OVERVIEW
Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), the transmission of person-to-person voice conversations over IP–based networks, is a topic of great interest within the telecommunications industry. With VoIP service, customers see an opportunity to significantly reduce their local and long-distance calling expenses, while long-distance carriers have seen an opportunity to possibly avoid sharing a large portion of their revenues with the local telephone companies for use of their access links to originate long-distance calls. Moreover, service providers and customers see an increasing appeal in the rich array of services that VoIP enables. Among these are a range of Web-like phone displays, information services, and data exchange.
The Basics of Voice over Internet Protocol examines the fundamentals of delivering VoIP service while exploring its potential in the communications market. VoIP is now becoming a mainstream service offered by RBOCs, CLECs, long-distance carriers, international carriers, and virtually any entrant to the transport business. Yet despite this, multiple standards for VoIP still exist, making the interworking of vendor products and the myriad alternative protocols—H.323, SIP, MGCP, etc.—a continuing issue. Further, the quality of VoIP telephone conversations is still under question, and the seeming significant initial costs of setup, including the change-out of phones and PBXs, as well as the addition of gateway and gatekeeper devices, may undermine the benefits to be had from implementing VoIP.
As the industry moves forward, the direction of the complete national network is toward an IP–based architecture, and voice traffic seems to be moving in this common direction. There are many challenges still to be addressed, but the benefits of VoIP continue to draw mounting levels interest, pushing this technology ever further into the mainstream of communications. The Basics of Voice over Internet Protocol analyzes this trend in depth while bringing readers up to date on the evolution of VoIP service.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Introduction
The Opportunity for Voice Traffic in IP Networks
Open Standards for VoIP
Chapter 2: Characteristics of Voice and IP Traffic
Public Telephone Network Service versus IP Networking
IP Voice Standards
Basics for Transmitting Voice in IP Packets
VoIP Overhead and Its Effects
The General VoIP Architecture Model
Voice Content Packetization
Voice Packet Transmission
Voice Packet Reception
Standards for VoIP Beyond H.323
Interconnecting VoIP Nets to the Public Telephone Network
Assigning IP Telephone Addresses – DHCP
Chapter 3: VoIP Models for Connection
Enterprise Connection over Public and Private Networks
Residential Connection over Networks
VoIP Terminals
Chapter 4: VoIP Using the H.323 Protocol
The ITU H.323 Protocol
Terminals
Gateways
Gatekeepers
The Operation of an H.323 Network
The H.323 Frame
H.323 Audio Coding and Compression
H.323 Call-Setup Signaling and Message Flow
Operation of Gateways and Gatekeepers in an H.323 Network
Real-Time Transfer Protocol
Chapter 5: SIP for Voice Transmission
SIP Messages
SIP Headers and the TCP/IP Packet
SIP Addressing and Operation
The Specifics of User Agents Using SIP Proxy Servers
The More Detailed Flow Using Proxy and Redirect Servers
Chapter 6: Gateways and Gatekeeper Protocols
Media Gateway Control Protocol – MGCP
The MGCP Commands
Media Gateway Control Protocol – MEGACO
Simple Gateway Control Protocol
Skinny Protocol – An Alternative to MGCP and MEGACO
Summary Comparison of the Protocols
Chapter 7: Transmitting Voice over a Public WAN and IP Network
IP Voice over Frame Relay – IP VoFR
IP Voice over ATM – IP VoATM
Chapter 8: Service-Provider VoIP Offerings
RBOC VoIP Services
CLEC VoIP Services
Long-Distance Carrier VoIP Services
Cable VoIP Services
Small Service-Provider VoIP Services
Chapter 9: Strategies for Vendors, Regulators, and Customers
The Federal Communications Commission
Interexchange Long-Distance Carriers
Regional Bell Operating Companies
Competitive Local-Exchange Carriers
Service Providers
Enterprise Businesses
Residential Customers
VoIP Hardware and Software Vendors
Chapter 10: Conclusion
Appendix: VoIP Terminals and Other Equipment
IP PBX Components and Prices
IP Phones and Prices
H.323 IP Phones and Prices
SIP–Only Phones
General List of IP Phones and Vendors
Cisco Systems Gateway and Module Component Costs
Avaya Gateway and Module Component Costs
FEATURES
· Provides the essential fundamentals of how VoIP functions
· Offers an encompassing overview of the evolution of VoIP services
· Analyzes current market conditions for VoIP and the drivers behind its movement into the mainstream of communications
· Explores the myriad challenges involved in implementing VoIP
· Discusses the various protocols available for VoIP delivery, fully explaining the functionality and benefits of each
· Examines the opportunities and benefits that VoIP presents to RBOCs, CLECs, long-distance carriers, and service providers
· Highlights current VoIP offerings from today's service providers and vendors
· Offers informed strategies on deploying and utilizing VoIP for long-distance carriers, RBOCs, CLECs, service providers, and enterprise businesses, residential customers, and hardware and software vendors
· Provides a comprehensive glossary that defines key terminology
· Presents easy-to-digest graphics, charts, and tables that illustrate important aspects of VoIP
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Frank M. Groom is a Professor at the Graduate Center for Information and Communication Science at Ball State University. His research is concentrated in the areas of high-bandwidth networking, distributed systems, and the storage of multimedia objects. Dr. Groom is the author of six books-among his best known are "The Future of ATM" and "The ATM Handbook". Dr. Groom received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in Information Systems and was formerly Senior Director of Information Systems for Ameritech.
Kevin M. Groom is a Senior Member of the Technical Staff for AT&T, where he is involved in provisioning the network that supports the operations support systems that provide information and functionality to the carrier's long-distance and metro networks. Mr. Groom has a B.A. in Telecommunications and an M.S. in Information and Communication Sciences from Ball State University. He is the co-author of "The Future of IP and Packet Networking" and has presented numerous talks on managing the metropolitan and national carrier networks at networking conferences.
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