Definition If youve never heard of Internet Telephony, get ready to change the way you think about longdistance

phone calls. Internet Telephony, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a method for taking analog audio signals, like the kind you hear when you talk on the phone, and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet. ow is this useful! Internet Telephony can turn a standard Internet connection into a way to place free phone calls. The practical upshot of this is that by using some of the free Internet Telephony software that is available to make Internet phone calls, you are bypassing the phone company "and its charges# entirely. Internet Telephony is a revolutionary technology that has the potential to completely rework the worlds phone systems. Internet Telephony providers like Vonage have already been around for a little while and are growing steadily. $a%or carriers like &T'T are already setting up Internet Telephony calling plans in several markets around the (nited )tates, and the *++ is looking seriously at the potential ramifications of Internet Telephony service. &bove all else, Internet Telephony is basically a clever ,reinvention of the wheel.- In this article, well e.plore the principles behind Internet Telephony, its applications and the potential of this emerging technology, which will more than likely one day replace the traditional phone system entirely. The interesting thing about Internet Telephony is that there is not %ust one way to place a call. There are three different ,flavors- of Internet Telephony service in common use today/ ATA 0 The simplest and most common way is through the use of a device called an &T& "analog telephone adaptor#. The &T& allows you to connect a standard phone to your computer or your Internet connection for use with Internet Telephony.

The &T& is an analog-to-digital converter. It takes the analog signal from your traditional phone and converts it into digital data for transmission over the Internet. Providers like Vonage and &T'T +allVantage are bundling &T&s free with their service. 2ou simply crack the &T& out of the bo., plug the cable from your phone that would normally go in the wall socket into the &T&, and youre ready to make Internet Telephony calls. )ome &T&s may ship with additional software that is loaded onto the host computer to configure it3 but in any case, it is a very straightforward setup. IP Phones 0 These speciali4ed phones look %ust like normal phones with a handset, cradle and buttons. 5ut instead of having the standard 67-11 phone connectors, IP phones have an 67-89 :thernet connector. IP phones connect directly to your router and have all the hardware and software necessary right onboard to handle the IP call. ;i-*i phones allow subscribing callers to make Internet Telephony calls from any ;i-*i hot spot. Computer-to-computer 0 This is certainly the easiest way to use Internet Telephony. 2ou dont even have to pay for longdistance calls. There are several companies offering free or very low-cost software that you can use for this type of Internet Telephony. &ll you need is the software, a microphone, speakers, a sound card and an Internet connection, preferably a fast one like you would get through a cable or <)= modem. :.cept for your normal monthly I)P fee, there is usually no charge for computer-tocomputer calls, no matter the distance. If youre interested in trying Internet Telephony, then you should check out some of the free Internet Telephony software available on the Internet. 2ou should be able to download and set it up in about three to five minutes. >et a friend to download the software, too, and you can start tinkering with Internet Telephony to get a feel for how it works.

An overview of how VoIP works Voice over Internet Protocol "VoIP# is a protocol optimi4ed for the transmission of voice through the Internet or other packet switched networks. VoIP is often used abstractly to refer to the actual transmission of voice "rather than the protocol implementing it#. VoIP is also known as IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, 5roadband Phone and Voice over 5roadband. ,VoIP- is pronounced voyp. +ompanies providing VoIP service are commonly referred to as providers, and protocols which are used to carry voice signals over the IP network are commonly referred to as Voice over IP or VoIP protocols. They may be viewed as commercial reali4ations of the e.perimental @etwork Voice Protocol "1ABC# invented for the &6P&@:T providers. )ome cost savings are due to utili4ing a single network to carry voice and data, especially where users have e.isting underutili4ed network capacity that can carry VoIP at no additional cost. VoIP to VoIP phone calls are sometimes free, while VoIP to public switched telephone networks, P)T@, may have a cost that is borne by the VoIP user. C

Voice over IP protocols carry telephony signals as digital audio, typically reduced in data rate using speech data compression techniDues, encapsulated in a data packet stream over IP. There are two types of P)T@ to VoIP services/ <irect Inward <ialing "<I<# and access numbers. DID will connect the caller directly to the VoIP user while access numbers reDuire the caller to input the e.tension number of the VoIP user. IP Phone &n IP phone uses Voice over IP technologies allowing telephone calls to be made over the internet instead of the ordinary P)T@ system. The phones use protocols such as )ession Initiation Protocol, )kinny +lient +ontrol Protocol or one of various proprietary protocols such as that used by )kype. IP phones can be simple software-based )oftphones or purpose-built hardware devices that appear much like an ordinary telephone or cordless phone or an &T& "analog telephony adapter# which allows to reuse ordinary P)T@ phones. Ene of the primary motivations for implementing such a system is the lower calling cost. ;hen calling other IP phones over the internet one only pays for the usually fi.ed cost internet bandwidth. It may have many features an analog doesnFt support, such as e-mail-like I<s for contacts that may be easier to remember than names or phone numbers.

Elements of an IP phone 1. ardware

?. <@) client C. )T(@ client 8. < +P client "not commonly used# 9. )ignalling stack ")IP, C?C, )kinny, )kype, or others# G. 6TP stack B. (ser interface

ardware of a stand alone IP phone 8

ardware-based IP phone The overall hardware may look like telephone or mobile phone. &n IP phone has the following hardware components.

)peakerHear phone and microphone Iey pad H touch pad to enter phone number and te.t "not used for &T&s#. <isplay hardware to feedback user input and show caller-idHmessages "not used for &T&s#. >eneral purpose processor ">PP# to process application messages. & voice engine or a <igital signal processor to process 6TP messages. )ome I+ manufacturers provides >PP and <)P in single chip. &<+ and <&+ converters/ To convert voice to digital data and vice versa. :thernet or wireless network hardware to send and receive messages on data network. Power source might be a battery or <+ source. )ome IP phones receive electricity from Power over ethernet.

!ther devices There are several ;i*i enabled mobile phones and P<&s that come pre-loaded with )IP clients or are at least capable of running IP telephony clients. )ome IP phones may also support P)T@ phone lines directly.

Analog telephony adapters These are usually rectangular bo.es that are connected to the internet or =ocal area network using an :thernet port and have sockets to connect one or more P)T@ phones. )uch devices are sent out to 9

customers who sign up with various commercial VoIP providers allowing them to continue using their e.isting P)T@ based telephones. &nother type of gateway device acts as a simple >)$ base station and regular mobile phones can connect to this and make VoIP calls. ;hile a license is reDuired to run one of these in most countries these can be useful on ships or remote areas where a low-powered gateway transmitting on unused freDuencies is likely to go unnoticed.

Common features of IP phones Caller ID

<ialing using nameHI</ This is different from dialing from your mobile call register as user need not to save a number to sip phone. =ocally stored and network-based directories +onference and multiparty call +all park +all transfer and call hold Preserving user nameH number when choosing a different service provider "not widely supported#. &pplications like weather report, &ttendance in school and offices, =ive news etc.

Disadvanta"es of IP phones

6eDuires internet access to make calls outside the =ocal area network unless a compatible local P5J is available to handle calls to and from outside lines. @on-Po: IP Phones and the routers they connect through need to have their own power supply unlike P)T@ phones which are supplied with power from the telephone e.change. IP networks are often more prone to outages and congestion than analogue phone networks.

