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There is no doubt that VoIP is growing in popularity. Many have hailed it as the future of telecoms and all kinds of businesses are discovering that VoIP not only delivers cheaper connections, but that it opens up global communications in a way that can revolutionise the reach of a company. As the technology continues to evolve, enterprises of different sizes can benefit from the combination of data and voice capability. Moreover, they can take advantage of all the innovative features that their VoIP provider can supply, in addition to hosting the service and keeping it updated and running smoothly.
BT has announced t russia telegram hat it intends to close down its PSTN (public switched telephone network) legacy lines over the next few years. The telecoms provider has indicated that by 2025 all its landline customers will be moved onto IP networks. The model for the PSTN network was developed in the 19th century, and it works by sending voice data in analogue form over copper wires. While BT will discontinue the voice element of PSTN, its ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) and FTTC (Fibre To The Cabinet) functions will continue as before.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), a system for transmitting digital data and voice over copper phone lines, is considered to be outdated technology. Indeed, in some parts of the world it never caught on at all. BT says that it intends to halt the sale of ISDN and PSTN services by 2020, giving the provider around five years to get customers switched to IP services.
The future is calling
With VoIP, users can make calls via the internet, with the analogue signals being converted into digital signals that are transmitted as data packets. There is no need for a traditional analogue phone line. Advantages of VoIP include low-cost calls, its enormous flexibility and the ability to add new lines at any time.
To use VoIP, a business will need an internet connection that has plenty of bandwidth to accommodate voice calls and a telephone system that supports VoIP. This would mean setting up the relevant hardware, or choosing a hosted VoIP solution from a specialist such as IDT. A hosted solution can offer great rates and is extremely convenient for companies that are moving, or establishing a new office.
Investment in infrastructure is minimal with VoIP and it gives staff great flexibility. Even if they are stuck at home due to extreme weather, they can log in to the system and have their calls diverted. A hosted VoIP service “lives” in the cloud and can be accessed wherever the user happens to be.
It has been estimated that between 2012 and 2020 the VOIP market will grow from just over $43 billion in global revenue to international revenues of almost double that at just over $86 billion. Plus there are likely to be an estimated 205 billion corporate users by 2020, so VoIP is most definitely gaining traction.
Business users of VoIP are a significant force in driving the market. Globally, the VoIP industry is expected to expand at a rate of 9.1 per cent CAGR between 2016 and 2021.