Internet telephony

Internet Telephony and Voice over IP (VoIP) are often used synonymously, but in reality, VoIP is a subset of Internet Telephony that refers to voice traffic only. While Internet Telephony is a general term for the IP packet-switching technology used by Internet phone systems to exchange any type of information, Voice over IP is the specific method for carrying voice calls over an IP network. Internet Telephony includes VoIP capability as well as a host of other features and functionality. For example, with Internet Telephony from NFON, it is possible to integrate Unified Communications (UC) and fax solutions over XCAPI.

In order to use an Internet phone system, it is necessary to have a VoIP solution such as the NFON Cloud Telephone System. 

As you speak through a microphone (laptop, mobile or headset) your voice - the audio signal - is digitised. This data is split into packets and given individual labels.

Your call is made up of different packets of data. Each packet of data travels over the Internet to the recipient. When the data arrives at the end destination it is put back into the correct order. The data is then converted into audio and the recipient hears what you said. 

Interestingly, the data packets don’t necessarily arrive in the order they were sent: they can overtake each other en route. When then arrive they are reassembled in the correct order and your message can be heard by the recipient.

Internet Telephony offers many advantages compared to traditional telephony as it makes business communication smarter, more flexible, more comfortable and more cost effective. One of its main benefits is that is allows multiple device integration including smartphones and desk phones. Users can, for instance, access their office extension from their smartphone, giving them complete freedom of communication, no matter whether they are working remotely or in the office.

1. Full scalability and flexibility: The best Internet Telephony solutions are hosted in the cloud, so there’s no need for the customer to buy, install and maintain expensive on-premise platforms. Implementation is quick and telephony services, the number of users and any extra features can be scaled up and down as required.
2. Lower costs: Typically, IP Telephony is more cost-efficient than traditional landline and mobile telephony. With a cloud telephony solution, internal calls within an organisation are completely free of charge.
3. Seamless accessibility and portability: Users can access their Internet Telephony services from anywhere and from any device as long as they have an Internet connection. A dedicated app – such as the Cloudya app from NFON – brings all the functionality of the cloud telephone system onto users’ smartphones, from voicemail and contact lists to call forwarding and conference calls. This makes the switch to mobile working easy.
4. Advanced features: With Internet Telephony, voice and data are transported over the same network, making new services possible – such as ‘meet and share’ video calls. Integrations add extra functionality, allowing organisations to streamline all their communication and business processes. For example, Cloudya from NFON integrates with Unified Communications tools such as Microsoft Teams for effective team collaboration. Find out more here
5. Excellent voice quality: IP Telephony has come a long way since it was first introduced in the 1990s. As long as the user has a fast and stable Internet connection with good bandwidth, VoIP calls should experience no latency issues or interruptions. In addition, the latest IP phones and headsets are designed to achieve superior sound quality with noise-cancelling and advanced audio compression, cutting out any background noise.

To find out more about VoIP telephony and its benefits, read our full VoIP article: