Telephony Related Functions
Telephone networks are increasingly being used to deliver services other than "traditional" voice communication such as videoconferencing and data networking functions. These services can add new benefits to your use of a telephone system.
Video conferencing allows two or more people to communicate with both sound and vision. Seeing the people that you are communicating with can be important, as a significant proportion of communication in face-to-face meetings is visual rather than auditory - "body language" communication can be more telling than the words spoken. For critical business deals where a face-to-face meeting is not possible, a video conference might offer a useful alternative. Videophones offer an entry point into this technology.
The main drawbacks are:
- the bandwidth, or data transmission rate, needed to transmit high-quality images can be high and therefore expensive
- video conferencing isn't a perfect substitute for meeting face-to-face
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows you to make phone calls over a computer network.
VoIP offers significant potential savings. If you have an always-on broadband connection to the internet then calls between individuals with VoIP equipment - even international calls - are free. All you pay for is your internet connection.
There are, however, a number of drawbacks:
- potential savings have to be weighed against the quality and reliability of VoIP connections, which are not as good as standard phone connections
- additional costs are incurred if you use VoIP to phone someone without VoIP capabilities
Data networking capabilities are being offered alongside telephony and these services are increasingly important for home and mobile working:
- broadband data access on land lines
- global system for mobile communication (GSM), general packet radio service (GPRS), and 3G data services