IP telephony advantages and disadvantages. Softphone or hardware IP phone, which is better? Tariffs: price matters

The advantages of IP telephony over conventional (analogue) telephony are described here. In this case, we are talking not only about asterisk, but about any IP telephony systems: both paid and free. Disadvantages of IP telephony, see.

1. The main thing, of course, is cheapness. Compared to analog telephony, ip telephony [long distance / international] costs a penny (and if a direct connection of two subscribers / offices with each other is enough, subscription fee for telephone communication can be equal to zero - provided that there is a connection through a computer network / Internet).
2. Versatility: via IP telephony it is possible (theoretically) to connect any subscribers using a variety of protocols / technologies (for example, Skype with an IP phone, send sms to a subscriber from icq, etc.). In addition, of course, it is possible (through appropriate equipment) to connect subscribers of analog, digital and ip telephony.
3. Flexibility:
   1. Call forwarding for various conditions, depending on the time of day, caller number, no answer, and so on. Those. the subscriber can be constantly available [by his number on the PBX] for other subscribers, regardless of whether he is on site or on the road.
   2. Assignment of "short" numbers for any subscribers.
   3. Integration with a computer and mobile phones: both a computer and a mobile (or landline) phone, smartphone / tablet, etc. can act as subscribers.
   4. Recording of conversations: starting from fixing the fact of a call from number to number and ending with recording ongoing conversations and / or listening to a conversation in real time.
   5. Connection to unlimited number operators of analog and ip telephony, with automatic or manual [at the request of the subscriber] selection of the cheapest / high-quality operator depending on the direction of communication / caller number / time of day / moon phase, etc.
   6. The ability to combine any number of offices or points into one virtual telephone network, each of which can contain any number of telephones, with free calls within the whole virtual network[if there is a connection between all these points via a computer network or via the Internet].
   7. As part of 3.3, subscribers access to the PBX from the Internet, which allows remote subscribers (out of the office, in another city or another country) to make and answer calls as if they were in the office (and for free, only the Internet is needed!).
4. Faxing. Although ip-telephony (in fact) does not improve, but rather even worsens faxing (in the sense that a smaller % of faxes pass through ip-telephony without problems), while working with faxes is simplified, since it becomes possible to send and receive faxes directly from a computer, without converting the document into paper form (and / or receiving faxes by e-mail).
5. Additional features, as a rule, not provided by analog telephony (or extremely expensive):
   1. Call from website
   2. Voice mail messages can be transmitted to the subscriber digitally (for example, in the form of sound file email, website links, etc.)
   3. Conference call with any number of participants
   4. Queues: the ability (primarily for call centers) to distribute many incoming calls to a small number of agents, with remaining waiting time alerts, promotional/informational messages, greetings, and so on.
   5. Voice menu / auto attendant, which includes both a greeting and the ability to make a choice (including voice!) Of the desired department or indicate the subscriber's number.
   6. Using the PBX as an alarm clock, business/birthday reminder, calculator, phone number directory, etc.
6. Mobility: unlike analog telephony, where the phone number is "tied" to a specific telephone socket, in ip telephony, the binding goes (in particular) to the ip address, which means the possibility of moving employees from office to office, from building to building, from office to office within the same computer network, while maintaining the number and without any advanced settings ATS. In addition, the possibility of call forwarding (clause 3.1) allows any employee to work remotely (from home, another city or another country) as if he were at his workplace.
7. Many PBXs (for example, asterisk) are completely free for any use (both home and commercial).
8. In the cheapest version, it is enough for subscribers to have headphones and a microphone connected to the computer as equipment - many client software options are also free!
9. Access limitation:
   1. For internal subscribers: the possibility of restricting / barring calls in certain directions of communication, or choosing different communication operators for different groups of subscribers, etc.
   2. For external subscribers: depending on the phone number of the external subscriber, the prohibition of dialing numbers of certain departments, the possibility (or impossibility) of additional dialing of an external (city / long distance / international number) directly from the voice menu, etc.
   3. For any subscribers (optional) - restricting access to certain PBX functions, such as call forwarding, call recording, wiretapping of conversations in real time, and so on.
10. "Black list" of subscribers with the issuance of any message to them.
11. IP telephony is not limited to voice transmission only. It can send text messages, display [for example, via jabber] the status of subscribers (away, talking, busy, ...), provide video communication and is quite capable of replacing such tools as skype (which, after the purchase by Microsoft, had deteriorated the quality of communication, especially corporate) .
12. The number of numbers on the PBX is unlimited, and the number of simultaneous conversations / calls supported by the PBX is limited only by the capacity of the installed equipment * .
13. Billing: starting from call statistics (including local ones) and ending with the formation of invoices that you can issue to those who use your PBX for calls (for example, tenant organizations or even your employees).
14. Interception of calls, call parking.
15. Calling subscribers / clients according to the list with the issuance of a voice alert / notification, while it is possible to provide feedback(using the voice menu) and collect information about the results of the call.

