Internet telephony
(also IP telephony, broadband telephony)
Internet telephony definition
Internet telephony is technology that allows communication through voice calls, SMS, or fax by transmitting the data over the internet. In other words, it enables phone services in places where there is no phone connection. People also use it to avoid costly telephone service charges for making international calls. The quality of these calls depends entirely on the speed of the internet connection. A fast and stable connection provides excellent voice quality with zero interruptions. A slower internet connection will provide sub-par audio quality compared to traditional telephone services.
Internet telephony solutions are particularly appealing to businesses because they allow them to scale up and down easily. They are more cost-efficient than traditional telephone services, even if you exclude international calls, because they make internal calls free of charge. Internet telephony also allows business users to work remotely by turning their personal smartphones into work phones with the help of an app.
Internet telephony vs. Voice over IP (VoIP)
Although often used synonymously, these two terms mean different things. Internet telephony is an umbrella term encompassing the usage of traditional telephone-based communications over the internet. Voice over IP is one of the technologies used in internet telephony.