Toshiba Phone System

question about VoIP telephone systems?

when you make a call using VoIP over the internet, how can you call a normal landline on a normal telephone line? is it transferred from internet to cable?

Public Comments

1. Same way you always did, just dial the number. The only difference with VoIP is the path it takes. It will go over the net until it needs to come off at the CO the destination number is at, then it reverts back to landline.
2. You subscribe to a VOIP service which has the ability and right to make calls on the PSTN. Quite often you pay for that right. Technically, your voice app makes a VOIP connection to a gateway on the PSTN (usually near the party you are calling), and has it call the number.
3. It is always interesting when someone writes a good question and then people offer answers, but use obscure, industry "insider" abbreviations as part of the answer. "PSTN" is an abbreviation for "Public Switched Telephone Network". Conventional Land Line phones. The first person used "CO", which is short for "Telephone Company Office", or the local network of switches that route a call to the proper phone. Let's not use abbreviations unless they are universally understood. thanks,
4. yes it is. and you will normally pay for that call, whereas VOIP to VOIP calls should normally be free. you VOIP service will provide an interface to the 'real world' traditional telephones (see sipgate, gradwell and their landline charges, or Skype etc and their skype-out service etc) You can even do it yourself if you set up your own asterisk box. Asterisk is a free VOIP telephone exchange that runs on Linux on any PC hardware. It even has free install disks available. You then install phone socket cards on it to go to traditional lines (not SIP phones) FXS - Subscriber cards to go to and end user "subscriber" phone FXO - Office cards, to go the local exchange or "office" in US terminology.