Contents

1 istory ? *unctionality C Implementation

o o o o o o o o o o

C.1 6eliability C.? Kuality of service C.C <ifficulty with sending fa.es C.8 :mergency calls C.9 Integration into global telephone number system C.G )ingle point of calling C.L )ecurity C.A Pre-Paid Phone +ards C.1M +aller I< C.11 VoI$ 8.1 $ass-market telephony 8.? +orporate and telco use 8.C (se in &mateur 6adio 8.8 +lick to call 9.1 IP telephony in 7apan

8 &doption
o o o o

9 =egal issues in different countries

o

9.1.1 Telephone number for IP telephony in 7apan

G Technical details

I#T!$% of VoIP 1LBG 0 Invention of the telephone B

1A19 0 +all across the continent 1ABC 0 &6P&@:TH@etwork Voice Protocol 1AA9 - Volcatec 1AAG 0 <)P 1AAB 0 VoIP introducedHglobal communications ?MMM 0 residential acceptance I#T!$% ,;hen did VoIP begin!-N This standard of communication dates as far back as &le.ander 5ell and his invention of the telephone, utili4ing the same basic purpose and design. ;ith the notion that one person can talk to another person far away using some kind of device, in 1LBG this device was the telephone, but in 1AAG, it can be found on the Internet. The first telephone call from one end of the &merican continent to the other was made LB years ago, on 7anuary ?9, 1A19. The inspiration for this technology is the Internet capability oh allowing one computer to talk to another. In the past, with limited technology, communication was only possible if both parties had the same kind of soundcard with the latest drivers installed3 otherwise the result was more like a alf-<uple. walkie-talkie Duality.

&on" a"o 'orldwide communication first started out P!T# - Plain Eld Telephone )ystems allowed local area calling, but was only available to the elite, since there was a huge cost involved, considering the eDuipment and line placement. The PET) network grew, as did its popularity and necessity "for individuals and corporations alike# P#T( - Public #witched Telephone (etworks The industry Duickly evolved to include nationwide and eventually global connectivity through the phone company. )*+, Voice over IP or VoIP Protocols are used to carry voice signals over the IP network, a commercial reali4ation of the e.perimental @etwork Voice Protocol invented for the &6P&@:T. L

)**- the first Internet Phone #oftware appeared - Vocaltec Vocaltec released the first internet phone software called ,Internet Phone-. obbyists began to recogni4e the potential of sending voice data packets over the Internet instead of communicating through standard telephone service <esigned to run on a home P+ (utili4ed sound cards, microphones and speakers. &llowed P+ users to avoid long distance charges The software used the today. Contemporar. VoIP uses a standard telephone hooked up to an Internet connection early efforts in the history of VoIP reDuired both callers to have a computer eDuipped with the same software, as well as a sound card and microphone. early applications hadpoor sound Duality and connectivity but showed that VoIP technology was useful and promising, considered the )kype of the AMs. .C?C protocol instead of the )IP protocol that is more prevalent

& ma%or drawback in 1AA9 was the lack of broadband availability. &lso software used with modems resulted in poor voice Duality vs. normal telephone call. It was still a ma%or milestone as it represented the first ever IP Phone. Voice over IP began as the result of work done by some hobbyists in Israel in 1AA9 when only P+to-P+ communication was available. =ater in 1AA9, Vocaltec, Inc. released Internet Phone )oftware. This software was designed to run on a home P+ "8LGHCC $ 4# with sound cards, speakers, microphone, and modem. The software compressed the voice signal, translated it into voice packets, and shipped it out over the Internet. The technology worked as long as both the caller and the receiver had the same eDuipment and software. &lthough the sound Duality was nowhere near that of conventional eDuipment at the time, this effort represented the first IP phone. VoIP came into e.istence as a result of work done by a few hobbyists in Israel in the year 1AA9 when only P+-to-P+ communication was in vogue. =ater on during 1AA9, Vocaltec, Inc. released Internet Phone )oftware. This particular software was intended to run on a home P+ "8LGHCC $ 4# with/ sound cards speakers A

microphone modem

The software was used to compress the voice signal, convert it into voice packets, and then finally to ship it out over the Internet. This particular technology worked as long as both the caller and the receiver had the same tools and software. that came into e.istence. )**/ Vocaltec 0 one of the true pioneers of VoIP - Internet Phone product It had initial success with Internet Phone, and had a successful IPE in 1AAG and was perhaps the first ,true- VoIP software application. It helped lay the groundwork to make VoIP mainstream and was the first VoIP product on the shelves of +ompusa and other retail outlets. In the old days of VoIP there were full-duple. issues and soundcard full-duple. driver issues. If you didnt have the latest sound card driver, youd get a half-duple. +5Hwalkie-talkie type e.perience. The Internet hadnt really taken off at that point in history. 2ou had to download the latest sound card driver to get full-duple. VoIP sound. In 1AAG they released and officially invented the protocol and today they are leading providers of the latest VoIP solutions. The technology is still fairly new and history is being written right now. istorically, VoIP software focused mainly on the <)P "<igital )ignal Processors#, primarily due to the components high representation in the design of VoIP platforms. @ot surprisingly, E:$s centered their design decisions on which <)P they intended to use, with the standard considerations of performance, si4e, and power dissipation following suit. The VoIP software vendors responded in kind by supplying the necessary codecs and data packaging components necessary to run on the <)P, however this bottom-up approach left manufacturers to fend for themselves with the most critical design elements, including system management, signaling, call control, gateway control, and control plane interface. Eften, the integration of these disparate components was Duite a difficult process, reDuiring the stitching together of algorithms and protocols from many different suppliers. +onseDuently, system efficiency was sub-optimal, and time to market was painfully slow. 1M owever, the sound Duality was not even close to that of the standard eDuipment in use at that point of time. This attempt can be termed as the first IP phone

)**0 "VoIP evolved gradually over the ne.t few years# P+ to phone service offered by small companies. Phone to phone service soon followed "by using a computer to establish the connection# email, cellular "mobile#, and the Internet becoming standards for global communications

B. )**0, VoIP traffic had grown to represent appro.imately 1O of all voice traffic in the (nited )tates. :ntrepreneurs were %umping on the bandwagon and were creating devices which enabled P+to-phone and phone-to-phone communication. @etworking manufacturers such as +isco and =ucent introduced eDuipment that could route and switch the VoIP traffic and as a result by the year ?MMM, VoIP traffic accounted for more than CO of all voice traffic. 5y 1AAL VEIP had reached some potential. & number of entrepreneurs started setting up gateways to allow first P+-to-Phone and later Phone-to-Phone connections. )ome of these entrepreneurs started by providing customers a facility to make free phone calls using the regular phone. :very phone call which the user made had an advertisement at the beginning and at the end of the call. This service was only available to users in @orth &merica. This service allowed the users to make free long distance calls. This ,free to the customer- marketing model, was sponsored by various advertising companies or agencies. These services often reDuired the services of a P+ to originate the call, although the actual communication was from Pphone to Pphone. &t this stage, VEIP traffic represented rather less than 1O of voice traffic. In 1AAL three IP switch manufacturers introduced eDuipment capable of switching. &t present, most IP switching and routing eDuipment suppliers offer VEIP as either a standard or as an option on their mid-range and up eDuipment. Voice over Internet Protocol had made considerable progress by the year 1AAL. & number of organi4ations began to set up gateways to allow first P+-to-Phone and later Phone-to-Phone connections. & few of these organi4ations started by providing users a facility to make free phone calls using the regular phone. :ach phone call that the user made started with an advertisement and also had one at the end of the call. This particular service was offered only to users in @orth &merica. This allowed the users to make free long distance calls. & number of advertising companies or agencies sponsored this ,free to the customer- promotional model. These kinds of services, time and again, reDuire a P+ to originate the call, even if the actual communication is from Pphone to Pphone. 11

