We have covered, in brief, how a traditional PBX system could lack some of the features of a Voice over Internet Protocol system and discovered some of the basics of the PSTN. We can now take a look at VoIP in a little bit more detail to get an idea of what the benefits are.

Firstly, it's important to realize that VoIP doesn't entirely replace the PSTN (although it could). VoIP is yet another, cheaper, and easier way to connect to the PSTN. You can make and receive calls that are initiated and terminated entirely across VoIP and you can call a standard PSTN number from VoIP and vice-versa, as long as your ITSP (Internet Telephony Service Provider) supports it or if you link your VoIP system to the PSTN yourself. Both of these are options to consider with TrixBox.

A VoIP system can use a variety of protocols and we will cover each of those protocols relevant to TrixBox as we come across them. VoIP is a catch-all term for these protocols and refers to transferring voice data over the Internet.

As the Internet grew and became a more flexible system than the PSTN, it became apparent that it was possible and, in many cases, preferable to use the Internet for carrying voice as well as data. There were a few limitations that had to be overcome before this could be feasible. For example, data connections can tolerate some latency in communication but latency in voice can be very annoying as it leads to gaps in conversation and constant repetition. Watching a news broadcast from a reporter using a satellite phone is a very good example of how frustrating and error prone this form of communication can be. As Internet connection latency decreased and speeds increased, voice communication has become more viable.

There is a tendency to think of VoIP as a new technology. However, it is almost two decades old and has only recently become so popular because there are now a few good pieces of software that use this technology. There are also many companies investing in VoIP, since the data lines that provide Internet services are now at a level where they are usually reliable enough to be used for voice communication. Customers and employees expect these data lines to be low-latency, clear, and always available. While many Internet services still have problems, the situation is certainly much better than it was in the late 80s and early 90s when VoIP was first touted as the killer technology. It wasn't quite there then, but is certainly getting there now.