As technology continues to improve, more companies are taking the leap to VoIP, or Voice over-Internet Protocol, for their phone systems. The technology has been available for several years, but improved reliability and increased competitiveness and availability from telecom companies makes VoIP phone service more compelling to businesses.
“Systems common in enterprise five years ago are now very available to small business,” said Scott Colson of Poulsbo-based IT firm, Autonomix, during the recent summit of West Sound Technology Association . He named VoIP as one of the current trends in technology that will be growing over the next few years.
VoIP allows for phone calls to be carried over computer networks , which is why many people think of Vonage or Skype type services when they hear the term. But not all telecoms use the same conduit, and in the case of most local companies, VoIP data is not carried over the public Internet gateway but over cable or fiber optic network that is secure as well as gives priority to phone traffic.
“The technology hasn’t changed significantly in the last year or two but what we see is more companies making the move to it,” said Ken Smith, vice president of Qwest’s Business Markets Group.
In the past, customers typically had to go to several providers for their phone, network, Internet hosting and other services while now they can get them all delivered through the same circuit — it’s sort of like the “all-in-one” device that is now a fax, phone, scanner and printer.
“There is simplicity and customers are taking advantage of the economy of scale,” Smith said.
Not all telecoms’ VoIP services are the same. For example, Comcast recently started offering up to eight lines after only offering four for several years. Wave only has residential VoIP currently but is gearing up to start a commercial services division sometimes next year. Qwest has hosted VoIP, which means smaller companies don’t have to invest into any equipment except phones, but also offers phone systems with more control for larger companies.
Many companies are switching to VoIP when it’s time to upgrade their phone systems and they decide to opt for new technology, but some are investing into VoIP for other reasons. Among VoIP’s more compelling features is the ability to treat buildings in different locations as extensions of the same phone number, so large organizations can have a unified phone number system.
Walter Neary, director of Comcast public relations for Washington state, said in the last couple of months in Kitsap area, new customers included a driving school, pharmacy, car dealer, bowling alley, and auto repair shop. “These are typical businesses that find this technology applicable,” he said. “Kitsap’s been pretty busy.”
Telecom reps say VoIP has come a long way in recent years with regards to reliability, with networks offering redundancy and voice data priority that makes the service outage-proof with minimum dropped calls.
Smith said the service may not be feasible for small businesses that only have one location with two or three lines and no other services except DSL or similar. But the technology is bound to become more feasible with time.
“The changes taking place are pretty impressive every year,” he said. “The ubiquity of the Internet will allow for it to be a system for everyone in the future. The Internet is an inexpensive transport vehicle, and it’s just a matter of having the technology and the quality of service.”
Comcast’s Mike McCarty told the crowd at the WSTA annual conference that VoIP is part of the technology convergence that will be prevalent in the future. “The future is about the blurring between the computer, television and telephone and you’ll start seeing some of that in 2009,” he said.
