Quality of IP Telephony

A technology like IP telephony as a means of communication has quickly gained popularity among subscribers and especially among Internet users due to its simplicity and low cost. However, disputes often arise regarding the quality of this service.

For example, conventional telephone networks have very high bandwidth, while in IP networks the principle "the more calls, the worse the quality" applies. Since communication is carried out simultaneously in multiple directions through the same servers, overloads are quite possible, which lead to delays in information delivery and, consequently, a slowing of the conversation.

The cost of communication services is usually directly proportional to their quality. In other words, the low cost of international calls in IP telephony supposedly explains its relatively modest quality. This quality is characterized by three main parameters: the time between speaking a phrase and its reception by the interlocutor (latency), distortion of the voice signal, and the amount of lost information.

Regarding voice distortion, the system is constantly improving. New types of encoding are being used, which help reduce signal distortion. A new feature — packet loss recovery — makes it possible to receive information more completely. Delays in receiving information have been reduced so much that they are no longer perceived by the human ear. In this respect, IP telephony has caught up with satellite communications, yet it remains significantly cheaper. Much of this is due to improvements in telephone servers, expansion of transmission channels, and more effective compression. Creating backup servers to handle overloads of the main ones makes it possible to route signals without degrading call quality. Increases in Internet speeds also help speed up voice transmission, since all information in an IP network is transmitted over the Internet's channels.

However, small losses in quality are more than offset by the economy and convenience of IP telephony. The spread of wireless Internet enables communication using only a laptop and simple software. Regular telephone service, on the other hand, certainly won't allow you to show clients web pages, display photos and videos, or listen to music online.