Virtual Office Resource

The rapid adoption of technologies that make use of the Internet as a key communication portal has led to the proliferation of VoIP in the corporate and residential environments. Since its invention in 1973, VoIP has become more user-friendly and taken on branded identities such as Skype (News - Alert) and Fring. Today, the VoIP phone is a common device, as 24 percent of adults have used the Internet to place a phone call.

VoIP System USA recently published an infographic, highlighting the history of VoIP and its impact on the typical user. For many, that meant a shift to a much more economic choice in communications. In fact, the VoIP phone enabled savings of more than 60 percent with a per user monthly cost of just $20, compared with the traditional office phone service at $35-$45 per line. This benefit alone is driving businesses to adopt virtual systems to support a new approach to business communications.

With the typical VoIP service, there are no contracts, no setup fees and no fine print locking a user into fees or parameters that don’t fit the business. When the first VoIP call was made, did its inventor’s perceive the potential benefit it could provide to the global market? If so, they may have missed the opportunity, given that the first patent of the VoIP audio transceiver wasn’t secured until 1989. Speak Freely, the first VoIP application wasn’t released as public domain until 1991. By 1998, 1 percent of all voice traffic in the U.S. traversed the Internet.

VoIP really gained momentum in 2003, however, when Skype entered the mix. The first beta software was launched that year and the brand quickly established itself as the standard in terms of Internet voice communication. Mass market VoIP telephony hit the next year with VoIP calling plans and a more conventional approach to digital calling.

Looking at the impact of the market today and where VoIP and the VoIP phone stand in terms of users and demand, VoIP apps are already present on tablets and smartphones owned by 35 percent of adults in the U.S. Audio conversations are taking place via the Internet among 14 percent of the global population and Skype users reached an all-time high of 663 million in 2010, a number that has surely grown since then.

The benefits of the VoIP call exceed the lower cost as they also enable the creation of the virtual office. Companies like Phone (News - Alert).com extend Internet-based capabilities to ensure companies and individuals have access to the technologies they need to stay connected regardless of location. And, thanks to the proliferation of VoIP and the rapid adoption of the VoIP phone, new features and capabilities continue to emerge in the broader market.