Although VoIP does have its place in the office set up, it is not reliable enough quite yet to take the place of all PSTN and mobile calling plans. It can however, be useful to add an additional line, especially for those set ups that are already frequent computer users. It just makes sense to use your computer to make phone calls if you are going to be setting there anyway.
Once upon a time, only the most elite of people had a telephone in their home. Then, once the technology got better and truly caught on, the majority of homes, especially in urban areas had one, and one alone. Flash forward a couple of decades and the lowly telephone had found its way into multiple rooms in the home, sometimes even the bathroom!
There are many e-books and guides offered throughout the Internet that are filled with information related to VoIP technologies. Each of these e-books or guides are either directly related to VoIP, or they are indirectly related in the form of related niche.
The VoIP industry requires a multitude of products and services to support the whole range of VoIP capabilities and services. Some of these are obvious, and others a little more obscure. The following products and services pertain to the core VoIP industry. Examples shown under each category are some of the current top manufacturers in the marketplace:
Online and network gaming is one of the fastest growing industries in the computer and technology markets. With a fan base that is made of fewer “techies” and more mainstream folks than ever before, online gaming requires new technologies that make the “community gaming” experience more simple and convenient. This is where VoIP comes in. With VoIP technologies that are sometimes even integrated directly into the games, gamers from around the world playing the same game can communicate with each other through nothing more than a headset with a microphone.
Interest in this search term is fairly new, as most text chat software has only incorporated the voice chat feature since 2007. But the voice feature within the text chat software has been extremely popular, and this trend reflects that popularity. Search trends for this term remain higher almost all other searches using the term “voip.”
The trend in VoIP software follows the same trend as VoIP phones, peaking in 2005 and dropping slowly through 2008. This term appears to be leveling off in 2008 as well. Again, the overwhelming similarity in search popularity for all search terms related to VoIP hardware and software indicates the novelty factor, but, more importantly, the constant level from spring of 2008 to winter of 2008 reflects that this drop is now leveling.
According to a recent AMI study titled “Cashing in on the SMB VoIP Technology Upgrade Cycle,” market trends indicate that the VoIP industry may have some resistance to the impact of the overall global economic downturn. As companies cut back on IT and telecom costs, they focus investments on those projects that reduce costs and provide a clear return on investment. For this reason, they may succeed where other IT industries may falter.
The VoIP industry is so broad that some components can experience growth while others could decline. While the total number of customers who use wireless handheld VoIP technology may decline, but overall use of VoIP services to replace household landlines by grow so much that it carries the entire Industry. With a young technology, it can be difficult to know which niche can grow, but current data should indicate those that have the most promise given the current environment within the telecom market.
A September 2005 FCC report titled “Trends in the International Telecommunications Industry” provides significant insight into the progress of the Telecom industry since the 1950s, as well as how new technologies impacted the industry overall. For example, prior to 1960, the Telegraph industry dominated revenue shares of the Telecom market. After the 1960s, voice telephone service finally surpassed telegraph/telex service, and today the voice/telephone industry is the telephone industry.
PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) is the landline phone that we are all familiar with. To make a call, you pick up the receiver and dial numbers. The telephone number is the key to making the connection to the right person, a sort of address if you will. The VoIP uses an address as well, an IP address to direct your proposed call to the right party. When you use one to make a call to the other, the address or phone number is translated to the right one and the call is completed. If you are using VoIP to make a call, the PSTN address or phone number directs the call, and if you are using a landline, the PSTN network then translates the IP address in the same way.
How much money will you really be hoping to save if your system is constantly crashed and your customers are going unanswered at the other end? One loss call may not be that big of a deal for the guy at the coffee shop who had called his Aunt Tilly in Fresno, but in business, there is really no such thing as just one dropped call.
