Internet phone , as the name suggests use the internet for communication. Unlike the traditional phones it does not use the telephone network, rather it requires the internet connection to send the voice of a person through the World Wide Web. As a regular phone , the internet phone also enables in voice based communication among people situated at different places, but in a different way.These phones operate through Voice Over Internet Protocol.These phones does not require wires or jacks, rather, they require a broadband internet connection, a wireless router and modems. The receiver may be a traditional phone or a telephone keypad displayed on the computer screen. To get an internet phone connection , one has to subscribe to a voice over internet protocol service.On subscribing to this facility, the service provider is supposed to provide a telephony adaptor.This adaptor has to be connected with the broadband modem. The adaptor converts the electrical signals generated from the sound energy into internet protocol packets, these packets then travel over the internet. Again on reaching the destination ,the internet protocol packets are again converted into electrical sisnals thus enabling the user to communicate like that of a traditional phone.
Internet phone calls are much cheaper than that of the traditional phone calls. Calls can be made at cheaper rates to local, long distance and international numbers. Beside, the calls to and from subscribers within the same VOIP number zone are free. The usage is no different from that of a traditional phones, only the network used are different.
An internet phone conversation can suffer from bad signals, like that of a mobile phone. Moreover, the communication is hampered if there is any problem with the server due to heavy load. As many functions are conducted over the internet , there are chances of heavy load often times. The most significant drawback of the internet phone is that, it depends on the electricity.In a case of a power cut, the phone service will also be terminated. In a country like ours, which has a severe power crisis, power cuts are very frequent phenomena, thus in such a case like ours, the internet phones are not going to be of to much help.