Digital IP telephony. See what "VoIP" is in other dictionaries. Comparison of IP telephony and regular telephone communication

IP telephony or Internet telephony is used by those who are looking for profitable communications and the advantages that new software technologies provide. In our company you can connect IP telephony - high-quality communication to optimize costs and develop your business.

IP telephony and telephone communication have a significant difference - the first requires only software and Internet access, while the second requires a telephone exchange and lines, which limits the number of connections or increases the costs of a company that wants to establish uninterrupted unlimited communication. In addition, IP telephony includes telephone communications, video calls, the ability to organize conferences, and much more.

In connection with this, IP telephony is being used more and more widely and has a number of advantages:

  • fast connection;
  • good audibility and high-quality video;
  • communication security;
  • possibility of “smart” redirection;
  • the ability to record a voice greeting;
  • recording conversations, etc.

Using IP telephony to make online calls allows you to implement many options easier and cheaper. Moreover, for communication you can use mobile phones, landlines, or install the program on a smartphone or PC, depending on what is more convenient.

The use of IP telephony provides the following business opportunities:

  • not a single call from your clients will be missed. Multichannel communication makes this a reality. However, the number of operators (employees) may not be enough to receive calls, and then voicemail will come to the rescue;
  • savings when using the Internet and IP telephony compared to conventional communications are about 50% or more;
  • you can take advantage of the additional opportunities that this type of communication provides;
  • you can choose any number (for example, known as a toll-free number 8-800 or a number with an area code (numbers with area codes for more than 40 Russian cities are available).

By connecting IP telephony for online communication and choosing a number, you get not only high-quality calls, prompt service and technical support, but also better opportunities in the future. We are constantly improving, finding and implementing the best technical solutions.

What is needed to connect IP telephony

The sequence of actions to connect to the following services is simple and consists of several steps:

  1. Selecting a number and tariff;
  2. Concluding an agreement with our company;
  3. Determining numbers for call forwarding;
  4. Our specialists will connect the number and help you configure the necessary functions.

Contact our company to get advice or help in choosing a number and the optimal tariff and connect IP telephony to expand opportunities for your business.

Calls to other cities and abroad using traditional telephone lines are not cheap. In addition, there are often cases when subscribers received bills for tens of thousands of rubles for conversations that they did not conduct. Connecting to someone else's subscriber line is not particularly difficult even for a non-communications specialist... Is the only way to protect yourself from having to pay for someone else's chatter is to disable the possibility of automatic long-distance and international communication ("8") and deprive yourself of the opportunity to call outside your locality ? Of course, this is not an option. The solution to the problem is IP telephony (that is, Internet Protocol telephony). By turning off G8, you will leave no chance for attackers to talk at your expense, and you will be able to call to any city and country, and at very low rates.

Advantages and disadvantages of IP telephony

Let us highlight two main advantages of IP telephony over traditional telephone communication:

  • The cost of calls is significantly lower
  • You can turn off the “eight”, and conversations of strangers will be excluded at your expense.

A special case: in Moscow, calls between numbers in the codes “495” and “499” are made through “8”. Despite the fact that you disable your intercity access, the “eight” will still work, but only for calls between these codes. IP telephony has disadvantages over traditional telephone communication via “8”, but they are not so significant:

  • When you receive an incoming call from an IP telephony network on a phone equipped with caller ID, not your subscriber number will be determined, but the dial-up number to the IP telephony gateway, a random sequence of numbers, or no number at all. If the subscriber you are calling uses the “white list” service (you can only reach him from certain numbers), then you will not be able to get through
  • When using IP-telephony using cards (for information on types of IP-telephony, see below), you need to dial, in addition to the number of the called subscriber, the card number and its PIN code
  • To use an IP softphone, you need to turn on your computer, download this program and connect a microphone and headphones
  • Hardware IP phones require configuration for a specific Internet provider

Types of IP telephony

There are two main types of IP telephony.