* also depends on the PBX itself, for example, asterisk works stably up to 1000 simultaneous calls.

The 21st century is the century of new technologies, high speeds, and a huge amount of information. Today, both in business and in everyday life, innovative solutions are required to optimize activities. One of these is IP-telephony - a modern way of communication, which is currently actively replacing analog telephony. What are the advantages of such an organization telephone networks and who needs it? Let's figure this out.

IP telephony: what is it and how does the technology work

The development of Internet technologies served as an impetus for the emergence of IP telephony. In 1991, American researcher John Walker created the NetFone program, which allowed the exchange of voice messages over the Internet. This development, in fact, was the first VoIP phone. VoIP (Voice over IP, “voice over IP”) is a technology that allows you to “transmit voice over the Internet”. To connect analog telephone networks with Internet networks, special gateways are used to turn ordinary telephones into VoIP devices. An alternative could be a computer, mobile phone or tablet connected to the Internet with special software installed on them. If desired, you can also purchase SIP-phones.

IP-telephony services are in demand both in the office and at home. This type of communication makes it possible to send messages by fax, organize online conferences, and forward calls. In addition, the use of IP-telephony services can significantly reduce the cost of long-distance and international calls.

Advantages of Internet telephony

The first question that worries potential users of IP-telephony is the quality of communication. An important advantage of the technology is that the sound quality does not depend on the distance at which the interlocutors are located, which cannot be said about analog telephony. When using Internet telephony, there is no noise, echo and other unpleasant effects.

The second important advantage of IP-telephony is the low cost of communication compared to analog. In particular, the cost of international and long-distance calls is much lower, and calls within the corporate network are free - regardless of the geographical location of the company's offices. As for the price of IP-phones, it is quite comparable with the cost of analog devices. However, as we have already noted, they can turn out to be in favor of installing software on the corresponding gadgets connected to the Internet.

Among others benefits Internet telephony note:

• possibility quick start for business - almost instant telephonization of the office at low cost;
• downsizing of staff who were indispensable when using analog PBX;
• mobility of employees: no connection to the telephone, there is always the opportunity quick setup forwarding to a mobile phone;
• the possibility of programming and configuring IP-telephony at a distance, without calling a specialist.

Consider capabilities provided by Internet telephony:

• Integration. IP-telephony can be integrated with other communication solutions, for example, with the 1C program, with the company's website, with various Internet services and software.
• Multichannel number, thanks to which the company's customers do not have to wait for a connection for a long time. This number will never be busy! In addition, IP-telephony providers provide call-center services at very attractive prices.
• Voice menu(auto attendant) and smart forwarding.
• Possibility of organization video conferencing making video presentations.
• Access to any statistical data within the use telephone communication, control and quoting of off-duty calls and any calls from corporate numbers.
• Voice mail, e-fax, blacklist, reporting and much more.

According to the data of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU/ITU), Russia is among the leading countries in terms of the level of telephonization - in 6th place. And in terms of the spread of the Internet - in 71st place. 55 out of 100 people use the Internet.

What equipment is needed to organize IP-telephony in the office and at home?

As we noted earlier, in order to organize IP telephony in an office or at home, you first need to have Internet access. Moreover, the data transfer rate must be at least 512 Kbps in both directions. In doing so, you can use analog phone . To do this, you need to connect a special adapter (IP-gateway) to it, thanks to which regular phone turn into a device that works over the Internet. IP gateways are single-channel (for home and small offices) and multi-channel (for large companies).

You can organize IP-telephony and by purchasing a telephone SIP machine (manufactured by AddPac, Cisco, D-Link, QTECH, RAD Data Communications).

And the third way is the so-called software IP phone, which is special software (for example, YouMagic) installed on a computer, tablet, smartphone.

