CHAPTER 1

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 What is Voice Over Internet Protocol?

Voice over Internet Protocol is a general term for a family of transmission technologies
for delivery of voice communications over internet protocol networks such as the internet or
other packet-switched networks. Other terms frequently encountered and synonymous with voice
over internet protocol are internet protocol telephony, internet telephony, voice over broadband,
broadband telephony, and broadband phone. internet telephony refers to communications
services — voice, facsimile, and/or voice-messaging applications — that are transported via the
internet, rather than the public switched telephone network.

• PC to PC

Fig 1.1:- Alternative voice over internet protocol Architectures

1
 The basic steps involved in originating an Internet telephone call are conversion of the
analog voice signal to digital format and compression/translation of the signal into internet
protocol packets for transmission over the internet; the process is reversed at the receiving end.
Voice over internet protocol systems employ session control protocols to control the set-up and
tear-down of calls as well as audio codecs which encode speech allowing transmission over an
internet protocol network as digital audio via an audio stream. Codec use is varied between
different implementations of voice over internet protocol (and often a range of codecs are used);
some implementations rely on narrowband and compressed speech, while others support high
fidelity stereo codecs. Voice over Internet Protocol is a technology for communicating using
“Internet protocol” instead of traditional analog systems. Some voice over internet protocol
services need only a regular phone connection, while others allow you to make telephone calls
using an Internet connection instead. Some voice over internet protocol services may allow you
only to call other people using the same service, but others may allow you to call any telephone
number - including local, long distance, wireless, and international numbers. Voice over internet
protocol is mainly concerned with the realization of telephone service over internet protocol-
based networks such as the internet and intranet. Internet protocol telephony is currently
breaking through to become one of the most important service on the net. The actual
breakthrough was made possible by the high bandwidth available in an intranet and,
increasingly, on the internet. Another fundamental reason is the cost associated with the various
implementations.

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 Phone to Phone via the Internet

Fig 1.2:- voice over internet protocol Architectures

The public telephone network and the equipment makes it possible are taken for granted
in most parts of the world. Availability of a telephone and access to low-cost, high quality
worldwide network is considered to be essential in modern society (telephone are even expected
to work when the power off).There is, however, a paradigm shift beginning to occur since more
and more communication is in digital form and transported via packet networks such as internet
protocoland Frame Relay frames. Since data traffic, there has been considerable interest in
transporting voice over data networks. Support for voice communications using the internet
protocol, which is usually just called “Voice over internet protocol” or voice over internet
protocol, has become especially attractive given the low-cost, flat-rate pricing of the public
Internet. In fact, toll quality telephony over internet protocol has now become one of the key
steps leading to the convergence of the voice, video, and data communications industries. The
feasibility of carrying voice and signaling message over the internet has already been
demonstrated but delivering high-quality commercial products, establishing public services, and
convincing users to buy into the vision are just beginning.

3
 Phone to Internet to Gateway to PSTN

Fig 1.3:- Alternative voice over internet protocol Architectures

1.2 Definition

Voice over internet protocol can be defined as the ability to make telephone calls and to
send facsimiles over internet protocol- based data networks with a suitable quality of service and
a much superior cost/benefit. Equipment producers see Voice over internet protocol as a new
opportunity to innovate and copete. The challenge for then is turning this vision into reality by
quickly developing new voice over internet protocol-enabled equipment. For Internet service
providers, the possibility of introducing usage-based pricing and increasing their traffic volumes
is very attractive. Users are seeking new types of integrated voice/data applications as well as
cost benefits. Successfully delivering voice over packet networks presents a tremendous
opportunity; however, implementing the products is not as straightforward a task as it may first
appear. This document examines the technologies, infrastructures, software, and systems that
will be necessary to realize voice over internet protocol on a large scale. The types of

