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VirtualPBX Answers: What Are Online Phone Calls?

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VirtualPBX Answers: What Are Online Phone Calls?

online phone callsThe concept of what a telephone call is shouldn’t be abstract to anyone reading this. Basically, a point-to-point voice conversation is something that has been a part of our daily lives for generations. While not everyone knows the mechanics behind how a telephone call actually connects two people, the basic concept is widely understood. The advent of the digital age and the proliferation of access to high-speed data connections have introduced the possibility for online phone calls to grow in popularity. Online phone calls are very similar to traditional phone calls in that most people understand the concept of using the internet to connect two parties, though again the mechanics of how that occurs tend to be less commonly understood. In this blog both the methods of how to make online phone calls, as well as the technology behind them, will be made clear.

Understanding Online Phone Calls

Online phone calls are like regular telephone calls in that they each connect calls over the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). This is basically the massive “switchboard” of sorts that all telephone calls need to go through in order to connect to each other. Traditional phone calls do this by routing through copper wires that are physically connected to the PSTN, and online phone calls use VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) to do the same thing. To accomplish that, VoIP uses cloud-based facsimiles of the junctions that wired telephone calls go through, called a PBX (Private Branch Exchange). Because it’s logistically unrealistic to wire a single cable from one phone to all the other phones on earth, these junctions (PBXs) act as efficient aggregators for connecting the world. A hosted PBX, as used by a VoIP system, is a virtual equivalent of a standard PBX and as a result doesn’t require any of the physical equipment or costs associated with an on-site option.

Benefits of Online Phone Calls

Without comparing all of the relevant benefits and restrictions that exist between a hosted and an on-site PBX, the reality is that more businesses are choosing to make online phone calls over traditional ones every year. The main arguments for this seem to fall into one of two different categories; price and flexibility. By relying on digital technology to connect calls to the PSTN, companies can save upwards of 70%-80% over on-site analog options. Additionally, because most employees have a nearly constant access to high-speed data connections, leveraging a VoIP-powered business phone system makes more sense for people who are often outside of the office. This is especially true considering how some telecom options include 4G LTE nationwide mobile networks fully integrated into their business VoIP packages. Additionally, with mobile communications continuing to evolve and integrate further into existing web-based technology, there are even more flexibility and cost benefits to be had. Most notably, the open-source software WebRTC (Web-Based Real-Time Communications) have allowed for free web phones to become available for making online phone calls over any modern web browser.

Begin Making Online Phone Calls

Getting started with making online phone calls is easy with the no-strings-attached Free Trial. You can email our Sales Team today to get started. This 14-day option lets a business try the full complement of VirtualPBX hosted VoIP features on our Essentials or Advanced plans. And considering that the VirtualPBX Web Phone is totally free to use and only draws from the existing pool of minutes on an account, making online phone calls is about as simple as clicking through to a pick your plan now!

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