| Whether people know it or not, VoIP does not always | | | | years to come, we will most probably be able to use |
| mean "SIP". Whereas we can certainly use SIP to call | | | | internet telephony in the same fashion: we will call a |
| other SIP users as well as making and receiving calls | | | | given person or company from our preferred gadget, |
| from conventional and mobile telephones, the same | | | | period. That will be all. Our device of choice will select |
| can be attained with many other popular programs | | | | the necessary service and will route the call without us |
| that were originally released as "chat" applications but | | | | worrying about how it does so and what particular |
| gradually included email, voice and even video services | | | | technology or provider it uses. Pretty similar to what |
| accessible from the same screen that we use when | | | | we are accustomed to do with a telephone, isn't it? |
| sending and receiving instant messages. | | | | One thing is for sure: internet telephony is here to stay, |
| VoIP is also used by particular services -some more | | | | and although we now have different networks for |
| expensive, more sophisticated and safer than others- | | | | everything (internet, telephones, mobile phones, radio, |
| that offer high quality video conferencing across the | | | | TV), it is a matter of time until everything converges |
| world. Clearly so, not all these video conferencing | | | | into a single planetary network where the end user will |
| services are addressed to the end-user. Neither do | | | | find all those separate services as simply different |
| they all use SIP at all. There are many other | | | | features. |
| technologies and protocols behind high-end video | | | | Perhaps there will soon be a SIP-aware firewall inside |
| conferencing, some of which were already in use | | | | of every router in our homes. Or, maybe, an offspring |
| before SIP had even been thought of. | | | | of SIP will become peer-to-peer and develop its own |
| Whichever the complexity or price of the VoIP service, | | | | ability to connect through firewalls. What if Skype |
| there is one outstanding aspect in which they are all | | | | opens its technology to the public domain or embraces |
| similar. Each service has its own network or belongs to | | | | SIP? Anything is possible. It is not only innovation what |
| a group of networks. To the end user, that means, | | | | matters, though. We also have to take into account |
| simply put, that each service can reach only users of | | | | how the public responds to the newest technologies |
| the same company or group of companies. That | | | | and how different companies make agreements or |
| modality is not the one people grew accustomed to | | | | buy each other. |
| find when using any kind of service. For example, a | | | | Internet telephony will surely continue evolving. The |
| ship will be able to dock at any harbour, an airplane will | | | | most probable scenario in the years to come is that all |
| be able to use most airports in the world, and car will | | | | the different providers will end up granting access to |
| be able to travel through any road. Telephony is no | | | | each other, and they will shape up what will be, sooner |
| exception when it comes to how people have learned | | | | or later, one single service available on the internet that |
| to use it. | | | | will replace the current telephone networks. In the |
| We don't actively select which provider will attend | | | | meantime, we have a wide variety of products, |
| each stretch of our call each time we dial a number | | | | appliances and services that use VoIP one way or |
| through the conventional telephone network. In the | | | | another. Pick yours and benefit from it. |