4
applications that will both drive the market and benefit the most from the convergence of voice
and data networks will be identified.
1.3 History of Voice Over Internet Protocol
Voice over Internet Protocol owes its existence to the difference in price between long-
distance connections and the use of data networks. This technology uses data networks such as
the Internet to transmit voice information from a simple PC. A telephone conversation is
conducted via microphone and loudspeaker connected to the sound card. Microsoft NetMeeting
is the most common Internet telephony program. Its features also include Internet video
communication (image telephony). Or, a specially adapter can be used to hook standard
telephones up to the data network. All devices that support the same standard can be connected
over one data network. Gateways are also available for connecting these devices to
telephones in the normal telephone network. These possibilities have led to the creation of IP-
based telephone systems using voice over internet protocol. The development of voice over
internet protocol technology is summarized and predicted in the following:
1995=> The year in which to PCs are connected using PC software
1996=> The year of the IP telephony client.
1997=> The year of the Gateway.
1998=> The year of the Gatekeeper.
1999=> The year of the Application.
.

5
 CHAPTER 2
2. Voice Over Internet Protocol Components
The components of VoIP include: end-user equipment, network components, call
processors, gateways and protocols.
2.1End-user equipment
It is used to access the VoIP system to communicate with another end point. Connection
to the network may be physically cabled or may be wireless. The end-user equipment may be a
phone that sits on a desk or a softphone that is installed on a PC.Functions include voice and
possibly video communication, and may contain instant messaging, monitoring and surveillance
capabilities. 7 Though end-user equipment is often deployed on an internal, protected network, it
is usually is not individually protected by other devices (firewalls) and may be threatened if the
equipment has vulnerabilities. The threat, of course, is also dependent on the level of security
that exists on the internal network. If the device is allowed to reach or can be reached from a
public or unprotected network, there may be threats that are not normally found on the internal
network. Softphone software may have vulnerabilities, there may be vulnerabilities in the
operating system it is running on, and there may be vulnerabilities of other applications running
on the operating system. Patching operating system, soft phone software and those other
applications can help mitigate the risk of any threats that are present. Additionally, some end-
user equipment may have firmware upgrades that can be applied or may be able to obtain
updated software during registration. For operating system based Voice over internet protocol
solutions, consideration should be given to virus detection and host based firewalls as well as
host-based intrusion detection. Centralization of management of these security components is
best, allowing the users of the solution to focus on their duties instead of security details,
increasing productivity.
2.2Network components
It include cabling, routers, switches and firewalls. Usually the existing IP network is
where a new Voice over internet protocol system is installed. The impact on the internet protocol
network is greater than merely adding more traffic. The added traffic has more of an urgency to
reach its destination than most of the data traffic that is already supported. Switches, routers and

6
firewalls will need to recognize and act on Voice over internet protocol data in order to keep
latency down. Additional security measures, addressed later, will complicate this process.
Performance can be gained by separating the data traffic from the voice over internet
protocol traffic by putting them on different virtual local area networks. This allows management
of the data to be segregated so it can be handled based on data type. Since the voice over internet
protocol data must have a higher level, isolation of the data types via virtual local area network
can help increase the performance at the cost of that on other virtual local area network. This cost
may be very low to the other applications. Although virtual local area network should not be
relied on alone, they will add a layer of security. The ability to listen to, or sniff, the network,
potentially allows the hacker to monitor calls and manipulate the voice over internet protocol
system. It is generally more difficult for a hacker to sniff or interfere with the voice traffic from
the data virtual local area network when the voice traffic is on its own virtual local area network,
but it can be done by manipulating the routing of the network. Encryption can also help defend
against sniffing. Another internetprotocol network concern is network slowdowns that might
increase latency, jitter or packet loss. Slowdowns can be caused for many reasons including
configuration issues, denial of service attacks or high bandwidth utilization by other systems on
the network. Configuration issues are probably best addressed with education and checking
mechanisms, such as having a co-worker verify configurations. Denial of service attacks are
difficult to defend against, but may be reduced by filtering the traffic that can communicate on
the network to be only that which is allowed. This may prove difficult due to the use of random
ports by voice over internet protocol. Regular network bandwidth analysis can help with tuning
of a network and helps with capacity planning. Being aware of bandwidth growth trends helps
network administrators know when bandwidth needs to be addressed.
Voice over internet protocol suffers from most of the same internet protocol network
vulnerabilities as other systems. A well secured internal network is the first step to protecting the
voice over internet protocol system as it was for the pre-existing internet protocol network. Care
must be taken to ensure security solutions keep latencies low or the security solution itself may
prove to be a denial of service.