Three IP switch manufacturers launched eDuipment, during the year 1AAL, which was capable of being used for switching. late )**12s VoIP service relied on advertising sponsorship to subsidi4e costs, as opposed to charging customers for calls. The gradual introduction of broadband :thernet service allowed for greater call clarity and reduced latency, "calls still had static or there was difficulty making connections between the Internet and P)T@ "public telephone networks#. startup VoIP companies were able to offer free calling service to customers from special locations. VoIP hardware less computer dependent "breakthrough in VoIP history#+isco )ystems and @ortel "hardware manufacturers# started producing VoIP eDuipment that was capable of switching, therefore functions that previously had to be handled by a computers +P(, such as ,switching- a voice data packet into something that could be read by the P)T@ "and vice versa# could now be done by another device

#ince 3111 VoIP usage has e.panded dramatically several different technical standards for VoIP data packet transfer and switching - each is supported by at least one ma%or manufacturer @o clear ,winner- has yet emerged to adopt the role of a universal standard. )ervice has also been e.tended to residential users ;hile companies often switch to VoIP to save on both long distance and infrastructure costs, VoIP. VoIP has gone from being a fringe development to a mainstream alternative to standard telephone service. +urrently, the ma%ority of IP switching and routing eDuipment suppliers offer VoIP on their midrange and up eDuipment, either as standard eDuipment or as an option. Voice over Internet Protocol traffic was in e.cess of CO of voice traffic by the year ?MMM, and it is e.pected that it would grow rapidly to somewhere between ?9O and 8MO of all international voice traffic by the year ?MM9. 3111?

Voice Duality issues have long since been addressed and VoIP traffic can be prioriti4ed over data traffic to ensure reliable, clear sounding, unbroken telephone calls. 6evenue from VoIP eDuipment sales alone are pro%ected to reach around QC billion this year and are being forecast to be over QL.9 billion by the end of ?MML. This is primarily being driven by low cost unlimited calling plans and the abundance of enhanced and useful telephony features associated with VoIP technology. This is a phenomenal growth rate and with the rapid introduction of Video over IP fueling demand, the future of this technology is truly e.citing and will enable us to en%oy products that our grandparents and even parents never thought were possible. Video over IP follows the same concept as VoIP but in this case enables the transmission of video signals. &s such, video phones are becoming more common than you would think, and many companies are already offering attractive packages. Ene of our featured partners, PacketL already has a video phone offering. Voice over Internet Protocol, VoIP or 5roadband phone service as it is often referred to, is changing the telephony world. Traditional phone lines are slowly being phased out as businesses and households around the world embrace the benefits and features that VoIP technology has to offer.

311/ VEIP has now become one of the most technologically advanced communications platform in the world (e4t - .ears &ccording to e.perts, with VoIPs increasing Kuality of )ervice "Ko)# and universality of added features, it will occupy a ma%or percentage of all communications 5unctionalit. VoIP can facilitate tasks and provide services that may be more difficult to implement or e.pensive using the more traditional P)T@. :.amples include/

The ability to transmit more than one telephone call down the same broadband-connected telephone line. This can make VoIP a simple way to add an e.tra telephone line to a home or office.

C-way calling, call forwarding, automatic redial, and caller I<3 features that traditional telecommunication companies "telcos# normally charge e.tra for. 1C

)ecure calls using standardi4ed protocols "such as )ecure 6eal-time Transport Protocol.# $ost of the difficulties of creating a secure phone over traditional phone lines, like digiti4ing and digital transmission are already in place with VoIP. It is only necessary to encrypt and authenticate the e.isting data stream.

=ocation independence. Enly an internet connection is needed to get a connection to a VoIP provider. *or instance, call center agents using VoIP phones can work from anywhere with a sufficiently fast and stable Internet connection.

Integration with other services available over the Internet, including video conversation, message or data file e.change in parallel with the conversation, audio conferencing, managing address books, and passing information about whether others "e.g. friends or colleagues# are available online to interested parties.

Implementation 5ecause (<P does not provide a mechanism to ensure that data packets are delivered in seDuential order, or provide Kuality of )ervice "known as Ko)# guarantees, VoIP implementations face problems dealing with latency and %itter. This is especially true when satellite circuits are involved, due to long round trip propagation delay "8MM milliseconds to GMM milliseconds for geostationary satellite#. The receiving node must restructure IP packets that may be out of order, delayed or missing, while ensuring that the audio stream maintains a proper time consistency. This functionality is usually accomplished by means of a %itter buffer in the voice engine. &nother challenge is routing VoIP traffic through firewalls and address translators. Private )ession 5order +ontrollers are used along with firewalls to enable VoIP calls to and from a protected enterprise network. )kype uses a proprietary protocol to route calls through other )kype peers on the network, allowing it to traverse symmetric @&Ts and firewalls. Ether methods to traverse firewalls involve using protocols such as )T(@ or I+:. VoIP challenges/

&vailable bandwidth <elayH@etwork =atency Packet loss 18

7itter :cho )ecurity 6eliability Pulse dialing to <T$* translation

$any VoIP providers do not translate pulse dialing from older phones to <T$*. The VoIP user may use a VoIP Pulse to Tone +onverter, if needed.Rcitation neededS *i.ed delays cannot be controlled but some delays can be minimi4ed by marking voice packets as being delay-sensitive "see, for e.ample, <iffserv#. The principal cause of packet loss is congestion, which can be controlled by congestion management and avoidance. +arrier VoIP networks avoid congestion by means of teletraffic engineering. Variation in delay is called %itter. The effects of %itter can be mitigated by storing voice packets in a %itter buffer upon arrival and before producing audio, although increases delay. This avoids a condition known as buffer underrun, in which the voice engine is missing audio since the ne.t voice packet has not yet arrived. +ommon causes of echo include impedance mismatches in analog circuitry, and acoustic coupling of the transmit and receive signal at the receiving end. $eliabilit. +onventional phones are connected directly to telephone company phone lines, which in the event of a power failure are kept functioning by back-up generators or batteries located at the telephone e.change. owever, household VoIP hardware uses broadband modems and other eDuipment powered by household electricity, which may be sub%ect to outages in the absence of a uninterruptible power supply or generator. :arly adopters of VoIP may also be users of other phone eDuipment, such as P5J and cordless phone bases, that rely on power not provided by the telephone company. :ven with local power still available, the broadband carrier itself may e.perience outages as well. ;hile the P)T@ has been matured over decades and is typically reliable, most broadband networks are less than 1M years old, and even the best are still sub%ect to intermittent outages. *urthermore, consumer network technologies such as cable and <)= often are not sub%ect to the same restoration service levels as the P)T@ or business technologies such as T-1 connection. 19

