With the proliferation of broadband technology including DSL and Cable, the Voice over Broadband market is growing rapidly. In the US alone, the number of VoIP subscribers grew a whopping 248 percent in 2005 according to a recent study conducted by TeleGeography, clearly demonstrating the trend of movement to Voice Over Broadband. Although adoption of the new technology may be considered a daunting experience for consumers, below is an outline of just how simple VoBB can become part of our everyday lives.
Remember the first PC you brought home? Remember the frustration and anxiety encountered while trying to piece your PC together? Finally, remember the sense of achievement experienced once the setup had been completed and you had joined the new age of computing.
Similarly, bringing a residential Telephone Adapter such as the AudioCodes MP-202 into your home should not be an alarming experience. This technology has been designed for you, the residential consumer, ensuring the least possible disruption. Residential Telephone Adapters, or Voice over Broadband media gateways, transform ordinary home telephones using the Broadband service into VoIP systems.
Some people may not realize that it is relatively simple to make the move to Voice Over Broadband Telephony, and the growth rate of residential VoIP telephony demonstrates that users are adopting the technology.
Making the transition simple
The first step to making the transition is to subscribe to a VoIP service that meets your requirements. A VoIP service should take into account your willingness to allow new equipment into your comfort zone at home. It is essential for the provider to ensure that the new technology will enhance your life by lowering telecommunications expenses, continuously advancing technology and providing excellent voice quality.
A Telephone Adapter, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, is supplied by the IP Telephony Service Provider. These Adapters can be delivered to your home without requiring any pre-installation or reconfiguration of your current broadband connection. You can make the installation by simply using your existing ordinary phone equipment and a broadband infrastructure, whether DSL or Cable. The Telephone Adapter can be installed by simply connecting your telephone devices, regular or cordless on one side, and your broadband modem on the other. It’s that easy.
A transparent User Experience
Once the installation is completed, learning to use your new telephone adapter is straightforward. Actually, there is nothing to learn – Just pick up your phone and dial like you did in the past.
As opposed to an IP phone, with its unfamiliar array of buttons, the Telephone Adapter does not require the knowledge of a new interface. The technology enables the use of your old phone, with its standard dial pad and flash hook. Cordless phones are also compatible with the adapter, giving you the ability to talk freely around the house. In this way, the system enables the preserving of any pre-existing investment in equipment.
The advantages of the Telephone Adapter are that providers can offer cheap or even free phone calls while giving you the same experience as an ordinary phone. The availability of the non-intrusive Telephone Adapter will make it easier for telecoms to convert traditional customers like you to the service.
Is the market ready for Voice over Broadband?
If you are tired of receiving large phone bills for your fixed line service, you can now use an alternative – VoIP! This may not have been previously considered due to inadequate information about this technology.
Traditional telecom providers, which control the large chunk of broadband infrastructure, are offering IP services, but with time will likely be forced to offer the option as a means of preserving revenues from their investment. With deregulation sweeping the globe, telecoms are inevitably subject to competition from newer, cheaper services.
Indeed, as Internet providers are aiming to expand and bundle services, and new ITSP companies are rapidly emerging, the residential telephone adapter is likely to become a standard option to customers.
To ensure that the expansion of VoIP continues, operators must therefore choose equipment that can be easily installed and maintained, and also pre-provision the equipment to ease the connection process.
Bonus features for Businesses
If you are planning to install the telephone adapter for business purposes, there are a number of advantages that exist.
Truly unique to the world of ISP is the availability of “virtual phone numbers.” Since the lines work according to IP, a “virtual phone number” can be assigned to the phone lines for any location in the world with available service. You could have one number in New York and the other in Hong Kong. Among the obvious benefits for businesses are cost savings for global customers communicating to the office, whether by fax or phone.
For the virus-wary, an added bonus that the manufacturer includes in the system is a built-in firewall, an item that home computer users don’t usually invest in installation.
An additional perk that is especially convenient for businesses is the system having the ability to work according to two assigned phone lines: one for fax and the other for a phone.
The internal router with multiple PC connectivity is especially beneficial to the SOHO or those seeking to set up businesses. The SOHO customer can leverage existing equipment and easily make the transformation using the telephone adapter.
The residential telephone adapter also gives the same IP telephony experience in terms of communicating at level of voice quality compatible with POTS service.
Conclusion
Bringing VoIP to the residential users needs to overcome usability test and adoption of the end-users.
Deploying VOBB using a residential gateway allows a continuous user experience which leads to easier adoption.