2.3 Call processor

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 These functions can include phone number to internet protocol translation, call setup, call
monitoring, user authorization, signal coordination, and may help control bandwidth. 6 Call
processors are usually software that runs on a popular OS. This leaves it open to network attacks
for the vulnerabilities of the given OS, the vulnerabilities of the application and other
applications running on the operating system.
2.4 Gateways
It can be categorized into three functional types: Signaling Gateways,Media Gateways
and Media Controllers. In general, they handle call origination and detection and analog to
digital conversion. Signaling gateways manage the signal traffic between an internet protocol
network and a switched circuit network, while media gateways manage media signals between
the two. Media Gateway Controllers manage traffic. The most common gateway protocols are
megaco. Both are composites or derivations of previously but now less used protocols.6
Vulnerabilities can exist between the internal internet protocol network and the “gated”, circuit
switched network. Care should be taken to ensure any vulnerabilities are mitigated.
Gateway communication should be secured with internet protocol Sec to prevent
interference with calls and to prevent unauthorized calls from being setup. The gateway itself is
vulnerable to internet protocol based attacks and can be mitigated by using internet protocol Sec
and by removing any unnecessary services and open ports, as should be done with any server.

CHAPTER 3

3.working

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 Voice over internet protocol converts the voice signal from your telephone into a digital
signal that can travel over the internet. If you are calling a regular telephone number, the signal is
then converted back at the other end. Depending on the type of voice over internet protocol
service, you can make a voice over internet protocol call from a computer, a special voice over
internet protocol phone, or a traditional phone with or without an adapter. In addition, new
wireless "hot spots" in public locations such as airports, parks, and cafes allow you to connect to
the Internet, and may enable you to use Voice over internet protocol service wirelessly. If your
Voice over internet protocol service provider assigns you a regular telephone number, then you
can receive calls from regular telephones that don’t need special equipment, and most likely
you’ll be able to dial just as you always have.

Fig 3.1:-voice over internet protocol work service

The exploratory nature of this study produced focus groups as an appropriate method for
data collection. Our overarching goal was to improve our understanding of how Latino voice
over internet protocol users employ the technology and why they select certain voice over
internet protocol services and providers. In addition, we wanted to learn about Latinos not
connected to the Internet-what they know about voice over internet protocol and why they are

9
not online. Moreover, we sought to learn whether the lower cost of telephone calls associated
with voice over internet protocol are enough of an incentive for non-Internet users to get online,
and, if so, under what conditions. Four focus groups of 9 to 12 participants were held in Los
Angeles in August 2008 (total sample size, N = 43). Two of the focus groups consisted of
Latinos who are Internet users and have either heard of or used some form of voice over internet
protocol technology and service. The other two groups consisted of Latinos who reported that
they do not use the Internet.
The study participants were residents of Glendale, Cudahy, Huntington Park, and South
Gate, cities that are part of Los Angeles County, a large metropolitan area with a significant and
diverse Latino population. Glendale is the third largest city in Los Angeles County and it is the
most ethnically diverse area of the four in this study. Twenty percent (20%) of the population is
Latino, 21% is Armenian, 35% is White (non-Armenian, non-Hispanic), and 16% is Asian from
different countries of origin. Approximately 40% of the residents are homeowners. The median
household income is $41,800 (U.S. Census, 2000). In Glendale, 70% of Latinos are connected to
the Internet. This is one of the highest connectedness rates across Latino communities in Los
Angeles County (Wilkin et al., 2007). The contiguous cities of Huntington Park, South Gate, and
Cudahy are in Southeast Los Angeles. Over 90% of the population is Latino, and most residents
are of Mexican origin. The median household income is about $32,000, and only 24% of the
population is connected to the Internet.

