The A to Z of broadband

VoIP

Routing your voice conversations over the internet or through any other IP-based network using voice over IP means you no longer have an excuse for not keeping in touch with those long-distance relatives.

As you chat on VoIP your voice is converted into data packets that are routed over the net, just like an email or any other kind of data.

The list from A to Z

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A is for ADSL
B is for BT
C is for Cable & Wireless
D is for Dial-up
E is for Education
F is for Fibre
G is for Goonhilly
H is for HSDPA
I is for In-flight
J is for Janet
K is for Kingston
L is for Landlines
M is for Murdoch
N is for Next generation
O is for Ofcom
P is for Power lines
Q is for Quad-play
R is for Remote working
S is for Satellite phones
T is for Trains
U is for Unbundling
V is for VoIP
W is for WiMax
X is for Xbox
Y is for YouTube
Z is for Zombies

Skype is a popular VoIP download that turns your PC into a phone - though it has recently been touting "PC-free" cordless phones which plug into a broadband connection and bypass the need to switch on a computer.

The big advantage of VoIP is cost: just as it costs nothing to send an email, VoIP calls are free or ridiculously cheap - even internationally.

Other bonuses of the technology include more features than your bog-standard telephone - such as setting up conference calls easily and cheaply, and the user not being tied to an area code.

VoIP looks poised to take over the telephony systems and telcos are already starting to integrate VoIP into their networks. BT recently announced plans to switch to an all-IP infrastructure by 2008, known as 21CN, perhaps the most dramatic commitment to the technology by any major telco.

The big question mark for VoIP is how to regulate it. In the US, the Federal Communications Commission exempted internet telephony services from the regulations and taxes of the standard phone system, which is partly why the calls are so cheap. Time will tell whether regulators remain so kind.