Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

What is VoIP?

The Voice over Internet Protocol, also called IP telephony, is a method

of communication for making calls over a broadband Internet connection as
an alternative to regular calls made over an analogue phone using the PSTN.
These VoIP calls can happen entirely over the Internet but where required,
gateways also link to the PSTN. This means that VoIP users can still connect
to anyone with a telephone number including local, mobile, and international
numbers. VoIP services can be accessed from a computer with a so-
called softphone, from an IP phone, from a smartphone or from a
conventional landline phone that is connected to a VoIP adapter.

 What is PSTN?

 How does VoIP work?

 Top VoIP benefits for businesses

 How secure is VoIP?

 Can you use VoIP to call non-VoIP users?

 Which devices do you need in order to migrate to VoIP?

 voip

 What are the top VoIP use cases for business?

 What are the benefits of VoIP?

 How can I deploy VoIP in my business?

What is PSTN?

PSTN stands for Public Switched Telephone Network and is generally known
as the traditional phone network. It has been connecting people since the
late 19th century, at first over copper telephone lines and later using fibre
optic cables, satellites, and undersea cables. All of these are interconnected
by switching centres which establish a dedicated connection – or circuit –
between callers.

Voice signals can then travel over this circuit. When the caller speaks into his
handset, the caller’s phone translates the sound waves into electrical
signals. These are transmitted over the PSTN (converted to optical signals for
part of the way, so they can travel via fibre optic cables), and the phone at
the other end of the line then translates the received signals back into
sound.

The arrival of Voice over IP (VoIP) technology – essentially, transmitting

voice calls over the Internet rather than the PSTN – challenged traditional
telephony and fundamentally changed how people communicate.

How does VoIP work?

In order to make and process VoIP phone calls, and to benefit from additional
features that are possible with IP telephony such as conferencing, call
recording or Computer Telephony Integration (CTI), businesses need a
dedicated VoIP solution.

Switching data packets over VoIP

The VoIP technology’s key function is to convert the caller’s voice into a
digital signal that can then be transmitted over the Internet.

1. Audio is digitised
As the caller speaks into the microphone or handset, the sound waves
are digitised and then broken up into pieces called “packets”, each
with a unique label.

2. Data is transmitted securely over the Internet

These data packets can travel securely over the Internet to reach the
recipient.

3. Data is decoded and reassembled

At their destination, they are reconstructed and converted back to
sound.

This packet switching is more efficient than the traditional circuit switching
because it doesn’t rely on a fixed physical path between source and
destination, which means several separate calls can securely share the
available bandwidth.

How it works

Top VoIP benefits for businesses

1. Free internal calls

With a cloud telephony solution, you can call anyone in your
organisation completely free of charge, including colleagues in
 different offices and branches in different countries. There’s no need
for expensive equipment or service provider contracts.

2. Cheaper external calls

Typically, VoIP telephony is considerably more cost-efficient than
traditional landline and mobile telephony. This is because VoIP
transports voice data over the Internet. This is a contrast to traditional
calls over the PSTN network, which require a dedicated connection for
the entire call duration. Compared to conventional phone systems, a
VoIP platform can therefore reduce the cost of calling external mobile
phones as well as landlines.

3. Less hardware
Given that the best VoIP solutions are hosted in the cloud, they provide
the full range of business telephony features without having to install
costly physical telecommunications infrastructures. This saves costs
while also simplifying and speeding up deployment.

4. Easy mobile working

With a dedicated VoIP app – such as the Cloudya app from NFON –
employees can also access all telephony features of the cloud
telephone system on their mobile device. Each user has a single
number for landline and mobile, which makes it easier for colleagues
and customers to reach them.

5. Pre-integration with Unified Communications tools

Integrations add even more functionality for more efficient business

processes. As an example, NFON’s cloud telephony system integrates
with Unified Communications tools such as Microsoft Teams. This integration
enables users to make phone calls within the familiar Teams environment
where they also access other UC functions, and to benefit from lower costs.

How secure is VoIP?

Reliable VoIP solutions are hosted in highly secure data centres and use
proven technologies such as encryption to protect your voice data. NFON’s
VoIP solution for example is hosted in geo-redundant data centres. The fact
that our solution is highly secure and highly available has helped us achieve
compliance with EU Electronic Communications legislation. The data centres
where our solution is hosted are also fully compliant with ISO/IEC 27001
Information Security Management standards, gaining the trust of our clients
and providing them with complete peace of mind.
Can you use VoIP to call non-VoIP users?

Yes, in the majority of cases, VoIP users can call non-VoIP mobile phones or
landlines, which means you can get all the simplicity, flexibility and cost
savings of VoIP, whoever you’re calling. VoIP solutions use something called a
VoIP gateway to connect with regular mobile phones and landlines via the
PSTN network. The VoIP gateway also converts calls from traditional phones
into IP, so anyone in the world can call you on your VoIP phone.

