Some people call it VoIP, or voice over internet, or digital voice, or a broadband phone service. They're all different ways of describing the latest technology that allows you to save on your phone bill. You make and receive phone calls just like you did before, using a regular touch tone phone but instead of your calls being delivered over a regular phone line they travel over your high speed internet connection.

How Does VoIP Work?

VOIP connects directly to your broadband internet connection. Simply plug in a compatible VoIP phone into your broadband modem-router. Then, when you pick up your phone, we route your calls over the internet using SIP technology (session initiation protocol).

Your VOIP service is available 24/7, and as long as your internet is on you can make calls whenever you need to.

Switching to VOIP Is Quick and Easy

If you have ever tried to switch phone companies you'll know how hard it can be. With Progress IT, you can switch in next to no time. If you use ADSL for your broadband you will need to keep paying for line rental with your existing company, just stop using them for phone calls. Cable customers can stop paying line rental and save even more.
Either way it'll be quick and painless to activate your service and start making internet calls.

Digital Call Quality

When you make a VoIP call your voice is converted into data and is sent via the internet. That means, provided you have a fast enough internet connection, the person receiving your call will enjoy high quality digital sound.

Sometimes, other factors might influence call quality, including:

• The speed and quality of your broadband service.
• The quality of your equipment.

Quality can also vary because your voice call is travelling as data packets over the public internet. To ensure as smooth a ride as possible we ensure that calls are sent using the smallest data packet size possible. This minimises data loss caused by internet congestion.

Broadband Quality

We recommend that you use a broadband service with a speed of 512kbps or above. Even then, the quality of the call can be impacted if someone is transferring large files while you are on a call. When it comes to broadband speed some providers offer a more consistent service than others. To see how your broadband service compares, test your speed in the evening, when net usage is highest, at sites like Speedtest.net http://www.speedtest.net/

Equipment Quality

Progress IT uses a globally accepted standard for the delivery of voice over the internet. This standard is called Session Initiated Protocol (SIP). Some modem/routers may not be SIP compliant and this can also impact the quality of your call. If in doubt, contact us and we can verify if your current hardware is compatibile.