Internet-based or proprietary options give VoIP users choices

By Lora VolkertIDAHO BUSINESS REVIEWDespite the name, voice over Internet protocol doesn't necessarily involve the Internet.The basic technology involves changing analog voice signals into digital data packets so a phone call can move over computer networks. That can be done on the Internet, as with Zial Networks' offerings, or over a private fiber network between the customer's data server and the provider's data center, as with Idacomm and Qwest.Scott Dike, a product manager for Idacomm, argued that a private fiber network is more secure than the Internet. But Christopher Hansen, vice president of sales and marketing for Zial, said the danger of a call being intercepted on the Internet is slight because the data packets are encrypted and take different paths across the Internet. Ron Gudapati, account manager for VoIP equipment manufacturer Cisco Systems Inc., said he prefers a data network to Internet-based phone service. "If you place a call at certain times when Internet traffic is high, there's no way that I can guarantee quality of service," Gudapati said. The result is sometimes echoing sounds or delays in the conversation or incomplete calls, Dike said.For that reason, Gudapati said, some small businesses might get the Internet-based service if they make occasional overseas calls, but not for frequent business. "It's not an enterprise (business) solution," he said.Hansen disputed that quality is an issue. "There would have to be a pretty serious problem out on the Internet," he said. Most of his clients are businesses, he added.He counters that Internet calls reach all the way to the local exchange closest to the person being called, which allows callers to bypass long-distance charges, something private data networks can't always do because of their limited reach.Some companies - Idacomm and Qwest included - offer hosted service, in which VoIP equipment is kept at the provider's data center and customers lease it. The only equipment customers need on-site is a VoIP-enabled phone and a broadband connection, and Idacomm and Qwest offer those to their clients as well. Hosted VoIP allows customers to reduce administration costs and take advantage of economies of scale when upgrading equipment, but has ongoing lease costs.Zial and another package from Qwest let companies keep their VoIP equipment on their premises.Hansen recommended people avoid "proprietary systems." "If you have to buy your Internet and your subscription-based phone system from the same company, then they're really locking you in," he said.But Idacomm and Qwest consider "converged" systems that provide equipment, service and broadband a selling point."There quickly becomes a lack of ownership when you deal with multi-vendors," Dike said. That can lead to finger-pointing between the VoIP provider and the Internet service provider when a network crashes, he said.Another Qwest package offers a "hybrid" solution for companies to convert an existing phone system halfway to VoIP. It still requires a PBX and doesn't connect the phone to the computer. Users can't manage voice mail or call logs on their computers, but it does offer some advanced features, said Claire Mylott, a spokesperson for Qwest. Zial offers similar hybrid options, Hansen said.* * *To contact the story's author, send email to: lora.volkert@idahobusiness.net