VOIP or Voice over Internet Protocol evolved right from the time Graham Bell invented the phone. The timeline and its evolution is an amazing story. Let’s see how it has come this far. But we will only start from VOIP, not telephony itself.
- 1995: The very birth of VOIP, not even three decades old. A company known by the name VocalTec pioneered the first handheld IP phone simply called, the “internet phone”. It had stringent requirements like both users having the same software without a video. The quality was pretty bad and unreliable due to poor internet dial-up connectivity besides many innate factors.
- 1996: Just one year on, internet voicemail was introduced. Users could now record and send messages to other users. The service was still marred by poor voice quality, frequent disconnects, and bouts of silence.
- 1998: By this time, computer to phone and vice versa calls were introduced by VocalTec. The service was quite unpopular as the users were subjected to long advertisements before users could speak to each other. The VOIP calls were accounting for 1% of total phone call volumes by now.
- 1999: the phone and other telecom manufacturers evolved IP telephony with large-scale use of digital transmissions. The lower cost of VOIP started to gain traction due to its gradually improved quality, cost-effectiveness, and speed. By this time, switches with IP capabilities started to surface, which eventually translated into adopters that users could attach to their existing phone to convert them into IP phones. A popular option in use even now is Vonage.
- 2000: Most governments were already privy to this new wave of unregulated call traffic, so they started to regulate VOIP communications. This resulted in the mass exodus of call center setups from Americas and Europe to less regulated economies, such as Pakistan, India, and the Philippines.
- 2003: the VOIP calls were already accounting for 25% of all global call volumes. The technology was getting public appeal and popularity for saving costs. The widespread availability of broadband internet also contributed to the sudden rise of IP telecom, an alternative to the legacy phone lines. People started to see the benefits while keeping their old phones. Till this time, VOIP was more of an add-on. The add-on adapters also got rid of the involvement of computers, hence making the tech more portable. Some companies also started to sell (VOIP) calling cards offering reduced tariffs by using the particular gateways by calling specific numbers.
- Enter Skype: In 2003 itself, Skype made an entry to the booming market. It allowed for cheap IP calls from PC-to-PC and later through its adopter, phone to phone.
- 2004: Companies mushroomed all over the world that took the IP telephony to the world. These companies offered unlimited calls on the network, within a nation and cheap international calls.
- 2005: Skype introduced video calls over IP that reached a new hallmark in communication.
- E-Fax: Companies like E-fax eve brought good old faxing to the picture. Users could now fax each other over IP.
- 2006: With the advent of smartphones, an app called Truphone converted smartphones into IP phone for the first time, ushering a new era in communications.
- 2012: The global VOIP market expands by 83% compared to 2011. VOP is mainstream by now.
- 2018 and Beyond: By 2019, the global market share of VOIP communication is expected to surpass the $50 billion mark. The VoIP Supplier is the newest and advanced company providing cloud-based solutions.
CONCLUSION:
These solutions offer ultimate convenience and are suitable and economical for all the Business, the world over are fast converting to VOIP. Don’t be left out as a business owner and get an obligation free quote today from the VOIP Suppliers.