The Twilight of Traditional Telephony

For many years, the analog telephony market was a bastion, an empire divided among a few players. In each country, this telecommunications kingdom, which generated huge profits for many years, was usually managed by a single national operator. In the most developed countries, such as the USA, there were at most a few such operators. The chance for a new company to emerge in the telecommunications market was almost zero, as telecom companies had built their market position, and above all their technical infrastructure, over many years. It is impossible to build hundreds of thousands of kilometers of telephone lines or fully functional telephone exchanges in a short time. VoIP, or voice transmission over ICT links. However, with the development of the Internet and the replacement of cables with radio devices, changes began to occur in the IT market. When VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology was created, it became possible to transmit voice via telecommunications Internet links, bypassing traditional telephone exchanges. The primary goal of this technology is to combine telephone traffic with digital data transmission by creating a single universal network capable of transmitting any type of data – including voice and video. VoIP is a technology used to transmit voice over a packet-switched network. This means that our voice is converted into digital form, subjected to appropriate compression, and then divided into packets, which are transmitted over ICT networks using the IP protocol.

Unlike traditional telephone lines – where voice in analog form is transmitted as a whole, i.e., via “one path” – packets can travel to their destination via “different paths,” as they are reassembled only upon arrival at their destination. Voice transmission in VoIP technology takes place in the same way as the transmission of digital data via the IP protocol.

With the development of VoIP technology, so-called “virtual operators” began to appear on the telecommunications market, who, without having their own highly developed technical infrastructure as in the case of traditional telecom companies, offer a full range of telephone services. In principle, these services can be divided into VoIP services using a computer connected to the Internet and those using a standard telephone set. In the first case, to talk, it is enough to obtain a special application – a so-called softphone – and be connected to the Internet, preferably via a broadband connection. Such applications can be obtained from the VoIP service provider with whom we set up an account or buy a “scratch card” with the appropriate number of pulses.