• VoIP is conveniently accessible for anyone who owns a computer and has an internet connection.

• Most services enable several people to talk at the same time, which makes it easier to conduct a conference call.

• VoIP decreases the need for traditional telephone services, and enables users to use their broadband service for all of their communication needs.

• VoIP generally provides a quality connection.

• In many cases there is no additional fee for services such as long distance and out of network calls. This is especially useful for international connections.

• Encryption is used as a security measure.

• VoIP provides more advanced services than are available on traditional telephones.

• VoIP increases cost efficiency (especially on long distance calling). This also increases the number of calls that can be made. (3)

• Larger companies are able to use an internal enterprise phone network (iPBX). "This enables lower maintenance fees, and cheap communication to remote sites and branches of the organization." (4)

• By combining both data and telephone services together there can be a more streamlined approach to troubleshooting. This makes it possible to use just one vendor for all communication needs. This could also reduce training costs.

• VoIP set up and upgrades are generally easy to implement.

• It is cutting edge technology, which can adapt to the new need for accessibility.

Disadvantages

• There are some security concerns including infrastructure . Also this increases the responsibility of the IT Department. (5)

• Power Outages may impact service since there is no back up power source for most VOIP services.

• There have been problems connecting to emergency services such as 9-1-1. Also when 9-1-1 is connected information such as address and callback telephone numbers are not automatically given to the 9-1-1 operator. (7)

• There may be no directory assistance such as 4-1-1 readily available for all VOIP services.

• The type of service largely depends on the service provider, and not mainstream standards of service.

• There is vulnerability regarding the "operating systems, the protocols, the phones and their software." (8)

• There is vulnerability for hatching into conversations. The setup in the VoIP infrastructure is potentially at risk for wire-tapping.

• Computer bugs and viruses also pose a risk for VoIP.

• Networks that VoIP use are traditionally used for data transfer, but there is a new need for "real-time transportation of voice packets. Due to this fact, VoIP faces some difficulties when running on such networks." (9)

• There is vulnerability for delays. "Insufficient bandwidth can be a problematic factor for VoIP, when the traffic on the network is heavy, and there is a continuous struggle between voice and data packets. For that purpose exactly, new switches are beginning to emerge that support QoS. Those switches are able to prioritize each packet, thus giving ongoing VoIP calls' packets a high priority in the overall traffic. This, however is not sophisticated enough, and the work of improving the control over the network traffic is happening as those words are written." (10)

• There has been some inconsistency in routing to the same source from different computers.

• As a new technology there are switching costs to switch systems over to VoIP. Usually this involves building a stronger network.

• This new technology threatens to end the need for long distance carriers, something that many telephone companies rely on for a major portion of their earnings. (11)

• At this time VoIP does not have a standard protocol setup. The federal authorities can monitor transmissions over this connection. This puts privileged information at risk when using VoIP.

Sources

"Bangladesh, where the United Nations says average annual income is about $440, is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with its 150 million people crammed into an area roughly the size of Iowa. By midmorning on a steamy September day, at least 20 people stood in line waiting to use one of Ambia computer center's two Chinese-made computers. A woman named Aleya, 55, sat down on a small plastic chair and handed the shopkeeper a scrap of paper with a London phone number. She said that her 18-year-old daughter was getting married and that she was calling her uncle in England to ask him to help pay for it. Aleya said her husband is a construction worker who earns about $70 a month, barely enough to feed their five children. Ambia dialed the number on the keyboard of his computer, connected by a cable to a Motorola cellphone. The call connected using voip (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology, which allows calls to be placed from a computer to another computer or a telephone anywhere in the world -- for little or no cost.

Aleya picked up the small telephone handset connected to the computer and her face lit up. Her uncle, who owns a restaurant in London, promised that he'd make arrangements to send money for the wedding.

The five-minute call cost 8 Bangladeshi taka, about 11 cents.

"An 8-taka call has earned me thousands," Aleya said with a broad smile.

Before Ambia's center opened in February, Aleya said, she would have called her uncle on a borrowed cellphone at a cost of more than $2, her husband's daily wage. "(1)

Sources:

Traditional Phone Systems

VoIP Phone Systems

"VoIP services convert your voice into a digital signal that travels over the Internet. If you are calling a regular phone number, the signal is converted to a regular telephone signal before it reaches the destination. VoIP can allow you to make a call directly from a computer, a special VoIP phone, or a traditional phone connected to a special adapter." (4)

Making a Call

Protocols

Key Terms

Sources

Images

U.S. Regulation

Privacy Concerns

Emergency Call Services

International Concerns

Plans to Implement VoIP?