Voice Over IP Phone Systems (VoIP) telephones explained

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Getting Started with VoIP
(Voice over Internet Protocol)

It is widely accepted that the future of the telephone system lies in IP-based data transmission networks. In some countries where large areas have no existing public phone system (think China), the phone companies are only putting in IP-based systems. Even in the United States, the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) are upgrading their transmission networks to fiber optics so they can carry voice, data and eventually, perhaps television shows. With the promises of increased functionality and lower costs, it makes sense for companies to consider VoIP solutions. Here are a few thoughts about getting started.

What Are Your Needs?

VoIP-based systems offer a lot of potential benefits. Here's a list of benefits which can help you build the business case for a transition to VoIP.

Reduce Long Distance Charges - primarily the savings will be between head/branch offices using the same equipment. Still, this can amount to thousands of dollars per year for many companies.
Simplified Infrastructure / Convergence - having voice, data and video traffic on a single network gives companies a single scalable network that meets all business needs and reduces the overall cost of owning the network.
Productivity Savings - the staff that maintain the network can now take care of the phone system as well through web-enabled management tools.
New VoIP Features offer productivity improvements for end users. For example, sales / technical staff can benefit from integration of the customer relationship management (CRM) systems to find customer information more easily and/or route calls to the appropriate support group.
Scalable - Traditional PABX (Private Automatic Branch Exchange) based phone systems come in many size ranges and it may be necessary periodically to scrap existing systems and replace hardware; this is not the case with VoIP systems.
Reduced Operating / Upgrading Costs - Since a large component of a VoIP phone system is based on software rather than hardware, it is easier to alter and maintain.
Flexibility - A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an allocated amount of bandwidth on the public Internet where public access is prevented through encryption. If your company has its own VPN and combines it with VoIP, you can set up a fully functioning office anywhere there is a broadband connection. This makes telecommuting much more effective since workers in remote offices are still directly connected to the company's phone environment.

Do You Need It All Now?

Unless you're in the market to take chances with your phone system, you'll want to either start small or select the right situations to implement VoIP solutions. There are a variety of products that will allow you to add VoIP to your existing phone system. Gateways from Nortel and QTelNet, among others, give you the flexibility to test VoIP implementations on a small scale. This gives you the ability to make it work properly and learn the pitfalls associated with VoIP installations before you roll it out on a wide scale. Some situations that are ideal for implementing VoIP solutions are below.

New Offices - whether a branch office or a new building still in planning stages
Sites With Planned Network Upgrade - An upgrade often means changing the network's architecture and replacing routers and switches. Include VoIP requirements in the planning, and make sure the new devices support the VoIP characteristics you will use.
Post-Corporate-Merger - disparate phone systems can be a headache. Moving to a common platform is a good idea in these situations.
Telecommuters - workers in remote offices can still be directly connected to the company's phone environment in turn making them more productive.

Some Common VoIP Problems

Chances are your router-based data network one of the approximately 85% of networks in use today that are not ready to support Voice over IP (VoIP) services without modification. Even if you're a part of the remaining 15%, can you be sure that your network will reliably handle VoIP traffic over the long-term? What will the impact be on your other business-critical applications? Here are a few thoughts:

The minimum expectation of a VoIP solution is call quality equal to analog - this is going to mean you have to test your network to see how well it can stand up to the requirements of VoIP. A packet loss of 1% will result in significant degradation of the quality of the voice transmission. Quality of Service (QoS) is a very important consideration.
Analog Devices on a Digital System - fax machines, answering machines and other analog machines that rely on the quality signal provided by the traditional phone companies may not be compatible with a dedicated VoIP phone system. Fortunately, there are adapters and other methods of providing compatibility with these older devices.
No Power, No Phones - Most phones are powered simply by plugging them into a phone jack. Not so with VoIP phones, which require a power adapter and a phone jack to operate. When the power goes out, so do your phones. The same will happen if your computer network goes down.
No Emergencies Allowed - The 911 system operates geographically - your call to 911 is routed to the appropriate center based on your location. It is difficult or impossible to call 911 on a VoIP phone because they are not geographically-based. A company in Florida has a patent-pending solution (as of May 27, 2004), but it's not likely to be adopted widely for another year or two. See here for details.
Network Compability - Firewalls and servers often have to be configured to accept incoming VoIP transmissions. Other issues - Microsoft's ISA 2000 Server supports H.323 but not SIP. Network and hardware compatibility are important to address.
Security - there are several security concerns about VoIP that have not yet been addressed. These are not major considerations - yet- because VoIP is such a small niche. However, as the popularity of VoIP grows, security is going to be very important as the potential exposure increases.

Building a business case for VoIP is relatively easy because of the potential benefits. As with any major IT project, it makes sense to start with a small installation where all the various factors can be tested and monitored and problems can be solved with a minimum of disruption. After the initial success, future installations will be less costly and the change will be perceived as being smoother by all involved.

Telephone Magic carries a wide range of VoIP products. For information on any of our solutions, please click on the links below.

Proprietary VoIP Phones by Manufacturer
Nortel IP Phones	Avaya VoIP Phones	Mitel IP Phones
i2002 i2004 i2007 i2050 SoftPhone	Avaya 4601 Avaya 4602 Avaya 4606 Avaya 4610 Avaya 4612 Avaya 4620 Avaya 5601 Avaya 5602 Avaya 5610 Avaya 5620	Mitel 5212 IP Phone Mitel 5215 IP Phone Mitel 5220 IP Phone Mitel 5224 IP Phone
Voice over IP (VoIP) Phones by Supported Protocol (s)
MGCP	SIP	Other
Polycom IP-301 Polycom IP-501 Polycom IP-601 Polycom IP Expansion Module	Polycom IP 4000 Conference Phone	Teledex IP-120 (SCCP)
VoIP Business Phone Systems
Avaya IP Office (H.323) Nortel Business Communications Manager TalkSwitch (SIP) Aastra Venture IP
VoIP Gateways
Mediatrix VoIP Gateways
VoIP Phone System Links
How VoIP phone systems work Get started with VoIP

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Telephone Magic Inc. and telephonemagic.com are not affiliated with Nortel Networks Inc.

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