MY ONE BLOGby Manishdai
Tech for Local Business

What is VoIP?

Quick answer

Voice over Internet Protocol, technology that carries phone calls over the internet instead of traditional telephone lines.

VoIP, explained

VoIP converts voice into data packets and sends them over an internet connection. Business VoIP services, often called cloud phone systems, provide phone numbers, call routing, voicemail, call recording, auto-attendant menus, and apps that let staff answer the business line from a laptop or mobile phone anywhere.

For example, a small real estate agency could have one main number that rings several agents' phones, routes calls after hours to voicemail sent by email, and lets agents call clients from their mobile while showing the office number. VoIP is usually cheaper and more flexible than traditional phone lines. Call quality depends on internet speed and stability, so businesses should prioritize voice traffic on their network, plan for outages, and check how emergency calling works with their provider.

Related terms

Bandwidth

The maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over a network connection in a given time, usually measured in bits per second.

Jitter

Variation in the time it takes data packets to arrive over a network, which can disrupt real-time audio, video, and gaming.

Latency

The time delay between a request being sent and a response beginning to arrive, usually measured in milliseconds.

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