Thus, Internet telephony can be carried out as follows:

1. "Phone-phone". Analog telephones connected to the IP gateway transmit voice signals, which are converted into compressed data packets during the transition to the Network. These packets are sent over the Internet to the destination and decoded back into analog voice signals at the output. In this case, a full-duplex conversation takes place (when both interlocutors can talk at the same time).
2. "Computer phone". Those who wish to organize IP-telephony can purchase from the provider a special software, with which it will be possible to make calls. This software is installed on any device connected to the Internet - smartphone, tablet, computer. It does not matter what device the interlocutor uses - analog, SIP or mobile phone.
3. "WEB phone". In this way, you can call directly from the browser. For example, a business owner can arrange for calls to be received on his website using a special click2Dial script. In order to call the operator, the client only needs to click on a special button on the site.

IP telephony providers: who is who

World telecommunications companies are now massively abandoning outdated classical telephony, trying to interest users in modern convenient Internet telephony technologies. Analog telephony is gradually being squeezed out of the market, but the number of implemented and used analog telephony systems is still significant. Nevertheless, the number of fixed telephone sets in Russia is steadily declining: 40.1 million devices in 2008 against 36.6 million in 2013. At the end of 2015, the total volume of analog telephone services amounted to 221.7 billion rubles, and services mobile communications- 644.9 billion rubles. For comparison: in 2014, the volume of the IP-telephony market in Russia was in the region of 17.1 billion rubles. In general, on this moment There are about 30 million users of IP-telephony in Russia.

In Russia, the first companies providing voice communication services over the IP protocol appeared about 20 years ago. To date, the IP-telephony market has more than 500 licensed participants. The turnover of IP-services in Russia per year is more than $65,000,000. Of this, more than half of the market is long-distance and international communication services. Among the leaders are the companies "Interregional TransitTelecom" ("MTT"), "Rostelecom", "TTK".

Analysts believe that growth in the number of users of fixed-line and mobile internet access, the growth of activity of IP-providers and the maintenance of high tariffs for long-distance communications.

When choosing an IP telephony provider, experts recommend paying attention to the following factors:

• Safety. The operator has a reliable mechanism to prevent telephone fraud.
• The presence of the operator's own telecommunications network.
• Competitive price. Compare rates different operators and choose the most suitable ones: It is not recommended for businesses to choose too low calling rates, as large operators offer lower quality VoIP resellers at a lower price.
• Check if this operator can organize the "porting" of existing analog numbers.

Tariffs: price matters

The cost of connecting to IP-telephony will depend on the type of communication organization chosen. So, buying an IP gateway will cost 4,000–15,000 rubles. The purchase of a SIP device will result in a similar amount: 4,000–10,000 rubles. Plus, you need to take into account the cost of accessing the Network and maintaining equipment. The provider you contact for assistance in connecting equipment or setting up a service will only charge for direct outgoing calls.

The advantages of IP-telephony are especially clearly visible on the example of long-distance and international tariffs. Let's look at average prices. So, a call from Moscow to St. Petersburg will cost 60 kopecks per minute, to Yekaterinburg? 61 kop./min., to Irkutsk - 1 rub./min., to Vladivostok - 1.5 rub./min.

The transition to IP-telephony significantly reduces costs and international communication. If we talk about the CIS countries, then a call to Belarus will cost 45.43 rubles per minute, to Kazakhstan - 1.2 rubles per minute. The cost of a call to the United States fluctuates within one and a half rubles per minute on average. At similar rates, you can call to Europe: Germany - 0.7 rubles / min., France - 0.8 rubles / min., Italy - 0.4 rubles / min. A call to China will cost 1 ruble per minute of communication.

Thus, using the services of IP-telephony, you have the opportunity to make a phone call without resorting to city telephone networks or to cellular communication, while applying advanced functionality, as well as reducing communication costs.

What is IP telephony?

The Internet is fundamentally changing our understanding of both telephony and communication methods. IP telephony is a technology that links together the advantages of telephony and the Internet. Until recently, circuit-switched networks (telephone networks) and packet-switched networks (IP networks) existed almost independently of each other and were used for different purposes. Telephone networks were used only to transmit voice information, and IP networks were used to transmit data. IP telephony technology connects these networks through a device called a gateway.

Gateway is a device in which, on the one hand, telephone lines are included, and on the other hand, an IP network (for example, the Internet). The gateway serves as an interface between the user's sound transmitting device (telephone, computer, etc.) and the Internet, it provides reception and transformation of data into a form convenient for transmission over the Network (and reverse transformation).

