VoIP becoming "backbone" of modern communications

The benefits of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) compared to traditional PSTN telephony are making the technology increasingly popular with businesses of all sizes and becoming the "backbone" of 21st century communications, a report suggest.

Technology site TMCnet said advances in broadband technology had brought the world "closer" - and VoIP systems that run over the high-speed connections were now helping businesses to improve their communication, cost effectiveness and productivity.

Long distance and international calls are charged at "significantly" lower rates over VoIP, in some cases charges can reduced by as much as 60 per cent compared to traditional telecommunications, the site says.

VoIP also offers a "plethora" of other benefits, including the ability to send images, video and data over a single network connection.

Bundled services, such as three-way calling or conferencing, also give VoIP the edge of PSTN and help to explain its growing popularity with large, medium and small enterprises, the site claims.

According to a recent survey by Extreme Networks and Data Integration, 88 per cent of business users in the UK who have used VoIP are happy with the technology.