  • IP telephony using cards. To use it, you need a telephone with touch tone dialing, and there must be a provider in your locality that provides such a service. You buy a card, dial the telephone number of the IP telephony gateway, switch the phone to tone mode and then dial the card number, its PIN code and the number of the called subscriber with the country and city code. In this case, you do not need a computer or Internet access. You pay for long-distance calls according to the tariffs of the IP telephony provider and, if your city telephone network accepts time-based payment for telephone calls, the time of connection through your city telephone network with the IP telephony server (as a regular call within the city). Your conversation to the IP telephony gateway goes like a regular telephone network signal, is converted into a data stream on the server and sent over the Internet to its destination. There, at the so-called landing node, it is converted back into a regular telephone network signal and goes to the subscriber you are calling. In this way, you can call to another city and country from your business phone (a blocked “8” will not be a hindrance for you), from a cell phone, from the phone of, for example, your friends or relatives who you are visiting, or from a hotel phone numbers. In all cases, this will be a regular call within the city, and for long-distance calls the money will be debited from your card; no bills will be received.
  • Conversation using special IP phones. In this case, you must have access to the Internet, but it is not necessary to have a telephone line and an IP telephony provider in your city.

IP phones can be software (they are a program installed on a computer, for example, X-Lite is free, you can download it) and hardware (they look like regular phones). Softphones require headphones and a microphone to be connected to the computer, and in order to receive calls, the computer must be turned on and the program must be running. Hardware IP phones are equipped with a handset, a computer is only needed to configure them, and they work regardless of whether the computer is turned on or whether there is one at all. Some hardware IP phones (for example, Planet VIP-155 PT) can be configured without a computer.

Currently, there are many models of hardware IP phones. For their operation, an Internet channel and a 220 V power supply are required. A telephone line is not needed. It also does not matter how the Internet is accessed - via a local wired network, an ADSL channel (the modem must be equipped with an Ethernet connector) or through a wireless provider (in Moscow - Golden Wi-Fi), to which using a special wireless adapter (for example , Zyxel P-330W EE) you can connect equipment with an Ethernet connector. You cannot connect a hardware IP phone to a regular telephone network. Although there are models that can work both as IP phones and as regular devices for city telephone networks.

How does an IP phone work?

An IP phone (a separate device or program on a computer) converts your voice into a stream of audio files that are transmitted over the Internet. If you call a computer or hardware IP phone, this stream is translated into your voice directly on the computer or hardware IP phone you are calling. If you call a regular wired or cell phone, then at a special communication center the stream of files from the Internet is converted into an electrical signal, which is transmitted over wires or through a cellular network to the subscriber you are calling, and in his phone this signal turns into your voice. Herein lies the secret of the low cost of IP telephony: your conversations can be transmitted in a denser stream than when using traditional telephone communication. After all, you can transmit more data per unit of time with the same channel capacity!

Skype or SIPNET?

To make calls using an IP phone, you need to become a subscriber to one of the IP telephony networks. Such networks can be either public, to which anyone can connect, or closed, intended mainly for corporate communications and accessible only to a limited number of people (office PBXs, communication between remote departments and the central office). Closed networks, although they operate using the IP protocol, are not connected to the Internet at all. In this article we will only refer to public networks.

There are many such networks. The most famous of them is Skype. Conversations between its subscribers are free regardless of their location, and a small fee is charged for calls between Skype and regular telephone networks (Skypeout service). And here is where the disadvantage of this network emerges: you can pay for this service either with certain types of bank cards or with Internet money. Not everyone has bank cards, and not everyone will like the need to create an electronic wallet and register in an online payment system. In addition, Skype is aimed mainly at soft IP phones, and a handset-terminal connected to a computer via USB (for example, Trendnet TVP-SP3) does not work if the computer is turned off.

Another network that deserves our attention is SIPNET (www.sipnet.ru). The Sip protocol used in it is similar to Skype, but is incompatible with it. That is, it is impossible to call a Skype subscriber from the SIPNET network and vice versa, even for money. Of course, you can use the Skypeout service and call a city dial-up number in the SIPNET network, but there will no longer be a direct connection between these networks. You can't call other Sip networks either. Just like Skype, you can also make video calls when using SIPNET.