During a conversation, voice signals are converted into compressed data packets. These data packets are then sent over the Internet to the other side. When the data packets reach the destination, they are decoded into the original voice signals.

How it all began?

Internet telephony uses the Internet to send an audio message between two or more computer users in real time. The very first Internet telephony software product that allows you to send voice messages over the network - VocalTec Internet Phone - was introduced by the Israeli company VocalTec in early 1995. First time user personal computer, equipped with a sound card, a microphone and having an Internet connection, was able to conduct voice conversations with another user of the same type, no matter how far apart they were. Majority software products from the same series, which appeared later, allow users to speak into the microphone and hear the interlocutor's answer through the speakers.

Before it was born, a new opportunity attracted worldwide attention. The technology has steadily improved and has very quickly reached the point where voice communication is easily possible and continues to evolve. Numerous companies have introduced similar programs. At the same time, in many systems, along with the ability to exchange voice messages, the ability to correspond, send files during a conversation, exchange graphic images and video images has been added.

Types of communication via IP network

Computer - computer . This is the earliest and easiest way to use IP telephony. To organize the transmission of traffic, the user purchases the necessary equipment and software, and also pays the provider for the operation of the communication channel. The advantage of this option is the maximum cost savings. The disadvantage is the minimum quality of communication.
Phone - phone . The subscriber does not need any special equipment, only a regular phone. Voice traffic is transmitted over an IP network, usually in a separate expensive section. The devices that organize the interaction are gateways, docked, on the one hand, with the public telephone network, and on the other hand, with the IP network. Voice communication in this mode, compared to the computer-to-computer option, is more expensive, but its quality is much higher and it is more convenient to use. The quality of communication is comparable to the quality of a regular telephone conversation, because. the company uses dedicated communication channels. In order to use this service, you need to call the provider serving the gateway, enter the code and number of the called subscriber from the telephone set and talk in the same way as with ordinary telephone communication. All necessary call routing operations will be performed by the gateway.

Computer - phone . The end user does not need any additional equipment. It is enough to have a phone with touch-tone dialing at hand. This is necessary in order to call the operator, enter your code in tone mode, and then the subscriber's actions are no different from the usual ones. Most modern telephones, including payphones and Cell phones, this function is provided. If for some reason there is no such phone, then a beeper can handle the dialing function or, in extreme cases, special program, which can be downloaded from the Internet.

Web phone . Another one new service is a call from a Web site that allows you to make a call by selecting a link to the name of the called party from the Internet page or simply dialing the subscriber's telephone number. This solution is aimed primarily at expanding the possibilities of e-commerce. WEB phone allows Internet users to talk directly, for example, with a sales representative or with a specialist technical support company of interest. Establishing a telephone connection occurs in the usual, familiar way of dialing a number or by simply clicking on a link representing, for example, the company name, the name of the called subscriber, etc. on the Internet page. This does not require the user to have a second telephone line or Internet interruption, and only need to download a small client software, usually found on the same Web page, that installs automatically. On the other hand, the Web-phone allows company representatives to answer questions, demonstrate Web-pages, transmit the necessary information, thereby improving the quality of services provided.

Advantages and disadvantages of IP telephony

The main advantage of IP Telephony is the lower cost of long-distance and international calls compared to traditional telephony.
Another benefit is convenience. For some people, whose number is constantly growing, it is simply more convenient to call from a computer than to use landline phone. The possibility is not ruled out that in the future IP telephony will completely replace wired telephony, just as CDs replaced magnetic cassettes and were subsequently replaced by MP3 players.

The main deterrent to the large-scale implementation of IP telephony is the lack of mechanisms in the IP protocol to ensure guaranteed quality of service, which makes it not yet the most reliable transport for voice traffic. The IP protocol itself does not guarantee the delivery of packets, as well as the time of their delivery, which causes problems such as "ragged voice" and simply failures in the conversation. Today these problems are being solved: standards organizations develop new protocols, manufacturers produce new equipment.
Another problem that manufacturers of Internet telephony systems have to solve is the lack of a single standard for programs that provide communication. Currently, communication over an IP network is only possible if the same systems are used on both sides of the connection being established. For example, a VocalTec Internet Phone user cannot call a FreeTel user and vice versa. This problem arose because the very first Internet telephony programs used proprietary protocols to communicate with each other.

