The integration of voice and data traffic will be demanded by multi-application software.
The inevitable evolution of technology will be web servers capable of interacting with voice, data, and images.
Simplification
An integrated infrastructure that supports all forms of communication allows more standardization and less equipment management. The result is a fault tolerant design.
Network Efficiency
The integration of voice and data efficiently fills up the data communications channels, thus providing bandwidth consolidation. The idea is to move away from the TDM scheme wherein the user is given bandwidth even when he is is not talking. Data networks do not do this. It is a big saving when one considers that 50% of a conversation is silence. Removing the redundancy in certain speech patterns can further boost the network efficiency.
Remote Access to Your Office From Your Home
One's home could be converted to a home office when voice, data, and fax services are available using the company's Internet.
IP based Call Centers
With the advent of the Internet, companies have experienced a large increase in their web site inquiries. These may not result in immediate financial transactions but at least people get to know about their products. This is just the beginning of E-commerce. With VoIP there can be more interaction with customers.
Fax over IP
Real time facsimile transmission is an immediate application of VoIP. Facsimile services which use dial-up PSTN services are affected by high cost for long distance, analog signal quality, and machine compatibility. With VoIP, a fax interface unit can convert the data to packet form, handle the conversion of signaling and controlling protocols and ensure complete delivery of the data in correct order.