CHAPTER 4
4. PROTOCOL
There are several protocols used for voice over internet protocol but two are most
common. They are H.323 and Session Initiation Protocol.

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 Fig 4.1:- Protocol Layers

4.1 H.323
H.323 is a protocol suite specified by the International Telecommunications Union that
lays a foundation for internet protocol based real-time communications including audio, video
and data.8 H.323 allows for different configurations of audio, video and data. Possible
configurations include audio only, audio & video, audio & data and, audio, data and video.
H.323 does not specify the packet network or transport protocols. This standard specifies four
kinds of components: Terminals, Gateways, Gatekeepers and Multi-point Control Units
.Terminals are the end-user equipment discussed above. Gateways handle communication
between unlike networks with protocol translation and media format conversion. Gatekeepers
provide services such as addressing, authorization and authentication, accounting functions and
call routing. Multi-point Control Units handle conferencing.
The International Telecommunications Union defines the H.323 zone that consists of
terminals, gateways, Multi-point Control Units, and a gatekeeper. The gatekeeper manages the

11
zone. H.323 uses different protocols to manage different needs. There are audio codecs and
video codecs that encode and decode the audio and video data. H.225 covers registrations,

Fig 4.2:- H.323 Architecture

admissions & status and call signaling. Realtime Transport Control Protocol handles various
functions between the endpoints and the gateway, including registrations and admission control
as its name implies. It also manages changes in bandwidth and disengage procedures. A Realtime
Transport Control Protocol channel is opened, prior to opening other channels, between the
gateway and endpoint whereby Realtime Transport Control Protocol messages are passed. Call
signaling channels are opened between endpoints and between an endpoint and a gatekeeper.
They are used to set up connections. Call setup and termination uses Q.931.9 H.245 is for
channel negotiations such as flow controls and general commands and H.235 specifies security.
Real-time Transport Protocol is used to transport data, typically via user datagram protocol and
provides a timestamp, sequence number, data type and ability to monitor delivery. Realtime
Transport Control Protocol is used mainly to monitor quality and manage synchronization. As
mentioned above, the H.235 protocols of H.323 are for security profiles. These standards address
authentication, integrity, privacy, and non-repudiation 10 and are expressed as Annexes to H.235
Version 2. They are Annexes D, E & F as follow:

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  Annex D provides message integrity and/or authentication using symmetric keys. It also
has a voice encryption option.
 Annex E provides authentication, message Integrity and non-repudiation using
asymmetric methods.
 Annex F is a hybrid of Annex D and Annex E providing authentication, non-repudiation
and message integrity.
The four security goals, authentication, integrity, privacy, and non-repudiation are
accomplished with the four mechanisms: configuration, authentication, key exchange and
encryption. During the initial stage of configuration, the device is authorized to the network and
may be authenticated. Integrity and privacy are accomplished through encryption using
symmetric or asymmetric keys. A signature is attached to gain the fourth goal of non-
repudiation.
H.323 Security Concerns
Using H.323 to setup voice over internet protocol connections is a complicated process
that is made more complex by adding security measures. Many of the protocols used with the
H.323 suite use random ports causing problems securing through firewalls but may be able to be
mitigated by using direct routed calls. Since the ports required for H.323 are not set, a filtering
firewall would have to have all possibly needed ports left open. Therefore, the firewall would
need to be H.323 aware allowing communication without opening up the firewall to other traffic.
A stateful firewall and/or application firewall is required to ensure consistency of the
characteristics of connections. Network Address Translation is a problem for H.323 because the
internet protocol and port on the internet protocol header do not match those in the messages.
This may be mitigated with an H.323 aware firewall. Additionally, there will be restrictions in
other security measures if Network Address Translation is involved.
4.2 Session Internet Protocol
Session Initiation Protocol is a signaling protocol specified by the Internet Engineering
Task Force used to set up and tear down two-way communications sessions. session internet
protocol operates on the application level so can be used with several different protocols. Using
tansmission control protocol allows use of providing more security whereas,user datagram
protocol allows for faster, lower latency, connections. Usual components of an Session Internet
Protocol system are the user agent, proxy server, registrar server, and the redirect server. The

