One question that we receive here at CSM South from customers all over from Tampa to Naples and Sarasota, and over in Austin and San Antonio, is “What is VoIP” or sometimes “What is a VoIP Phone?” Actually, this is a rather simple question for us to answer. Whether our customer is asking about Avaya IP Office or ShoreTel, the answer is the same. VoIP is an acronym for Voice Over Internet Protocol. Simply put, it is voice traffic that uses the same signals as data equipment and data infrastructure to deliver those voice transmissions to another phone. There are different types of VoIP including SIP, MGCP, and several others. Which type you choose to use depends on your application. Both are supported by Avaya and ShoreTel.

VoIP, though thought of as “new” or “cutting edge,”  has actually been around for over 20 years, though it has only recently overtaken digital as the primary medium in telephony. Analog started it all, but was replaced by digital protocols generally by the early 1990’s,  digital in turn being supplanted by VoIP in the later years of the first decade of the 2000’s. VoIP enabled systems were common in the marketplace just after the turn of 2000, but pure VoIP phone systems supplanted these enabled systems after 2010. Right now, VoIP seems to be the standard in the industry with SIP replacing the more antiquated MGCP. What does this all mean for the consumer? Generally speaking, more features at a more affordable price.

For a more detailed discussion on What VoIP is and to review some phones, contact us today!

ShoreTel 485g, gigabit VoIP phone