Calls between SIPNET network subscribers are free. For calls from the SIPNET network to a regular landline or cell phone, you need to pay a small amount. That is, in this sense it is similar to Skype. But when using SIPNET, you can deposit money in rubles both through payment machines and through the cash desks of many communication stores. You can use bank cards and Internet money to pay for SIPNET services, but not necessarily. So, in terms of paying for communication services, SIPNET is much more convenient than Skype.

Most hardware IP phones work with the SIP protocol. They are more convenient than software ones, since they work independently of a computer, and anyone who knows how to use a regular telephone can make calls using them. The question arises: is it possible to call these phones from regular landline phones? If you use a SIPNET network, then you can. But not in all cities. In Russia, this opportunity is available in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Omsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Yekaterinburg and several other cities, a full list of which you can find in the SIPNET help service. To make a call you need a telephone with tone dialing. The cost of the call will be debited from your personal account in the SIPNET network.

The union of SIPNET and Sky Link networks saves your money!

Since an IP phone generates only Internet traffic during a conversation, to optimize costs, we recommend that you connect to the Sky Link tariff, intended for active Internet users. Keep in mind that when using an IP phone, Sky Link charges you only for Internet access; you do not pay for voice services over this network, since you do not use them. And the fee for voice transmission is charged by the IP telephony operator (SIPNET) and only if you call a landline or cell phone.

Thus, the cost of a call on an IP telephone through the Sky Link network will consist of the sum of the cost of Internet access and the cost of using IP telephony services, but in the end it will still be cheaper than using traditional long-distance and especially international telephone communications (calls via IP telephony to many countries in Europe, North and South America is 20 times cheaper than via regular telephone networks).

As we have already said, you can receive incoming phone calls to your IP phone both from other IP phones and from regular landlines (with touch-tone dialing) or cell phones through a special access number. Please note that subscribers calling you must dial the number assigned to you by the SIPNET network (the so-called SIP ID), and not the subscriber number assigned to your RUIM card in the Sky Link network, since, we repeat, you use Sky Link only for data transmission. And therefore, it makes no sense to purchase a direct landline or “beautiful” number from this network. Incoming calls are free for you, and those calling you from a landline or cell phone pay for the conversation with you at the rates of their telecom operator for calls to landline numbers. You can connect to the Sky Link network and pay for its services without commission in any of our stores.

Verdict ION

Which method of using IP telephony is better: using cards or using IP phones? There is no clear answer to this question. It would seem that the “card” method is simpler, since you buy a card and call, you only need a phone, and you can put up with the need to dial a large number of numbers. This is, of course, true, but... It happens that there is no telephone line in the room at all, but the signal from the Sky Link or Golden Wi-Fi network is “caught”. This means that you will be able to use IP telephony, and you do not need to lay any telephone lines. But not “card” telephony, since without a telephone line you cannot talk on it. In addition, if your interlocutor is a SIPNET subscriber, you can talk for free for as long as you like, even with Australia or South America. And the “card” IP telephony operator will never give you the opportunity to talk for free. Even if there is a telephone line, then when paying for calls by time, in addition to the IP-telephony itself using cards, you need to pay for the time of connection with the “card” server via the local telephone network. So each method is good depending on the specific situation.

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IP telephony or Internet telephony is a communication with the transmission of voice information in digital form over the Internet. For data exchange in IP telephony, many specialized protocols are used, designed specifically for working with voice, but the most popular of them is the SIP protocol. Therefore, when talking about Internet telephony, people often specify and call it SIP telephony.

Why IP telephony is so popular

Over the past 2 decades, virtual telephony has rapidly gained popularity throughout the world. Several factors contributed to this:

  • Development of the Internet, increasing its quality and accessibility.
  • More profitable international and international calls.
  • Ease of implementation.
  • No equipment is required to use the PBX functionality.
  • Availability of additional business opportunities based on telephony (for example, automated analytics).
  • Simplification of the use of functions that already existed in traditional telephony (for example, call recording, conditional forwarding, voice menu).
  • Non-attachment to a specific location (that is, you can call from anywhere on the planet where there is Internet).
  • As a consequence of the previous point - keeping the number during any move.
  • Easy scalability. In traditional telephony, scaling is usually associated with the purchase of additional equipment. In Internet telephony, it is enough to simply switch to a more “advanced” tariff.

