Do you currently have VoIP or contemplating getting VoIP? VoIP is a finicky technology to set up. If not done correctly, you can have all sorts of quality issues with the service. Before we go over some technological symptoms of VoIP being set up incorrectly, let’s first define what VoIP is. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol which is voice calls are going to be traversing the Public Internet as data packets (emails and surfing the net are data packets). This method is not your traditional phone service going over copper lines and is rising in popularity in today’s business landscape.
If you have VoIP and you are experiencing call quality issues such as echoes, dropped calls, voice sounding mechanical, delayed dialogue, and dialogue cutting in and out then chances are, the type of Internet connection is the issue and you probably have a Public Internet connection such as DSL, UVerse, Cable, or Wideband. There are many factors that affect call quality in a Public Internet Access. The following link describes Latency, Jitter, and Packet Loss and how it affects call quality with VoIP calls:
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/12257 (or on following pages)
Public Internet Access is not the correct vehicle for VoIP because the internet cloud levels for Latency, Jitter, and Packet Loss are too high. The best vehicle for VoIP is MPLS. Below is a link on MPLS technology and VoIP:
http://ezinearticles.com/?MPLS-and-Its-Role-With-VoIP&id=1609433
MPLS is the technology behind our privately owned IP Backbone and it is a Telephone Company technology only – not Cable’s. It is not only a labeling technology which allows us to recognize and prioritize certain data packets, but it rides on our private backbone which is provisioned to control the threshold of Latency, Jitter, and Packet loss (controlling these thresholds are also known as Quality of Service or QoS). Therefore keeping these levels low enough to not affect call quality. We cannot control these levels or recognize CoS (prioritization of data packets is called Class of Service or CoS in our industry) in the Public Internet Cloud. AT&T has the largest IP backbone not only in the US but the largest in the world and therefore your VoIP calls will be going across this “Private Pipe” instead of the internet – the correct way to handle VoIP to maintain call quality and integrity.
There is a common misnomer that increasing bandwidth will address the VoIP issues. There are much more to VoIP quality than bandwidth. Bandwidth may mask the underlying issue and is like a finger in the dam if you experienced these symptoms. Please remember, at the end of the day, increased bandwidth on Public Internet access is still going across the Public Internet. If you are experiencing these issues and still are even though you have increased your bandwidth or you are contemplating going to VoIP and are interested in learning more about MPLS, please reach out to me and we can set up a time for a consultation.
LINH NGUYEN (WINN)
Senior Fiber Specialist – Fiber Solutions
AT&T National Business
Mobility (Cell phones, Plans, Business Applications, etc.), Wire Line Solutions (Basic Office Lines, T1’s, Fiber, MPLS, Hosting/Collocations, Cloud Computing, etc.), and Cyber Security (Network Security: Premise & Network Based Firewalls, DDOS+Intellectual Property+Customer Data Protection, Vulnerability Scanning, Endpoint Security, Prevention Consulting, Monitoring, Detections, Threat Management, and Incident Response and Forensics)
Direct: 512-571-7949
Fax: 512-623-7734
Email: [email protected]