VOIP has become a Iorce to reckon with in the telecom sector with many people and businesses

saving considerable time and resources by opting Ior a relatively inexpensive voice over internet
protocol - VOIP. VOIP has many advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of VOIP
- The main advantage is the amount oI money you end up saving on your phone bills as
compared to a traditional phone line.
- Inexpensive and easy to use. Since it is simple, upgrading is relatively simpler too.
- You can integrate it with an existing phone connection.
- With VOIP PC-to-PC, calls are Iree no matter the distance and PC-to-Phone charges are
nominal.
- For a monthly Iee you may make unlimited Iree calls within a geographic area.
- A virtual number enables you to make calls Irom anywhere as long as a broadband connection
is available.
- You may purchase a number in a geography area oI your choice, which works out very cheap.
II your relatives and Iriends live in Virginia and you moved to CaliIornia, you may purchase a
Virginia number and make local calls to your loved ones.
- You may access your VOIP account just like your email Id Irom any where in the world as long
as you have an internet phone. This makes it easy Ior those who travel Irequently to make calls
Irequently to those back at home at local call rates, no matter where they are.
- You may call or message or do both at the same time with VOIP services.
Disadvantages of VOIP
- Loss oI service during outages.
- Without power VOIP phones are useless, so in case oI emergencies during power cuts it can be
a major disadvantage.
- With VOIP emergency calls, it is hard to locate you and send help in time.
- Some times during calls, there may be periods oI silence when data is lost while it is being
unscrambled.
- Latency and traIIic.
- No standard protocol is applicable.
The disadvantages oI VOIP could be annoying, but their eIIects are relatively limited. The
complaints oI VOIP are usually tolerable iI the callers are using a Iree service. As the technology
is advancing, we will expect the VOIP quality will match the traditional telephone technology.
These are some oI advantages and disadvantages oI VOIP. All said and done, we could say that
the advantages oI VOIP outweigh the disadvantages oI it.