IP telephony from New Tel

What is VoIP? What are the differences between VoIP and IP telephony?

IP telephony is a broader concept, because it also includes, for example, video communication, that is, the exchange of visual data. VoIP (Voice over IP) refers to the exchange of voice data only. When applied to telephone conversations, these terms most often mean the same thing.

Example. Some modern IP phones have a video conversation feature. To say that such a video call is organized using IP telephony is correct, but to say that it is VoIP telephony is not entirely correct, because only sound is transmitted using VoIP technology in this call.

How to make calls using IP telephony

One of the significant advantages of IP telephony is the ability to use it from different devices, including simultaneously.

Most often, three types of devices are used for calls:

IP phones – the use of IP phones makes Internet telephony look similar to traditional telephony. The difference is that the setup is much more convenient and faster.

Mobile phone – can be used in two ways:
1. Using redirection. When a call arrives at your cloud PBX, it “calls back” to your mobile phone and connects you with the caller. In this case, you talk using the regular connection of your mobile operator and without using the mobile Internet.
2. Using a mobile application. To do this, you need to install the client program on your phone and log in. In this case, you will make calls via the Internet. In essence, it is very similar to audio calls via Skype or WhatsApp.

Personal Computer. To work with telephony in this case, you also need to install a special application. Usually the call itself is made using a headset. This scheme is often used in call centers, because... allows you to make calls directly from CRM, having all the necessary client data at hand.

Additional virtual telephony features

The functionality of IP telephony is not limited to audio calls. The technology provides the opportunity to implement many additional features that are either difficult to implement or completely impossible in traditional telephony. Here are some examples:

Redirects with a variety of conditions. For example, you can set up time-based call forwarding: call a landline phone during business hours, and call a mobile phone during non-working hours. Or by incoming number: forward all calls with the Murmansk code to employee A, and from Moscow to employee B. Transfer if there is no answer: first call employee A, if he does not answer, then to employee B. Forwarding can also include call interception (transfer of the call to your phone by pressing a certain key combination) or call transfer (transfer a call to another employee by pressing a certain key combination).

Record all conversations. Of course, this can be implemented in traditional telephony. But with IP telephony everything is much simpler - all records are stored in the cloud, they can be filtered by various parameters, for example, date or employee.

Free communication within the network. Employees connected to the same network can call each other for free. And, since the call takes place over the Internet, there is no difference whether these employees are in neighboring offices or in different countries.

A complete list of New Tel IP telephony capabilities can be found.


IP telephony is telephone communication over the Internet, and not through conventional telephone networks. This type of telephony became possible as soon as the web of the Internet became comparable and even larger than the web of telephone lines that entangled the Earth long before the Internet.

The difference between IP telephony and analog telephony is the absence of a traditional cable and telephone set. True, there are options for IP telephony that are outwardly indistinguishable from conventional telephone communication, with familiar devices and wires. Communication is carried out through devices with direct access to the Internet. This can be not only computers, but also tablets or mobile devices. An audio headset is also required if the computer does not have speakers and a microphone.

The main advantage is the minimum cost of operation, the cost of paying for calls, in comparison with analogue telephony or cellular communications.

This telephony is especially popular in offices, opening up opportunities for significant savings. After all, office workers do nothing but call the company’s clients, contractors, and for other reasons.

It is important that communication costs are reduced regardless of which region of the country or other state the connection is made with, because for the Internet, unlike regular telephone communications, there are no state or national borders. Simplicity of configuration and a sufficient level of security makes it possible for IP telephony to compete adequately with analog telephony, gradually displacing it for corporate needs.

At the household level, IP telephony was once quite widespread in the form of cards for long-distance and international communications.


