What are VoIP and Internet Calls?
VoIP refers to Voice over Internet Protocol. It is a technology that allows you to make voice calls using broadband or high-speed internet connection instead of regular phone lines. VOIP communications can occur on Local Area Networks (LAN) or Wide Area Networks (WAN). According to the latest report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), there are about 600,000 VoIP subscriptions in Utah as of June 2021.
VoIP and internet calls are two words which roughly mean the same thing. Both refer to the method of experiencing telephony service using the internet as the medium of delivery. Unlike traditional telephony which uses Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to transmit call data, VoIP or internet calls use packet-switch technology to transmit data from phone calls, video calls, or text messages.
How Do VoIP and Internet Calls Compare to Landline and Cell Phone Calls?
Landline phone calls work on the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), which is an analog voice transmission phone system implemented over copper twisted pair wires. When you speak into a landline phone, your voice travels in small sound waves. The sound waves travel to the diaphragm of the phone and are converted into electrical energy. The electrical energy travels over wires to the recipient's phone and is converted from electrical energy to sound waves, which can be heard by the other party.
Unlike landline phones, Cell phones do not use wires to transfer your voice. When you speak into a cell phone, the phone's microphone converts your voice into electrical signals. A chip in the phone modulates a radio wave using the electrical signal. The radio wave travels through the air to a nearby cell mast. The tower sends your voice to the person on the other end and the process is reversed so that the party can hear your voice.
A VoIP system converts analog signals into digital signals over your high-speed internet connection. Voice data from a sender is broken into smaller sized data chunks called packets which are sent to a router. The router then forwards the packets to the recipient's router before finally arriving at the recipient's device. Once they have all been received, the recipient’s device uses the instructions included in each packet to restore the whole message to its original form.
VoIP systems use different audio and video codes to compress and decompress data during transmission. The choice of codec used in transmission depends on the size and type of the data, and the primary aim of the transmission (quality, bandwidth, speed, etc.). Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP), H.323, and Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) are examples of protocols used by VoIP to initiate, maintain, and terminate real-time internet call sessions.
VoIP calls offer the following advantages over landlines and cell phones:
- Lower costs: Regardless of how many lines are required, VoIP typically reduces upfront and ongoing maintenance costs than is possible with landlines or cell phones
- Better scalability: Many VoIP service providers allow their customers to add or remove lines and users as they see fit, meaning customers only pay for what they need
- Mobility: VoIP users can enjoy VoIP telephony services from anywhere, provided an internet connection is available. Landlines and cell phones offer considerably lesser mobility in the locations of use.
- Better call quality: Provided there is a steady high-speed internet connection, VoIP services offer crisp and clear sound quality with minimal latency issues, drops, or delays.
- Better Integration: VoIP uses packet switching technology which allows for smart integrations with recent technologies. Smart integrations will help boost collaborations and productivity for businesses and individuals.
- Advanced features: VoIP offers extensive features that are not readily available from landline and cell phone service providers. These include hot-desking, call analytics, call whisper, etc. These services are either completely free or offered at nominal costs to users.
The identities of unknown callers using regular and VoIP numbers can be established with reverse phone lookup search tools.
Does Utah Regulate VoIP Providers?
No. Although the Utah Public Service Commission has regulatory jurisdiction over telecommunications corporations providing intrastate long-distance services to consumers, VoIP service providers are exempted from such jurisdiction.
What Do You Need for VoIP and Internet Calls?
A very high-speed internet connection is required for an optimal VoIP telephony experience. If you want to make a VoIP call over wired connections, fiber and ethernet connections work best. If you plan to make VoIP calls on mobile networks, use a 4G/LTE or a 5G connection. You can make an internet call using a landline phone, a smartphone, a tablet device, or a computer.
Although landlines are not equipped with hardware to translate voice signals into digital packets for transmission through the internet, you can still make internet calls from a regular old landline phone by connecting it to an analog telephone adapter (ATA). An ATA is a device for connecting traditional analog telephones to a digital telephone system or a VoIP telephony network. The adapter plugs into either a phone socket in the wall or into your router.
With VoIP software, such as Skype, Google Talk, or 3CX installed on your computer, you can make internet calls from the computer to regular landline or mobile numbers.
You can also make VoIP calls from your smartphone or tablet by installing a VoIP application from the Android Playstore or the iOS App Store. Skype, Facebook Messenger, Viber, or WhatsApp are available on both stores. FaceTime, which may also be used to make internet calls is native to the iOS App Store.
Are VoIP Numbers Different from Regular Phone Numbers?
A regular phone number and a VoIP number are both 10-digits. Although that is a common feature to both, a few unique features set the two apart.
- Regular numbers are not restricted for use on a single device. VoIP numbers may be used on multiple devices at the same time
- Regular phone numbers are assigned to a physical line or SIM card. VoIP numbers are assigned to individuals.
- VoIP numbers are not restricted to physical locations. If an internet connection is available, a VoIP number can be used anywhere in the world. On the other hand, regular phone numbers can only be used where the service provider provides network access.
Can You Make Free Internet Calls?
Yes, you can make free internet calls using VoIP software or applications as long as you have a high-speed internet connection available and have installed the appropriate VoIP application. You can make free internet calls through any of the four different forms listed below:
- PC to phone: By installing appropriate VoIP software on your computer, you can make free internet calls from your computer to a regular telephone number. This method does not require you to possess a telephone to make free internet calls
- App to Phone: You can make free internet calls from a mobile device, such as a smartphone or a tablet to a regular telephone number, even landlines and mobile phones that are not using the VoIP application installed on your mobile device.
- PC to PC: By installing VoIP software on two separate computers, free internet calls can be made between the two computers.
- App to app: Making free internet calls by this method can only be achieved if the caller and the callee have the same VoIP application installed. Here, free calls can only be made on smartphones or tablets. Note that this method cannot be used to call landlines or other mobile phones without the appropriate software.
VoIP applications that can be used to make free internet calls include Google Voice, WhatsApp, Google Duo, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, Viber, and Telegram.