Internet telephony, VoIP, New Phone Service Companies – What is this really about?
A. You see news about new telephone service options based on your Internet connection. So how does your Internet connection have anything to do with your phone service? Typical explanations of Internet voice services explain how your voice is broken into packets and transmitted. Let’s face it. You really don’t care. No one ever explained how the old phone system worked. Why should you care now? What has really changed is the role that you, as a user, can play in telephone communications. For over 100 years control over your telephone resided with the phone companies who operated networks dedicated to phone communications. You never really thought that you weren’t in control, because it was the only world you knew. Now the Internet allows you to talk to anyone else connected to the Internet — an Internet that is not owned by anyone. Now voice services can be delivered over your Internet connection, much like email and Instant Messaging (IM). And it’s free.