Cardtel card for calling from a landline phone via IP telephony

Having purchased such a card for relatively little money, access to the servers of the company providing access to IP telephony was opened from a regular home phone. The numbers for dialing to the servers were published on the card, and then, according to the usual rules for dialing a long-distance or international number, it was possible to call another subscriber, but via the Internet, and not via a telephone line. And the telephone line was used in this case at the cheapest rate: in the section between the phones of speaking subscribers and servers located in the same cities and countries to provide IP telephony.

Basic principles of how IP telephony works

When making a call, the voice signal coming from the subscriber is compressed and converted into a data packet sent via IP networks. Once at the recipient's address, the transmitted information is decoded back, acquiring the format of a familiar voice signal. All this happens in a matter of seconds, thanks to which information is transmitted in real time without loss of broadcast quality.

This positive result is facilitated by protocols that act as a kind of encrypted language that unites subscribers and allows them to transfer data to each other. IP telephony is implemented on the basis of several of the most popular types of protocols.

Connecting and setting up IP telephony

To use the technology, you also need the appropriate equipment: routers, routers, servers, etc.

A software connection to IP telephony involves installing, on a laptop or gadget, an appropriate application that supports communication via a protocol that ensures the operation of IP telephony.

The software is mostly free. To use it, you need an account in the application, into which the data required for operation is entered. A set of basic functions is installed by default; it is possible to expand them and make adjustments to the settings.

The history of IP telephony

It became possible to transmit audio and video files, text messages over the Internet via ISDN. But this program did not find a response, since it worked very slowly and until 1995, innovative developments were not carried out in this direction.

Then the first example of Internet telephony from the Israeli company VocalTec appeared. But it worked one-way, on the principle of walkie-talkies, requiring identical software from the users between whom communication was carried out. It was also quite common at that time for data to be lost during transmission, mainly due to the low speed of the Internet at that time.

Towards modern achievements of IP telephony

Until 1996, IP telephony developed on the principle of transferring information from computer to computer using communicator programs. But in 1997, the integration of telephone networks with the so-called “packet” networks, in fact with the Internet networks, took place, which became possible thanks to the adoption of the standard H323 data transfer protocol.

Based on this protocol, the first phones began to work, equipped with a special connector for connecting to a data network and requiring not only a telephone socket, but also a separate port. When the switch was overloaded, it took time to rebuild it, which led to a long-term loss of interest in this area.

Changes occurred in 2002, when, with the development of the popularity of the new SIP protocol, which appeared back in 1999, packet telephony began to be actively implemented. After another 3 years, with the help of a new VoIP router, it became possible to operate telephony without turning on the computer at all.

Since then, the popularity of IP telephony has been constantly growing. For ordinary users, it is not of fundamental importance what protocols are used and how they work. Clean communication, additional features and low tariffs are much more important to them.

Advantages of IP telephony

The main one is the ability to save communication costs, which is especially important when using long-distance and international calls. Also worth noting as advantages:

  • Accessibility and mobility,

since numbers in IP telephony are not tied to a specific location, to a specific cable, to a specific connector.

This essentially virtual number can be accessed regardless of the geography of its location; all you need is high-speed Internet access. It turns out to be a kind of analogue of mobile communications, only instead of access to mobile networks, access to the Internet is required.

  • High potential,

since the formation of new IP networks is carried out depending on the needs of users and it is possible to quickly expand configurations with the introduction of new services.

  • Privacy and Security.

Thanks to encrypted communication channels, access to information to third parties is prohibited, unlike the old familiar telephone networks, to which anyone can connect anywhere where the cable runs.

  • Wide range of possibilities,

The use of IP telephony is the optimal solution for offices, enterprises and organizations precisely because of the last point about capabilities.

  • Multichannel number functions,
  • forwarding of incoming calls,
  • voice mail,
  • virtual fax and
  • blacklisting service

allow you to get the most out of your connection without making any effort.

Most IP telephony services are included in the basic package and are used after paying for the provider's services for such communication. It is possible to increase the number of rooms beyond the initial tariff plan, but in this case additional costs will be incurred.

About the cost of IP telephony

When using VOIP telephony, you can clearly see the dramatic difference in prices compared to analog communications. Within the network, calls are not charged, that is, subscribers using the services of one IP telephony provider communicate via software or hardware VOIP phones, saving money.

