VoIP: The Ultimate Guide

So, traditionally (without VoIP), phone calls are made using the PSTN - which uses analogue telephone lines to carry voice between the two parties making a call.  This PSTN is made up of a vast network of telephone exchanges across the UK.

Any business that wants to be able to make or receive phone calls requires at least one (if not several) telephone lines from their premises to the local telephone exchange; as well as a telephone line to run their broadband.

But not any more.

VoIP does away with the need for multiple lines and just makes better use of your existing broadband connection.

You can see from the diagram above that VoIP makes your telephony much more cost effective, and enables more features including home workers, mobile softphones, desktop clients and more.

Technically speaking, VoIP uses packet switching instead of circuit switching. Circuit switching is the more ‘old-fashioned’ method of making and receiving calls.

This ‘circuit switching’ uses a technology called ISDN. ISDN is going out of date, and is set to be switched off by Openreach in 2025, which could cause an issue for businesses not using VoIP.

Whilst there is no need to panic, it may be a good idea to research possible VoIP options when your current telephony contract/lease ends - just to make sure that your business communications are future proof.