Guidebook dispels myths surrounding VoIP

A new guidebook to voice over IP (VoIP) services hopes to allay what are described as misplaced fears about the security of the technology.

In the guide, Infineon Technologies, a provider of electronic chips for communication systems, identifies and refutes seven common myths that many people believe about VoIP.

"One of the most widely held misconceptions is that voice quality inevitably improves when higher speed broadband connections are used to access the Internet. However, the fact is that high-speed data rates (such as the 16 Mbps delivered by ADSL) can actually have a negative impact on VoIP voice quality," Infineon said.

It explained that this is due to the fact applications such as television delivered over the internet (IP TV) place such heavy demands that they can impair the flow of data for other applications. However, modern dual chip applications deal with this problem.

"The guidebook sheds light on the perceived gloom that so often overshadows VoIP. It addresses the fears and concerns of users about this new technology," said Dominik Bilo, vice president of sales and group marketing business at Infineon.

"The times when VoIP was reserved only for a handful of computer experts using PCs and accepting low-quality voice calls and dropping conversations are gone. In fact, chip and system-level innovations have made VoIP so much better than analogue voice, that it is no longer just a cheap alternative to traditional services, but a whole new value-added service by itself."