You have probably at least heard about the phrase "VoIP", even if you didn't quite understand what all the excitement is about. VoIP stands for "Voice over Internet Protocol" and will probably change the way you think of making long distance calls. Basically, VoIP technology turns analog audio signals (i.e. the sounds you hear when talking on your regular telephone) in to a digital signal (which is then transmitted on the internet.)

So why is VoIP revolutionizing the sector?

Since it implies that by getting your practical several of the free software that's available currently, you may totally bypass your telephone company, and start making long distance calls for free! This revolutionary technologies have the ability to totally change the telephone system of the entire world! Perhaps you've seen television commercials for one of the pioneers of cloud based voip - http://cp2.gov.br/ojs/index.php/meduc/user/viewPublicProfile/51944 - Vonage. Vonage brands itself as the "broadband telephone company" and offers enticing perks to customers who switch to it's VoIP service for example low-cost 800 numbers and very cheap international rates (fees are waived from the united states to Canada, and international calls are as little as .03 cents a minute to overseas locations for example Paris). But Vonage isn't the only company who's considering harnessing the power of VoIP. AT&T is establishing VoIP calling in several areas of the u.s. and you'll find other major VoIP players on the scene also, such as Skype, who's relying on viral advertising to get the word out. Even some regional cable television businesses are now offering VoIP telephone service at deep discounts to their customers.

One of the interesting components about VoIP is that there is not just one of the ways to make a VoIP call. You can find actually 3 ways to make a VoIP call:

VoIP via ATA: will be the most often used VoIP method right now. Using the ATA (analog telephone adaptor), you connect your regular telephone to your computer or Internet access. The ATA is an analog-to-digital converter and it takes the analog signal from your smartphone and converts it into digital data and transmits it on the web so you are able to make VoIP calls. This really is how Vonage and AT&T's CallVantage handle VoIP calls. The ATA is free with their services. And using an ATA for VoIP is so simple that anybody can do it. Open the box, plug the cable from your phone in to the ATA as opposed to the wall socket, and you're ready to start making VoIP calls. Depending on your computer, where you live, and which kind of Internet connection you have, you could need to also install VoIP software onto your computer, but this shouldn't be too difficult for some people.

VoIP via IP Phones:VoIP smart phones look just like a standard telephone. They have a handset, cradles and buttons. But an VoIP mobile phone uses an RJ-45 Ethernet connector as opposed to the conventional RJ-11 mobile device connectors. VoIP mobile devices connect directly to your router and all the hardware and software is already built inside to deal with your VoIP calls. Look for Wi-Fi IP phones to be obtainable in the near future, that may allow you to make VoIP calls from any Wi-Fi hotspot. It will enable you to take your VoIP mobile phone with you when you travel, and stop in at any Internet café, hotel or other location in which you can use your Wi-Fi notebook, and you may use VoIP technology to "phone home" from anyplace on the globe.

VoIP via Computer-to-Computer:This really is arguably the easiest way to use VoIP. You will find no fees for long distance calls and you'll find several companies offering free or low-cost software right now for you to make usage of VoIP technology. All you need will be the software, a microphone, speakers, a sound card and also a broadband or cable DSL Internet connection, and you can start using VoIP service right away. Except for your normal monthly ISP fee, there's absolutely no charge for just about any computer-to-computer VoIP call, no matter how far away they are. http://www.skype.com is one such VoIP service. Chances are, you've also been using the VoIP technology without even being aware of it, any time you've made a long distance telephone call recently. Many of the major mobile phone companies are already using VoIP technology to reduce their own bandwidth. It's a simple matter of routing thousands of phone calls by way of a circuit switch and into an IP gateway. Once received on another side of the gateway, the VoIP calls are decompressed, reassembled and routed back to a local circuit switch.