VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol

VoIP is an acronym for Voice Over Internet Protocol, which essentially refers to the collection of technologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques required to deliver voice calls over Internet Protocol (IP). The main difference between traditional calls (see PSTN) and VoIP calls is that VoIP calls are delivered over the Internet, whilst traditional PSTN calls are delivered over physical analogue lines. Voice signals (or other types of media) are digitized and broken into packets to be sent over one shared Internet connection. VoIP is thought to be the next step for call centres because it will facilitate the integration of multiple contact channels such as voice and web chat and social media.