Video communication in computer networks

More recently, video communication was the lot of large corporations and science fiction films. Digital video cameras were too expensive, communication speeds left much to be desired. Now the situation has changed, but even today video communication is a kind of luxury item, which does not detract from the convenience of this progressive type of interactive communication.
There are many programs for organizing video communication or video chat on the Internet, the most popular include the following:
* skype
*ooVoo
*ICQ
* Mail.ru Agent
* Trillian
* Windows Live Messenger
* Yahoo! messenger and others.

How to set up a video call?

The most important condition necessary for the implementation of video communication is the availability of an Internet access channel with sufficient bandwidth. The fact is that during a video session, not only voice data is transmitted, but also a video stream. Of course, before being sent to the Network, the transmitted information is compressed using special algorithms that provide multiple compression, however, despite this, the bandwidth requirements still remain quite high. It is generally believed that in order to ensure high-quality voice communication over the Internet, the “width” of the access channel to the Network should be at least 64 Kbps; to ensure high-quality video communication, this figure will be at least twice as high.

Software issues
In addition to broadband Internet access, video calling requires special software. Such software can be an IM messenger like ICQ, Google Talk, or any other program mentioned above that has a built-in video chat function. Unfortunately, the listed tools are incompatible with each other - an ICQ user will not be able to chat with a Skype user. In principle, an ordinary user of Windows XP can use the NetMeeting program that is part of this operating system.
It should also be noted that despite the large selection of programs for organizing video communication or video chat, however, not all of them are suitable for working in local network, since they need a server and an Internet access channel to work. They were designed to organize communication with remote points, and not to work in a local computer network. Firstly, not all networks have access to the Internet, and secondly, video communication through remote server will create a fairly large flow of Internet traffic, and it is usually paid. And in general, it is strange to contact a server located thousands of kilometers away in order to contact a neighbor behind the wall.
Of course, there are specialized packages and even hardware solutions for LAN video conferencing, but their cost is too high for the average user and they are primarily focused on companies.

Hardware

To set up a video call, you need:
*
* Sound card
* Microphone

The most popular means of "capturing" a picture transmitted over the Internet is a webcam. In addition to webcams, there are other video communication tools - videophones. Videophone is a completely independent device that does not require connection to a computer. Such a gadget is connected to the TV via composite connectors; Internet connection is usually carried out using an Ethernet interface. You can “call” from a videophone both to the owner of a compatible videophone and to a computer with a webcam and installed Windows program NetMeeting.
However, videophones are quite exotic devices, oriented mainly to the corporate sector (this fact is reflected primarily in their price); therefore, traditional webcams are of greatest interest to us.

When buying a webcam, you should pay attention to the version of the USB interface used. USB interface 1.1 will capture video with parameters of 640 x 480 pixels at 15 frames per second. USB 2.0, which has a higher bandwidth, will allow you to get 30 or more frames per second.
It makes no sense to focus on the quantitative parameters of webcams - almost all of them have a resolution of 640 x 480 (recall that a resolution of 320 x 240 is enough for videoconferencing), as well as a built-in microphone.

It is not expensive
The use of video conferencing is completely free, so those who wish to use video conferencing do not have to spend money on purchasing this service; Only broadband internet access will be charged.
One-time costs will consist of the purchase of a webcam or videophone.
Owners of some laptop models do not have to spend money at all - many of them are equipped with built-in webcams.

Advantages and disadvantages of video communication

Among the advantages computer video communication we can mention the relatively low cost of operation compared to other communication systems existing today, their versatility, and relative ease of use. During operation, video communication (video conferencing) subscribers in general case see on the screens of their monitors the images of the interlocutor and their own, which is necessary for visual control established connection. The image is dynamically updated at a rate of up to 15-25 frames/s, depending on the speed (bandwidth) of the communication channel and channel load. Participants for negotiations use miniature video cameras and microphones with fairly good characteristics.
Speech for transmission over a communication channel is digitized.
The main advantages of computer video communication are the possibility of joint work with documents and integrated information (text, graphics, images received from video cameras, as well as remote launch software applications on the interlocutor's computer).
Thanks to video communication, the implementation of full-fledged remote offices. Video communication with offices for meetings, operational meetings, conversations with individual employees will be in great demand. It often happens that an important fifteen-minute meeting requires many hours of standing in traffic jams. Video calls solve these problems, saving money and making the most of your time. And what about the situation when it is required to organize a meeting of people from different parts of our vast country - then only savings on transport costs can almost instantly recoup the costs of a video session.
In addition to traditional business applications such as live meetings, telecom support (home-based and mobile users), distance learning and certification of personnel, video communication can be effectively used in many other situations. For example, when recruiting (recruitment agencies, remote job interviews, etc.); remote medical and other consultations with experts; assessment of various kinds of damage and destruction (insurance companies); monitoring in case of emergencies and natural disasters; interaction of scientists in conducting scientific research etc.
By and large, video communication is necessary wherever efficiency is required in analyzing the situation and making decisions, as well as joint work in the remote access. This is an indispensable tool in the work of companies with an extensive network of branches. Modern means video communications provide opportunities for data collaboration and various applications, up to the signing of documents, and the existing means of cryptoprotection allow you to maintain the confidentiality of the content of video communication sessions.

