to data and then date-to-voice.

For someone who really pays extra (typically an enterprise), they can demand a "virtual circuit" (like it was in the good old days) to ensure that all the packets use the same route to destination!

So: VoIP is a protocol (the P is for Protocol) which also may use SIP, ....

Depending on what the "VoIP" operator has provided, you may be able to use old house phone lines and old telephone (their equipment acts like local exchange and if they have also included battery back-up), then in the event of power failure, you will be able to make phone calls for typically 1 hrs (depends on the backup power capacity).

This is the future (!) and more likely we will all migrate to fibre optics as this is again cheaper still to provide and maintain (compared to copper wise).


Best wishes,

Kirit

As I had mentioned, almost all calls are now VoIP, the difference is where does it start! Is it your local exchange where conversion takes place or at your premise. Basically, very simplification, before there was a dedicate one-to-one circuit between caller and called party (circuit switched). Now the voice (info) is converted into digital packets and sent over internet as packets. These packets may take different routes and may arrive at destination in different order! So at destination they are converted back into correct order and into voice. If one packet did not arrive, you get "clipped". The quality of sound may depend on the (internal) "codecs/ modem)" used to change voice-to data and then date-to-voice.

For someone who really pays extra (typically an enterprise), they can demand a "virtual circuit" (like it was in the good old days) to ensure that all the packets use the same route to destination!

So: VoIP is a protocol (the P is for Protocol) which also may use SIP, ....

Depending on what the "VoIP" operator has provided, you may be able to use old house phone lines and old telephone (their equipment acts like local exchange and if they have also included battery back-up), then in the event of power failure, you will be able to make phone calls for typically 1 hrs (depends on the backup power capacity).

This is the future (!) and more likely we will all migrate to fibre optics as this is again cheaper still to provide and maintain (compared to copper wise).


Best wishes,

Kirit