How Does VoIP Work?

One of the most common questions the employees at Chicago Business VoIP get is “How does VoIP work?” While this form of communication is a bit more complex than a standard telephone line, it is far more efficient than its technological predecessors. Here is a brief overview of your standard, public switched telephone network (PSTN) compared to VoIP packet switching technology.

PSTNs use a system called circuit switching. Essentially, every time you make or receive a call, there is an ongoing connection that lasts the duration of your call. Recent developments have allowed your voice to be digitized and sent along a fiber optic cable with many other calls. Each call requires 128 kilobits per second (64 kilobits for both users). As a result, a 10 minute phone call adds up to 10 megabytes.

VoIP packet switching works in a very different way. Because these phone calls are sent over the Internet, voice information is first broken down into small “packets.” These packets are sent at high speeds through a series of routers until they reach the other person on the line. This path is usually unpredictable, as the information is sent through the least congested routes available. The packets finally reach their destination (just as quickly as regular telephone data is sent) and are reassembled into a listenable form.

VoIP Packet Switching is the More Efficient System

PSTNs have been around for over a century. They are certainly a reliable form of communication and have come a long way in terms of efficiency; however, telephone lines have a limited amount of bandwidth, which means each cable can only carry so much voice data. Because silence on either end of the conversation takes up just as much space as voice data, severely limiting the amount of data each line can hold.

VoIP packet switching only sends packets that contain voice information. This means that when you are listening to someone and not speaking, there is no information being sent from your end. As a result, the lines that carry VoIP calls are able to carry a great deal more information. When there is audio compression involved (as there is with most VoIP services) it is possible for an even more efficient use of data carrying lines.

The basic ideas behind PSTNs and VoIp Packet Switching are essentially the same; however, the VoIP method is clearly the more efficient option. As a result, VoIP networks have a much cheaper infrastructure that can support a great deal more information. As more and more people switch to VoIP services for their telephone calls, these benefits will become more apparent to the general public.