As such, there are no shortcomings in the video link itself. However, disadvantages appear as a result of the use of certain means for organizing video communication:
* high requirements for the bandwidth of communication channels;
* low quality Images;
* poor synchronization of image and sound;
* large transmission delay, large reaction time when ordering a review of the record;
* complexity of maintenance and others.

Skype

Consider one of the most popular programs for organizing audio and video communication in computer networks- Skype.

Skype was founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis.

Skype is a free proprietary software that provides free encrypted voice communication over the Internet between computers (VoIP), as well as paid services for communication with subscribers of the conventional telephone network.

It is possible to organize a conference call (up to 25 subscribers, including the initiator), transfer text messages and files, as well as video communications (currently up to two subscribers when using a standard client, and when using third-party plug-ins, their number is limited only by the bandwidth of the channel).

Services provided by Skype

Paid services
skypeout
SkypeOut allows you to make outgoing calls to landlines and mobiles in most countries around the world. Payment per minute.
Calls within Russia
Calls to free numbers(such as +1,800 in the US) are free, and even users who have not paid for the SkypeOut service can use them.

skypein
Allows you to receive phone calls from users of traditional telephone networks. In this case, the participant receives a telephone number. All incoming calls to given number will come to account Skype, while with a positive SkypeOut score, calls can be forwarded to any phone number. As a bonus to telephone number Skype provides a free answering machine for the duration of the number.

Skype Voicemail
An autoresponder that allows you to record incoming messages when the user is offline.

Free services
skypecast
Voice chats - allow you to communicate with a large number of Skype users at the same time, create rooms for communication of interest. As of September 1, 2008, SkypeCast has been discontinued.

Internet telephony is gradually replacing traditional telephone networks, as it has a number of advantages and possibilities. One of the leading services in this industry is https://sipmaster.ru/ - it was he who shared the information for this article with us.

But before talking about Internet telephony itself, especially for networkers, I recommend paying attention to the “virtual phone number” function (you can get them from sipmaster.ru) - a very convenient opportunity for those who work on the Internet.

What are the possibilities of Internet telephony?

AT modern world, telephony should have not only high quality and reliability, but also have a number additional features that make the process of communication easier:

1. Tracking the history of missed calls;
2. Sending voice message to the mailbox owner's email address;
3. Implementation of telephone communications in Wi-fi zones, instead of cellular communications;
4. Intelligent outgoing call routing;
5. Free calls between Internet users;
6. Formation of data on the duration of the call;
7. Ability to make calls from the website;
8. Recording telephone conversation and the possibility of re-listening;
9. Conducting audio and video conferences;
10. Notification of a certain group of people on the speakerphone.

How to connect Internet telephony?

In order to take advantage of all the above features of Internet telephony, it must be connected to a device, it can be IP phones, VoIP gateways, video phones, computers or laptops. Then you need to check the connection of the device to the Internet with a data transfer rate of 1 Mbps or more. You can connect the service yourself or turn to specialists who will provide all the necessary equipment and perform their work efficiently. In terms of time, Internet telephony connection for the entire office can take from one hour to a couple of working days.

What is a virtual phone number used for?

Most often, for the whole office, they additionally order the service of connecting a virtual phone number. It involves assigning a corporate city number to a company, which does not require purchase from an operator; it can also be turned off without any problems at any time. After going through the procedure for connecting a virtual phone number, the user has the opportunity to independently select and configure the call forwarding structure.

In addition, the use of a virtual phone number is relevant in the following cases:

• For registration in social networks;
• To receive incoming messages from banks and other notifications from customers or government agencies;
• To register mailboxes.