There are numerous well-known business regions across the country. In California are the nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. Within this region alone, there are more than 198,000 small businesses with even more medium and large companies. All of them have various telecom needs.
The Business Phone System
AT&T is is getting out of the phone company business.
Why?
In the next few years, the traditional telephone network as its known will be rendered obsolete. It’s in the process of being replaced by Internet Protocol that offers higher quality, additional features and a much lower price.
The switchover is already well underway . Residential customers have taken the lead, with nearly a half of American households have already cancelled their landlines. And for businesses, the business phone system is now moving to the VOIP-based phone system. In fact, as of November 2012, AT&T announced their plans to spend $14 billion over the next three years on an IP-based upgrade that will cover 99 percent of its existing wireless and wired networks. This is expected to replace the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN) by the end of 2015.
Voice Over IP: Today’s Star
- Voice Over IP, also known as VoIP, is the technology that’s behind Internet telephone service. Its service providers use Internet Protocol (IP) for handling phone calls. Rather than using traditional dedicated analog or digital voice circuits, VOIP calls traverse your data network. This offers several substantial benefits:
- You no longer need separate voice and data networks. This eliminates the costs of extra cabling for new installations, which can be substantial.
- Consolidating onto one circuit, saves big money. Money that can be re-deployed to increase internet bandwidth and improved quality. Many companies also invest that money into two data circuits, thus providing redundancy for all critical voice and data services.
- VOIP can connect any IP phone anywhere there is a decent internet connection. Traditional phone systems required that users all be in the same physical office. VOIP sets users free.
- Users no longer are stuck with a desk phone for their business communications. VOIP systems allow all types of devices to connect to the phone system, including mobile phones, tablets, PC’s and more.
- With voice converted into data, it can easily be combined with other forms of data, including email, video, and presence. This is known as Unified Communications
Summary: VOIP: What a Deal!
For many businesses, the advantages are too many to ignore.
In many instances, a company can:
- Increase their internet speed
- Have new phones on their desks
- Gain productivity-enhancing communication features
And do all of it for no more money than they are paying today for traditional phone service. It’s why everybody’s rushing to VOIP!