Is VoIP Really Affordable?
VoIP has been marketed as the affordable alternative to traditional land line calling since it first started being advertised in commercials years ago. As a stand alone product the pricing seems too good to pass up, especially with the promise of quality voice communications for less but is it really an affordable option that anyone can afford?
The technology of broadband phone typically allows for calls to be made domestically for one small monthly fee throughout the country on the most popular calling plans and usually has very low international rates associated with the plan as well. Technology has allowed for better voice quality so that you never even notice a difference between VoIP service and your old phone line. It is a great advancement for consumers and businesses worldwide looking to make calls for less, or is it?
VoIP is the abbreviated terminology for Voice over Internet Protocol. The keyword to look for in this definition of VoIP is Internet. The word Internet means that this technology cannot be accessed without an Internet connection and while it may not seem like much, the word Internet in relation to VoIP is everything.
The Little Known History of Fiber Optic Telecommunication
1792 - The first practical optical telecommunication system - Claude Chappe’s semaphore system
French inventor Claude Chappe demonstrated a practical semaphore system that eventually spanned all of France. His system was a series of semaphores mounted on towers, where human operators relayed messages from one tower to the next. It beat hand-carried messages hands down.
1854 - Total internal reflection - the technology foundation for fiber optic communication
One theory slowly took root which would ultimately solve the problem of optical communication. This phenomenon was named total internal reflection.
British physicist John Tyndall demonstrated total internal reflection by guiding light in a jet of water flowing from a tank. In the 1890s, inventors realized that bent quartz rods could carry light, and patented them as dental illuminators.
Telecommunication System
The intended audience is transportation professionals who may be involved with, or responsible for any phase in the life cycle of a traffic signal or freeway management control network. This includes all public or private “practitioners” (e.g., managers, supervisors, engineers, planners, or technicians) involved with any issue or decision (e.g., policy, program, funding, or system implementation) and who may directly or indirectly influence the performance of traffic on local arteries or freeway facilities. These activities may include, but not be limited to, planning and design, operational strategies, programs, and services that support continuous management of travel and control of traffic, and the technology infrastructure to provide these capabilities
Telecommunications systems as part of the National ITS Architecture are the connecting pathways that bind the various elements of traffic signal, freeway management, and transportation systems together. The National ITS Architecture “sausage diagram” indicates how these elements are bound together, but does not specify the telecommunication system. The developers of the National ITS Architecture understood that each telecommunication system would be uniquely designed to meet the needs of each project.
