Not really, but almost. Because many years ago IT solutions broke into telecommunications as well. In this way, we can use the same Internet connection for phone calls that we use to browse the World Wide Web. In fact, you don't even need a telephone, as our computer is also suitable for this purpose. But I'll go further, call centers have also changed, nowadays a computer and a software are enough for this purpose.
Do you want to fax?
Whether you want to send or receive, this is now solved in the IT world without the need for a fax machine. You can receive and send faxes from a computer to a conventional fax machine. All you need for this is a computer, a scanner and software.
How is this possible?
With the advent of information technology, telecommunications changed significantly. This should be understood as the fact that what has been solved so far in telecommunications at the hardware level, is nowadays being implemented through the development of software. The advantage is that the solution can be flexibly modified according to user needs and all by modifying the software, with the same hardware. And the hardware is nothing but the computer.
Most importantly, you don't need a traditional (analog, ISDN) phone line or subscription! What's more, you don't even need a phone.
The solution used is a technology based entirely on IT standards, Voice over IP (VoIP), i.e. voice transmission using internet protocol. This basically makes it possible to use our Internet connection for telephone calls. In this way, we can use our internet subscription for several purposes, the cost is divided between the uses and we can use it more efficiently.
How does it work?
From the user's point of view, this only means that a small program runs on the computer in the background and when someone is called or wants to call someone, this program must be called up. As with telephone calls, phone numbers must be used here, which of course can be named, just like on mobile phones. Many people are probably familiar with the services and use of Skype, so the use of VoIP will not be foreign.
I can't use my phone?
But yes. This is also possible, it is not mandatory to operate a computer continuously due to telephone calls. Just as there are Skype or VoIP applications on mobile phones, there are telephone devices that are directly suitable for VoIP calls. What's more, with the help of an adapter, even the old analog telephone can be made suitable for this purpose, although unfortunately all services cannot be used in this case.
Call center at home or in the office
Since the entire technology is based on IT solutions, it is now available to everyone at an affordable price, even in a family home. After all, the VoIP telephone exchange (IPPBX) can be implemented in a router with which we connect to the Internet or with any computer, even with a low-power mini-ITX solution. In cases requiring high reliability, it is advisable to use a server for this task, even if the necessary program can be run on an existing device or server already used for other purposes.
With the help of such a solution, it is also possible to integrate the intercom into the telephone exchange. In this way, the intercom and door opening can be operated from all telephones located in the building. If we use video intercoms and video phones, it is even possible to see who is standing in front of the gate.
It is also possible to make calls between the apartment and the workplace, or between locations, without using a service provider. So these connections can actually be free. Of course, video calling is also possible here. Moreover, the sites can be located in completely different geographical locations, in another country or even on another continent.
There are also mobile phone applications with which the mobile phone can connect to the VoIP telephone exchange using Wi-Fi, even from the other side of the world, and make a long-distance call as a local call. The voice announcement menu system (IVR) can be useful for businesses, which can direct the caller directly to the person they are looking for. In addition, it is possible to program day and night services, and even to leave voice messages and forward them as e-mails.
Incoming and outgoing calls are continuously logged, on the basis of which cost sharing can be continuously solved for private and office conversations. Moreover, some phone numbers and number fields can be disabled, thus preventing e.g. the costs of premium calls.
The fax service becomes much simpler, as Fax-to-Mail is available, with the help of which incoming faxes arrive as e-mail messages. The reverse is also true, because a document scanned on a computer using the Mail-to-Fax application is sent as an e-mail and arrives as a fax message on the recipient's fax machine.
This does not exhaust the services, as the usual call forwarding, conference calls, etc. they can be used in the same way as other traditional systems.
Certainly an expensive solution...
No. Today, as I mentioned, we can talk about a solution that is also available for a single-family house. The computer and hardware requirements are not high and its electricity consumption is also low, corresponding to the consumption of a cable TV or satellite receiver set top box. If we install the necessary software on an existing device, this does not mean additional consumption.
It should be noted that the asterisk IPPBX software used is basically a free solution available and usable by everyone. The only related cost is the programming task and installation according to the customer's needs.
We also use this solution for our own business, by expanding the services of our own server installed for a different purpose. Thus, there were no investment costs in terms of hardware, not least because our router was suitable for using previous DECT phones as a VoIP adapter.
By way of comparison, the previous internet service, ISDN telephone subscription, and conversation fees cost HUF 25-30,000 per month, while after switching to the VoIP service and putting the IPPBX into operation, the conversation fees of the increased bandwidth internet service and the VoIP subscription do not reach HUF 20,000 per month. This shows that the monthly savings are 5-10 thousand HUF and we did not have to calculate the payback time, because it did not require any investment on our part, since we installed the IPPBX software on an existing server.