Telephone technology has come a long way over the past century and perhaps the leap in technological progress has been even more substantial in the 21st century.
From its humble beginnings with Alexander Graham Bell in the late 19th century, to the days of landline telephones and payphones, all the way to our current era where the almost sci-fi-like (compared to the rest) smartphone reigns supreme over all other alternatives, we have witnessed massive changes in the way we communicate with one another.
Recently, however, a new innovative technology called VoIP is threatening to render modern telephones completely obsolete in the next decade. Here, we tell you how this came to be.
A lot of you might have not lived in a time where this was so, but before smartphones became the norm amongst people of all ages, and well, before smartphones were even a thing, people communicated mostly via old-time mobile phones (those only useful for call and text messages, and maybe some neat games like Snake) and more specifically, landline phones.
Those are days we’re likely to never see again. As a matter of fact, there’s been a recent 2018 study done by the NCHS, the National Center for Health Statistics, that showed that over half the households in America (53.9% to be exact, according to the study) have completely ditched landlines in favor of the more modern, pocketable, and easy-to-use smartphone. [1]
So, landlines are likely to be extinct in the next decade or so, and -at least for now- smartphones are dominating. That seems to be gist of it. But as we mentioned previously, now exists a technology that might trump phone carriers, one they really don’t want to see taking off, or worse yet, see you knowing about it.
VoIP, What Is It?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and sometimes it’s referred as IP telephony as well.
In essence, VoIP is a technology that directs your calls to your Internet at home which turns your voice into data, which is then in turn converted into sound, as opposed to the current system where your voice (through copper wires) goes to what is called a remote concentrator that digitizes your voice and allows it to be heard on the other end.
VoIP has come a long way from its humble beginnings as an unknown technology of interest only to technophiles. What began as an experimental technology in the 90s is starting to become the standard for voice calls in many industries and many countries. In the US alone, around 36% of businesses are using VoIP, according to an article published by Software Advice in 2015. [2]
VoIP has steadily increased at the expense of traditional phone calls. As a matter of fact, many of today’s telephone networks are already based on VoIP switches. However, many people don’t really know about it, perhaps due to some operators simply keeping quiet about it and not advertising it.
Initially, VoIP had no common standard or protocol, and most people could only call their friends on the same network, but as we’ve seen recently with its technological progress, that has changed. Now, VoIP is shaping up to becoming the new communication standard in the coming years.
Advantages
We’ve talked about the history of VoIP, its past and its potential future, but how good is it now? Here are some of its more noteworthy pros:
- Ease of installation: Compared to landlines, which typically require work from a professional, VoIP installation is a no-brainer. Simply connect to any service like Skype or WhatsApp for example, and immediately you can call friends and family with zero issues, so long as you have the number, of course.
- Ease of monitoring and control: Phone apps and similar allow to access your system without much hassle.
Money saving: You’ll find VoIP to be considerable cheaper than a normal phone bill on average. This is mainly due to calls not having to travel through phone lines anymore; it’s all done through the magic of the Internet. In fact, website Voip-info.org claims that by using VoIP, the costs are reduced by up to 50%. [3] - Features aplenty: Voicemail, caller ID, conference calling, encryption, etc. All of these and more add-ons are available to you, if you so desire them.
- Customizations aplenty: Speaking of desiring them, the Internet has brought about the era of personal customization to levels not thought possible before, and VoIP is not exception. You can pick the features that you want and discard the rest.
- Future-proof: We all now the Internet’s the future, and VoIP is a part of it, which will make it easier to be adapted to further innovations down the line.
In terms of how easy it is to use, the most basic thing you require of course in an Internet connection, preferably high-speed. There are many plans, and many providers. [4] It’s recommended that you research on your own which one’s the best suited to your needs and wants.
Like normal carriers, VoIP offers a variety of plans. Some of these are:
Metered plan: A by-the minute plan with more management features.
Pay-as-you-go plan: Best suited if you’re not making lots of calls or don’t need the extra stuff.
Contract plan: Best long-term benefits, but needs to be paid upfront.
Month-to-month plan: A tad more expensive, but unlike contract you can cancel any time you want.
Aside from all the above, VoIP requires either an IP phone or a softphone, which are pretty much VoIP-specific phones that use the Internet to make calls.
To sum it up, VoIP is the communication technology of the future. It looks like, in time, it will replace regular current-day phones altogether, with its higher-quality sound, lack of need for any landlines or similar stuff, reduced price compared to the alternatives, and close relationship with the Internet, ensuring its future support.
[1] https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-landline-cellphone-20180606-story.html
[2] https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/voip-software-smb-buyer-trends-2015/
[3] https://www.voip-info.org/voip-service-providers-residential/#SavingWithVoIP
[4] https://www.whichvoip.com/residential.htm