6ualit. of service )ome broadband connections may have less than desirable Duality. ;here IP packets are lost or delayed at any point in the network between VoIP users, there will be a momentary drop-out of voice. This is more noticeable in highly congested networks andHor where there are long distances andHor interworking between end points. Technology has improved the reliability and voice Duality over time and will continue to improve VoIP performance as time goes on. It has been suggested to rely on the packeti4ed nature of media in VoIP communications and transmit the stream of packets from the source phone to the destination phone simultaneously across different routes "multi-path routing#. In such a way, temporary failures have less impact on the communication Duality. In capillary routing it has been suggested to use at the packet level *ountain codes or particularly raptor codes for transmitting e.tra redundant packets making the communication more reliable. & number of protocols have been defined to support the reporting of Ko)HKo: for VoIP calls. These include 6T+P J6 "6*+CG11#, )IP 6T+P )ummary 6eports, .8GM.A &nne. 5 "for .C?C#, .?8L.CM and $>+P e.tensions. The 6*+CG11 VoIP $etrics block is generated by an IP phone or gateway during a live call and contains information on packet loss rate, packet discard rate "due to %itter#, packet lossHdiscard burst metrics "burst lengthHdensity, gap lengthHdensity#, network delay, end system delay, signal H noise H echo level, $E) scores and 6 factors and configuration information related to the %itter buffer. 6*+CG11 VoIP metrics reports are e.changed between IP endpoints on an occasional basis during a call, and an end of call message sent via )IP 6T+P )ummary 6eport or one of the other signaling protocol e.tensions. 6*+CG11 VoIP metrics reports are intended to support real time feedback related to Ko) problems, the e.change of information between the endpoints for improved call Duality calculation and a variety of other applications. Difficult. with sendin" fa4es 'hat is a fa47 Internet fa4 uses the internet to receive and send fa.es. Traditional fa.ing involves sending a scanned copy of a document "a facsimile# from one fa. machine to another, over the phone network. Internet fa.ing "or Tonline fa.ingT# is a general term 1G

which can refer to one of several methods of achieving this over the Internet - with a goal of both reduced costs and increased functionality over traditional fa.ing. <epending on the specific methodHimplementation "see below#, advantages of using the internet can include 1. no e.tra telephone line reDuired for the fa. ?. paperless communication, integrated with email C. send and receive multiple fa.es simultaneously 8. reduction in phone costs Traditional fa4 The traditional method for sending fa.es over phone lines "P)T@#

*a. machine U Phoneline U *a. machine

& fa. machine is an electronic instrument composed of a scanner, a modem, and a printer. It transmits data in the form of pulses via a telephone line to a recipient, usually another fa. machine, which then transforms these impulses into images, and prints them on paper. The traditional method reDuires a phone line, and only one fa. can be connected to send or receive at a time. Computer-based fa4in" &s modems came into wider use with personal computers, the computer was used to send fa.es directly. Instead of first printing a hard copy to be then sent via fa. machine, a document could now be printed directly to the software fa., then sent via the computerFs modem. 6eceiving fa.es was accomplished similarly.

Computer 8 Phone line 8 5a4 machine 5a4 9achine 8 Phone line 8 Computer

& disadvantage of receiving fa.es this way is that the computer has to be turned on and running the fa. software to receive any fa.es.

1B

(ote: This method is distinct from Internet fa.ing as the information is sent directly over the telephone network, not over the Internet. Internet fa4 servers;"atewa.s The Internet has enabled development of several other methods of sending and receiving a fa.. The more common method is an e.tension of computer-based fa.ing, and involves using a fa. serverHgateway to the Internet to convert between fa.es and emails. It is often referred to as Tfa. to mailT or Tmail to fa.T. This technology is more and more replacing the traditional fa. machine because it offers the advantage of dispensing with the machine as well as the additional telephone line. $eception/

5a4 machine 8 Phone line 8 5a4 "atewa. 8 email messa"e <over Internet= 8 computer email account

& fa. is sent via the Public )witched Telephone @etwork "P)T@# on the fa. server, which receives the fa. and converts it into P<* or TI** format, according to the instructions of the user. The fa. is then transmitted to the ;eb server which posts it in the ;eb interface on the account of the subscriber, who is alerted of the reception by an email containing the fa. in an attached file and sometimes by a message on his mobile phone. #endin":

Computer 8 Internet 8 5a4 "atewa. 8 Phone line 8 5a4 machine

*rom hisHher computer, in the supplier ;eb site, the user chooses the document sHhe wants to send and the fa. number of the recipient. ;hen sending, the document is usually converted to P<* format and sent by the ;eb server to the fa. server, which then transmits it to the recipient fa. machine via the )tandard Telephone @etwork. Then the user receives a confirmation that the sending was carried out, in hisHher web interface andHor by email. &n Internet fa. service allows one to send fa.es from a computer via an Internet connection, thanks to a ;eb interface usually available on the supplierFs ;eb site. This technology has many advantages/ 1L

(o fa4 machine U no maintenance, no paper, toner e.penditure, possible repairs, etc. 9obilit. U &ll actions are done on the ;eb interface3 the service is thus available from any computer connected to Internet, everywhere in the world. Confidentialit. U The fa.es are received directly on the account of the user3 he is the only one who can access it. The received fa.es are not likely to be lost any more or read by the wrong people.

(o installation of software or hardware U &ll actions are done on the ;eb interface of the supplier, on the account of the user. (o telephone subscription for an additional line dedicated to the fa. is reDuired. $any fa.es can be sent or received simultaneousl., and fa.es can be received while the computer is switched off.

5a4 usin" Voice over IP $aking phone calls over the Internet "Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP# has become increasingly popular. +ompressing fa. signals is different from compressing voice signals, so a new standard "T.CL# has been created for this. If the VoIP adapter and gateway are T.CL compliant, most fa. machines can simply be plugged into the VoIP adapter instead of a regular phone line.

5a4 machine 8 VoIP adapter 8 VoIP "atewa. 8 Phone line 8 5a4 machine <or vice versa=

&s with regular fa.es, only one fa. can be sent or received at a time. 5a4 usin" email ;hile the needs of computer-to-fa. communications are well covered, the simplicity of Duickly fa.ing a handwritten document combined with the advantages of email are not. Ti*a.T "T.CB# was designed for fa. machines to directly communicate via email. *a.es are sent as email attachments in a TI**-* format.

i5a4 machine U email message "over Internet# U computer email account i5a4 machine U email message "over Internet# U i5a4 machine "using email address#

1A

& new fa. machine "supporting i*a.HT.CB# is reDuired, as well as a known email address for the sending and receiving machines. This has limited the standardFs use, though a system for looking up a fa.Fs email address based on its phone number is under development R1S. To work with e.isting fa. machines, all i*a. machines support standard fa.ing "reDuiring a regular phone line#. &lternatively, an i*a. can be used in con%unction with a fa. gateway.

i5a4 machine U email message "over Internet# U *a. gateway U Phone line U traditional 5a4 machine "or vice versa#

The support of sending fa.es over VoIP is still limited. The e.isting voice codecs are not designed for fa. transmission. &n effort is underway to remedy this by defining an alternate IP-based solution for delivering *a.-over-IP, namely the T.CL protocol. &nother possible solution to overcome the drawback is to treat the fa. system as a message switching system, which does not need real time data transmission - such as sending a fa. as an email attachment "see *a.# or remote printout "see Internet Printing Protocol#. The end system can completely buffer the incoming fa. data before displaying or printing the fa. image. Emer"enc. calls The nature of IP makes it difficult to locate network users geographically. :mergency calls, therefore, cannot easily be routed to a nearby call center, and are impossible on some VoIP systems. )ometimes, VoIP systems may route emergency calls to a non-emergency phone line at the intended department. In the (), at least one ma%or police department has strongly ob%ected to this practice as potentially endangering the public.R8S $oreover, in the event that the caller is unable to give an address, emergency services may be unable to locate them in any other way. *ollowing the lead of mobile phone operators, several VoIP carriers are already implementing a technical work-around.Rcitation neededS *or instance, one large VoIP carrier reDuires the registration of the physical address where the VoIP line will be used. ;hen you dial the emergency number for your country, they will route it to the appropriate local system. They also maintain their own emergency call center that will take non-routable emergency calls "made, for e.ample, from a software based service that is not tied to any particular physical location# and then will manually route your call once learning your physical location.Rcitation neededS

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eA11 is another method by which VEIP providers in the () are able to support emergency services. The eA11 emergency-calling system automatically associates a physical address with the calling partys telephone number as reDuired by the ;ireless +ommunications and Public )afety &ct of 1AAA and is being successfully used by many VEIP providers to provide physical address information to emergency service operators. Inte"ration into "lobal telephone number s.stem ;hile the traditional Plain Eld Telephone )ervice "PET)# and mobile phone networks share a common global standard ":.1G8# which allocates and identifies any specific telephone line, there is no widely adopted similar standard for VoIP networks. )ome allocate an :.1G8 number which can be used for VoIP as well as incomingHe.ternal calls. owever, there are often different, incompatible schemes when calling between VoIP providers which use provider specific short codes.

