As with many emerging technologies,
Voice over the Internet (VoIP) has
been surrounded by hype and a new
vocabulary of buzzwords that serve
only to confuse customers and make
them wary. However, the basic
proposition for VoIP is simple, and
VegaStream gateways provide a
simple, low risk way for companies
to benefit from it.
Business
Benefits of VoIP/Internet Telephony
Using one network instead of
two – reducing line rental,
servicing and inconvenience
Lower call costs. Long
distance call costs are reduced
as calls bypass the PSTN
Inter and intra-site call
costs are reduced or eliminated
by using the existing corporate
network.
Before
VoIP
In a typical
office setup phones are connected to
a Private Branch eXchange (PBX).
This on-premises phone switching
system serves that company only, and
routes voice calls to the PSTN. If
the call is to another business, the
destination PBX at that site
forwards the call internally to the
correct extension telephone.
After
VoIP
VegaStream
gateways are used by enterprises to
take calls off the PSTN and onto
three types of IP network:
Pre-existing IP wide area
network connecting computers at
different enterprise sites
The network of a telephone
service provider using the
internet itself to carry calls
The public internet
What is VoIP?
VoIP essentially removes the cost
of using the public switched
telephone network (PSTN) to make
telephone calls. Furthermore,
because the internet is designed for
data and is not dependent on fixed
locations, VoIP provides the
enterprise with new opportunities
for improving productivity and
flexibility.
So what are VoIP
Gateways?
Many companies still have
separate voice and data networks but
would like to take advantage of the
benefits of using Internet
Telephony. A gateway therefore
converts a telephone conversation
into the correct format as data
packets to enable it to travel
across a data network as Internet
Telephony. Gateways are required at
both ends of a telephone
conversation so that voice can be
converted then reconverted back into
intelligible language at the other
end. VegaStream VoIP gateways are
available to cater for different
sized companies according to the
number of simultaneous conversations
that would typically take place. For
example, the Vega 50 6x4 supports up
to 24 analog ports, up to 16 basic
rate ISDN channels on 8 interfaces
or a mixture of port types and
capacities.
