Not So New
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone services are not as new as you might first think. Internet Protocol based telephony has existed for many years on the Internet, but the quality and reliability were often poor and typically required the user to make and receive calls using special software on their personal computer.

Significant strides in technology and the rapid infiltration of broadband Internet connections into many homes, has made VoIP a viable competitor to traditional "Bell" company voice services.

What's Required?
First and most importantly, to take advantage of VoIP services, you must have a broadband Internet connection and a special piece of equipment that connects your phone to your broadband connection.

This equipment is often a separate device provided by the VoIP service provider, into which your existing telephone connects. However, many providers are starting to offer phones with this equipment integrated into the telephone.

How's it Different?
VoIP, in many ways, looks and works just like a regular phone. The primary difference between the two is how your voice is transported from "here to there."

With traditional telephone service your conversation, for the most part, is analog and is connected over a single static pathway over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

In contrast, VoIP telephone conversations are almost entirely digital and may take one or more different paths over the Internet, or private network, to reach the called party. At the other end of the line, the packets are reassembled and converted back into analog voice signals, and sent over the PSTN to the telephone device. If everything works as it should, the call participants will never be aware of the dynamic call routing and audio conversion that is taking place.