#in"le point of callin" ;ith hardware VoIP solutions it is possible to connect the VoIP router into the e.isting central phone bo. in the house and have VoIP at every phone already connected. )oftware based VoIP services reDuire the use of a computer, so they are limited to single point of calling, though telephone sets are now available, allowing them to be used without a P+. )ome services provide the ability to connect ;i*i )IP phones so that service can be e.tended throughout the premises, and off-site to any location with an open hotspot.R9S owever, note that many hotspots reDuire browser-based authentication, which most )IP phones do not support.RGS 9obile phones > and held Devices

Telcos and consumers have invested billions of dollars in mobile phone eDuipment. In developed countries, mobile phones have achieved nearly complete market penetration, and many people are giving up landlines and using mobiles e.clusively. >iven this situation, it is not entirely clear whether there would be a significant higher demand for VoIP among consumers until either public or community wireless networks have similar geographical coverage to cellular networks "thereby enabling mobile VoIP phones, so called ;i*i phones or Vo;=&@# or VoIP is implemented over C> networks. owever, ,dual mode- telephone sets, which allow for the seamless handover between a cellular network and a ;i*i network, are e.pected to help VoIP become more popular.RBS ?1

Phones like the @:+ @AMMi=, and later many of the @okia :series and several ;i*i enabled mobile phones have )IP clients hardcoded into the firmware. )uch clients operate independently of the mobile phone network unless a network operator decides to remove the client in the firmware of a heavily branded handset. )ome operators such as Vodafone actively try to block VoIP traffic from their networkRLS and therefore most VoIP calls from such devices are done over ;i*i. )everal ;i*i only IP hardphones e.ist, most of them supporting either )kype or the )IP protocol. These phones are intended as a replacement for P)T@ based cordless phones but can be used anywhere where ;i*i internet access is available. &nother addition to hand held devices are ruggedi4ed bar code type devices that are used in warehouses and retail environments. These type of devices rely on ,inside the 8 walls- type of VoIP services that do not connect to the outside world and are solely to be used from employee to employee communications. #ecurit. $any consumer VoIP solutions do not support encryption yet, although having a secure phone is much easier to implement with VoIP than traditional phone lines. &s a result, it is relatively easy to eavesdrop on VoIP calls and even change their content.RAS There are several open source solutions that facilitate sniffing of VoIP conversations. & modicum of security is afforded due to patented audio codecs that are not easily available for open source applications, however such security through obscurity has not proven effective in the long run in other fields. )ome vendors also use compression to make eavesdropping more difficult. owever, real security reDuires encryption and cryptographic authentication which are not widely available at a consumer level. The e.isting secure standard )6TP and the new V6TP protocol is available on &nalog Telephone &dapters"&T&s# as well as various softphones. It is possible to use IPsec to secure P?P VoIP by using opportunistic encryption. )kype does not use )6TP, but uses encryption which is transparent to the )kype provider. The Voice VP@ solution provides secure voice for enterprise VoIP networks by applying IP)ec encryption to the digiti4ed voice stream.

Pre-Paid Phone Cards ??

VoIP has become an important technology for phone services to travelers, migrant workers and e.patriates, who either, due to not having a fi.ed or mobile phone or high overseas roaming charges, choose instead to use VoIP services to make their phone calls. Pre-paid phone cards can be used either from a normal phone or from Internet cafes that have phone services. <eveloping countries and areas with high tourist or immigrant communities generally have a higher uptake.

Caller ID +aller I< support among VoIP providers varies, although the ma%ority of VoIP providers now offer full +aller I< with name on outgoing calls. ;hen calling a traditional P)T@ number from some VoIP providers, +aller I< is not supported. Caller ID "caller identification, CID, or more properly callin" number identification# is a telephone service that transmits a callerFs number to the called partyFs telephone eDuipment during the ringing signal, or when the call is being set up but before the call is answered. ;here available, caller I< can also provide a name associated with the calling telephone number. The information made available to the called party may be made visible on a telephoneFs own display or on a separate attached device. +aller I< is often helpful for tracing down prank calls and telemarketers. value of informed consent3 however, it also poses problems for personal privacy. +aller I< is also known as calling line identification "+=I# when provided via an I)<@ connection to a P&5J, while in some countries, the terms caller display, calling line identification presentation, call capture, or %ust calling line identity are used3 call display is the predominant marketing name used in +anada "though customers often call it caller I<#. +@I< originated with automatic number identification "&@I# in the (nited )tates owever, +@I< and &@I are not the same thing. +aller I< is made up of two separate pieces of information/ the calling number and the billing "or subscriber# name where available. ;hen an originating phone switch sends out a phone number as caller I<, the telephone company receiving the call is responsible for looking up the name of the subscriber in a database. &dditionally, nothing owever, it can also

impede communication by enabling users to become evasive. The concept behind caller I< is the

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ensures that the number sent by a switch is the actual number where the call originated. It is very easy for a telephone switch initiating the call to send any digit string desired as caller I<. ;hat is displayed as caller I< also depends on the eDuipment originating the call. If the call originates on a plain old telephone service line "a standard loop start line# caller I< is provided by the service providers local switch. )ince the network does not connect the caller to the callee until the phone is answered generally the caller I< signal cannot be altered by the caller. $ost service providers however, allow the caller to block caller I< presentation through a WJJ feature code. & call placed behind a private branch e.change "P5J# has more options. In the typical telephony environment a P5J connects to the local service provider through P6I trunks. >enerally, although not absolutely, the service provider simply passes whatever calling line I< appears on those P6I access trunks transparently across the P)T@ RPublic )ervice Telephone @etworkS. This opens up the opportunity for the P5J administrator to program whatever number they choose in their e.ternal phone number fields. IP phone services like Vonage support P)T@ gateway installations across @orth &merica and indeed in a large number of locations across the world. These gateways egress calls to the local calling area, thus avoiding long distance toll charges a key feature of the Vonage service. Vonage also allows a local user to have a number located in a foreign e.change3 the @ew 2ork +aller could have a =os &ngeles number. ;hen that user places a call the calling line I< would be that of a =os &ngeles number although they are actually located in @ew 2ork. ;ith +ell phones the biggest issue appears to be in the passing of calling line I< information through the network. +ell phone companies must support interconnecting trunks to a significant number of ;ireline and P)T@ access carriers. In order to save money it appears that many cell phone carriers do not purchase the @orth &merican feature >roup < or P6I trunks reDuired to pass calling line I< information across the network. In the (nited )tates, caller I< information is sent to the called party by the telephone switch as an analog data stream "similar to data passed between two modems#, using 5ell ?M? modulation between the first and second rings, while the telephone unit is still on hook. If the telephone call is answered before the second ring, caller I< information will not be transmitted to the recipient. There are two types of caller I<, number only and nameXnumber. @umber only caller I< is called #in"le ?8

