[img]VoIP is revolutionary in and of itself since its technology has been applied widely throughout the legacy telephony world. In prior years TDM (Time-division multiplexed) lines interconnected voice systems over the planet. Even though telephony experts can make a convincing argument that TDM networking is much more suited to the constraints and peculiarities of voice and video networks, the reality is that applications and equipment to support IP communications have flooded the planet. And in spite of their apparent shortcomings are being deployed widely in connecting phone systems to one another.
When someone makes a phone call they are connecting to a local voice network in order to speak with somebody else. If that local network was not connected to a larger network you would only be able to make a call to other customers in that local network. So that local network must connect to other local phone networks if you wish to speak to anyone outside of that immediate vicinity. In the past the lines
connecting one local phone network to another local phone network were TDM lines of one kind or another. When you have a number of those lines you can rightfully call it a network.
More and more often the lines connecting one local phone network to another local phone network are IP communication lines, and frequently enough that network is simply the Internet.
Let’s start though with VoIP. If you are a Vonage™ customer and you call another Vonage customer you could complete a call only using an IP network. However, if you call a cell phone or land line your call will have to connect with a network using a different type of communications network and you can be certain that your call with their customer will be classified and measured.
Hence:
? Most phone handsets support voice connections via a network technology other than VoIP, e.g.; PSTN, GSM, CDMA, etc.
? The corollary of this is that most local phone networks are delivering voice communications on everything but VoIP
? Telephone networks are increasingly interconnecting voice calls using IP networks, or Voice Over IP (Internet Protocol)
? Virtually all telephony providers are billing and are therefore metering calls that cross between VoIP and other realms of communication
? Because these activities require call classification, metering, and billing virtually all voice operators are using the RBR technology
? A pure VoIP operator that meters and bills is using the RBR technology[/img]
