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Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology is, oddly enough, nothing new. The technology and principles behind it have been in operation since 1973. But even with these surprisingly old beginnings, it took a lot of time, refinement and development to take VoIP from the early days to the technological powerhouse that we it to be today.

It's hard to understand VoIP without understanding the benefits behind it. VoIP offers a variety of benefits not commonly available to normal phone systems. The obvious benefit is perhaps its most attractive: cost savings. Thanks to the use of an Internet connection (the IP in VoIP), much of the infrastructure required to connect calls is removed. This makes the connection less expensive to establish, and thus allows companies to offer connections at much, much lower rates over the alternative. Long distance calling, in many cases, comes for just one price per month, while even international calling can be had at a similar price structure, or failing that, an extremely low per-minute charge.

Beyond cost, there are other valuable benefits, including new features like find-me-follow-me that allow calls to be received at several different phones at once, as well as phone portability and service mobility, which are terrific elements for disaster planning as well. The phone can, essentially, stay on even in the worst situations, as long as somewhere nearby, Internet and power can be had.

With benefits like that available, it's no wonder that VoIP would be developed at a rapid pace. While VoIP did begin in 1973 with ARPANET, it took all the way to 1989 before VocalTec's Alon Cohen (News - Alert) and Lior Hamaraty invented and patented the first audio transceiver for VoIP. Even then, it took another six years before VocalTec released the “VocalTec Internet Phone (News - Alert)” software. But after that, the staggering growth of the Internet prompted a new look at the idea of VoIP traffic. Indeed, in 1998, one percent of all voice traffic in the United States was VoIP traffic, and just five years later, Skype (News - Alert) launched in beta and the whole race took off in earnest.

VoIP has caught on in many ways. With 35 percent of American adults now owning tablets and most smartphones packing a VoIP app, the technologies presence cannot be ignored. In fact, 14 percent of the global online population is carrying on some kind of audio conversation online.

With the advent of Web-based real time communications (WebRTC) adding voice and video capabilities to common Web browsers, as well as other apps getting involved, the claim that VoIP will slow down any time soon is a tough one to make. Even a sluggish economy is likely contributing to VoIP's overall popularity, as the service offers a great way to stay in touch from virtually anywhere in the world for little overall expense. As businesses get in on the act, and with so many options available, it's easy to see why VoIP is making the kind of impact that it is.