13
usual components software contains client and server components. The client piece makes
outgoing calls and the server is responsible for receiving incoming calls. The proxy server
forwards traffic, the registrar server authenticates requests, and the redirect server resolves
information for the usual components client. The endpoints begin by connecting with a proxy
and/or redirect server which resolves the destination number into an internet protocol address. It
then returns that information to the originating endpoint which is responsible for transmitting the
message directly to the destination. A security advantage of session internet protocol is that it
uses one port. The main concerns for security of are confidentiality, message integrity,
nonrepudiation, authentication and privacy. New security mechanisms were not created for
session internet protocol instead, session internet protocol uses those provided by Hyper Text
Transfer Protocol and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol as well as Internet Protocol Security.

Fig 4.3:- Self-Provided Customer Architecture

Signal confidentiality is best provided with full encryption, however, since some session
internet protocol message fields must be read and/or modified by some proxies, care must be

14
taken and possibly other methods used. If however, the proxy can be trusted, then encryption at
the transport and/or network layers may be the best solution. Security at the transport and
networking layers accomplishes full packet encryption using internet protocol sec. TLS had been
used, but has been deprecated. Full encryption requires support of the encryption method at each
end point where it is implemented. hyper text transfer protocol authentication uses the 401 and
407 response codes and header fields. This provides a stateless challenge-base mechanism for
authentication whereby the hallenge and user credentials are passed in the headers. When a
proxy or usual components receives a request, it may challenge to ensure the identity of the
sender. Once identity has been confirmed the receiver should also verify that the requester is
authorized. Details of this “digest” method may be found in rfc 326112. Secure/Multipurpose
Internet Mail Extension is an enhancement to Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension that replaces
Pretty Good Privacy. Since Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension bodies are carried by session
internet protocol, session internet protocol may use to enhance security, Multipurpose Internet
Mail Extension contains components that can provide integrity and encryption for Multipurpose
Internet Mail Extension data and as rfc 2633 states Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension can be
used for “authentication, message integrity and non-repudiation of origin (using digital
signatures) and privacy and data security (using encryption). Multipurpose Internet Mail
Extension is useful when full encryption of the packet is not feasible due to the need of network
components to use data from the header fields. User identification is done via certificate
belonging to the user that is compared to the header information. Integrity of the message is
verified by matching the information in the outside header with that of the inside header.
Normally, Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension is used to encrypt Session Description Protocol
but there may be requirements to encrypt certain header components. Session internet protocol
can provide header privacy by encapsulating the entire message using Multipurpose Internet
Mail Extension type message/sip. If used for anonymity the message will need to be decrypted
before the certificate can be identified and consequently validated. Session internet protocol
Security Concerns hyper text transfer protocol digest does not provide the best integrity. Without
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension, spoofing of the header would not be difficult.
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension requires a public key infrastructure. Since certificates are
associated with users, moving from one device to another may be difficult. With Multipurpose
Internet Mail Extension there may be issues with firewalls or other proxy devices that may

15
require viewing and/or changing session internet protocol bodies. There is information in session
internet protocol headers that may be considered sensitive, i.e. an unlisted phone number.
Consideration may need to be given to providing per-user options that allow protection of this
information. Session internet protocol and H.323 both use protocols that may use random ports
requiring that the firewall be able to open and close ports as required. An H.323 or session
internet protocol aware firewall may be required. As with H.323, network address translation
presents problems for session internet protocol.

