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What is Voice over IP?

What is VoIP?

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. Quite often, this has just been associated with making free calls over the Internet. However, there are three real uses of VoIP, which are currently being deployed by organisations. These are as follows:

  • To enable calls to be made between multiple sites including home workers, multiple site organisations and people on the road. VoIP phone services enable organisations to keep in touch with all of their staff very cost effectively, because all that is required for the remote user is Internet access along with a Voice over IP telephone or a VoIP telephone service.
  • The connection of a Voice over IP telephone to a Local Area Network using CAT5 cabling and voice quality computer switches. This enables companies to use the same CAT5 socket for both their computers and their telephone system. It reduces the cost of CAT5 and also makes easier deployment and management of the telephone system. Companies can use Voice over IP solutions to gain these benefits.
  • Voice over IP telephone calls using, which is commonly called SIP Trunking. SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol and is available from a VoIP service provider. Session Initiation Protocol is an open multi-media signalling standard. Its openness allows enterprises and carriers to interoperate over IP connections. The logical channel established between them is termed a SIP Trunk. SIP Trunk lines enable businesses to create a single, pure IP connection between enterprises and telephone carriers and make it possible for businesses to make and receive calls over broadband circuits. This type of service is provided by Voice over IP providers and VoIP service providers.

Why Use

Voice over IP solutions are an essential part of the worldwide move towards integrating voice and data communications. One of the key benefits that may be derived from this integration is ongoing cost reduction. By running VoIP phone services over one network infrastructure, network management and line rental costs can be significantly reduced. For any business considering a physical move to a new location, or a 'greenfield' site, the opportunity to benefit from the installation of a single network is at its greatest.

IP is an enabling technology that allows a VoIP telephone service or Voice over IP solutions to be more flexible, offer a wider range of applications and often, be more cost effective than traditional systems.

Remote workers and satellite offices are fine examples of where VoIP telephone services can be cost effective and highly functional. Connected from their home or branch office via a Voice over IP telephone, staff become an integral part of the overall telephone system. They can be logged in and out of call centres as required, as well as receive and make calls with full PBX functionality as if they were sitting in the main office. What's more, all of this can be achieved over an IP network, without any call charges using a Voice over IP service provider.

Some Key Business Benefits:

  • You can port your existing BT numbers when moving from one exchange to another. (i.e. relocation of offices). This can provide business the flexibility to port multiple BT DDI ranges and numbers, along with new numbers, all of which are owned by the customer.
    This is an important factor to enable businesses to retain their existing customers. It saves timely and costly address and phone number notifications.
  • With help from a , companies can have virtual incoming and outgoing 'presence' anywhere across the UK or even internationally. This means that a company can have telephone numbers for incoming and outgoing calls on local exchanges without having a physical presence there.
    Companies using SIP trunks can appear to have 'virtual offices' by using local telephone numbers.

    DOWNLOAD – To discover more about SIP technology view our informative and easy to follow guide, compiled with the first-time user in mind.

  • Companies can reduce communication costs.
    Calls made over SIP trunks are generally much cheaper than traditional telephone services. Also, calls between two SIP users are free of charge.
  • A massive amount of press coverage on the benefits of from services such as Skype, which are all proprietary and targeted at the consumer market, helps establish a proven technology.
    This means that this is no longer a lagging technology and significant awareness has been generated in the business community.
  • SIP Trunks represent a business class VoIP telephone service, using the SIP protocol as an open signalling standard to link customer equipment to the SIP provider.
    A SIP solution for VoIP phone services is now a trusted and mature protocol, offering business level reliability. Giving the customer confidence in an acknowledged and accepted standard.
  • VoIP phone services enable businesses to make phone calls across computer networks, providing potentially significant cost savings, efficient call handling and improved internal communications.
  • Flexible working, increased demands on bandwidth and a geographically dispersed workforce are all placing increased demands on IT infrastructure and departments.
  • VoIP service providers can offer viable communications solutions for business of all sizes.
  • Deployment of technology applications such as Voice over IP solutions is a means to an end, not an end in itself.


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