VoIP: How VoIP Works

VoIP is different than traditional voice communication in the way that the information is delivered. Voice information is sent in packets over the Internet rather than in the traditional circuit-committed protocols of the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

A VoIP-enabled business makes a long distance phone call and instead of traveling over the traditional phone lines, it travels over the IP network. The gateway connected to the network allows the call to travel through to the PSTN where it is terminated. To reap the maximum benefits of VoIP, it is essential to have a broadband Internet connection such as ISDN, Frame Relay, or Private Line T1/T3.