We talk about telephony over IP – ToIP, or voice over IP – VoiP, it is a telephony mode using the Internet Protocol (IP for Internet Protocol) in place of the traditional switched network dedicated to the telephone. (RTC network). The telephone exchanges, the voice, are digitized and transit on the data networks of the company like any other data: internally on the computer network of the company, externally via the WAN telecom link, xDSL or optical fiber .
HOW DOES IT WORK ?
Telephony traffic passes over your telecom data links (xDSL or optical fiber) to your external correspondents. Your ToIP provider provides you with simultaneous communication channels and interconnects with other telephone operators around the world. It is important that the data link supporting the telephony is well dimensioned and parameterized for the voice traffic. Ideally, to ensure optimum communication quality, your data link provider must be the same as your ToIP provider.
WHAT CHANGE FOR THE CENTRAL OFFICE?
The traditional PSTN telephony implied a hardware company telephone exchange, often expensive in maintenance and extensions, and yet little evolutive. In telephony over IP, the central becomes above all software, we speak of IPBX , it is cheaper and much easier to evolve and it can be outsourced and provided as a service by your operator. The central office is no longer in the business but hosted in a datacenter and billed in SaaS mode.
WHAT CHANGE FOR THE TELEPHONES?
ToIP involves replacing conventional phones with IP digital phones. Physically similar to a traditional PSTN, they are different in that they work in IP protocol, with embedded software already having a large number of intelligent functions. Finally they are connected directly to the company’s computer network. The cost of IP stations has dropped significantly and the offer is wide and competitive. It is important to choose models of good quality and compatibility guaranteed by your operator, this determines the quality of the service. Purely soft phones can be installed on the computer and used with a simple headset for a still lower cost.
WHAT IS THE CHANGE IN THE CABLING OF THE COMPANY?
IP phones connect to the company’s computer network. No need for dedicated phone jacks, no need to bunch connections to deploy or move workstations, which saves time. Finally, a computer can be connected to the network via the IP phone: a single plug is then enough to connect a phone and a computer which reduces the need for wiring and plugs. For remote sites, if they have an xDSL or fiber optic link, they can also be managed by IPBX and communications with other sites are free.
HOW TO ENSURE THE QUALITY OF COMMUNICATIONS?
The quality of communication is measured by the absence of micro-cuts, latencies or echo effects. From the moment that your IP phones are of good quality and correspond to the requirements of your operator, the quality of the communications depends essentially on the control of the bit rate on the broadband link used. As such, it is important to respect the following rules:
- Subscribe to the broadband line at the same provider that provides you with the ToIP; indeed in this case voice traffic will pass from your home to your operator only on his network and without going through the internet. The traffic passes only on a network entirely controlled by the operator.
- Either to dedicate an xDSL line to voice-only traffic, without being able to interfere with other data-type traffic,
- Either use a consistent rate line, reserving a specific channel for voice, using a “quality of service” or QoS solution. It is important that your operator can justify that he is using such a device and how he has parameterized it.
CHOOSE YOUR PROVIDER OR PROVIDER TOIP
How to choose your provider of voip? Telephony has become largely a price market, the services offered are fairly standardized. Yet it is also a critical service and the quality of your telephone reception is an essential element of appreciation for your customers. So you have to make sure you pay the right price for communications and the provision of the standard, but you have to keep a budget for advice and support, because that’s what will do for you the quality of service over time.
