No one ever imagined that an invention at the hands of VocalTec in the year 1995 would change the face of telecommunication for once and all. This was a time when VoIP technology came into being, and people were free from copper wires to make calls. With the help of VoIP phone number, they can make calls over the internet. And, since then telephony changed for good.
Today, VoIP is more polished and seasoned. The way it has made communication pocket-friendly and accessible always fascinates people. They want to know more and more about VoIP modus operandi. In this article, we will guide you through VoIP call origination in a more detailed manner as this is what that grants you the ability to stay connected with the rest of the world.
What does VoIP call origination mean?
Call origination is the core concept of the telephony system and refers to the incoming calls. It occurs at all sorts of telephony systems regardless of the mode of operations. It also refers to the point where the call starts. It involves certain aspects such as:
- How your carrier conducts the process?
- How a call travels over the internet?
- What are the hardware requirements for the process?
When we talk about VoIP call origination, we refer to the process through which call travels over an internet connection and connects the user with the destination. Since VoIP phone number works over an internet connection, call origination works little different as compared to the PSTN ecosystem. Call origination in VoIP takes place between two points: originator (the initiation point) and terminator (the endpoint).
Depending upon the services offered by the ITSP or Internet Telephony Service Provider involved, VoIP call origination can take place in various manners. In general, you can either make PC to phone calls or use the phone to phone calls VoIP call origination.
The available business model for VoIP call origination is prepaid (you pay a fixed amount in prior and enjoy the facilities of the pack for a month), and postpaid (you will get bills at the end of the month).
However, the existence of the call termination process with VoIP terminator is required to complete any of the VoIP call origination.
What are the hardware requirements for VoIP call origination?
One of the foremost hardware requirements for VoIP call origination is a gateway. The main function of this gateway is to take calls off the internet and deliver them on the PSTN lines of the receiving end. Since the gateway should be capable of interacting with both, with the internet and PSTN lines, the two chief types of gateway for VoIP are:
Ethernet-based interface – Required to connect the gateway to the internet.
Telephony interface – Required to entertain digital and analog phone lines. In the case of an analog phone line (considering that it’s for your local business in the US), you can only entertain one VoIP call origination at a time. However, the digital line can handle more than one call on your US virtual phone number.
How VoIP call origination functions?
VoIP call origination seems a simple process from the surface. However, it is quite complicated when it comes to explaining. To complete the process, your ISTN service provider uses packet-switching technology. With the use of this technology and gateways, it converts the audio signals into digital data packets. These data packets are further sent to the internet for the transmission. To connect the caller to the receiver, ITSP companies use the SIP trunk network.
For PC to phone VoIP call origination
Let’s say, you are using your US phone number from a PC to make calls to the landline number, then the first thing that you need is the softphone. It is also called a dialer, and it is normally software that allows making calls from your PC. Once you install the software, you have to set up an account and sign-up with the valid username. Many VoIP services providers offer affordable softphone facilities. Your complete VoIP telephone set in that case would be requiring a gatekeeper, a billing application, a radius application, and a database application.
For a phone to phone VoIP call origination
In case you are making a phone to phone VoIP calls, then your ITSP has to do everything as in the case of PC to phone call except the arrangements for the originating gateways. Gateway is required to convert the voice signals received on PSTN and make them compatible for over-the-internet transmission.
Point to be noted
Your VoIP originator and terminators don’t need to belong to the same service provider.
Getting VoIP numbers
Getting VoIP numbers is what holds the most gravity in today’s telecommunication scenario. They set you free from those hefty calling rates and geographical boundaries. So, stop making calls on copper wires. Go wireless and buy VoIP phone numbers now.