The talk in the marketplace these days is how VOIP is going to revolutionise the telecommunications market. According to doomsdayers Telstra, Telco Blue and AAPT are going to be a thing of the past and VOIP will reign supreme.

Fact or fiction?

In recent times, VOIP has been the subject on many peoples lips. The next big thing! A new way to make calls are some of the ways VOIP has been described.

But how many people actually know what VOIP is and how they can use it?

VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol or for the layman it means talking over the Internet. This technology uses the Internet network to carry the telephone call. Sounds exciting, doesnt it? Also it is remarkably cheaper than picking up the phone.

However, VOIP has its own range of issues that makes it difficult to implement. Firstly, you must have a computer. With the advent of the Internet this is becoming more and more common in every household, so may not be much of an issue.

Also you must be connected to the Internet. If you already have a computer this is not much of an issue either. The person you are calling must also have a computer and an Internet connection. This may be a bit of an inconvenience but not impossible.

For me the biggest issue facing VOIP is the quality of the call. You can drop out, the sound is inferior, you can get interference and delays and the quality varies based on the standard of technology you have.

The way a telephone call is carried over the current infrastructure is reliable, relatively cheap, always good quality, very convenient and not dead yet! This generates over $190 billion in revenue each year in Australia alone

Call me crazy but VOIP is not a CRAZE yet!