4.3 Network Address Translation

Network Address Translation allows one network address to be translated at a gateway
between two networks into another address so that the packet will have a valid source address on
the network it is on. Most commonly Network Address Translation is used to change private
internet protocol addresses into public, Internet routable, internet protocol addresses. Ports may
also be translated. Network Address Translation traversal is usually only a concern if end-user
devices connect directly with an external network or if they connect to the internal network from
an external network.

Fig 4.4:- Network Address Translation Architecture

16
 Network Address Translation is a layer of security because it hides the real addresses on
the internal network from the public network. Network Address Translation can however, be a
problem, because the routing device does not know the actual internet protocol address of the
device. The information defining the endpoint is in the header. The routing device must be able
to read the header and in some cases (i.e. with proxy firewalls) change it. This is hampered when
encryption is used. The best solution is to not use Network Address Translation if at all possible.
By removing the issue, the problem disappears, though another problem may present itself.
When Network Address Translation is required, care must be taken to select application and
proxy firewalls that handle the implementation or, alternatively, consider a service offered by the
public networks.
4.4 Denial of Service
Denial of Service is caused by anything that prevents the service from being delivered. A
Denial of Service can be the result of unavailable bandwidth or voice over internet protocol
components being unavailable. Many things can cause a Denial of Service including: a network
getting congested to a level that it cannot provide the bandwidth needed to support the
application; servers not capable of handling the traffic; extraneous services may be running that
reduce the available resources to the server; malicious programs such as viruses and Trojan
horses; other malicious programs with the purpose of causing Denial of Service or hacking
activity.

17
 Fig 4.5:- PSTN Architecture

If Denial of Service is caused by bandwidth constraints, potential solutions are increasing

the bandwidth and/or isolating the voice over internet protocol traffic so that it gets service first.
Various methods of ensuring servers don’t stop working, such as failover methods like
clustering, can help reduce Denial of Service from failing components. Each component of the
voice over internet protocol system offered by the vendor, should be evaluated, removing those
that are unnecessary. Server size should be planned such that all desired vendor services and
expected traffic can be supported, adding some percentage for expected growth.
Defending against malicious programs and activity is more difficult but should begin with
applying appropriate patches in a timely manner, and installing virus protection with frequent
updates. In addition, installation designers should consider a host based firewall, intrusion
detection and/or intrusion prevention. Defense against Denial of Service attacks of public servers
can best be done by locating the device with the public available internet protocol addresses

18
behind a firewall or other device that only allows communication from trusted sources. Also,
harden the operating systems in use, removing all unnecessary services and applications from the
servers and workstations, patching, etc.
4.5 Other Concerns
Additional concerns of a VoIP system that need to be considered are databases, web
servers, additional VoIP services offered by the vendor, protocol stacks, access to public or
unknown networks, physical security and electrical power. Databases are needed at some point
of the VoIP implementation to store and retrieve information as needed to accommodate various
functions of the system. Database security principles should be applied including changing the
default administrator password, patches as they become available, and best practices concerning
access to the database, especially from sources other than the voice over internet protocol
system. A common feature of end-user equipment is a web browser, the purpose of which is to
provide additional functionality and increased productivity. A voice over internet protocol
system server may have a web browser interface allowing management. If supported, patch the
device when the patch becomes available and use as strong authentication as can be supported.
Each vendor, having their own implementation of voice over internet protocol system, may
require any number of services to run on a server to support their product. As mentioned before,
keep patches up to date and turn off all unneeded services. If the risk is great enough, consider
encryption and/or protection by another device such as a firewall. The voice application and the
operating system have similar vulnerabilities and should be patched as well. If the voice over
internet protocol system stays within a secured network and only connects to the public network
through a gateway, the gateway is a vulnerability that needs addressing. Deploy the hardened
gateway behind an appropriate firewall, i.e. one that is aware of the protocols used. voice over
internet protocol system must process the protocols that it supports so it needs to have some
implementation of a network stack. Stack implementations are written by the vendor orurchased
from another vendor. With the latter, all vendors that purchased a specific vendor’s stack will
share the same vulnerabilities. Patch if necessary, when patches become available. Ensure that
the components are physically secure. Access to the box allows ownership. There are many
methods of compromising a device, depending on the device and the underlying operating
system, with physical access. Good security practices include removing the a-disk and the CD-

19
ROM from the boot list and password protect the configuration. If a component is unavailable,
then there is a denial of service.

