The advent of the Internet has transformed the way people communicate globally and this pertains not only to the traditional way people connect through the web by means of screen-enabled computing devices. Telephony is yet another domain that has been revolutionized by web technologies, in particular by those using VoIP (a protocol allowing to make calls by converting audio, transmitting it through the Internet at whatever distance, and converting it back to audio).

Internet bandwidth has been increasing progressively over the last decades, enabling more and more data to be transmitted through a constantly expanding network. In addition, the invention and quick expansion of the optical fiber network has allowed increasing the speed of the connection. All these have made the Internet a very attractive solution for routing calls even at enterprise levels given the huge cost cuts in connecting distant locations. Thus, a number of related technologies started solidifying such as DID VoIP, SIP trunks, toll-free numbers, etc.

Popular Innovative Technologies And Their Benefits

SIP trunks are devices that allow placing, receiving, and altering Internet calls including VoIP calls. Such devices do not need computers to function, making them behave very much like standard phones (with the difference that they are connected to a modem). Given that the call is operated via the Internet, it can incorporate other types of content including file transfer, video chat, etc. As compared to traditional telephony, the use of SIP trunks can cut the costs by 60-80%.

DID numbers are virtual numbers that can be established and run by companies in different regions/countries, where they behave like local. This particular aspect can allow businesses to achieve efficient communication with clients worldwide. In addition, this technology allows easy and flexible allocation of individual numbers to certain departments or employees without requiring the infrastructure to be adapted.

Toll-free numbers are yet another technological innovation that has been widely adopted by companies worldwide. The advantage is that calls to such numbers are free for the calling party, which eliminates any geographic constraints in the client’s eye. Even if the company being called supports the cost of these calls, it gains hugely from maximally encouraging the client to contact the company in the first place. In addition, given that such calls are often routed via the Internet, the supported costs are even lower as compared to the benefits.

Thus, the advantages conveyed by the technologies discussed could fall into one of the following categories:

• enabling cheap communication over distance (even free calls from clients);
• enabling efficient client outreach in various regions of interest worldwide;
• enabling enhanced features such as support for multimedia sessions;
• enabling dynamic scaling and adaptation without the need to constantly adapt the infrastructure /communication network architecture.

Considering the advantages listed above, it can be stated that these technologies have made possible things that were simply inconceivable before due to prohibitive costs.