Data 9essa"e 5ormat ")<$*#, which provides the callerFs telephone number, the date and time of the call. @ameXnumber caller I< is called 9ultiple Data 9essa"e 5ormat "$<$*#, which in addition to the information provided by )<$* format, can also provide the directory listed name for the particular number. +aller I< readers which are compatible with $<$* can also read the simpler )<$* format, but an )<$* caller I< reader will not recogni4e an $<$* data stream, and will act as if there is no caller I< information present, e.g. as if the line is not eDuipped for caller I<. Disablin" In @orth &merica, there is one code to disable caller I<. The code is WGB. In the (nited Iingdom and Ireland, 181 is the eDuivalent code. &ustralia uses 1LC1. @ew Vealand uses M1AB, in @V you can also reDuest Telecom to permanently disable your caller I<. ong Iong uses 1CC. Israel uses W8C. In <enmark WC1W is used to hide the +I<, where callers has a permanent disable the same code is used for revealing the number. Ether countries and networks may vary. En >)$ mobile networks, callers may dial YC1Y RLS before the number they wish to call to disable it. Enablin" ;hen the caller has caller I< disabled by default, there is a code to enable caller I<, which is operator dependent. En >)$ mobile networks, callers may dial WC1Y RAS before the number they wish to call to enable caller I<. VoI9 Voice over Instant $essaging "VoI$# presents VoIP as one communication mode among several, with an I$ user interface "contact list and presence# as the primary user e.perience. $any instant messenger services added client-to-client or client-to-P)T@ VoIP in the mid-?MMMs. Instant 9essa"in" "I9# Is a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed te.t. The te.t is conveyed via computers connected over a network such as the Internet. Instant messaging "often abbreviated simply to I$# offers real-time communication and allows easy collaboration, which might be considered more akin to genuine conversation than emailFs TletterT format. In contrast to e-mail, the parties know whether the peer is available. $ost systems allow the user to set an online status or away message so peers are notified when the user is available, busy, or ?9

away from the computer. En the other hand, people are not forced to reply immediately to incoming messages. *or this reason, some people consider communication via instant messaging to be less intrusive than communication via phone. Instant $essaging and email. It is possible to save a conversation for later reference. Instant messages are typically logged in a local message history which closes the gap to the persistent nature of e-mails and facilitates Duick e.change of information like (6=s or document snippets "which can be unwieldy when communicated via telephone#. 6ecently, many instant messaging services have begun to offer video conferencing features, Voice Ever IP "VoIP# and web conferencing services. ;eb conferencing services integrate both video conferencing and instant messaging capabilities. )ome newer instant messaging companies are offering desktop sharing, IP radio, and IPTV to the voice and video features. The term Tinstant messengerT is a service mark of Time ;arnerRCS and may not be used in software not affiliated with &E= in the (nited )tates. *or this reason, the instant messaging client formerly known as >aim or gaim announced in &pril ?MMB that they would be renamed TPidginTR owever, some systems allow the sending of messages to people not currently logged on "offline messages#, thus removing much of the difference between

9obile Instant 9essa"in" $obile Instant $essaging "$I$# is a presence enabled messaging service that aims to transpose the desktop messaging e.perience to the usage scenario of being on the move. ;hile several of the core ideas of the desktop e.perience on one hand apply to a connected mobile device, others do not/ (sers usually only look at their phoneFs screen N presence status changes might occur under different circumstances as happens at the desktop, and several functional limits e.ist based on the fact that the vast ma%ority of mobile communication devices are chosen by their users to fit into the palm of their hand. )ome of the form factor and mobility related differences need to be taken into account in order to create a really adeDuate, powerful and yet convenient mobile e.perience/ radio bandwidth,

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memory si4e, availability of media formats, keypad based input, screen output, +P( performance and battery power are core issues that desktop device users and even nomadic users with connected n 5riend-to-friend networks Instant $essaging may be done in a *riend-to-friend network, in which each node connects to the friends on the friendslist. This allows for communication with friends of friends and for the building of chatrooms for instant messages with all friends on that network. :motions are often e.pressed in shorthand. *or e.ample3 lol. 5ut a movement is currently underway to be more accurate with the emotional e.pression. 6eal time reactions such as "chortle# "snort# "guffaw# or "eye-roll# are rapidly taking the place of acronyms. Business application Instant messaging has proven to be similar to personal computers, e-mail, and the ;;;, in that its adoption for use as a business communications medium was driven primarily by individual employees using consumer software at work, rather than by formal mandate or provisioning by corporate information technology departments. Tens of millions of the consumer I$ accounts in use are being used for business purposes by employees of companies and other organi4ations. In response to the demand for business-grade I$ and the need to ensure security and legal compliance, a new type of instant messaging, called T:nterprise Instant $essagingT "T:I$T# was created when =otus )oftware launched I5$ =otus )ametime in 1AAL. $icrosoft followed suit shortly thereafter with $icrosoft :.change Instant $essaging, later created a new platform called $icrosoft Effice =ive +ommunications )erver, and released Effice +ommunications )erver ?MMB in Ectober ?MMB. 5oth I5$ =otus and $icrosoft have introduced federation between their :I$ systems and some of the public I$ networks so that employees may use a single interface to both their internal :I$ system and their contacts on &E=, $)@, and 2ahooZ. +urrent leading :I$ platforms include I5$ =otus )ametime, $icrosoft Effice +ommunications )erver, and 7abber J+P. In addition, industry-focused :I$ platforms such as I$trader from Pivot Incorporated, 6euters $essaging, and 5loomberg $essaging provide enhanced I$ capabilities to financial services companies.

Comparison of VoIP software ?B

Voice over IP "VoIP# software is used to conduct telephone-like voice conversations across IP based networks. *or residential markets, VEIP phone service is often cheaper than traditional P)T@ phone service and can remove geographic restrictions to telephone numbers "i.e. have a T@ew 2orkT P)T@ phone number in Tokyo#. *or enterprise or business markets, VoIP enables the enterprise to manage a single network "the IP network# instead of separate voice and data networks, while enabling advanced and fle.ible capabilities to the end user.

+alling I< is the identification of whom you are calling, or connecting to, as opposed to caller I< identifying who calls you. )ome +entre. telephone systems offer this feature. )imilarly, when one )kype user calls another )kype user, the caller can see the other partyFs details and even an image or photograph they have chosen to represent their identity.

The inverse feature, giving the number originally dialed, is known as <irect Inward <ialing, <irect <ialing Inward, or <ialed @umber Identification )ystem. This tells the P5J where to route an incoming call, when there are more internal lines with e.ternal phone numbers than there are actual incoming lines in a large company or other organisation.

=ist of telephony terminology &s a sidenote/ @ot all types of caller identification use ?M?-type modulation, nor do all systems send the information between the first and second ring, e.g., 5ritish Telecom sends the signal before the first ring, after a polarity reversal in the line. "5ecause of this most caller I< software is not compatible with 5T even if the $odem is# &s a result, not all caller I< devices are compatible from country to country or in the same country, even though the basic phone system is the same. )ome providers use *)I, others use the <T$* protocol.