Which devices do you need in order to migrate to VoIP?

One of the main advantages of VoIP is that is offers multiple device

integration. This allows users, for instance, to also have their office extension
on their mobile phone, giving them complete freedom of communication, no
matter whether they are working remotely or in the office.

There are four main ways in which your current phone system can
be migrated to VoIP.

1. Make and receive VoIP calls over a PC or laptop

A laptop or a PC can easily be converted into a VoIP enabled device
and the user can adapt the PC or laptop to his needs using their
chosen headset. With instant messaging, emails and video calling also
taking place on the computer this means the user can access all
communication channels in one place. As an example, NFON’s Cloudya
lets you make calls directly from your PC or laptop, without the need
for a separate desk phone.

2. Use a VoIP phone

VoIP phones such as IP and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) telephones
typically have Ethernet connections and can be plugged directly into a
modem or router. SIP phones can also handle multimedia
communication such as video calls.

3. Use your existing phone to make VoIP calls

An Analogue Telephone Adapter (ATA) allows the user to plug the
phone into a modem or router, thus converting analog phone calls into
IP packets. Converting existing phones into IP phones can help you
maximise returns on investments in existing office equipment.

4. Use your mobile device to make VoIP calls

Installing a dedicated app allows your smartphone to connect to your
Internet telephony system. You can then be reached via a single phone
number, irrespective of where you are – which makes business
 communication and collaboration much easier. The best Internet
telephony solutions also help reduce costs by always choosing the
most efficient mobile connectivity option - whether that is WLAN or
mobile data on a carrier network.Above and beyond making calls,
NFON’s Cloudya App , as an example, also lets users access all the
advanced PBX features of their NFON telephony system – voicemail,
blacklisting and whitelisting, call forwarding and more – from their
smartphones. They can use the “meet & share” function for easy
collaboration, with excellent audio and video quality. Additionally, using
the app means businesses can consolidate two costly lines (and
service providers) and move to a single service provider. This saves
costs and simplifies supplier management.

voip

Use your existing phones to make VoIP calls

If you want to use your existing telephone to make VoIP calls, you’ll need
something called an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA). This allows you to plug
your phone line into a modem or router, which means that analog phone
calls can be converted into IP packets and sent over the internet. Converting
existing phones into IP phones can help you maximise returns on
investments in existing office equipment.

Use your mobile device to make VoIP calls

The fourth option is to make VoIP calls on your mobile device. To do this,
you’ll need to download an FMC client, which allows your phone to connect
into an internet telephony system. One benefit of this approach is that
everyone can contact you on a single number, whether you’re at the office or
on the move. The best internet telephony solutions also help you reduce
costs by choosing the most efficient mobile connectivity option - whether
that’s WLAN or mobile data on a carrier network.
Another benefit of making your mobile phone an extension of your office
internet telephony system is that you can consolidate two costly lines (and
service providers) to a single service provider. This saves you costs and
reduces supplier management admin.

What are the top VoIP use cases for business?

There are many VoIP use cases, but here are our top three:

Internal calling
With the NFON Cloud Telephone System, you can call anyone in your
organisation completely free of charge, including colleagues in different
offices and branches in different countries. There’s no need for expensive
equipment or service provider contracts.

External calling (to fixed and mobile phones)

With the NFON Cloud Telephone System, you can reduce the cost of calling
external mobile phones and landlines compared to conventional phone
systems.

Placing calls from your mobile device

With the NFON FMC client, which is quick and easy to download, you can
access all the features of our Could Telephone System on your mobile device.
You will also have a single number for your landline and mobile, which makes
it easier for colleagues and customer to reach you.

What are the benefits of VoIP?

The benefits of VoIP are many and varied, including support for new Unified
Communications features and lower overall telephony costs. They include:

Lower costs
Typically, VoIP telephony is considerably more cost effective than traditional
landline and mobile telephony. This is because VoIP transports voice data
efficiently between callers over the internet. This is a contrast to traditional
calls over the PSTN network, which require a dedicated connection for the
entire call duration.

Less hardware
Because the best VoIP solutions are hosted in the cloud, they provide the full
range of telephony features with no need for costly physical
telecommunications infrastructure. This lowers costs while also simplifying
and speeding up deployment.

Pre-integration with Unified Communications tools

The NFON Cloud Telephony System works with Unified Communications
systems such as Skype for Business. This pre-integration means you can
deploy video calls and other great Unified Communications features quickly
and at low cost.

How can I deploy VoIP in my business?

The main requirement for deploying VoIP is a good Internet connection. With
NFON, everything else is hosted in the cloud on our secure servers, so you
can access your new telephony platform quickly and easily, with no need for
complex software installation or hardware deployment.
NFON has prepared a variety of resources to help you find out more about
Internet telephony and the capabilities of our cloud telephony system.