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What's the difference between VoIP and IP Telephony?

Posted by Amina Addow on Nov 1, 2019 2:51:38 PM
Amina Addow
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For small businesses looking to switch their telephony to the cloud, many articles use VoIP and IP telephony interchangeably. Well, in reality, VoIP is a subset of IP telephony enabling calls to be made via the internet. While the two are similar there are differences which need to be made clear.

IP Telephony

IP is short for Internet Protocol, which is a digital transport system that operates on standard IP networks. Internet Protocol connections can be used to transmit voice, fax and other forms of information as a substitute to using public switched telephone network PTSN. Data travels on shared lines avoiding additional costs and is dependable on a stable internet connection.

VoIP

Whereas, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) refers to only using Internet Protocol to carry voice traffic. The system is essentially a cloud-phone which provides reliable and secure phone functionality over an internet connection. Meaning, that VoIP is only a subset of internet telephony with a full range of features such as an auto-attendant, call transfer, group call, international calling etc. Prior to 2019, VoIP had issues with call quality but now that full and fast fibre now available this is no longer an issue and can be implemented in offices and business use.

The difference

IP telephony refers to any 'telephone' type service carried over IP - which could include faxing. VoIP is voice IP only. In this case, sometimes telephony also includes text messaging. Using, IP telephony businesses can transmit data using any network connection facilitating remote working and allowing businesses to operate on a private network if they wish. 

Making calls via the internet

With bOnline, upgrading your business communications is simple. We offer easy setup, onboarding and training with excellent-rated customer support so you can get up and running fast. For more information on how VoIP can revolutionise your small business communications see our packages.

Topics: Latest, VoIP

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