Since traffic on the Internet is not geographically referenced, the distance between the region of sending and the region of receiving information also does not play a role, unlike the usual telephone communication, which works on the principle “the further, the more expensive.” There is no additional charge for sending traffic in any direction.

When calling mobile or landline phones abroad or to other regions, the cost is also an order of magnitude lower than on an analog network. There are no subscriber line fees either, but it’s true that instead you have to pay for using the Internet according to tariffs.

The cost of calls to mobile and landline phones depends on the chosen direction and starts from several tens of kopecks per minute. The specific figure is related to the cost of services from a provider that supports IP telephony. The company involved in setting up and connecting such communications will help you choose the optimal package based on the customer’s needs. A combination of services from several providers is possible, which is guaranteed to lead to a reduction in bills for communication services.

IP telephony competitor: Skype

Applications for maintaining telephone and video communications, for example, well, compete quite successfully with IP telephony. Similar applications for computers and mobile devices allow voice and video communication between subscribers also via the Internet, and also have attractive tariffs.

By the way, many functions of such applications are generally free. Users only need to pay for Internet traffic, nothing more. For example, Skype calls between two subscribers who have the Skype application installed on their computers are free.

And even group audio and Skype between several Skype subscribers can be free. It is also possible to transmit visual information by “sharing” (organizing collective viewing) one of the computer screens connected to the Skype conference.

IP telephony competitors: mobile operators

In addition, mobile operators do not stand still. They offer their corporate clients so-called virtual telephony. Its essence is that each employee of a corporation (firm) is assigned a short number (3-4 digits), as if it were the employee’s internal telephone number. And all employees of one company can call each other using these short numbers, but using mobile phones or special telephones connected directly to the company’s servers that provide Internet access.

The peculiarity of mobile virtual telephony is that it does not link the employee to the workplace, to a specific city, or even to a specific country. A short number assigned to a company employee “travels” with him everywhere, along with his gadget and SIM card. The result is an analogue of IP telephony that is comparable in price and does not require anything at all from users (and companies) except mobile phones (smartphones, iPhones) and SIM cards of the mobile operator.

Results

In general, progress does not stand still, and competition is pushing manufacturers to find more and more convenient ways of voice and video communication between corporate employees and between ordinary people.

And the “old” telephone companies are not standing still, developing their networks and transferring them “to digital” in search of competitive solutions that will allow them to successfully “compete” with IP telephony.

IP telephony – VoIP telephony – SIP telephony, what is the difference between them?

There is no difference between these three terms; they mean the same thing. When working with IP telephony, you can keep two other names in mind and use them if you want to demonstrate your rich vocabulary or avoid tautology.

Why is connecting to SIP telephony (VoIP telephony) significantly cheaper than connecting to traditional telephony?

SIP telephony does not require costly work associated with laying a telephone wire many kilometers from the operator’s automatic telephone exchange. Working with IP telephony is carried out very quickly on the local wired Internet.

How to choose equipment for IP telephony?

You can go to a website that sells equipment for IP telephony and choose the model you like. If the client has doubts about the correctness of his choice, then he should contact the system administrator for help. UIS sales specialists will also be able to help you during consultation and connection.

How to connect IP telephony?

Call UIS or leave a request on our website. We will connect everything ourselves in a short time and answer all your questions. We have an individual approach to each client, and we will definitely study the specifics of your business.

When connecting to the IP telephony service, the client will have access to all the functionality of the Virtual PBX, including the voice menu and voice mail. To do this, it is only necessary that the device to which the PBX is connected has access to the Internet and also receives calls via the SIP protocol.

Will I be able to receive incoming calls by activating the IP telephony service?

The IP telephony service provided by UIS allows you to both make and receive calls anywhere in Russia and around the world. Moreover, incoming calls to SIP numbers are free even on the starter tariff.

From which devices can I make calls?

Let's just say that an old Soviet landline phone is unlikely to be suitable for such calls. As for modern phones, any device that supports SIP protocols is suitable for making calls using the IP telephony service. You can make and receive calls both from a computer and through a mobile application.