9ass-market telephon. & ma%or development starting in ?MM8 has been the introduction of mass-market VoIP services over broadband Internet access services, in which subscribers make and receive calls as they would over the P)T@. *ull phone service VoIP phone companies provide inbound and outbound calling with ?L

<irect Inbound <ialing. $any offer unlimited calling to the (.)., and some to +anada or selected countries in :urope or &sia as well, for a flat monthly fee. These services take a wide variety of forms which can be more or less similar to traditional PET). &t one e.treme, an analog telephone adapter "&T&# may be connected to the broadband Internet connection and an e.isting telephone %ack in order to provide service nearly indistinguishable from PET) on all the other %acks in the residence. This type of service, which is fi.ed to one location, is generally offered by broadband Internet providers such as cable companies and telephone companies as a cheaper flat-rate traditional phone service. Eften the phrase ,VoIP- is not used in selling these services, but instead the industry has marketed the phrases ,Internet Phone-, ,<igital Phone- or ,)oftphone- which is aimed at typical phone users who are not necessarily tech-savvy. Typically, the provider touts the advantage of being able to keep ones e.isting phone number. &t the other e.treme are services like >i4mo Pro%ect and )kype which rely on a software client on the computer in order to place a call over the network, where one user I< can be used on many different computers or in different locations on a laptop. In the middle lie services which also provide a telephone adapter for connecting to the broadband connection similar to the services offered by broadband providers "and in some cases also allow direct connections of )IP phones# but which are aimed at a more tech-savvy user and allow portability from location to location. Ene advantage of these two types of services is the ability to make and receive calls as one would at home, anywhere in the world, at no e.tra cost. @o additional charges are incurred, as call diversion via the P)T@ would, and the called party does not have to pay for the call. *or e.ample, if a subscriber with a home phone number in the (.). or +anada calls someone else within his local calling area, it will be treated as a local call regardless of where that person is in the world. Eften the user may elect to use someone elses area code as his own to minimi4e phone costs to a freDuently called long-distance number. *or some users, the broadband phone complements, rather than replaces, a P)T@ line, due to a number of inconveniences compared to traditional services. VoIP reDuires a broadband Internet connection and, if a telephone adapter is used, a power adapter is usually needed. In the case of a power failure, VoIP services will generally not function. &dditionally, a call to the (.). emergency services number A-1-1 may not automatically be routed to the nearest local emergency dispatch center, and would be of no use for subscribers outside the (.). This is potentially true for users who select a number with an area code outside their area. )ome VoIP providers offer users the ability to register their address so that A-1-1 services work as e.pected. ?A

&nother challenge for these services is the proper handling of outgoing calls from fa. machines, TiVoH6eplayTV bo.es, satellite television receivers, alarm systems, conventional modems or *&Jmodems, and other similar devices that depend on access to a voice-grade telephone line for some or all of their functionality. &t present, these types of calls sometimes go through without any problems, but in other cases they will not go through at all. &nd in some cases, this eDuipment can be made to work over a VoIP connection if the sending speed can be changed to a lower bits per second rate. If VoIP and cellular substitution becomes very popular, some ancillary eDuipment makers may be forced to redesign eDuipment, because it would no longer be possible to assume a conventional voice-grade telephone line would be available in almost all homes in @orth &merica and ;estern:urope. The Test2ourVoIP website offers a free service to test the Duality of or diagnose an Internet connection by placing simulated VoIP calls from any 7ava-enabled ;eb browser, or from any phone or VoIP device capable of calling the P)T@ network. Corporate and telco use &lthough few office environments and even fewer homes use a pure VoIP infrastructure, telecommunications providers routinely use IP telephony, often over a dedicated IP network, to connect switching stations, converting voice signals to IP packets and back. The result is a dataabstracted digital network which the provider can easily upgrade and use for multiple purposes. +orporate customer telephone support often use IP telephony e.clusively to take advantage of the data abstraction. The benefit of using this technology is the need for only one class of circuit connection and better bandwidth use. +ompanies can acDuire their own gateways to eliminate thirdparty costs, which is worthwhile in some situations. VoIP is widely employed by carriers, especially for international telephone calls. It is commonly used to route traffic starting and ending at conventional P)T@ telephones. $any telecommunications companies are looking at the IP $ultimedia )ubsystem "I$)# which will merge Internet technologies with the mobile world, using a pure VoIP infrastructure. It will enable them to upgrade their e.isting systems while embracing Internet technologies such as the ;eb, email, instant messaging, presence, and video conferencing. It will also allow e.isting VoIP systems to interface with the conventional P)T@ and mobile phones. :lectronic @umbering ":@($# uses standard phone numbers ":.1G8#, but allows connections entirely over the Internet. If the other party uses :@($, the only e.pense is the Internet connection. CM

Virtual P5J "or IP P5J# allow companies to control their internal phone network over an e.isting =&@ and server without needing to wire a separate telephone network. (sers within this environment can then use standard telephones coupled with an *J), IP Phones connected to a data port or a )oftphone on their P+. Internal VoIP phone networks allow outbound and inbound calling on standard P)T@ lines through the use of *JE adapters. ?se in Amateur $adio )ometimes called 6adio Ever Internet Protocol or 6oIP, &mateur radio has adopted VoIP by linking repeaters and users with :cholink, I6=P, <-)T&6, <ingotel and :K)E. In fact, :cholink allows users to connect to repeaters via their computer "over the Internet# rather than by using a radio. 5y using VoIP &mateur 6adio operators are able to create large repeater networks with repeaters all over the world where operators can access the system with actual ham radios. am 6adio operators using radios are able to tune to repeaters with VoIP capabilities and use <T$* signals to command the repeater to connect to various other repeaters, thus allowing them to talk to people all around the world, even with ,line of sight- V * radios. Click to call +lick-to-call is a service which lets users click a button and immediately speak with a customer service representative. The call can either be carried over VoIP, or the customer may reDuest an immediate call back by entering their phone number. Ene significant benefit to click-to-call providers is that it allows companies to monitor when online visitors change from the website to a phone sales channel. +lick-to-call "+T+# refers to the process of converting web-based traffic into direct telephony communication between an end user and some other entity. +T+ processes vary depending upon platforms, but there are two general styles of +T+. The first style uses the computer to complete the call "typically P+-based VoIP.# &nother style of +T+ is the callback, where a user enters their phone number and an intermediary service connects the end user to the merchant or other respective third party. In this implmentation, these services tend to be more of an automatic dialing service than an actual Tclick-to-callT.

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;hen a user is browsing using a mobile phone, +T+ features tend to be more literal. Phone numbers are highlighted in the same manner a hyperlink would be. +licking the phone number begins the calling process. Ene significant benefit of click-to-call providers is that it allows companies to monitor when online visitors change from the website to a phone sales channel.

