Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Interview Preparation Guide

VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol or Voice Over IP. VoIP is the method by which you can send your voice (analog data) over the Internet (digital data) to an end-user who receives the message.

A VoIP gateway converts the analog voice data into digital data packets which are sent over a broadband Internet connection to a VoIP server that forwards the message to the receiving party.

You can use VoIP at home currently with a free application such as Skype which lets you talk from your PC to another person who also has Skype on their PC for free anywhere in the world. You can also get a VoIP phone with a VoIP service provider or you can use your regular phone with a VoIP telephone adapter plus a service provider.

Yes, many companies are doing just this. VoIP is a very cost-effective method for companies who want to upgrade their old PBX systems and VoIP allows for new features that traditional PBX systems simply do not. Also VoIP web conferencing has come of age and also offers cost savings and many new features not available with traditional web conferencing methods.

Most likely in the next couple of years. Right now cell phone service providers are developing cell phones that can roam for Wifi VoIP or traditional networks in order to give you the greatest savings dependent upon location. Wifi hotspots, however, do not currently cover as much area as cellular does, so it will take providers some time to work this issue out.

The biggest disadvantage is that currently all VoIP providers to not offer emergency 911 service in all areas. The FCC has recently ruled though that this is a mandatory requirement that must be completed by September 2005.

Generally following things are required for voip

1. Broadband connection
2. voip phone
3. nexton softswitches
4. router
5. audiocodec
6. astric server

The big advantage is VoIP may save you money depending on how much you are currently spending for local and long-distance calls. What you will need to do is get the total cost the phone company is charging and compare it against a VoIP plan that interests you. With most plans, you get free calls within the U.S. and Canada for a low flat rate. International calls usually have very low rates with no connection fees. For both residential customers and businesses that make a lot of long distance and international calls, the savings can be several hundred dollars a year.

Another advantage is with the features available with VoIP. Features such as caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, 3 way conferencing and voice mail are usually included at no extra cost. With the phone company, these services are usually extra.

In addition, you can make free phone calls anywhere there is a high speed Internet connection available. That means you can be in another state or even in another country and make calls as if you were back at your home or business. You will just need to bring your phone adapter along with you and possibly a phone in case one is not available.

The first thing all mean the same thing. Which is using IP (Internet protocol) for voice services. Some voice networks are only packet-switched and have no access outside of their own VoIP network. Most VoIP networks have a Gateway that connects to a circuit-switched external network which gives them acces to external calling. One of the gateways responsibilites is to convert G.711 Circuit-switched media (typically a T1 provided by a telco company) to the 7.723 Packet-switched media that will traverse the companies VoIP network. A device called a gatekeeper will then convert the IP address (used by H.323 protocol) to a standard telephone number (E.164 address) that can be used for external calling.

A converged network is a network that passes both Voice and Data over the same set of devices. Converged networks generally implement QoS (Quality of service) on all actived network devices to ensure the VoIP has priority over standard data because of it's more rigid demands.

If you're considering replacing your traditional telephone service with VoIP, there are some possible differences:

► Some VoIP services don't work during power outages and the service provider may not offer backup power.
► Not all VoIP services connect directly to emergency services through 9-1-1.
► VoIP providers may or may not offer directory assistance/white page listings.