As IP telephony is being more widely adopted in business, PABX vendors are phasing their analogue and digital offerings out of their product roadmaps to make provision for the inevitable IP-based future.
We are left with a mixture of IP-based and legacy analogue systems that need to seamlessly communicate with one another.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is the forerunner of IP voice communications providing clear cost benefits when deployed correctly in various business scenarios.
These cost benefits include the ability to incorporate least-cost-routing (ie routing a call to its destination in the most cost-effective way) and toll-bypass into a business`s communications, provided the business has complied with regulations and has the necessary licences in place to do so.
However, VOIP is limited in application, as it acts merely as the IP connection between two analogue points. With IP moving onto handsets themselves, an entirely IP-based solution would be the logical next step.
Not only does this allow a further push to open-standards, but businesses will be able to consolidate their systems onto one network, which will, in turn, prompt service providers to deliver applications and services directly to the telephone handset.
Another (less legal) method of IP voice communication is Internet telephony, which has been heavily fuelled by the peer-to-peer market. The most popular of these peer-to-peer telephony applications is undoubtedly Skype, which was developed by the same company that developed the file-sharing application, Kazaa.
Internet telephony involves a software application that is downloaded to a PC, which captures the system`s microphone and speakers and allows users to speak (as if on the phone) for free to other users of the same or similar software.
Now, there has been, and still is, continuing debate raging as to the legality of Internet telephony. After all, Yahoo Messenger and MSN (to name a few) have had voice conference capabilities for ages, allowing users walkie-talkie-type communications over the Internet.
According to ICT Law firm, Buys Inc, the use of Internet telephony services to make free local and international calls is illegal in SA, in terms of the Telecommunications Act.
VOIP is the forerunner of IP voice communications providing clear cost benefits when deployed correctly in various business scenarios.
Andy Brauer, chief technology executive, Business Connexion`s Networks competency
The firm says that, according to the Act, only Telkom, the second national operator and some smaller licensees are allowed to operate these services legally within the public domain. We will probably have to see if the Convergence Bill promotes more lenient use of the Internet for voice communications.
However, when it comes to IP communications, there is a fundamental issue that has to be addressed across these services and that is quality of service (QOS).
QOS applies to both the voice services and the bandwidth on the IP network itself. Voice obviously takes up a certain amount of bandwidth on the network and, while the voice packets are compressed, the network will still have to make provision for additional bandwidth to ensure the network does not experience any bottlenecks.
IP telephony, for example, has a function similar to the traditional "hold" function on an older PABX, where calls can be paused if a person is unreachable or the line is busy. An increased number of calls "on hold" could use up bandwidth as music streams to the calls on hold.
Where QOS is also important is in terms of the Moss Scale, which is used to measure the voice quality over IP. The highest rating is five, which is the rating assigned to regular telephony over copper cable. If the quality of a voice call is not as good or better than traditional systems, it does not justify replacing the legacy systems with newer technology.
Additionally, a voice-ready assessment needs to be conducted before IP telephony is deployed, as hubs are not kind to voice.
While many may not think so, security plays a huge part in the successful roll-out of IP telephony and VOIP. Because they share the same infrastructure as the network, they are susceptible to the same vulnerabilities, which include viruses, hacks and phreaking (the act of hijacking a telephone line for fraudulent or unauthorised use).
At present, draft documents for VOIP and IP telephony security standards are under review, which indicates that the industry is warming up to the fact that security should play a big part in a voice roll-out.
For now, however, businesses seeking to implement VOIP or IP telephony should make sure the necessary precautions are in place on the existing network, or run the voice network on a separate, secure virtual LAN.
It is clear that the world is moving towards an all-IP-based future, where voice communications will be complemented by rich IP-based applications in an end-to-end IP solution.
For now, the transition is happening, but the goal is to start making provision as and when products are replaced.
It comes down to what makes the best business sense and what will fulfil the business`s specific needs, while building in the ability to scale as and when needed.
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