&e"al issues in different countries &s the popularity of VoIP grows, and P)T@ users switch to VoIP in increasing numbers, governments are becoming more interested in regulating VoIP in a manner similar to P)T@ services,
R1MS

especially with the encouragement of the state-mandated telephone monopoliesHoligopolies in a

given country, who see this as a way to stifle the new competition. In the (.)., the *ederal +ommunications +ommission now reDuires all interconnected VoIP service providers to comply with reDuirements comparable to those for traditional telecommunications service providers. VoIP operators in the (.). are reDuired to support local number portability3 make service accessible to people with disabilities3 pay regulatory fees, universal service contributions, and other mandated payments3 and enable law enforcement authorities to conduct surveillance pursuant to the +ommunications &ssistance for =aw :nforcement &ct"+&=:&#. VoIP operators also must provide :nhanced A11 service, disclose any limitations on their :-A11 functionality to their consumers, and obtain affirmative acknowledgements of these disclosures from all consumers. VoIP operators also receive the benefit of certain (.). telecommunications regulations, including an entitlement to interconnection and e.change of traffic with incumbent local e.change carriers via wholesale carriers. Providers of ,nomadic- VoIP serviceNthose who are unable to determine the location of their usersNare e.empt from state telecommunications regulation.R11S )ome =atin &merican and +aribbean countries, fearful for their state owned telephone services, have imposed restrictions on the use of VoIP, including in Panama where VoIP is ta.ed. In :thiopia, where the government is monopoli4ing telecommunication service, it is a criminal offense to offer services using VoIP. The country has installed firewalls to prevent international calls being made using VoIP. These measures were taken after a popularity in VoIP reduced the income generated by the state owned telecommunication company. C?

In the :uropean (nion, the treatment of VoIP service providers is a decision for each $ember )tates national telecoms regulator, which must use competition law to define relevant national markets and then determine whether any service provider on those national markets has ,significant market power- "and so should be sub%ect to certain obligations#. & general distinction is usually made between VoIP services that function over managed networks "via broadband connections# and VoIP services that function over unmanaged networks "essentially, the Internet#. VoIP services that function over managed networks are often considered to be a viable substitute for P)T@ telephone services "despite the problems of power outages and lack of geographical information#3 as a result, ma%or operators that provide these services "in practice, incumbent operators# may find themselves bound by obligations of price control or accounting separation. VoIP services that function over unmanaged networks are often considered to be too poor in Duality to be a viable substitute for P)T@ services3 as a result, they may be provided without any specific obligations, even if a service provider has ,significant market power-. The relevant :( <irective is not clearly drafted concerning obligations which can e.ist independently of market power "e.g., the obligation to offer access to emergency calls#, and it is impossible to say definitively whether VoIP service providers of either type are bound by them. & review of the :( <irective is under way and should be complete by ?MMB. In India, it is legal to use VoIP, but it is illegal to have VoIP gateways inside India. This effectively means that people who have P+s can use them to make a VoIP call to any number, but if the remote side is a normal phone, the gateway that converts the VoIP call to a PET) call should not be inside India. In the (&:, it is illegal to use any form of VoIP, to the e.tent that websites of )kype and >i4mo Pro%ect dont work. In the 6epublic of Iorea, only providers registered with the government are authori4ed to offer VoIP services. (nlike many VoIP providers, most of whom offer flat rates, Iorean VoIP services are generally metered and charged at rates similar to terrestrial calling. *oreign VoIP providers such as Vonage encounter high barriers to government registration. This issue came to a head in ?MMG when internet service providers providing personal internet services by contract to (nited )tates *orces Iorea members residing on ()*I bases threatened to block off access to VoIP services used by ()*I members of as an economical way to keep in contact with their families in the (nited )tates, CC

on the grounds that the service members VoIP providers were not registered. & compromise was reached between ()*I and Iorean telecommunications officials in 7anuary ?MMB, wherein ()*I service members arriving in Iorea before 7une 1, ?MMB and subscribing to the I)P services provided on base may continue to use their (.).-based VoIP subscription, but later arrivals must use a Ioreanbased VoIP provider, which by contract will offer pricing similar to the flat rates offered by (.). VoIP providers.R1?S

IP telephon. in @apan In 7apan, IP telephon. "IP IP Denwa 7# is regarded as a service applied by VoIP technology to whole or a part of the telephone line. &s of ?MMC, IP telephony services have been assigned telephone numbers. IP telephony services also often include videophoneHvideo conferencing services. &ccording to the Telecommunication 5usiness =aw, the service category for IP telephony also implies the service provided via Internet, which is not assigned any telephone number. IP telephony is basically regulated by $inistry of Internal &ffairs and +ommunications "$I+# as a telecommunication service. The operators have to disclose necessary information on its Duality, etc., prior to making contracts with customers, and have an obligation to respond to their complaints cordially. $any 7apanese Internet service providers "I)P# are including IP telephony services. &n I)P who also provides IP telephony service is known as a ,IT)P "Internet Telephony )ervice Provider#-. 6ecently, the competition among IT)Ps has been activated, by option or set sales, in connection with &<)= or *TT services. The tariff system normally applied to 7apanese IP telephony is described below3

& call between IP telephony subscribers, limited to the same group, is usually free of charge. & call from IP telephony subscribers to a fi.ed line or P ) is usually a uniformly fi.ed rate all over the country.

5etween IT)Ps, the interconnection is mostly maintained at VoIP level.

;here the IP telephony is assigned normal telephone number "M&5-7#, the condition for its interconnection is considered same as normal telephony. ;here the IP telephony is assigned specific telephone number "M9M#, the condition for its interconnection is described below3 C8

Interconnection is sometimes charged. ")ometimes, its free of charge.# In case of free-of-charge, mostly, communication traffic is e.changed via a P?P connection with the same VoIP standard. Etherwise, certain conversions are needed at the point of the VoIP gateway which incurs operating costs.

Telephone number for IP telephon. in @apan )ince )eptember ?MM?, the $I+ has assigned IP telephony telephone numbers on the condition that the service falls into certain reDuired categories of Duality. ighly Dualified IP telephony is assigned a telephone number. @ormally the number starts with M9M. 5ut, when its Duality is so high that customer almost could not tell the difference between it and a normal telephone and when the provider relates its number with a location and provides the connection with emergency call capabilities, the provider is allowed to assign a normal telephone number, which is a so-called ,M&57- number. Technical details The two ma%or competing standards for VoIP are the IT( standard .C?C and the I:T* standard )IP. Initially .C?C was the most popular protocol, though in the ,local loop- it has since been surpassed by )IP. This was primarily due to the latters better traversal of @&T and firewalls, although recent changes introduced for .C?C have removed this advantage owever, in backbone voice networks where everything is under the control of the network operator or telco, .C?C is the protocol of choice. $any of the largest carriers use .C?C in their core backbonesRcitation neededS, and the vast ma%ority of callers have little or no idea that their PET) calls are being carried over VoIP. ;here VoIP travels through multiple providers softswitches the concepts of *ull $edia Pro.y and )ignalling Pro.y are important. In )ignaling3 ?# .C?C, the data is made up of C streams of data/ 1# .??9.M +all .?893 C# $edia. )o if you are in =ondon, your provider is in &ustralia, and you wish

to call &merica, then in full pro.y mode all three streams will go half way around the world and the delay "up to 9MM-GMM ms# and packet loss will be high. owever in signaling pro.y mode where only the signaling flows through the provider the delay will be reduced to a more user friendly 1?M-19M ms. C9

Ene of the key issues with all traditional VoIP protocols is the wasted bandwidth used for packet headers. Typically, to send a >.B?C.1 9.G kbitHs compressed audio path reDuires 1L kbitHs of bandwidth based on standard sampling rates. The difference between the 9.G kbitHs and 1L kbitHs is packet headers. There are a number of bandwidth optimi4ation techniDues used, such as silence suppression and header compression. This can typically save C9O on bandwidth usage. VoIP trunking techniDues such as T<$oIP can reduce bandwidth overhead even further by multiple.ing multiple conversations that are heading to the same destination and wrapping them up inside the same packets. 5ecause the packet header overhead is shared between many simultaneous streams, T<$oIP can offer near toll Duality audio with a per-stream packet header overhead of only about 1 kbitHs.

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