CHAPTER 5

5. APPLICATIONS AND BENEFITS

Voice communication will certainly remain a basic from of interaction for all of us. The
public switched telephone network mply cannot be replaced, or even dramatically changed, in
the short term (this may not apply to provide voice networks, however). The immediate goal for
voice over internet protocol service providers is to reproduce existing telephone capabilities at a
significantly lower “total cost of operation “and to offer a technically competitive alternative to
the public switched telephone network.

20
 Fig 5.1:- Voice over internet protocol infrastructure

It is the combination of voice over internet protocol with point-of-service applications

that shows great promise for the longer term. The first measure of success for voice over internet
protocol will be cost saving for long distance calls as long as there are no additional constraints
imposed on the end user. For example, callers should not be required to use a microphone on a
pc. voice over internet protocol provides a competitive threat to the providers of traditional
telephone service that, at the very least, will stimulate improvements in cost and function
throughout the industry implemented using an internet protocol network. This design would also
apply if other types of packet networks (such as frame relay) were being used.
Some example of voice over internet protocol applications that are likely to be useful would be:
5.1 Public switched telephone network gateways
Interconnection of the Internet to the public switched telephone network can be
accomplished using a gateway, either integrated into or provided as a separate device. A PC-
based telephone, for example, would have access to the public network by calling a gateway at a
point close to the destination (thereby minimizing long distance charges).
5.2 Internet-aware telephones

21
 Ordinary telephones (wired or wireless ) can be enhanced to serve as an Internet access
device as well as providing normal telephony. Directory services, for example, could be accessed
over the Internet by submitting a name and receiving a voice.
5.3 Internet-office trunking over the corporate intranet
Replacement of tie trunks between company-owned using an private branch exchange
Intranet link would provide economies of scale and help to consolidate network facilities.
5.4 Remote access from a branch (or home) office
A small office (or a home office) could gain access to corporate voice, data, and facsimile
services using company’s Intranet (emulating a remote extension for a private branch exchange,
for example). This may be useful for home-based agents working in a call center.
5.5 Voice calls from a mobile PC via the Internet
One example would be using the Internet to call from a hotel instead of using expensive
hotel telephones. This could be ideal for submitting or retrieving voice messages.
5.6 Internet call center access
Access to call center facilities via the Internet is emerging as a valuable enable adjunct to
electronic commerce applications. Internet call center access would enable a customer who has
questions about a product being offered over the Internet to access customer service agents
online. Another voice over internet protocol application for call centers is the interconnection of
multiple call centers. Widespread deployment of a new technology seldom occurs without a clear
and sustainable justification, and this is also the case with voice over internet protocol.
Demonstrable benefits to end users are also needed if voice over internet protocol products (and
services ) are to be a long-term success. Generally, the benefits of technology can be divided into
the following four categories:
 . Cost Reduction. Although reducing long distance telephone costs is always a popular
topic and would provide a good reason for introducing voice over internet protocol, the
actual saving over the long term are still a subject of debate in the industry. Flat rate
pricing is available with the Internet and can result in considerable savings for both voice
and facsimile (at least currently). It has been estimated that up to 70% of all calls to Asia
are to send faxes, most of which could be replaced by internet protocol. These lower
prices, however, are based on avoiding telephony access charges and settlement fees
rather than being a fundamental reduction in resources costs. The sharing of equipment

