There’s a lot of talk about the benefits of switching from traditional phone services to VoIP, and for good reason. Businesses can gain a lot from enterprise VoIP solutions. However, there are potential downsides to watch out for to ensure a smooth transition. Let’s start by clarifying what VoIP is and how it compares to your current phone service.
One thing that often causes confusion about VoIP is the name itself. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and the word “Internet” tends to stand out. It makes people think of broadband phone services that use Cable broadband or DSL connections, which is essentially VOICE going OVER the INTERNET – one example of VoIP. However, it’s not the whole picture.
The concept behind broadband phone service is that the right equipment allows you to use your broadband internet to connect to a different phone company. This is appealing because the local telephone company, or ILEC (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier), has a monopoly on local phone service. Switching long-distance providers is simple, but changing local services is much harder. This is because the ILEC owns the physical copper wires connecting your location (business or residential) to their switching equipment. Since you can’t just dig up and reroute the wires, you need an alternative “phone line” – which is where the internet comes in.
One major issue with broadband phone service is that the internet was designed for reliable data transfer, not fast voice transmission. Everything on the internet, including digitized voice data, video clips, websites, and emails, is transmitted in packets. These packets share a standardized structure called IP, or Internet Protocol.
The problem is that the internet treats all packets equally, regardless of their content. The system focuses on getting each packet from point A to point B eventually, with data accuracy taking priority over speed. If a packet is lost or corrupted, a protocol called TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) re-transmits it. As a user, you don’t see these processes; you just see your email or webpage loading correctly.
Voice communication, however, happens in real time, making a late voice packet useless as the conversation has moved on. VoIP is designed to discard such packets. A few missing packets here and there are insignificant, but too many will disrupt the conversation flow.
Video is even more sensitive to this issue. To maintain video quality, packets are held in a buffer before being displayed. This buffer collects packets as they arrive and then releases them smoothly to create a continuous stream, preventing network congestion from affecting the audio or video.
While buffering can be used for VoIP, too much will cause problems. Since phone conversations are two-way, buffering introduces a significant delay between someone speaking and the other person hearing it. This delay, known as latency, makes conversations choppy, like using walkie-talkies where only one person can speak at a time.
A better solution is to bypass the public internet and opt for a private line connection known as a SIP Trunk. SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is the signaling protocol used in VoIP telephony. SIP Trunks are designed to prioritize voice packets over data and have enough bandwidth to prevent latency and jitter.
SIP Trunks connect your company to a business VoIP service provider, who manages all external lines to the public phone system. You can connect your existing PBX system using a SIP Trunk or use an IP PBX with IP phones. A more appealing option is hosted VoIP, which eliminates the need for an on-site PBX system altogether. The provider offers lower call rates and manages both internal and external calls.
As you can see, there are various types of VoIP phone services available. Choose a solution that not only saves you money but also provides the features and voice quality your business requires. Enterprise VoIP providers offer solutions for businesses of all sizes at competitive prices. Compare features and costs to find the best fit for your needs.