| In the last couple of years, Internet telephony has | | | | businesses is the high costs of making voice calls |
| emerged as one of the most popular and widely | | | | over the PSTN networks. Therefore, it makes a |
| used Internet applications. IP telephony, wherein | | | | lot of sense for corporate and individual users to |
| the Internet is used for regulating the telephony | | | | harness the emerging computer and network |
| traffic, is making inroads into the organizational | | | | technology in reducing the telecommunication |
| structure of several small and medium sized | | | | costs. |
| organizations. This is because businesses need all | | | | However, as of now, there are certain |
| the support that they can get in augmenting | | | | impediments to IP telephony, more so, if we are |
| profits and reducing the running costs. One way | | | | talking about it in "real time." And one of these is |
| they can reduce their telecommunication costs to | | | | the availability of proper bandwidth; unpredictable |
| a significant extent is through the incorporation of | | | | 'micro-delays' could result due to limited bandwidth |
| Internet telephony services. With real time voice, | | | | in specific circumstances. Consequently, bandwidth |
| fax and video calls being made over the Internet, | | | | has to be guaranteed; and Internet services of |
| this specialised service is being favored by | | | | VoIP that ensure the same need to emerge. |
| business conglomerates having a global presence. | | | | Latest protocols such as RTP and RSVP are a |
| Since the 1980s, certain trends have dominated | | | | great help in this context. Business users would |
| the telecommunication landscape and are slowly | | | | need to ensure that all the Internet Service |
| but surely making their presence felt in this | | | | Providers (ISP) that they are subscribing to |
| context. For one, the digital signal processing | | | | support these standards. |
| (DSP) technology has become cheaper and more | | | | With time, Voice over IP telephony has become |
| accessible. The process of converting voice to | | | | more mature with some of the largest telecoms |
| digital signals in real time is now possible from any | | | | from across the world using the same. Certain |
| home or professional personal computer. | | | | issues that were an impediment like |
| The techniques for compression and multiplexing | | | | interoperability is gradually being taken care of. |
| have become faster and more economical. The | | | | Leading names from the communications sector |
| bandwidth space that, even a few years ago, | | | | have joined the bandwagon and are contributing |
| could maintain a single voice call has now become | | | | to its future growth. This has resulted in |
| capable of handling anywhere between 5 to 10 | | | | phenomenal growth of the VoIP telephony with |
| calls. Another trend that can be mentioned in this | | | | traditional carriers now offering 'enhanced' |
| context is the wide deployment of wide area | | | | services. Real time faxing, print servers, fax |
| networks such as the Internet. | | | | servers on corporate networks, voice messaging, |
| However, one factor that has remained constant | | | | are some of the specialised applications of |
| having special relevance to the bottom line of | | | | Internet Telephony. |