22
 and operations costs across both data and voice users can also improve network
efficiency since excess bandwidth on one network can be used by the other, thereby
creating economies of scale for voice (especially given the rapid growth in data traffic ).
 . Simplification. An integrated infrastructure that supports all forms of communication
allows more standardization and reduce all forms of communication allows more
standardization and reduces the total equipment complement. This combined
infrastructure can support dynamic bandwidth optimization and a fault tolerant design.
The difference between the traffic patterns of voice and data offer further opportunities
for significant efficiency improvements.
 Consolidation. Since people are among the most significant cost elements in a network,
any opportunity to combine operations, to eliminate points of failure, and to consolidate
accounting systems would be beneficial.. Universal use of the internet protocol for all
applications holds out the promise of both services and security services may be more
easily shared. s Even though basic telephony and facsimile are the initial applications for
voice over internet protocol, the longer term benefits are expected to be derived from
multimedia and multi service applications. For example, Internet commerce solution can
combine WWW access to a call center agent from the PC. Needless to say, voice is an
integral part of conferencing systems that may also include shared screens, white
boarding, etc. Combining voice and data features into new application will provide the
greatest returns over the longer term. Although the use of voice over packet networks is
relatively limited at present, there is considerable user interest and trials are beginning.
End user demand is to grow rapidly the next five years. Frost & Sullivan and other
research firms have estimated that the compound annual growth rate for IP-enabled
telephone equipment will be 132% over the period from 1997 to 2002 (from $47.3 M in
1997 to $3.16B by 2002). It is expected that VoIP will be deployed by 70% of the
Fortune 1000 companies by the year 2000. Industry analysts have also estimated that the
annual revenues for the IP fax gateway market will increase from less than $20M in 1996
to over $100M by the year 2000. It is clear that a market has already been established and
there exists a window of opportunity for developers to bring their products to market.
5.7 Product Development Challenges

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 The goal for developers is relatively simple: add telephone calling capabilities ( both
voice transfer and signaling) to internet protocol-based networks and interconnect these to the
public telephone network and to private voice networks in such as way as to maintain current
voice quality standards and preserve the features everyone expects from the teleph Fig illustrates
an overall
;

Fig 5.2:- overall architecture for VoIP an product developer arise

Architecture for voice over internet protocol an Suggests that the challenges for the
product developer arise in five specific areas:
1. Voice quality should be comparable to what is available using the public switched telephone
network, even over networks having variable levels of operating system.
2. The underlying internet protocol network must meet strict performance criteria including
minimizing call refusals, network latency, packet loss and disconnects. This is required even
during congestion condition or when multiple users must share network resources.
3. Call control (signaling) must make the telephone calling process transparent so that the callers
need not know what technology is actually implementing the service.
4. public switched telephone network service interworking (and equipment interoperability)
involves gateways between the voice and data network environments.
5. System management, security, addressing (directories, dial plans) and accounting must be
provided, preferably consolidated with the public switched telephone network operation support
systems.

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 CHAPTER 6

6. Conclusion
Data traffic has traditionally been forced to fit onto the voice network (using modems, for
example). The Internet has created an opportunity to reverse this integration strategy – voice and
facsimile can now be carried over internet protocol networks, with the integration of video and
other multimedia applications close behind. The Internet and its underlying internet protocol
suite have become the driving force for new technologies, with the unique challenges of real-
time voice being the latest in a series of developments. Telephony over the Internet cannot make
compromise in voice quality, reliability, scalability, and manageability. Future extensions will
include innovative new solutions including conference bridging, voice/data synchronization,
combined real-time and message-based services, text-to- speech conversion and voice response
systems. The market for voice over internet protocol products is established and is beginning its
rapid growth phase. Producers in this market must look for ways to improve their time-to market

25
if they wish to be market leaders. Buying and integrating predefined and pre-tested software
(instead of custom building everything) is one of the options. Significant benefits of the “buy vs.
build “ approach include reduced development time, simplified product integration, lower costs,
off-loading of standard compliance issues, and fewer risks. Software that is known to conform to
standards, has built-in accommodation for difference in national telephone systems, has already
been optimized for performance and reliability, and has “plug and play” capabilities can
eliminate many very time-consuming development tasks.

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Version Published: 2007-01-15

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