Internet Telephony has been around for awhile, but its use was very limited prior to 1995. It was mostly only used by people who liked to use the technology as a hobby. However in 1995, the first internet phone was released by a company called VocalTec. Internet Telephony has been around for awhile, but its use was very limited prior to 1995. It was mostly only used by people who liked to use the technology as a hobby. However in 1995, the first internet phone was released by a company called VocalTec.

When internet telephony first began, it was limited to PC to PC use. This required that both users had the software on their computers and that both computers were connected to the internet. Both computers also had to have sound cards, microphones and headphones. You could only to speak to someone who was using a computer. This was because internet phones utilized packet-switched networks and regular phone lines utilized circuit-switched networks. At the time, the technology to connect these two networks was not available, which made it impossible for a PC to call a regular telephone number.

PC to PC calls still were quite popular, especially as instant messaging programs became commonplace. Chat rooms with voice capabilities were added, and many people began using their computer to talk to their friends instead of utilizing a traditional telephone.

The problem was that although you could talk to anyone with a computer, you could not use your internet phone to speak to people who had a regular telephone line. You also had to utilize a headset and a microphone in order to talk to anyone, and many people found this cumbersome.

The solution came when VoIP phone service was introduced. This new technology allowed users to utilize a regular telephone to make phone calls. The telephone was connected a router which then used high speed internet connections to transfer the voice signals. Once your system was set up, there is virtually no difference between your internet phone service and a traditional phone line.

In fact, the only real difference comes from the price. Companies such as Vonage offer great packages which allow you to make cheap calls, even when do a lot of international calling. They usually offer call waiting, call forwarding and caller ID for free.

The popularity of these services continues to grow, and advancements are constantly being made. Work is being done to improve the ability for the phone lines to identify locations for 911 calls and to improve the quality of the voice transmissions. However, many people use these services now because they find they can actually save money over traditional phone services. Internet telephony has come a long way from its beginning and the technology will undoubtedly continue to improve.

By Natalie Aranda